Birds of the Week .4 /  by Dave Hileman

I have four and one bonus shot to share today. Little Blue Heron with a shrimp, Great White stalking in the swamp at Magnolia Plantation, SC, Bonaparte Gulls at Isle of Palms SC (non-breeding plumage and a Rusty Blackbird at Caw Caw reserve. Plus a Brown Pelican cause they are such fun to photograph, this one was in Alabama along the Gulf of America.

Birds of the Week .3 /  by Dave Hileman

I was delighted to find this beautiful White-eyed Vireo at the Caw Caw Reserve County Park near Charleston, SC. I have often heard this song bird and occasionally got a quick glimpse of one in the forest canopy but on this day the brightly colored male was searching for lunch on a short tree 15 yards from me. Jill and I watched him for 4 or five minutes. I thought at first it was a fly-catcher but eventually got a good view of his white eye ring. Anyway, enjoy this beautiful little usually shy bird.

Four more birds tomorrow and one of them is only the second time I ever saw one!

Birds of the Week .2 /  by Dave Hileman

This is a much more common bird than yesterday’s Common Black Hawk and I did not have to travel to south Texas to see it. You likely have a few Purple Finches around your house and feeder. But I saw this one at the Seven Islands Birding Park just east of Knoxville along the French Broad River. Somehow seeing a common bird in the “wild” instead of next to your porch is more satisfying and fun to photograph.

Birds of the Week /  by Dave Hileman

This is a Common Black Hawk found in the Southwest US. This one was photographed in Big Bend National Park, Texas, about 50 yards from the Rio Grande. The nest was nearby but there were, according to the ranger, no eggs yet. This was the first CBH I had ever spotted.

iPhone .4 /  by Dave Hileman

Our final look - for now - at the iPhone photos is the main reason I love the quality and access for photos — people. First, you never know when an opportunity appears for a great shot to remember a moment and it is important to have a camera in your pocket. 2. There are places where you can grab a shot that the camera just doesn’t fit, a restaurant or church for example. Finally, they are great because people are acclimated to the iPhone. You don’t get the “camera smile” when you quickly shoot your subject. And the memories are very special. Most of these photos would not exist if not for the.ease of the iPhone. And they are precious.

iPhone .3 /  by Dave Hileman

Food is the number one thing I take photos of, please do not judge me, I am not sure why I do this. But it is almost irresistible. So, here are a few of the hundreds on my phone. Tomorrow the most valuable reason I love my iPhone camera.

iPhone .2 /  by Dave Hileman

I found some photos that I would not have had or at least not likely to have had I only had my camera. Some people, of course, would not fail to have their camera at hand but occasionally I did not. Some places on the trip to Alaska fell into that category for several reasons, like a dip in a hot spring in the Yukon. And the old WWII vehicles that I did not expect on a walk to the campground office. I was going back to do more but that did not happen. An ice cream shop where you could buy a friend a scoop and a quick shot out the window of several railroad engines pained in old logos as well as a reflection shot in a parking lot. Here are a few…

iPhone /  by Dave Hileman

The camera you always have with you or at least the one I always have with me is my iPhone. And the camera in that tiny package is pretty good, even very good. I read once that Apple has - not sure I recall the actual number, but something like 650 engineers who just work on the camera. While this blog is about pictures and not gear or testing gear or much of anything on the technical side of photography (you need to know something on the technical side to write about it, or at least if what you write is partially true:) Back to the phone in your camera, I use mine is a variety of ways: photos of food or friends in a restaurant, reference shots of a place I would like to take photos at a better time or in a better light, things I might what to research like a book or a bike or, well anything I might consider buying, for documents I may need, for instructions or for someone’s business card. I find that I often use the iPhone camera for hiking, picture of the name of the trail, the map of the trail and quick photos en route. They are great for a quick shot and post to social media as well. I do that a lot and I cannot pass up a funny sign! A newer use is for identification. You can take a photo of a plant, open it and tap the little button in the middle of the row below the photo and magically the name of the plant appears. It works with birds as well. I have some photos from the “real” camera of birds I was unsure of and took an iPhone photo of my screen in the processing program on my laptop and got the answer to “What bird is this?” Not so surprising I also use if for photos. So this week’s theme is iPhone photos. Here is part one of four and I will post about 6 each day.

These are photos from several years ago but are good illustrations of using the phone. On a boat with the Grands, on a ski lift, through a snowy windshield, a “no graduating geese” sign, a parking lot shot to recall the place or the food at your table

A Little.... Photo Shoot /  by Dave Hileman

Steve, a friend of mine from the first church I served in Madisonville, TN, and I traveled to the Hiawassee River Crane Reserve last week. The weather was great and a lot of the Sandhill Cranes were still on the reserve. It is about an hour and a half from my house, so pretty accessible most anytime. It would be even better to have a kayak there as there are miles of lake shore and lots of birding along the mudflats that dot the river. I’m sure there will be more birds from that area in future TLT posts.

This immature eagle was a long way away as he landed on a bit of dinner.

W-B Nuthatch makes an appearance too!

A Little.... Film Premier /  by Dave Hileman

Jill wrote a KnoxCAM story and music a few years ago that she and Kevin Wines adapted into a full length movie. 18 months of post processing, scoring and a myriad of details followed the shooting schedule that took place over a 3-month span in 2023. Last Thursday the film premiered at the Regal Theatre here in Knoxville to a sold out audience. Reactions were enthusiastic and encouraging. The red carpet event was largely organized by the producer, Jill Holder, and it went flawlessly. What an exciting evening. Next step for the film is for it to be shown at some film festivals and then off to a streaming service. Congratulations to all for the super entertainment in an impactful film with an important message.

A Little.... Hike /  by Dave Hileman

Jil and I along with two friends, Jim and Leann, hiked a bit of the Chestnut Top trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Saturday morning. A 45 minute drive from home to the parking area and then off UP the mountain. the hike is way more up than my out of practice old legs were willing to welcome. But it was a glorious day, perfect temperature for a hike and, it is winter still, so no bugs. We enjoyed a low stress, easy walk on a very uncrowded pathway to a crest on the mountain, not the actual top and then back down to the car and off to The Social for a fabulous lunch and back home by 2:00 Just a great day with fine people - looking forward to the next one in March.

Jill getting into her new hiking shoes!

Photo Copyright Jim Dickson