Photo of the Month | March 2021

Vincent Petro April 1, 2021

I awoke to the soft tapping sound of rain falling outside my cracked open bedroom window. I could feel the cold air rushing into my room. It was well before sunrise and the conditions were not looking great. If I’ve learned anything over the years of taking photos, it's that you should never let the weather deter you from getting out with the camera. So with this in the back of my mind, I gathered my gear, changed into my hiking clothes, and headed out to one of my favorite local locations.

1/2 sec., F/11, 33mm, ISO 64 - 3 Shot Focus Stack

Photo of the Month | February 2021

Vincent Petro March 1, 2021

Just as I had lost all hope for true winter conditions to hit Michigan, in February winter struck back, bringing tons of snow and freezing temperatures. These conditions were enough to form ice on the Great Lakes and freeze over many of the lighthouses that call these waters home. I knew these conditions would be fleeting, so I escaped over to Lake Michigan to capture the beautiful scenery.

Photo of the Month | January 2021

Vincent Petro February 1, 2021

January brought a lot of exciting aspects to my photography. First, we were finally treated with the wintery conditions I have been longing for, although I haven’t made the best use of the conditions yet. The snow is forecasted to keep falling, so fingers crossed I’m able to be out when the snow is good. Second, I finally took the long-overdue plunge and upgraded my camera body and lenses. I’m not one to talk too much about gear, but I’m toying with the idea of dedicating a blog post to the gear upgrades and discuss what I learned from using an entry-level DSLR for 4 years.

“Ready for the Morning” - 1/800 sec., F/5.6, 500mm, ISO 3200

Photo of the Month | December 2020

Vincent Petro January 1, 2021

As the year winds down to a close, I have one final photo of the month to share. The above photo is a simple shot of one of the most common birds I see on my hikes out in nature, the Tufted titmouse. The small, curious little bird is never shy to come say hello, especially during the winter months.

“Empty Space” - 2 sec., F/9, 50mm, ISO 100

Photo of the Month | November 2020

Vincent Petro December 1, 2020

Like many mornings out with the camera, I allow the conditions to dictate where and what I will shoot. On this particular morning, the temperatures dropped and snow began to fall. So, I decided to head to one of my local locations to shoot the many little islands out on the lake.

“Never Ending Battle” - 1/4 sec., F/13, 36mm, ISO 100

Photo of the Month | October 2020

Vincent Petro November 1, 2020

I’m back again with another photo of the month blog post. I missed last month due to me injuring my ankle which stopped me from getting out to do any shooting in September. Luckily, I was able to recover enough to get out on a 3-day backpacking trip to the far North of Michigan in early October. It was a wonderful trip of great views, awesome hiking, and amazing company. We were fortunate enough to hit the fall colors just perfectly on this trip. I took many different photos on this hike but only walked away with a few I think are gallery-worthy photos. At the end of the day this doesn’t matter to me much, what’s important is I had a wonderful experience hiking the large sandstone cliffs of Northern Michigan.

“Peek a Boo” - 1/1000 sec., F/8, 500mm, ISO 800

Photo of the Month | August 2020

Vincent Petro September 1, 2020

The blog post for this photo of the month will be short and sweet. The photo of the month for the month of August was taken and showcased in one of my videos posted up on my YouTube channel. I really enjoy the bit of character and behavior that this bird was kind enough to share with me. Though this bird was actually just scratching his head, it looks like it is trying to play peek a boo with the other birds hanging out in the reeds.

“Bleed Green” - 6/13/20 | 1/250, F/5.6, 380mm, ISO 200

Photo of the Month | June 2020

Vincent Petro July 3, 2020

This blog post will be short and sweet. I’m currently out in the field on a trip again. Originally I was planning on being on the road for 4 days but turns out I’ll be gone for 10 days. This was a much-needed departure from this crazy world. I’m very fortunate to have this opportunity to be out traveling with my camera again and I feel I have not wasted my time. I’m producing some of the best work I have made in a long time (at least that’s what I feel as first impressions). I hope in the near future you will see the photos I have taken up on my website and in my next few YouTube videos.

“Next Generation” - 5/5/20 | 1/60, F/5.6, 200mm, ISO 200

Photo of the Month | May 2020

Vincent Petro June 1, 2020

I returned home after a peaceful walk around my neighborhood and conditions were perfect for a backyard photoshoot. The wind was calm and the temperature was mild, exactly what I love to shoot in. I grabbed my camera gear from inside and went out to the backyard to check on the many plants starting to come up. We had received a good amount of rain and sunlight leading up to this particular afternoon, so many plants were beginning to grow toward the sky. Many of the plants grabbing my attention were the big, green leaves growing up on the bushes and the tulip plants beginning to blossom. I planned to take intimate and abstract photos using the patterns created by the many layers of leaves.

“Confined” - 4/8/20 | 1/500, F/9, 50mm, ISO 100

Photo of the Month | April 2020

Vincent Petro May 1, 2020

There isn’t much to be said about the photo of the month for April. I simply wandered around the house observing how the light shined through the windows, creating abstract shapes as it came in contact with the objects in the room. I used these shapes created by the light and resulting shadows to create this abstract black and white photo. It was a great creative exercise to keep the photography muscles in my brain active and responsive while stuck in lockdown. Since we have been given a little bit extra time due to the lockdown, I figured I would use that time to go through my Lightroom catalog and reminisce about past trips and outing with the camera.

“Routine Visitor” - 3/8/20 | 1/1250 sec, F/6.3, 380mm, ISO 3200

Photo of the Month | March 2020

Vincent Petro April 1, 2020

It’s 1 hour and 45 minutes before sunrise and my alarm sounds. I get out of bed and quietly walk to the kitchen to start the morning coffee. I return to my room to find my already laid out hiking clothes from the night before. I quickly change, grab my camera gear, fill my water bottle and finish making my coffee. I softly walk out the side door of the house and get to the car. I put my gear in the trunk, place the coffee in the cup holder, start the car, begin a podcast, and drive off to my desired location.

“All in Line” - 2/2/20 | 1/10 sec, F/11, 92mm, ISO 100

Photo of the Month | February 2020

Vincent Petro March 1, 2020

February was a very up and down month for photography. The weather here in Michigan continued it's trend of not so great wintry conditions. We had a few good snow showers but nothing too exciting. The temperatures fluctuated from high to low so most of the snow that did fall didn’t stay for longer than a week. These kinds of conditions are not very inspiring to me, so as a result, I struggled to capture many photos that I liked. In my January Photo of the Month blog post, I talked about how I visited a new location for the first time and saw a lot of potential in it. A week after taking my January photo of the month at this new location I was back for more.

“Lonesome” - 1/25/20 | 1/3 sec, F/9, 80mm, ISO 100

Photo of the Month | January 2020

Vincent Petro February 1, 2020

I began the New Year very hopeful for the future of my photography and excited for the remaining months of winter. As the first month of the year flew by, I began to be uninspired by the landscape around me. The weather was just short of miserable except for the one snowstorm that blew through Michigan. This mid-January snowstorm felt like my only chance to capture a compelling photo during the month or even the entire winter. I watched the weather forecast very closely in the 24 hours leading up to the storm hitting. The storm was due to hit in the middle of the night and would continue through the following morning. With this forecast, I knew exactly where I needed to go to shoot. Since October I have had my eye on a tree that stands on its own on the top of a hill. I envisioned a snowstorm blowing through, causing a whiteout, allowing me to take a minimalist photo of the tree. This forecasted snowstorm had all the ingredients for the photo I wanted to capture.

“Hang Tight” - 12/26/19 | 1/1600 sec, F/5.6, 500mm, ISO 3200

Photo of the Month | December 2019

Vincent Petro January 1, 2020

For my final photo of the month for 2019, I choose a shot of a Tufted Titmouse taken at one of my new favorite little spots to capture birds. This small area at one of my favorite local spots is always full of tufted Timouses and Black-capped Chickadees. They dodge and weave through the tall grass and reeds at a pace almost too fast to capture. They quickly jump from reed to reed, nibbling on the tops for food. It feels like a little game I’m playing with the birds as I try to capture them while they jump and fly through the reeds. It seems like they understand what I’m doing, it’s like they are playing the game with me. Almost taunting me as they hang briefly on a reed, pose for a photo, and fly away before I can take any shots.

“Eye Spy” - 11/16/19 | 1/640 sec, F/5.6, 500mm, ISO 1600

Photo of the Month | November 2019

Vincent Petro December 1, 2019

Most of my time out shooting in November was spent taking photos of the deers at one of my favorite local spots. I was out looking for the big bucks running around during the rut. I saw my fair share of bucks, both big and small but never had a really good photographic opportunity with any of them. Most of the bucks were too busy chasing does around to stay around for very long, so I only walked away with snapshots.

Two weeks into the rut we were greeted with an early-season snowstorm that dropped about 8 inches of snow at my local photo spot. I was extremely eager to get out shooting in these conditions. On this very cold morning, I hiked to my go-to spot to see deer, an open field surrounded by woodland. I got to the field just as it got light enough to take photos. I set up my big lens on the tripod and sat down behind a patch of tall grass to give myself a little bit of cover. I settled in for a long period of watching and waiting for any deer who might come walking across the field.

“Time Runs Still” - 10/12/19 | Three Shot Exposure Blend, .5 sec, .6 sec, and 30 sec, F/13, 95mm, ISO 100

Photo of the Month | October 2019

Vincent Petro November 1, 2019

I awoke on this morning to the soft trickle of rainwater falling from the vibrant leaves above my tent. It was cold, wet, and a bit windy, but in spite of these conditions, I was eager to get to the falls and begin shooting. I arrived at the falls just as it was light enough to see the perfectly autumnal trees begging to be photographed. I got out of my car and began the very short walk to the falls with the strong feeling it was going to be a great morning of photography. I was convinced I would come away with a couple of great shots, but what I got out of that morning was so much more than just a few photos. I walked away with a feeling of peace and a re-invigorated motivation for photography.

“Painted by Wind” - 9/29/19 | 1/2 sec, F/20, 200mm, ISO 100

Photo of the Month | September 2019

Vincent Petro October 1, 2019

Scouting, discovering, and revisiting is how I spent most of my time out with the camera in September. With Fall quickly approaching, I went into full composition hunting mode. Fall was a struggle photographically for me last year due to the little time I had to go out shooting. I just simply didn’t have the time and to be honest didn’t have the energy to go out chasing Fall color. This left me feeling very disappointed by the time October ended, but this time around I want to change that. I returned to a few of the spots I frequent between Fall and Spring to see how the landscape has changed over the Summer. I even explored some new areas I previously have not spent much time in. I have a few compositions in mind that could turn out to be photos I would be very proud of. Needless to say, the outlook for capturing the beautiful Fall colors is much better than last year. Between heading North, and staying local, I should have two great windows of time to capture peak fall color. Now, I just simply have to believe in the compositions I have in mind and hope for great conditions and light.

“Home within the Reeds” - 8/2/19 | 1/1000 sec, F/5.6, 500mm, ISO 400

Photo of the Month | August 2019

Vincent Petro September 1, 2019

During the month of August, I shot in a wide range of places. I went from local marshland, to mighty rivers, to one of the Great Lakes, and back to the local marshland. Now sitting here at the end of August looking at this month’s photos, I can’t help but go back to a photo taken at the local marshland.

I was on a very peaceful morning walk along the maze of boardwalks over the water of the marshland when I came across this Chipping Sparrow. Perched on top of a reed, enjoying the warm morning sun inside his little home. I like this photo because it gives me the feeling of looking into the world of this little bird, peering through a window into its home of tall grass and reeds. The late summer foliage gives this bird a small, momentary sanctuary from the outside world. At first glance, it may seem this is the perfect little dwelling for the sparrow, but what you don’t see is the garbage littered in the water and grass at this birds doorstep. Below is a group of photos taken at my local marshland during this last month.

“When Time Blends Together” - 7/20/19 | 1/5 sec, F/14, 155mm, ISO 100

Photo of the Month | July 2019

Vincent Petro August 1, 2019

If you photograph nature you will probably agree with me when I say summer is the hardest season to photograph. The bugs are out, the sun rises far too early and sets way too late, everything is green and overgrown, and the light is harsh most of the day. I find it very hard to find much inspiration or motivation to shoot during the summer for the above reasons. In past summers, I have succumb to the lack of motivation and just stopped shooting nature expect for the bigger trips I took. However, I wanted to change that this summer. I wanted to push myself creatively, to see things in a different light (no pun intended), and continue to develop as a photographer. I have spoken about this before in a past Photo of the Month post, how I want to expand my creativity with the camera, and look at the finer details of a scene. And this month’s photo is the result of just that.

“A Dance in the Sky” - 6/8/19 | 1/250 sec, F/13, 165mm, ISO 100

Photo of the Month | June 2019

Vincent Petro July 1, 2019

I awoke on my last day in Grand Teton National Park to almost sub-freezing temperatures and heavy falling snow. The snowstorm didn’t just bring cold and snow, it also brought incredibly atmospheric conditions to shoot in. At the start of the morning, I was quite skeptical of coming away with any photos but I saw the potential the conditions provided. At first sight, the entire Teton mountain range was completely socked in with clouds which only confirmed my doubts for the morning. After an hour or so of driving around with nothing but cloud in sight, I accepted the fact that no photos of the mountains were going to be taken. So I tried my best to look for abstract and intimate scenes in the falling snow while also just simply enjoying my last morning of the trip.