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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“Eye Catcher” - 3/31/19 | 1/1000, F/5.6, 390mm, ISO 800

Photo of the Month | March 2019

Vincent Petro April 14, 2019

Taken on the last day of the month, my photo of the month for March is a minimalist style photo of a Red-winged Blackbird. This was also one of my first photos with my newly acquired Nikon 200-500mm lens. On this morning I was fortunate enough to come across a spot where someone had dropped a hand full of bird feed on the ground. This created the perfect opportunity for some bird photography. It also snowed a couple inches the night before, creating a very beautiful scene to work with. To take this shot I simply setup on the ground, sat back, and watched the endless stream of birds coming to feed. The hardest part about this particular shoot was walking away. It was one of those shoots that is so good you wish it never ended.