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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“What Really Matters” - 4/6/19 | 1/1000, F/5.6, 500mm, ISO 1600

Photo of the Month | April 2019

Vincent Petro May 1, 2019

I’m very proud of my photo of the month for April because it was the culmination of numerous things I have learned while photographing deer. I have failed more than I can count while attempting to take the perfect photo of this very skittish animal. Through my many failures, I have learned how to treat an encounter with deer to achieve the photos I’m after but, also ensure the comfort of the deer. The knowledge I have gained came together like pieces to a puzzle on this very chilly Saturday morning.

“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.