Jeremy Houston Photography

07/07/2023

"Ghost in the Forest (alt)"
July 7, 2023
I've gone back to the arboretum a couple more times to photograph these ghost flowers. I guess you could they they're haunting me. On the 3rd I brought the tripod and I got some better quality landscape shots of the entire cluster, and today I wanted to get some closeups of the flower itself. My 300mm lens did well enough but I think I need to start saving up for a true macro lens as I really do enjoy getting up close and personal with flowers. Soon.
Nikon D850, ISO-64, f/7.1, 1/5s, 300mm

04/07/2023

"Urban Rabbitry"
July 4, 2023 - I have long been jealous of the rural photographers who have a wide variety of birds, deer, foxes, badgers, etc. regularly visiting their yards. Well, today I paid heed to the frantic calls of my cat, Amelia, to find out she had spotted a family of bunnies playing in the empty lot across the street from us. At one point I was able to see six of them hopping around. So I grabbed my Nikon (and keys), ran outside, and was lucky enough to get to watch this little fella enjoying a dirt bath.
Nikon D850, ISO-140, f/5, 1/320s, 300mm

03/07/2023

"Ghost in the Forest"
July 2, 2023
I haven't done any photography in a while so today I went out in search of birds. While the squawks and chirps seemed to rain down upon me at times I only ever saw a few. But one of the great joys in photography is finding something which you did not expect. So was the case today when I remembered to look down and saw this small patch of unusual (to me) flowers. Ghost Flowers, or Indian Pipe, is a non-photosynthetic plant which lacks all pigmentation; a stark contrast to the lush green of our temperate rain forest. It was the first time I have encountered such a plant and it was a pure joy to discover. Tomorrow I hope to go back a little more prepared and take a few more photos.
-Nikon D850, ISO-400, f/4, 1/1000s, 300mm

07/05/2023

"Whale of a Tale"
September 13, 2022
Whale watching is such an astonishing thing to me. As a certified landlubber I feel like I have no business being close enough to photograph these beautiful, massive animals. But every few years I am blessed enough to travel to some exotic place, get on a boat, and go share the world with them for a too-brief time. This majestic tail belongs to a s***m whale we encountered in the South Pacific off the coast of Kaikoura, New Zealand. I wish they were a little more buoyant, so I could see a bit more, but then I suppose they would not be as mysterious.
-Nikon D850, ISO-100, f/5, 1/1000s, 300mm

25/04/2023

"Sea and Sky"
September 12, 2019
A Vermillion Flycatcher adorns the statue of Princess Huacachina, whose legend tells of a forbidden love-cursed Princess transformed into a mermaid and whose tears or mirror created the waters in which she still resides, depending on the version of the legend.
-Nikon D750, ISO-200, f/5.6, 1/500s, 300mm

07/03/2023

"Howdy"
August 14, 2016
It was our first day in Iceland and after checking into our B&B we went for a walk to explore our surroundings. It didn't take very long for us to discover some local "wildlife," three horses in a large pen. Clearly domestic, the small herd came right up to us for friendly attention. Unfortunately they didn't take instruction very well as I tried to get them to pose for the camera, and this one got a little too close for a proper portrait.
Today I am going through old photos, see this one again, and I thought my niece would get a laugh out of this; she finds too-close closeups funny and as I worked on this, I really started to like it as well! I decided to share it because if there's one thing I have learned as a wildlife photographer is even domesticated animals won't do what you want and sometimes you just have to take the shot and hope for the best. Even an outtake can be a keeper if you don't take yourself too seriously and simply try to see the joy in an image.
Nikon D3200, ISO-400, f/5.6, 1/160s, 11mm

04/03/2023

"Gold in the Desert"
September 11, 2019
Huacachina, Peru is that perfect desert oasis that looks like it was made by Hollywood. One of the highlights are the dune buggies you can charter to take you on a high speed adventure into Desierto De Ica. We headed out later in the day which provided us with an opportunity for some prime sunset photography.
-Nikon D750, ISO-200, f/8, 1/250s, 50mm

23/02/2023

"Cheeese!"
Nikon D850, ISO-800, f/4, 1/320s, 300mm

New Zealand was a vacation three years in the making. Initially postponed due to the 2020 Covid-19 outbreak we finally were able to make the trip in 2022. For our third day I had found and planned for a great hiking path which circumnavigates the Kaikōura Peninsula. The highlight of the trail was the Kaikōura Seal Colony which absolutely did not disappoint. I was not expecting the seals to be so close to the walking path, in some places physically blocking the trail. This young fur seal was the clear star and so close to the viewing area I could have walked over and picked them up; though of course I stayed a respectable distance so as to not encroach on their space.

21/02/2023

After a morning hike up the dry, southern coastal section of Puerto Rico's Bosque Estatal de Guánica where we were entertained by countless lizards and a few vultures, we drove into the heart of the reserve seeking shade from the merciless sun. It wasn't the heat, per se, but bright sunlight and blue skies are not ideal conditions for photographing wildlife. It was there that I spotted this beautiful Zorzal Pardo, or Pearly-eyed Thrasher, who appeared to have lunch within its sights.
Nikon D850, ISO-200, f/4. 1/320s, 300mm

17/02/2023

"Quiet Contemplation"
Nikon D850, 300mm, ISO-64, f/5.6, 1/80s
I went to one of my local running paths for some exercise and after the first lap around the lake a woman started talking to and gesturing at me. I paused my music and took out my earbuds to hear her say "did you see the heron over there?" I looked and said something along the lines of "it's a shame I didn't bring my camera with me," and we each continued on our way; me presuming I had missed a great opportunity. As I completed my second lap, however, I looked over and, sure enough, there was that heron again. I thought "I'll never forgive myself if I don't try." So I cut my run short, jumped into my car, and headed home to grab my gear. I got back to the lake and [chorus of angels singing] the heron, I believe it to be a Great Blue, was still sitting there in that perfect spot on the branch above the lake. I don't know what caused that woman to flag down a runner wearing earbuds in order to point out a bird but she made my day.

10/02/2023

"If You're Going to San Francisco"
Nikon D750, ISO-320, f/9, 1/320, 300mm

We decided it wasn't enough to see Machu Picchu, we wanted to climb Montaña Machu Picchu as well, which is the 2000ft trek up and above Machu Picchu. Unfortunately it was a cloudy day and the visibility was poor at the top. With no sweeping panoramic views to photograph I had to improvise. There were several Rufus-Collared Sparrows flitting about so I spent my time trying to photograph them instead. As much as I love this photo I feel the focus was a little off so the sharpness is lacking. Perhaps as my editing skills improve I can revisit this one but for now it's just a fun practice project for experience.

20/01/2023

In 2021 we took a road trip across the northern-border states and had a thrilling encounter with this black bear. Read more about this experience on my site!

Deer in the Headlights View fullsize Glacier National Park, MT, USANikon D750, ISO-100, f/5.6, 1/320s, 300mm The COVID-19 wrecked many of our travel plans for 2020 and 2021 so our travel group had to come up with an alternate idea: ROAD TRIP! We came up with a plan to drive through the northern-bord...