Michael HoAg Photos: Blog

Heading into Spring 2017

Sat, 11 Mar 2017 23:55:54 GMT

Well Spring is almost here, we have been having a few spring-like days recently and things are actually starting to green up though today it is snowing but that's ok....I like snow. I received my Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks magazine and all I can say is WOW! I never knew one of my photos could look so good. I am truly appreciative of my photo being selected to be on the cover. I have received many...many fine comments personally and on Facebook. Thank you all so much! I am planning on swapping out some photos and adding a few more to my website soon so please come back and look from time to time. I did add another shot of the owl photo that provides a little more close up. Also I added another photo of one of my favorite country churches. I was able to stop by one night just before Christmas when they had some candles illuminating the windows. It was a clear night and the stars were really “brightly shining”, as I took several photos there in the calm and cool night air I couldn’t help but have a few Christmas carols going through my head. Anyways…..I hope you all have a great Spring and as always God bless and remember to “enjoy the great outdoors”.

Michael Hoag

A New Year 2017

Mon, 30 Jan 2017 04:43:37 GMT

Once again I see I am not a blogger, though I have good intentions I just don’t seem to take the time to write. I suppose my pictures speak for themselves but they all usually do have a story and I would love to tell about some of them at least. Take for instance the barred owl perched in a locust tree full of thorns; I was lucky enough to enjoy this shot for some time early one morning as I was turkey hunting. After the sun came up I was watching a couple coyotes hunting for field mice in the pasture before me. They were unaware of my presence and had no way of knowing they were not helping my hunt. It did not matter though as the turkeys I was after decided on another route that morning, their gobbles and yelps were far off on the other side of the pasture a mere quarter mile away. After the coyotes left I decided to move to another location. When I stood up and started to walk off I spotted the owl staring me down as if it did not quite know what to think of this being rising from the woodland floor. I am telling you it was such an honor to be able to photograph this magnificent creature of the night as it quietly sat there nestled in the thorns on a beautiful Kansas morning. After several photos I slowly backed away leaving it be as it watched me wander out of sight. Little did I or the owl know that one of the photos I took would be selected by the state wildlife department to be on the cover of their magazine. I am truly honored for that and I am sure the owl would be too... Peace be with you, God bless and remember to “enjoy the great outdoors”.

So not much of a blogger....

Fri, 19 Feb 2016 14:11:09 GMT

Ok so I have found I am not much of a blogger. It's been quite a while since I last made an entry. I would like to say it's because I have been traveling the world capturing the best of God's work but I am afraid it isn’t so. It's been busy but not really busy, I have taken hundreds more photos however the majority of those have been of my new grandson that is now 20 months old. Oh I have plenty of the great outdoors also and a few have made it to my web page but I promise there are more to come. Thanks for visiting and remember to get out and enjoy the great outdoors!

One month in....

Sat, 14 Jun 2014 16:18:42 GMT

I am one month into my new website, have had some business which is good. Only recently I uploaded some new photos as I have been pretty busy. The biggest part is my daughter gave birth to her first child, a son, so I am a first time grandfather. So happy she and the baby are both doing well and are healthy. I am sure that little guy will be taking some time away from my nature photos but it will be well worth it. I did some maternity pics for her which turned out better than I expected. I have always told people it is easier to photograph nature than people. I guess because my "people" photos always seem to have something not right, eyes closed, background photo bombers, etc.

It has been a good Spring, lots of nature to photograph and some beautiful sunrises and sunsets, a couple meteor showers in which I got a couple shots but overall the showers were disappointing. I had to work on the night of the eclipse so I missed that, hopefully there will be clear skies this fall when I believe it is supposed to happen again. Seems the deer are out quite a bit nowadays as I see them in the fields at almost any time of the day. I am still trying to get some photos of does with fawns and have seen several but just have not been in the right place at the right time. As you can imagine they won't let you get to close. I also will be out trying to get some wildflowers in bloom, Kansas Springs and Summers are so beautiful with the colors splashed in with the green grass of the prairies. Also the wheat is about to be harvested as it has changed form it's Winter green to it's golden color.

Well that's all for now hope you enjoy my photos, be sure to find me and LIKE me on Facebook at Micheal Hoag Photos. Be sure to go out and take the time to Enjoy The Great Outdoors!

Mike

Here I go....

Sun, 04 May 2014 10:16:37 GMT

Alright, here I go... my first attempt at blogging. I thought I would use this first post to pass along my thoughts on my photography. Here it is May 2014 and I am starting my new website. As you can see I like nature. These photos I present are my way of sharing my views of this world to you. Currently I consider myself a "budget" photographer and simply a hobbyist. I don't own a lot of expensive equipment and I try to utilize what I have to capture the world around me. Don't get me wrong I am hoping to one day get my hands on some nicer stuff because I think it would eventually help me grow but I have what I have so I try to make it work.

My nature photos are '"natural" in the sense the wildlife is just that ...wild. If I happen to get a photo otherwise I will be sure to state that in the caption. I do perform post editing but try to keep it at a minimum. Back in the day of film we would edit saturation, brightness and contrast, exposure, etc. in the dark room to get the best possible photo. Today's digital world is no different as far as I am concerned it only allows for more opportunities for one to expand their artistic capabilities. Cropping is another thing, it allows me to recompose a shot to match what I intended to do but was unable to because my available equipment.

My logo has the words "Enjoy the Great Outdoors" because the outdoors is truly great. Please take a moment to stop and look at what is around you. You might be surprised at what you see. Don't just look at the forest...or the trees....look what's in the trees.....on the branch.....on the leaf....just enjoy!!!