Photographs

Pelicans in love

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Pelicans in love – Photograph by Laura Lecce

This pair of pelicans are very much in love. She thinks he’s tall and handsome with his dark hair and brooding eyes. He also has a funny side to his personality and often makes her laugh. He thinks her daintiness is adorable and also loves her headstrong and ambitious personality. The day they met she followed him down the river, knowing that he’d be a loyal and respectful mate. He’d also help raise the chicks and fiercely protect his family, ensuring they are always safe. They have a great life in a beautiful place called Grand Teton National Park. It is where they will make happy memories, raise a family and grow old together.

Tetons with a touch of pink

~ laura lecce ~ 4 Comments
Tetons in pink – Photograph by Laura Lecce

I always find it amazing how much the sky can transform a photograph. Although there is no guesses as to why sunrise and sunset are a photographers dream. It is at these times that the sky paints with the richest of colors. The ocean, lakes and ponds will also mirror the artwork in the sky to transform the landscape before your eyes. Depending on the cloud pattern in the sky, no day and no artwork will ever be the same, and just like this world they are truly one of kind.

For other images of the Teton Range and Grand Teton Nation Park click here.

Dance of the Pelicans – Scene 1

~ laura lecce ~ 1 Comment
Dance of the Pelicans 1 – Photograph by Laura Lecce

This was one of my most challenging and yet rewarding photography experiences. I was sitting on a wharf, while the sun was setting in the late afternoon, watching pelicans in small groups dive bomb over and over again for food. I had to photograph a moving target, in frame and in focus, and hopefully come away with some incredible poses of these pelicans in flight. This is my favorite photo, I hope you enjoy seeing these incredible birds as much as I enjoyed taking their pictures.

Staring at an osprey that’s staring at me

~ laura lecce ~ 6 Comments
Staring at an osprey – Photograph by Laura Lecce

This gorgeous, nesting osprey was giving me a very stern stare while I was taking her photo. I don’t think it’s her fault though because ospreys look inherently grumpy. Contrary to how this photo appears, I am not close at all, but she spotted me from miles away! After soon deciding that I was nothing worth worrying over, her and her partner went back to usual osprey activities such as mating, eating recently caught fish and general nest building and sitting. I was lucky enough to be able to watch this osprey pair for a few days, and I absolutely loved getting such an insight into their daily activities.

To see a photo of the male osprey, click here.

Whistle pig in a meadow

~ laura lecce ~ 2 Comments
Whistle pig in a meadow – Photograph by Laura Lecce

Any creature in a meadow of bright yellow flowers is adorable, but these cute and furry ground squirrels are also very entertaining. You may also know them as marmots, groundhogs, woodchucks or whistle pigs. The last name describes the shrill call they make to alert the colony of trespassers nearby (such as us humans). Which also means that as you walk through whistle pig territory (Yellowstone National Park), you have high-pitched music following you around everywhere you go.

Yellowstone Moose

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Yellowstone moose – Photograph by Laura Lecce

This male moose was just one of several moose we saw while traveling through Yellowstone National Park. We actually saw this particular moose on two occasions as he obviously likes to graze in the same area, and was accompanied by his girlfriend who was grazing nearby (I had to crop her rump out of my photo). Having visited in the Spring we were also lucky enough to catch a mother and her moose calf playing by a river. Knowing nothing about moose, I was surprised to learn that they grow new antlers every year, so that in Spring they don’t look like the typical male moose pictures you often see with giant antlers. Also, they are often found alongside rivers, lakes and marshy meadows because they like to feed on many aquatic plants as well, and have learned to be excellent swimmers and even dive for their underwater food! So when out looking for moose to photograph, check the nearby rivers and lakes…. who knew?!

A nutty scarlet macaw

~ laura lecce ~ 7 Comments
Scarlet macaw – Photograph by Laura Lecce

This brightly colored scarlet macaw was spotted with it’s equally impressive partner, chowing down on beach almonds (Terminalia catappa tree) along the coast of Costa Rica. As is quite typical of the parrot family, they are large and they are loud! You almost always see them flying and hanging out in pairs, and they know how to communicate very well with each other. They will let each other know when it’s time to fly off to another spot with a very loud screech. This was such a spectacular sight on a bright sunny beach day – life doesn’t get any better than this. It makes me sad to think about how many of these birds live in isolation, in cages, unable to be free or have a partner to chat with. As glorious as they are to look at, nothing is more glorious than spotting them flying freely through the sky as nature intended it.  

Beautiful Boa from Belize

~ laura lecce ~ 6 Comments
Beautiful Boa from Belize – Photograph by Laura Lecce

This is a gorgeous snake from Belize, which was happily perched on a tree branch hanging over a river taking a nap. By far the most sizeable snake I have ever seen in the wild, I was so excited to be taking its photo. I was quite close to the snake, trying to get a good angle through the leaves, and even though I didn’t know what kind of snake I was dealing with, I knew that if it remained happily coiled, I was going to survive the encounter. After a few photographs, the snake was clearly aware of my presence and started darting its tongue in and out to get a sense of what I was. I persisted with my photographs, and to my relief the snake stayed happily relaxed and allowed me to get my photo. After showing this photo to a snake expert, I was told it is a boa constrictor, a serial asphyxiator, a snake who chokes for a living! I was photographing a snake that belongs to the family of largest snakes in the world, made up of anacondas, pythons and boa constrictors. What an incredible thrill!