Sean Phillips Photography

Red-breasted Nuthatch

February 13th, 2010 § § 0

Red-Breasted Nuthatch

Although Nuthatches are very common in Calgary I really haven’t encountered very many of them. They are very interesting birds that are known for their unique ability to face head-down while climbing. Most other birds use their tails to assist with balance while climbing, but nuthatches use only their legs and claws. They can often be seen walking straight down the trunk of a tree. This behavior seems very odd when you first recognize what they are doing, and only becomes more odd as you realize that very few birds do it.

Red-Breasted Nuthatch

Chickadee at Carburn Park

The GC King Pedestrian Bridge at Centenary Park

February 10th, 2010 § § 2

The GC King Pedestrian Bridge at Centenary Park at Night

The entire region surrounding Calgary has been blanketed by a heavy ice fog for a couple of weeks now and I really wanted to make some images to capture the look and feel. It has been very surreal and haunting, and downright scary at times with the fog being so thick. I had visions in my head of images that show off the thick snow and ice that was coating everything. I’m not entirely sure I succeeded in that goal with these images, but I am really happy about them anyway.

These are Long Exposure night shots from Centenary Park, which is just East of Downtown Calgary. This is the GC King Pedestrian Bridge that connects St. Patrick’s Island to Fort Calgary and downtown. I’ve wanted to shoot the bridge for a long time, but I never quite got around to doing it. It’s a beautiful old bridge and the glow of the city lights against the clouds and the frosty trees really made it pop. This bridge is due to be replaced by a new and fancy designer bridge at some point in the next couple of years, so I’m really glad that I was able to make these images.

The GC King Pedestrian Bridge at Centenary Park at Night

Deer Butts

February 8th, 2010 § § 0

Deer Butts

Sometimes you get the shot you want, and sometimes you get the butt.

I was out for a walk at Carburn Park with my son when a herd of about a dozen deer charged out of the woods. I could hear a dog barking off in the distance (in the No Dogs Allowed part of the park) so I can only assume that they were spooked out. When they saw us they froze and obviously couldn’t decide where to go. I tried to make a some portraits but they were still pretty scared and they took off running down the trail. We followed them for awhile in case they stopped, but they slipped off into the woods instead of hanging around for a chat.

Black-capped Chickadee at Carburn Park

February 5th, 2010 § § 0

Black-capped Chickedees at Carburn Park

We went for a walk at Carburn Park to look for Chickadees. There are lots of these inquisitive little birds in the park and they are always happy to stop in to say hello when we go for a visit. They are also very used to people bringing bird seed for them, and they will quickly hop onto your hand if you hold it up for them to perch on. Of course they will also disappear just as quickly if they discover that you didn’t bring any treats for them!

Panoramic Sunset in the Foothills

February 2nd, 2010 § § 0

Panoramic Sunset in the Foothills

The clouds have settled in over the foothills at sunset pretty well every day for the last week. The resulting glow of the sunset over the Rockies lighting up the haze has been incredible. I’ve stopped a couple of times to try to capture the its essence in an image. Sometimes that’s a lot harder than it seems like it should be. In this case I really wanted to capture the expanse of the Rockies silhouetted on the horizon. I love how the layers are so distinct and the colors are almost magical.