Bison Fight

Spring means the bison rut and there are few things that I've ever witness that can compare to it. The guttural bellows of the big bulls combined with the loud thud of crashing skulls definitely makes my heart race.

There is even a measure of danger. The testosterone charged atmosphere of the prairie makes these guys want to fight just about everything close by.

Happy Mothers Day!

Even prairie dogs love their mothers.

West Texas Birds

I am not a big birder but each year, I am amazed at the number of grassland birds that are around here.

This morning, I saw a first for me out here - a red-headed woodpecker. In addition to the woodpeacker, I did see some other cool stuff.

It's impressive how in an area nearly devoid of big, mature trees, that these birds are cunning enough to make a living in a place that can be tough on both humans and animals.

The May 2008 russellgraves.com Newsletter is Ready!

Check out www.russellgraves.com/may08.html for all of the details.

Feather Dusters

You know, I have seen turkeys do a lot of stuff. However, this past week, I watched half a dozen hens stop by a small earthen depression, and dust themselves.

It was so cool to watch.

Hunt Junkies - The New Season

April brings a new season for the popular Hunt Junkies web series.

This time, you'll hear a new theme song...

Thanks to the incredible talents of singer/songwriter Shane Jennings of Abilene, he came up with a fabulous bluesy number complete with the slide guitar.

Aside from being a talented musician, Shane is also an avid hunter and a heck of a photographer.

I hope you like this episode.

Backlit Turkeys

I tried to shoot some turkey pictures this weekend but they came in behind my blind.

Working fast, I tried my best to make lemonade out of lemons.

New Media

I've started experimenting a bit with multimedia storytelling and so far, I like what I'm discovering.

This presentation involves marrying traditional photographs, audio interviews, ambient sounds, and music so that the subject takes on a new life. Think of National Public Radio's All Things Considered program but with pictures..

The thing I never liked about video is that too many things are revealed and nothing is left to the imagination. With photography, I could never convey motion in all the ways that I'd like. With this hybridization of mediums, the interview I did with my brother brings a new dynamism to my website.

Let me know what you think...

April Magic

This past weekend, my brother Bubba and I headed out again to do what we do best - hang out with each other. We spent the weekend hunting turkeys in the Texas Panhandle and made a video, pictures, and plenty more memories.

I love turkey season...

Turkey Tussle

Here are a few pics that I shot this weekend of turkeys not playing very nice together.

These guys are so cool to watch. I cannot think of any of animal in my part of Texas that I enjoy photographing more. They are so animated that every time to see one, they are doing something different.

Great American Outdoor Trails Radio Magazine with Jim Ferguson Part 2

Here I am again with Jim on his nationwide radio show the Great American Outdoor Trails Radio Magazine .

I'll be on often, so check back as new segments air.

Radio Interview on the Great American Outdoor Trails Radio Show

I have had the privilege of appearing on Jim Ferguson's Great American Outdoor Trails Radio Magazine three times this year talking photography.

Jim is a great guy and I always have fun appearing with him.

Take a minute to check out his show and I think you'll like his mix of guests that talk about everything outdoors.

I hope you enjoy my first segment.

More to come...

Little Grouse on the Prairie

This morning I traveled up to Canadian, Texas to photograph lesser prairie chickens. Prairie chickens are really cool and what's amazing is that they go back to the same spot each year to do their mating dance. These "leks" are usually flat areas of short grass where the males congregate and perform their mating displays in hopes to attract females.

Aside from turkeys, these have to be the neatest birds I've ever seen.

Announcing the Wild West Photo Tour

See www.russellgraves.com/workshop.html for the full details

Turkey Squared

I went out again this morning to photograph turkeys and I have to say... The boys really put on a show this morning. Of all the spectacles in the outdoors, for my money, spring breeding season for turkeys is among the coolest.

Turkey Time

After a long hiatus, I finally got back out to photograph turkeys. While the weather is still winter-like (it was 35 degrees when I went out this morning), the turkeys are starting to strut and gobble as if spring was in full gear.

The March 2008 russellgraves.com Newsletter is Ready!

Check out www.russellgraves.com/march08.html for all of the details.

Owl Flight

A montage of 11 barn owl images combined into one.

Good Food and Good Folks

I've said it a million times. One of the greatest things about being a photographer is the chance to meet some truly outstanding people. Take yesterday, for example.

I traveled to Buffalo Gap, Texas on a magazine assignment to photograph Tom Perini and Grady Spears. I've been a fan of both of these guys for years and have made some of the delicious recipes from Grady's book (although he has several), A Cowboy in the Kitchen and Tom's book Texas Cowboy Cooking. So it was an honor to get the meet them, have my books autographed, and hang out and photograph a couple of guys who are legendary in the Texas culinary scene.

Oh, yeah... The ribeye I ate was unbelievably good!

The Cowboy Way

I went out this evening to shoot a few simple compositions of a cowboy for a magazine assignment. Our location was an old stucco barn on a ranch about fifteen minutes from town. For me, the textures of the stucco, the light, and the shadows make this a great place for photography.