The Northern Shrike has returned to Bath Nature Preserve. Today’s weather was abysmal for photography, and I did not have any high hopes. So it was a very pleasant surprise when I saw this rare visitor in the tree tops.
![](https://mattcrandall.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/shrike-1024x708.jpg)
An Exploration of Nature
Eastern Bluebird at Bath Nature Preserve, 2019-11-17.
Although I’ve read a few books about photography, I’ve learned much more through trial and error. With this photograph I learned that, at least with my camera, you can capture a much better picture of the moon at dusk or dawn than you can when the sky is completely dark. In total darkness, my camera struggles with focus and exposure even when using spot-metering and single-point focus. This picture was taken while the sky was still quite purple, but the exposure settings have blackened it.