David Belnap Photography

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David Belnap Photography

Welcome to David Belnap Photography! We sell original digital photo prints ready at the touch of a button. Visit our website at www.davidbelnap.photography.

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05/19/2023

For me, hummingbirds are so fun to look at but so difficult to photograph.

On our first full day in country we went to some hummingbird feeders ~2 hrs from San José, and of all the birds that were flitting around for the 2 hours we were there, this was the only decent shot I got of one.

It's a little disappointing to take hundreds of pictures and only walk away with images that are only okay. But while moments like this can be considered failures, they are also opportunities to progress and improve. And in that sense, this photo is a win for me.

What are some of your images you think are successful failures? DM me your pictures you think are not great but important to your development as a photographer; I'd love to learn from you.

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Green Hermit
1/25/2023
Nikon D810
Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3
ISO 1600
370mm
f/6.0
1/125

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05/17/2023

Of all the birds we saw in Costa Rica, the motmots were my favorite. There's just nothing like them where I live.

We saw several different species over the course of our short trip, but this Turquoise-browed Motmot was the most spectacular!

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Turquoise-browed Motmot
1/29/2023
Nikon D810
Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3
ISO 400
600mm
f/6.3
1/1250

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05/13/2023

I knew I was going to fall off the wagon when it came to posting. I just wasn't sure when it would happen and how long it will last... Now I know!

Sorry for being gone. I would say life got in the way but it didn't: I could have kept it going but chose not to.

I can't promise consistency, but I can promise my best work.

With that, let's finally get through the rest of these Costa Rica pictures!

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Yellow-bellied Elaenia
Nikon D810
Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3
ISO 640
600mm
f/6.3
1/500

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02/24/2023

Happy Friday everyone!

Throwback to this little guy taking a break from chasing down insects and taking a moment to just exist. If I didn't know any better I'd say he's smiling with contentment.

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Northern Tropical Pewee
Nikon D810
Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3
ISO 640
480mm
f/6.0
1/1250

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02/20/2023

Our Costa Rica 🇨🇷 trip would not have been nearly as productive if it weren't for our amazing guides!

got us onto this Barred Antshrike and so many other amazing birds; he went above and beyond what I expect from a birding guide, and I'll absolutely be reaching out to him for my next trip.

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Barred Antshrike
Nikon D810
Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3
ISO 640
600mm
f/6.3
1/500

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02/19/2023

This pair of honeycreepers were putting on a show right when we needed them to: a few minutes after we found them, it started raining pretty hard, and we had to run for cover.

Both male and female were such beautiful birds, it was hard to decide which picture to lead with.

Which one do you like better: the male (blue) or the female (green)?

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Red-legged Honeycreeper
Nikon D810
Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3
ISO 400
440mm
f/6.0
1/500

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02/17/2023

This demon-eyed, dinosaur-esque jungle-turkey is called a Crested Guan. Normally, they're very skittish, but this one didn't seem to mind the 6'9" photographer standing a few feet away furiously clicking his shutter.

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Crested Guan
Nikon D810
Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3
ISO 640
250mm
f/5.3
1/320

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02/12/2023

No meaningful backstory for this post. Just a cute endemic bird we saw everywhere in Costa Rica.

Happy Sunday everyone!

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Slate-throated Resatart
Nikon D810
Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3
ISO 2000
550mm
f/6.3
1/500

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02/11/2023

When things aren’t going according to plan, it’s best to take a moment and reassess the situation.

Moments before I took this picture, it started raining hard. and I were hoping to explore the cloud forest without getting completely soaked, but also didn’t want to lose what little time we had before heading to our next hotel.

Despite our earlier plans, we decided to shelter beneath an awning and let the storm pass. As we looked around the area, we noticed that we had stumbled upon a ficus tree that was full of brightly-colored tanagers! Had we ventured off into the forest, we would have completely missed out on a really spectacular opportunity to see some truly beautiful birds.

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Golden-hooded Tanager
Nikon D810
Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3
ISO 2000
550mm
f/6.3
1/500

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02/07/2023

The hospitality industry in 🇨🇷 is simply 👌, and workers really know their clientel. At one of the lodges we stayed at, the restaurant deck was in line with the canopy of the surrounding trees, and as guests were eating their breakfasts workers would skewer all sorts of fruit on branches that were a few feet from us. A true photographer and birder's paradise.

There were so many different types of birds that showed up: tanagers, warblers, oropendulas, euphonias, currasows...but my favorite had to have been the oh so colorful Collared Aracaris (think toucans, but smaller and a bit more vibrant).

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Collared Aracari
Nikon D810
Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3
ISO 2000
450mm
f/6.0
1/250

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02/05/2023

Few places are like the Cinchona restaurant: it's an unassuming, dilapidated building an hour and a half outside of San José. If you were driving by, you wouldn't think to stop and eat.

But, give it a chance and you find yourself transported into another world: the back of the restaurant opens up to one of the most amazing vista's, and toucans eat at feeders feet from your table. If my entire trip to 🇨🇷 was just lunch at this dive, it would've been worth it!

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Northern Emerald Toucanet
Nikon D810
Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3
ISO 2000
310mm
f/5.6
1/640

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01/22/2023

Posting two days in a row? That shouldn't be possible. But I loved this picture so much I just needed to get it out into the world.

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California Thrasher
Nikon D810
Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3
ISO 640
600mm
f/7.1
1/1000

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# birdwatching

Address

New York, NY

Telephone

+16463207998

Website

http://www.davidbelnap.photography/

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