Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM Lens Sample Pictures

A late afternoon winter sun casts a warm light on my cute little Black-capped Chickadee subject. The White Pine branch was clamped to a hanging feeder.

A Blue Jay ruffles his feathers while sitting in the sun.

A male Pronghorn stands above the Sage Brush. Pronghorn are one of my favorite Yellowstone animals. They have a beautiful coloration. Pronghorn are often referred to as Pronghorn Antelope, but are not a member of the antelope family (Bovidae). Instead, it is the only species in its family (Antilocapridae). The Pronghorn is the 2nd fastest land animal after the Cheetah.

A Gray Squirrel peers out of a hollow stump in the bright late afternoon sunshine.

A Canadian Black Bear emerges from the thick trees feasting on ripe berries.

This Eastern Bluebird is fending off another bird while holding its meal - a spider.

I found this big old monster Mule Deer buck in velvet feeding in a wooded valley early in the morning (very warm light). You will notice that the dimensions on this picture are larger than a single Canon 1Ds Mark II frame size. As I was slightly too close to the buck and did not have the flexibility of a zoom lens, I managed to get two shots that could later be stitched to add slightly more to the vertical dimension of this image.

A Black-Capped Chickadee perches in a classic pose in this picture.

A huge Pennsylvania Bull Elk is smelling a small tree he has been rubbing.

A Cardinal sits atop a dead tree in this bright sun-lit picture.

This bull Moose was feeding primarily on Fireweed as I stalked it in this Yellowstone valley. A good position for an animal portrait is broadside with the head somewhere between straight forward and looking your direction.

The Muskrat in this picture is digging rocks out of the bottom of a creek and eating the plants off of them. It is unusual for Muskrats to be out in bright daylight, but this picture was taken in the early afternoon on a winter day.

A slightly greater than half moon glows against the blue early morning sky.

The Spirea becomes completely covered in white blooms at this time in the Spring.

Sometimes (not often) wild birds cooperate. Here, two Blue Jays landed on this dead tree at the same time - each looking a different direction. I needed a little more DOF (depth of field) to keep the top birds head in sharp focus.

A large 7x6 Rocky Mountain Elk watches over one of his cows.

A flowering Spirea adds color to a Gray Squirrel sitting on a stump.

A short whistle brought this quarter horse to full attention. A 500mm lens at f/4 on a 1.3x body creates a nice green blur out of the pasture background.

A pair of Common Loons swim in a lake.

A young lady's pony tail flies in the air as she picks up an incoming ball.

A Blue Jay pauses on his way to dinner. Distant trees create a backdrop of green.

A pretty lady is naturally-lit using a large doorway for soft directional lighting. A supertelephoto lens compresses facial features.

A young Mule Deer buck appears very fuzzy in his late summer velvet antlers and shedding summer coat of hair.

This Black bear is both on the edge of a sandy hill and on on the edge of his temper. It is about to fight another bear. Unfortunately the fight occurred over the edge and out of sight.

A Pennsylvania Rocky Mountain Elk feeds in a field late into this fall day.

Yes, I was in an SUV for this close-up. Bison are noisy with their deep grunts. This bull was tending a cow in Hayden Valley in Yellowstone National Park. At times, herds of these massive animals could number 800 (only a guess) or more and could be seen as far as the valley was visible.

A young bull moose stands at the edge of a Maine lake. It is amazing how such a large animal can blend into its surroundings.

The alert Mule Deer buck is sporting a huge set of still-in-velvet antlers. This shot was taken just after sunrise - a time when the sunlight is very warm colored.

A supertelephoto lens creates a diffuse background blur in this flower picture.

Blue successfully defends the ball against the red team.

A Common Loon in a classic pose.

Soccer is a physical sport, but I have not heard that holding is yet allowed. I'll have to hunt down the ref.

A huge Pennsylvania bull elk passes by the edge of some hardwoods.

This young Quarter Horse foal is shedding its baby hair. Along with the hair shed can come a completely new hair color. After shedding a brown and black coat, this foal's new color appears to be solid black.

There are few animals more dangerous than a mother Grizzly Bears with cubs. Lots of focal length is really helpful for safety reasons when not in the protection of a vehicle. In this case I added a 1.4x extender and still cropped to get this framing. My understanding is that it is rare for a Grizzly to have four cubs. This family was at Dunraven Pass.

A Black Bear walks along the edge of a sandy hill.

This Coyote was hunting in the marsh in the early morning sunlight. It was amazing how little cover it needed to be completely hidden.

A Mule Deer fawn steps into a sunlit opening in the forest of Yellowstone National Park. I didn't need a shutter speed this high and could have reduced my ISO setting for even slightly better image quality. But, it had been raining moments before making the forest much darker.

A Bighorn Sheep ewe watches over her young lamb. This shot was taken handheld in a light rain. Getting a decent composition was challenging as there were a lot of obstructions between us.

A very large Mule Deer buck tests the wind as the early morning sunlight reaches him through the woods.

This Bison calf is feeding under the close watch of its mother this early morning.

A Pronghorn watches for signs of danger. He is also watching his harem that has moved on without him.

A Bighorn Sheep ewe watches for danger from an open but wooded area.

Opponents race for control of the soccer ball.

Fireweed is a favorite food of the Mule Deer in Yellowstone National Park. This velvet-antlered buck is enjoying an early morning breakfast.

Steam rises from thermal features along the Yellowstone River. The early morning haze causes a layered look to the mountains.

A Hayden Valley Bison licks its lips after drinking from the Yellowstone River.

A female Pronghorn seems surprised to see a big white Canon Lens pointed at her. It looks like she wants to tell me something (see picture below).

A soccer player breaks away with the ball and races toward the goal.

A baby Mule Deer stands in a grassy clearing. It was lightly raining when this shot was taken - which yielded a soft light.

A bull Moose keeps watch while feeding in this Yellowstone valley.

A young Bighorn Sheep ram follows a Bighorn ewe up the mountain after drinking in a stream below. The rocks and steep mountains are very characteristic sheep habitat. They were finding plants to eat as they moved upwards.

A pair of cow Yellowstone Elk stand alert in the early morning sunlight. Finding animals in Yellowstone (and most other places) is easiest early and late in the day.