About Me

I've been fascinated by birds for as long as I can remember. Growing up in central Florida, I spent my childhood watching birds, searching for their nests, and catching (and releasing) lizards, snakes, and turtles.  My interest in animals led me to a career as a wildlife biologist.  I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to work on endangered birds in Florida and Hawaii.  I now live in Portland, Oregon, with my wife Holly and three cats (all indoors all the time), where I continue to work in the field of wildlife conservation.  The diverse habitats of the Pacific Northwest provide many opportunities for photography, and Holly and I love to travel, hike, and watch wildlife, especially birds.

I started photographing the natural world in the late 1970s. Beginning in 2010, I began taking my photography more seriously and started investing the time and money necessary to obtain high-quality photographs.  A fundamental aspect of my photography is capturing the essence of behavior of the species I photograph. I endeavor to ensure that my photographs capture species in their natural context. When photographing land- or waterscapes, I attempt to capture a sense of movement. The goal of my photography is to convey the beauty of the natural world to inspire people to conserve the species that we share the planet with and the habitats that support them.

Thank you for visiting my site!

David Leonard

My equipment and work flow: I use Canon digital SLR bodies and an assortment of Canon and Tamron lenses.  Most of my bird photographs were shot with a Canon 100-400mm f5.6 or a Canon 500mm f4 lens.  I prefer to use natural light when possible, but when light conditions are not optimal, I use a Canon 550EX flash with a Better Beamer flash extender and a Jobu Design flash bracket.  For stability, I use an Induro BHD3 carbon-fiber tripod and an Induro GBHA Gimbal head as well as bean bags depending on the subject and situation.  I adjust, crop, and sharpen each photograph I take using Adobe Photoshop's Lightroom.