Among the Palms

Apr 3

Photographer: Mark Noll

I was fortunate to be able to visit Oxnard, California in February 2026 for several weeks to escape the cold Chicago winter and play some beach volleyball. I took my camera out several evenings to a beachside park lined with palm trees, where I consistently found a lone great blue heron intently focused on the grass. A passerby told me that it had used this area for years as a hunting ground for gophers. I captured this silhouette one evening several minutes after sunset on my way back from the beach.

1/6400 • f/1.4 • ISO 64 • Nikon Z8 • 85mm • Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art

@mark.noll.photography

Mark Noll

Ray Hennessy

Starting in 2007 my fascination with nature photography began. In the years since, wildlife photography with a focus on birds has gone from a very passionate hobby of mine to become my career. I spend much of my free time in natural areas searching for birds and any other wildlife that comes along. I concentrate on using creative natural lighting and interesting compositions to capture unique images of common and rare wildlife. My favorite style is a more scenic photo that includes some of the habitat wildlife lives in. I also enjoy passing along the knowledge and experience that I have gathered over the years to other photographers who are eager to learn.

Among the Palms

Photographer: Mark Noll

Back-lit Grebe

Cleared for Landing