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Donna Knodle (dgknodle) Interview

Keywords: d700, d810, d500, landscape, wildlife, birds, dknodle

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For this interview we have been invited on a virtual visit to the home of Donna and Jeff Knodle on 11 acres out in the country in South East Michigan. Donna relates, “I can wander around in our woods or through our overgrown field to find interesting flora and fauna begging to have their picture taken…or not.” Their home is surrounded by over five acres of mainly large oak trees. She reports that in the wilder areas of the acreage, “I walk around find a spot and wait. There are lots of white-tailed deer trails, small birds, pheasants, rabbits other critters that also love this type of cover.”

**Spotted Spreadwing Damselfly**
It’s hard to get all parts of these little jewels in focus.
Nikon D700, 105mm f/2.8 Nikkor @ f/13, 1/640 sec, ISO 800
Click for an enlargement

Donna literally caters to the bird visitors. “There are six pedestal birdbaths and five ground-level birdbaths in our yard. My husband makes the squirrel and raccoon barriers on the feeding stations.”

**Baltimore Oriole**
The males get all of the press, but the females are also quite good looking.
Nikon D500, 200-500mm, f/5.6 @ 500mm, f/7.1, 1/640 sec, ISO 1600
Click for an enlargement

It is a great advantage doing a shoot at home “…I can easily change my camera or lens depending on what I find…I carry one camera and keep another camera/lens on my deck table where I can quickly grab it.” Donna also has a unique way to get around, “When I’m out in the field, I drive one of our tractors with a carrier on the back to hold my tripod and another camera/lens. It never fails that I’m looking for dragonflies and a beautiful bird lands near me.”

**Hummer**
Nikon D500, 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR hand held
Click for an enlargement

Though Donna enjoys the wonderful raptor and waterfowl images on Nikonians, those images are not possible in her immediate area so she focuses on practicing Birds in Flight shots with smaller birds in her yard. Not an easy feat when they move so quickly.

**Tundra Swan**
One of the spring migrants at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge.
Shot from the dikes.
D810, Tamron 150-600mm f/5.0-6.3 @ f/6.3, 1/800 sec, ISO 180
Click for an enlargement

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Originally written on October 19, 2016

Last updated on November 29, 2017

Marsha Edmunds (meadowlark2)

Lethbridge, Canada
Team, 13641 posts

21 comments

Aart Louw (AartPapaya) on October 23, 2016

Dare I say, Donna is one of my favorites. Can she be anything but kind? On top of being a top photographer.

Donna Knodle (dgknodle) on October 23, 2016

Everyone's comments are so special to me. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Thank you, Marsha, for the great work on putting this article together!

Don Roarabaugh (NatureDon) on October 23, 2016

Awesome article and photos. Thanks for sharing. Don

Jordi Viñas Bascompte (jordivb) on October 22, 2016

Lovely article and nice photos too. But that's what we usually find when reading Donna's posts. Outstanding work. I like getting these insights of fellow Nikonians' background. And now we undertand the trick for these pictures ;). Keeping this wildlife paradise at home must surely ease things out! I 'll have to find out how big is 11 acres in our units, but I can guess it's big if you use a tractor to wander around ;) Keep posting your great photos Donna. And, please Marsha keep up with your articles.

Dale Maas (marnigirl) on October 22, 2016

Oh Donna, how I envy you. 11 wooded acres to roam in all by yourself. Sounds like heaven to this loner ;-). Always enjoy your posts and you are so nice to everyone on the site. My best to you and your spouse. Keep Clicking!! Your Friend, Dale

John David Hutchison (Kipmm) on October 20, 2016

Marsha thank you for bringing Donna to the forefront in this wonderful article. Donna as others have stated is very talented in all area,s of Wildlife Photography . This Lady in my eyes has come such a long way in a short time in the quality of captures she posts in the Wildlife section and I for one cannot wait to see her next posting in this Forum. One can sure tell she just loves what she is doing and mastering her new acquisitions ( Camera,s and Lenses ) takes her no time at all. Keep them coming Donna,,, Cheers Kip

Marsha Edmunds (meadowlark2) on October 20, 2016

It was great fun working with Donna on this article. Her enthusiasm and joy in life shines through in her photography and in her contact with all of us on Nikonians. This article is all Donna, I just did some facilitating. Thanks to all for the warm comments.

kam leung (professorune) on October 20, 2016

Another insightful and well prepared interview Marsha. These get better each time too. So envious of your living and photographic environment Donna. It must be fantastic to just walk out your front/back door and take photos instead of having to haul camera + lens + tripod to a 'destination.' Love the photos in this interview and those posted in forums. Looking forward to future posts.

Tom Jacob (sevendayimages) on October 20, 2016

Another great article from Marsha about one of our very good photographers. I enjoy a lot reading them and it's so nice getting to know our members a bit better. The only point is that now her Secret is out, we all are going to let our garden become a Haven for Wildlife and I will never have to cut my grass again. If my wife asks I just tell to contact Donna and sort it out :) Just joking, apart that I love seeing your pictures Donna and happy you have a great time here! Cheers.

John D. Roach (jdroach) on October 20, 2016

Nice article...I, too, have been enjoying and getting ideas from Donna fine work. There are so many fine Nikonians and learning more about Donna in this interview is a treat.

Kathy Cavallaro (Cavy2) on October 20, 2016

Thanks Donna & Marsha for the article. I always enjoy reading about fellow Nikonians an their background. Also, Your images are always a treat Donna!

Donna Knodle (dgknodle) on October 20, 2016

One more comment. Working with Marsha Edmunds, meadowlark2, was such a pleasure. She did a fantastic job on my article and I'm very happy with the results. All of her Nikonian articles have been excellent and give more depth on the members and their lifestyles. Thank you, Marsha, for the time and effort on this one.

Donna Knodle (dgknodle) on October 20, 2016

Thank you everyone for your wonderful comments. Yes, I do cheat a little when I go out to take photos of birds and bugs because they are easier to find on our property. My husband and I tried to create a safe area for wildlife instead of spraying and mowing to keep everything pristine. I do have an error on the caterpillar shot. This is my bad and one of the wonderful members of Nikonians sent me a private message on it. This is a Swallowtail caterpillar on Queen Anne's Lace, not a Monarch. I should have caught this and I'm happy that Alan, aolander, pointed this out to me. That's what I like about this organization. You get help and critiques in a way that doesn't make you feel like you made a terrible error. Again, thank you for your super comments. There are so many great members of Nikonians and I always love to hear from them.

Ray Heslewood (Hessy) on October 20, 2016

Donna is a very clever photographer and I enjoy seeing her photo's, so it is interesting to see where some of those images come from, and learn about her & her husbands wonderful lifestyle. Well done Donna, and Marsha for sharing it with us. Ray

Mark Kraus (pipco) on October 20, 2016

Wonderful Images and good interview! I want to come shoot in Donna's backyard. Mark

Carman Pagano (the diewrecktor) on October 19, 2016

Thanks Marsha, and Donna, for a fun look at Donna's playground. Thanks for bringing us the tour and commentary.

David Summers (dm1dave) on October 19, 2016

We have been seeing a lot of great images from Donna on the forums. Now we know her secret...It's a great backyard! Thanks for sharing!

Fred Laberge (labtrout) on October 19, 2016

Thanks for the virtual tour and nice photos, Donna and Marsha.

Rick Spehn (PSAGuy) on October 19, 2016

Terrific article Marsha....love this part of Nikonians. Donna (and her husband) do fantastic work in an area I know little to nighting about....namely wildlife and macro. LOVE seeing these images.