I found a series of shots of blue footed boobies' ritual courting dance in my February 2015 files. Here are a couple of them which I hope you will enjoy. It was pretty spectacular, especially the foot stomping.
Good shots of fascinating birds, Jeff. I prefer the composition of the first but the colour balance of the second (first has a yellow cast). Not sure about the light vignette used here though - for me they might be better without that feature as, with the tight framing of the birds, it does affect their plumage.
Glad you like them, Phil. Did you notice I used a horizontal push in Lightroom on the first to show something more of the bird on the left?
Yes, of course, views differ on vignettes. Vive la difference! It often happens with birds and wildlife generally that the background is rubbish - often literally! A little vignette covers a multitude of sins sometimes as well as guiding the eye to the key points. That said: a) I have only entered one club open competition just a few weeks ago (1= to my surprise 20/20 by external judge) which was a wildlife composition with white vignette; but b) in a wildlife photography competition rather than a club open, they are looking for minimal editing and c) in competition you need to aim for behavioural activity in the picture - as in the blue footed booby with his foot raised for the stomping dance - at least generally. I tend to present a picture according to its intended use. Even so....I plan to use one of these shots for an upcoming wildlife competition (or another in the series) so I may just............
First impressions Jeff, either a tight crop, or, too much zoom, if the latter, a lesson to back of a bit, and allow for more composition.
The extending shows, if available, cloning would be better. As for the white bits, they detract, to me.
If you can open in Camera Raw, there is a colour balance eye dropper that can be used.
Worth spending a bit more time on the first one, as there is, again to me, potential.
Well spotted, never even knew such a dance existed. While since I was at the local Palais, did own a pair of blue suede shoes!!
Weather so cold and damp here in England that I am confined indoors, using a Pentax K20D with 100-300mm Sigma zoom, or sometimes a Pentax Q7 for its 4.7x crop factor.
(This post was last modified: Jan 4, 2016, 09:02 by danmdan.)
Occasionally it happens that I find something in a photo that I didn't expect. For instance I took a series of photos at a reserve some time ago only to find embedded in it pictures of a yellow wagtail chasing a crow! Maybe I posted it.
This one likewise. I spent maybe 30-40 minutes shooting a pair of stone chats hunting from the top of a bush last week. They are pretty birds but awful small. I one of the pictures, given a whopping crop, I found this...I'll also add the male sitting pretty...
Experiments with a Pentax K-01 and Sigma 70-300mm DG lens.
One problem is that using my preferred manual focus is real difficult with only a back screen and no viewfinder as in my K20D DSLR. Autofocus has resulted in some out-of-focus shots where the auto has settled on branches behind that which the bird is actually sitting on.
(Mar 5, 2016, 06:38)danmdan Wrote: Autofocus has resulted in some out-of-focus shots where the auto has settled on branches behind that which the bird is actually sitting on.
Try changing the focus mode in the camera menu. Set it so that it only focuses with the centre spot, then, once you auto focus on the subject, keep the shutter release part depressed until you frame the image. That way the focus shouldn't change as you reframe.
Ask yourself, "What's most important for the final image?".
(Mar 5, 2016, 06:38)danmdan Wrote: Experiments with a Pentax K-01 and Sigma 70-300mm DG lens.
One problem is that using my preferred manual focus is real difficult with only a back screen and no viewfinder as in my K20D DSLR. Autofocus has resulted in some out-of-focus shots where the auto has settled on branches behind that which the bird is actually sitting on.
When manually focusing a lens on the K-01, are you making use of the magnified view and/or the focus peaking?
I am using "focus peaking", but have not discovered the "magnified view". However f/peaking is not quite so good with a 300mm or more lens, where the depth of field is probably an inch or so. Here you really need to be looking thru the lens.
I got the K-01 mainly for its lighter weight, and when not wanting to carry the K20D monster, so am not too bothered at there being some limitations. Mostly I'll be doing the bird pictures with the K20D + 200mm Leitz Telyt + 2 x converter, and keeping the K-01 for a lightweight zoom.
One or two shots from a visit to Gigrin Farm, Rhayader, where the farmer feeds the red kites every day.
Worth a visit - 80 kites circling for 2 hours and dedicated photography hide.
I noticed that as the birds were waiting to be fed, they got a bit testy. They had a method of ambushing one another at full pelt and tipping the next guy base over apex. Quite amazing to see. I captured this in snap 3 below and include it for interest.
Regards all
Jeff
(This post was last modified: Mar 28, 2016, 06:29 by Freeman.)
Brilliant shots. It's an area I used to enjoy motorcycling in, and it was always great to see the kites. Might have to take a trip out there sometime, although I'm no birder - my little x100s mightn't cut the mustard!
Thanks, guys, for your encouraging comments, which are greatly valued - may I, dare I share a couple more which give an impression of the air traffic chaos? Jeff
PS I'm meeting Phil J for lunch tomorrow if anyone cares to join us at the Robin Hood.
(This post was last modified: Mar 28, 2016, 14:15 by Freeman.)
For two mornings while walking the dogs this Robin would fly from branch to branch trying to get my attention so on the third day I took my. camera fitted with a Sigma 70 - 300 and she just posed for ages
We Photographers deal in things which are continually Vanishing and when they have vanished, there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again. We cannot develope and print a memory.
Henri Cartier Bresson
Doug
One or two shots from a visit to Gigrin Farm, Rhayader, where the farmer feeds the red kites every day.
Worth a visit - 80 kites circling for 2 hours and dedicated photography hide.
I noticed that as the birds were waiting to be fed, they got a bit testy. They had a method of ambushing one another at full pelt and tipping the next guy base over apex. Quite amazing to see. I captured this in snap 3 below and include it for interest.
Regards all
Jeff
Fantastic photo's
We Photographers deal in things which are continually Vanishing and when they have vanished, there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again. We cannot develope and print a memory.
Henri Cartier Bresson
Doug
We were down near Stewart Island ,New Zealand and the boat crew started feeding the Albatross which brought them in over our heads what a sight.
We Photographers deal in things which are continually Vanishing and when they have vanished, there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again. We cannot develope and print a memory.
Henri Cartier Bresson
Doug
