Greylag Geese in flight blur

[Gerald Kelberg]

In response to a blog on the importance of being early, I got to one of my favourite locations good and early on Sunday morning. There were about 300 Greylag Geese on the pond, so I set up to see what I might achieve with blurs as they started to head out to the fields. Of the numerous shots, I thought this one was better than most. So, I would appreciate some input from the experts, if I may.

I like the fact that the heads are pretty sharp but there is horizontal streaking from panning as well as the blur of the wings, in different strokes/ positions. The soft greens and blues are pretty-much as it came out of the camera. There were a couple of areas of burn out and I have tried to minimise them as much as possible - not ideal.

Canon EOS 1D Mk IV, EF 200-400 @ 329mm, Skimmer Pod on a ledge in the hide. 1/50 sec at f4.5 ISO 1600. DPP conversion, Photoshop set black and adjusted to taste, masked out tail of leading duck from the edge of the frame. NR overall and then brushed in a mask over the birds. Some Sharpen on the detailed parts of the birds. Cropped for presentation. This is essentially my standard workflow, but I am not sure it is right for a blur - would be interested to get feedback on that.

Thanks for your thoughts, Gerald

[Dennis Bishop]

Very nicely done. I like the color, the blur, the different wing positions, and, especially, the way the line of geese follows the line of the clouds above them.

[Hazel Grant]

I have to say right away I am not the biggest fan of blurs, but....this one works for me. I think it is the more sharply focused heads vs the blur of the wings and water. The work together. I'm not sure what those little white rectangles are and would be tempted to try to delete them if this were mine, but it is your vision and perhaps those add to the overall look of the lake as you know it. Love the colors. Good job.

[Randall Farhy]

Gerald, I feel it's a successful shot in many ways. Four Geese in flight with good wing position and a pleasing blur, with relative sharpness on the body and heads on all four-this is no easy task. An absolutely stunning background color with pleasing horizontals. I'm with Hazel re: white smears (birds on water?). Have you tried this type of a shot using a strobe and a slightly faster shutter? I've found it can create extra sharpness/contrast on the head and body, but the wings will still be blurred. Drawback might be the water and anything on it might catch some unwanted light, though a better beamer would help focus the light in a narrower beam. Again, this is a gorgeous shot with a unique mood as is.

[Diane Miller]

This works for me! Unique, and very nice colors. I would clone out the two white areas that are probably birds on the water.

[Gerald Kelberg]

Thanks for your comments and suggestions. Here is a re-post with the white patches covered - I think they were probably birds on the water. Looks much better. I have also taken the crop a smidgen tighter on the bottom.

Randall, I like the idea of doing some bird images using 2nd curtain flash - something I had played around with back in the film days - but haven't yet tried it with my current set-up. Certainly worth trying. But practicalities of the hide on this pond simply wouldn't provide for it.

Thanks and best wishes, Gerald

[Cheryl Slechta]

Hi, Gerald, I'm late to the show but was going to suggest removing the white objects so the repost looks great to me (I like the crop also).:S3: The background is gorgeous and the blur is just right.

[Wendy Kates]

Gerald, I agree with all the comments above: the blurs evoke motion, in contrast to the lovely colors which evoke serenity. It's just beautiful.

[Anita Bower]

The birds look good, and I like how their color blends them into the bg, while still allowing them to stand out. The repost is better. I love strong colors, and the blue-greens in this image are gorgeous. Having said that, I might tone them down just a bit, but that is a personal preference. Nice work.

[Jackie Schuknecht]

The colours and blur are beautiful. Can you remember what your white balance setting was? I have started using DPP as well and the colours that come out in the conversion are much better than Photoshop in my opinion. I like the repost, and the only thing I might do is tone down the highlights on the wings. Worth getting up early for. Terrific shot.

[Paul Lagasi]

A very nice capture, blurred just enough and the faces are all sharp. Well done
What is DPP?

[Gerald Kelberg]

Hi Paul,
DPP is the Canon Digital Photo Professional, which is a standard tool for conversion.
Thanks for your kind words.

Gerald