Michael Lloyd
11-19-2008, 09:04 AM
I finally made the pilgrimage to Bosque this year. It was everything I expected and nothing like I expected :) I'm told that the crowds were light. Probably because we were there a little early. I noticed a few things that kind of bothered me and I am hesitantly going to bring them up here. I am not preaching. I am not a pro. I am just a guy that loves to shoot. I shoot almost every day of the year. I learn something new almost every time I shoot. I enjoy passing on what I've learned and seen. Often what I've "learned" is corrected during this process and I'm am thankful for the help. Onward through the fog :)
(1) One thing I noticed early on was that 90% or more of the photographers there were shooting from essentially the same vantage point at the same tripod height and often at the same birds. So, in a sense, they are all getting the same image. Maybe not exactly the same bird but the same background and the same angle of light. Case in point, Russell and I were sitting at the pond that is just after you come into the gate. Everyone else was standing. The first thing that I saw when I walked up was the awful color of the light on the pond. When I squatted down to have a look the color changed to a gorgeous blue mixed with a vibrant white from the birds. Bingo... there's my shooting position. Not exactly comfortable but definitely an improvement over the drab colors that were seen from the vantage point above me. Low is not always the best choice and it's not very comfortable (sticks poking through the skin aren't fun at all) but I think more people should put this option in their toolbox.
(2) Bosque has a lot of "other than migratory bird" opportunities. A lot of people, especially the pro and semi-pro photographers know this. When you go to Bosque, keep an eye out for the Mule Deer, Coyote, and other inhabitants of the refuge.
PS- I don't have a high shot to compare to the low shot otherwise I would post them here.
(1) One thing I noticed early on was that 90% or more of the photographers there were shooting from essentially the same vantage point at the same tripod height and often at the same birds. So, in a sense, they are all getting the same image. Maybe not exactly the same bird but the same background and the same angle of light. Case in point, Russell and I were sitting at the pond that is just after you come into the gate. Everyone else was standing. The first thing that I saw when I walked up was the awful color of the light on the pond. When I squatted down to have a look the color changed to a gorgeous blue mixed with a vibrant white from the birds. Bingo... there's my shooting position. Not exactly comfortable but definitely an improvement over the drab colors that were seen from the vantage point above me. Low is not always the best choice and it's not very comfortable (sticks poking through the skin aren't fun at all) but I think more people should put this option in their toolbox.
(2) Bosque has a lot of "other than migratory bird" opportunities. A lot of people, especially the pro and semi-pro photographers know this. When you go to Bosque, keep an eye out for the Mule Deer, Coyote, and other inhabitants of the refuge.
PS- I don't have a high shot to compare to the low shot otherwise I would post them here.