No Guts, No Glory

[Arthur Morris]

After a few days of conjecture, thinking, and asking a few questions, I brought the IPT group at 9:30 am to a location totally devoid of birds. Eleven minutes later my decision paid big dividends. Birds are creatures of habit....

Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens (hand held at 70mm) and the EOS-5D Mark III. Warming circular polarizer set to dark. ISO 50. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/13 sec. at f/20 in Tv mode.

Wanna know where and when? Check out the Bosque Current Conditions info here. All of the images here were made at the same spot 9 minutes earlier on a different day.

Don't be shy; all comments welcome.

[Miguel Palaviccini]

Love the image Artie. A nice amount of blur, nice colors (can't go wrong with the orange and blue). The fact that the birds have both black and white really helps create a pleasing blur. The only thing that I'm not fond of in this image is the water line at the bottom. To me, it doesn't seem like its part of the picture

[Greg Oakley]

Great shot Arthur - this image has an awesome sense of movement. Another vote for losing the water at the bottom. What is the species?

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks both. The birds are mostly Snow with lots of Ross's Geese. As for the water, I love it and would not think of losing it. It sets the scene, anchors the image, and gives the viewer a sense of place and the birds a place to land. But what the heck do I know? :)

[Raymond Lee]

Love the layering of the Geese in flight. Great lighting and colour. The motion blur adds impact to the visual.

[Nick Palmieri]

Overall very cool image. Don't mind the strip of water. Love the layers of blurred birds especially the ones near the top of hills. Lots of interest. Possibly if it were mine I may lose a bit off the top but certainly no biggy. TFS!

[dankearl]

Very nice work.
These low SS photos never work for me, it must be technique.
I like it.

[PhilCook]

Let There Be Life !.....great shot brimming with activity, but myself I think some birds need to be in focus

[Shawn Zierman]

you do great work with intentional motion blurs and this is no exception. I also agree
with your feelings regarding the waterline at the bottom of the frame. Generally, I prefer
Bosque images in this genre with more dramatic lighting...closer to sunrise for example.
The lighting here is pretty straightforward and does not "grab" me like blast off motion blur
shots do...

[Arthur Morris]

Let There Be Life !.....great shot brimming with activity, but myself I think some birds need to be in focus

Thanks Phil, Note: the birds wall of birds closest to me are all in sharp focus. Did you mean "sharp" rather than "in focus." There is a big difference :).