We are really fly over country for these guys, only at the wetlands a day maybe 2. No amount of clucking or other noise making would get anyone to look up or at me. Obviously they didn't think I was that scary to look at (they didn't fly off) they were just too busy tanking up. Spent quite a bit of time with them trying to make a decent image. There were about 15 of them and these were the only ones sorta out in the open.
I like the reflections a lot. Also, be forewarned, I am not an expert like many other members of BPN. So here goes. I think it might have been better if you could have gotten closer and made one of the birds a focal point. The left side of the image needs to be cropped, or something. I don't know if its a rule, and I could be incorrect, by I think its OK to have the background out of focus, and even the foreground out of focus, but not both out of focus. I try not to do it, but that could be personal preference. I also think the background needs to have been blurred by using a a larger aperture. The 300mm 2.8 would come in handy for that.
I have taken images of groups of dowitchers many times before. They winter on the Texas coast. I might add that any group of birds can be (to me at least) more difficult than a single bird.
Dowitchers can be approached to even the minimum focus distance of your lens by a slow steady movement forward, and of course no rapid movement. The hardest part is getting them to position themselves so you can take a decent photograph.
The funniest thing about them is if they are roosting, with their head under their wings, and they notice you, the group will start hopping around on one leg. First time I saw this I was thinking: Oh my gosh, all these birds have lost one of their legs! Hope I was helpful, and didn't tell you too much that you already knew.~onlybill
Last edited by WIlliam Maroldo; 06-07-2008 at 10:34 PM.
Hi Nonda, I agree with Bill that photographing groups of birds is far more problematic that doing singles!! I'm no expert either so I wouldn't really like to comment on the cropping and focus issues but I love the reflections and the colours.
Regards,
Nicki
What do you think about cropping off most of the oof top and making this a sort of pano comp? I think it brings the focus more on the birds. I would like to see these birds sometime - don't know if we get them here or not - probably just for a stopover, like you.
Hi Nonda,
I like your habitat image, but there are too many distractions like oof birds and negative space on top. I did some work on your image to focus the attention on what is going on. ( feeding time and behavior in habitat )
I cropped image into pano, boosted contrasr and your hues just slightly and gave you a tad of light and a little
sharpening.. See if this works for you...:D
Bill since these guys just don't show up here loved hearing a bit about natural behavior,would love see them nesting! Closer is always better,but this was as close as I could get, physically, down the mud embankment at waters edge. Going into water doesn't bother me, it is what are you 'allowed' to do. The wetlands in this area have walking paths/observation decks which don't get you very close to anything. This WL I have been given permission to go off paths and do pretty much as I please as long as no one else is there, going into the WL water (ponds) whatever, well I haven't asked as yet if I can, I always ask first. The WLs in 'this area' are set up a bit different, they are created WL's owned by private foundations. No kick from me on that, glad it is being done!
This isn't an excuse just an explanation of what I work with. I have more leeway here than any WL within an hours drive and I'm quite happy for that.
Nonda and everyone
Good discussion and loved hearing about the one-legged hopping dowitchers.
I think the re-posts are going in the right direction. I wonder if an even tighter crop might pull the image together; specifically I tried eliminating the OOF bird on the left. I liked the image a bit more, but it needed more space then on the left.
There is a lot to like in this image. Congrats on the effort needed to get this much.
There are so many neat birds that are darn hard to photograph well. :-)
Cheers
Gail
I 'think' maybe doing a quick mask thing on the left bird 'might' work, lots of stuff over there but it would leave the space. I went back out 2 days after this image when there was better light in hope of getting a better image and they were gone..Maybe next year.
Let me see what I can do with that bird on the left
Nonda: I appreciate the explanation. They are not excuses, but valid reasons. I made a similar comment about getting closer in another critique (I've only done a few so far) and she explained that the area was roped off because of nesting. I'm glad you explained how the WLs are set up in your area, and I hadn't considered photography limitations in other parts of the country unlil joining BPN. Around here, the Texas coast, there are physical limitations and "rules" on getting close to the birds as well in the National Wildlife Refuges, but they are not as strict, and rarely are there more than half a dozen people around at one time. I've been known to stretch the rules a bit. Though I visit WL refuges, more often than not I'll try to get in a non-wildlife protected area. If possible I use my pickup-truck as a moving bird blind, and often this is far more successful in getting close than approaching on foot. Of course the birds are not necessarily close to a suitable road, or I need a low angle shot, and I have to get out. My main concerns then are about deep water or mud and of course the snakes and alligators. I like your comment about going into the water not concerning you. I often see bird photographers set up their 500mms on a path at a wildlife refuge and just wait. I just don't have the patience. Talk about long winded explanations! Look forward to seeing more of your work. ~onlybill
LOL..Bill I ended up in a ditch I didn't see, was already in water about a foot deep, up to my waist (melted snow run off) in pursuit of a good N Pintail image. Ugh it was on very soggy, cold wet walk back to the car.
The Dutch Fork WL where this image was made is only 3 years old, it is already pretty special, Dawes has done a fantastic job and it will only get better. They really want to be photographer friendly so how I conduct myself is important. Unfortunately a few places that tried to be very liberal about their rules had to clamp down because of abuse.
Ok folks how does this look?
Last edited by Nonda Surratt; 06-08-2008 at 11:20 AM.
Getting close is difficult at my favorite location as well because they're quite strict about staying on the path and not disturbing the birds so I understand the challenge and sometime frustration. I think the pano crop works really great and my vote is for the left-hand bird to stay. I also like the shot only slightly brightened from the original...Nice going, Nonda!
.............. if you guys keep on going there will be no birds left !!!!!!! :D:)
I sort of like the fourth oof bird in the corner !! With these guys you can really get close. Flat on the ground is the way to go, might be messy but works. Single birds would be the easiest image but groups make excellent images !!! For the single bird the low perspective is so beautiful !!!
Dowitcher(s)
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