GBH - Venice Rookery today
Yes, they're active there. A handful of nests already going full tilt. Doesn't look like they quite have all their colors yet, though. Surprisingly early start. There were only a couple Photographers (locals), as I don't think too many folks expected this yet. Letting the secret out ;) I had made a recon stop earlier this week, and was surprised by the activity already. Lot's of plant interference to contend with, though.
Canon 1DsMII, 600mm f/4L, ISO 200, f/4, 1/1250, 0 EV.
Last edited by Bob Blanchard; 11-09-2008 at 03:31 PM.
Beautiful bird Bob. I think we should call this bird Topper. I saw the same kind of pose yesterday. An amazing place and a great time for my first visit. We were the only ones there for two hours.
The viewfinder is my guidance.
Hi Bill,
Enjoy it while you can, because once the word's out and everyone shows up, you will find it quite crowded there. No place like it, though. I worked it all last Spring, and it wasn't too bad. Even on the busy days I got plenty done. It was unbelievably peaceful working it today. So nice to be able to move without having to feed the tourists to the Gator of the moat :-) And yes, the gator showed up today as well. Another year older and not a bit afraid of people.
Just a couple points that I think would make this image better: 1 - Chin is a bit hot (but not blown), so I'll need to fix that. The light was changing rapidly, and was actually hard to keep up with today. 2 - Their colors aren't all the way there yet. The beaks still look a bit rough to me. 3 - This would be better if those berries were ripe (bright red).
Some warning points for anyone headed there: 1 - The morning sun is rising right behind those large trees, and casting a shadow over the entire left side of the island. That is unfortunately where the best activity is (and where the best line up to desirable background is). You will probably have to wait until around 9 am for the shadows to move clear on the left side. 2 - There are fire ant mounds everywhere. Be careful. 3 - That unattractive (and useless) willow tree on the front/right of the island has grown a bit, and is causing issues trying to work the birds on the right side.
Terrific Bob! Love the pose, the comp, the light and detail! Bg is superb! Big congrats on this one!
Beautiful light, pose and BG. Sounds like a challenging venue (especially if you happen to be a tourist :D)
Tony Whitehead
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Hey Bob, great self critic! I like the pose a lot and the BG is fantastic too I agree about the whites in the chin and hope that you can fix them. The composition is spoted on. Very good job!
Even with 100 folks there very few people know where the best spot to be for a given image is... Most plant their tripod in one spot at 8am when the arrive (two hours late) and have not moved it once by the time they leave at 11. So crowding is rarely an issue if you understand light angle...
ps: The lores on this bird are pretty much full breeding...
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Originally Posted by Arthur Morris
LOL - So true. We were alone until about 7:30 (except for a homeless guy who was sleeping on one of the picnic tables). BTW - There were TONS of egrets roosting on the island that took off as the sun was coming up. I would estimate 200-300 white birds. It looked like it had snowed on the rookery! More than I've ever seen there before. A very cool sight.
Thanks for clarifying the breeding plumage. I wasn't sure.
You are welcome. And yes, getting there in the dark is the way to be. Did you learn that on the IPT???
BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.
BIRDS AS ART Online Store: we will not sell you junk. 35 years of long lens experience. Please e-mail with gear questions.
Check out the new SONY e-Guide and videos that I did with Patrick Sparkman here. Ten percent discount for BPN members,
E-mail me at samandmayasgrandpa@att.net.
That was a habit I'd had since before the IPT, but was significantly reinforced by the IPT. I have always loved the first light of day. You sure can't beat that 20 minute window of low, golden light as the sun comes up (especially if you have a nice white bird in front of your lens to really showcase it!).
The work we did on those sunrise flying egrets during the IPT though was priceless.
Yes, I was talking about the stuff that we did when there was just enough light to focus, not the early morning light...
BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.
BIRDS AS ART Online Store: we will not sell you junk. 35 years of long lens experience. Please e-mail with gear questions.
Check out the new SONY e-Guide and videos that I did with Patrick Sparkman here. Ten percent discount for BPN members,
E-mail me at samandmayasgrandpa@att.net.
here's a quick re-post. Dialed the whites on the chin down a notch. better now. Now if only those berries were red, I'd REALLY like this one ;)
Oh, in that case yes....I had never done that type of imagery before the IPT.
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