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Thread: Purple Martins living their lives by the telephone hardware

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    Default Purple Martins living their lives by the telephone hardware

    Admirals of the alar, I hate to post an oldie but I'll spare you the gulls and gadwalls I've been photographing recently. I was going through my last shots from the cheapo Nikon before I switched last summer, and here are some purple martins doing just what they like...the light was the light and the image quality is what it is, but I'm not too concerned about that. Here's some action! I did the best I could, I think. Who remembers? Anyhow, I have this for you and would love to hear your thoughts. Nikon D90, 70-300VR at 250mm. iso500, 1/1250, f7. This is about 50% of the original image...
    Thanks for looking and thanks in advance for your earnest thoughts and ideas?
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    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    Nice dragonfly exchange coming but the setting is less than ideal for a pleasing image.... You did make a 1/2-way decent image out of a pretty much impossible situation.
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    BPN Member dankearl's Avatar
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    The birds look nice, the wires and setting is horrific.
    I don't know what else to say....
    Dan Kearl

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    O, you guys! Horrific is sometimes good. I've titled this "Half-way decent martins in a futuristic world of horrific telephony" with titling help from Dan Kearl & Arthur "Making the Impossible Possible" Morris. Thanks gents...I hope more of you will comment...perhaps some sci-fan will even like this weirdo picture as much as I do? I'll be perfectly honest: I am a big fan of this pic for a few different reasons, none of which I'll get into yet. Or ever? This said, I suffer from at least two moderate nervous complaints and have been described by some of my friends as an "unstable hermit" and a "ne'er-do-well of the first degree." But seriously, folks...I await your responses and criticisms and slaps-in-the-face...
    Last edited by Jack Breakfast; 03-15-2012 at 07:56 PM.

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    BPN Member Paul Lagasi's Avatar
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    Hey Jack, I'd love to photograph gadwalls and gulls but I have a hockey team still in a playoff run....

    As Artie said the handoff of dragonfly is cool, extreme angle not....but with a D90 and 70-300 very nice capture hand held.
    What did you buy?

    Another Canuck's opinion
    Last edited by Paul Lagasi; 03-15-2012 at 08:02 PM.

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    Thanks Paul...switched to the 7D and a better-quality lens...hocky in the winter go go go!

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    Jack,
    How about cropping to the upper right so we lose the bird on the lower left and most of the telephone equipment and see only a loop wire, the chicks and the parent with the bug? That would make the action the focus and not the man made stuff which in my opinion is too distracting.

    Roger

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    Lifetime Member gail bisson's Avatar
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    Hi Jack,
    I am not loving this one! I appreciate "the hand of man" thing going on here but the steep angle and all the hardware is not great. I think I would crop as Roger suggested and try to open up the blacks,
    gail

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    Roger, that's a nice idea, actually and I'll certainly try it. Thanks kindly for your suggestion...Obviously I'm quite fond of the hardware and the full-frame image actually has more of it, but I can certainly see a case for getting rid of it...

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    Jack

    I think the hardware is great but not the steep angle which I know you cannot change. You might try opening up the blacks if you can as Gail suggested.

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    Thanks Laurie, and Gail too. I'll try that! The steep angle doesn't exactly bother me, but of course I wish I'd had a 12-foot ladder at the time. Of course, I also would have needed some kind of municipal permit granting permission. A real nuisance! But it's quite true; seeing these weirdos at eye-level would have been a dream come true...maybe this summer I'll figure something out, if they come back...purple martins are scarce in these parts...

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