Back-lit Bird
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Back-lit subjects can be a problem. Normally I try to avoid the halo of light around the subject but sometimes it enhances the photo. Opening up the shadows, applying contrast is a technique I use often. In this case I was working to make sure the texture of the water stood out.
Great Blue Heron (Two Photographs)
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My lens followed this bird as it walked up onto this tree trunk. Every shot I took (over 30) had some issue, usually a branch that obscured a part of the bird. Even this shot required an application of de-hazing to get just that little bit better. At this stage the bird was shaking the fish quite violently and fortunately my shutter speed was high enough to stop motion. It’s challenges like these that make nature photography fun, something your audience probably won’t see in the final product. I tried this shot in black and white (see below) not quite the same impact.
Wood Ducks (Two Photographs)
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In my view, somethings look better in black and white, even when colour is a fundamental element of their make-up. This is a case in point, the colour version is not as dramatic as the black and white.
Great Blue Heron (Two Photographs)
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The same bird cropped differently and in colour and black and white. Working like this lets you see the options you have for a final piece of work; the Portrait format in colour for a magazine or book, and the black and white more for framing on a wall.
Red-Winged Black Bird (Three Photographs)
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Red-winged blackbirds are not my favorite bird. It takes some skill in exposure to get details in the feathers with exposure compensation and then it often does not work. It also requires some work in post-processing. These birds have a temper, and their song is grating. But they are a sign of spring, so all is forgiven. These three shots, in my view, illustrate the difference between creative photography and birding photography. In the former I am looking for the eye and posture and probably a black and white treatment. In the later I want true colour, and a good depiction of the bird.
Chickadees (Three Photographs)
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You can always count on Chickadees, anytime of the year, always hoping for food. Flying right at you and just missing. They seldom perch like this one did and patiently wait for their portrait to be taken.
Green Heron (Three Photographs)
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Every year I hope to get one or two scenes of a heron hunting and this one did not disappoint. The stare, the sudden movement, and the tasty morsel in the beak. Classic Green Heron, determined, poised and fast.
