Birds And A Snake From Tuesday

[jprzybyla]

I went for a walk with my wife on Tuesday at the nearby nature preserve. These are some of the images I captured. C&C welcomed and appreciated. Thank you for viewing.

Red-winged Blackbird

#1



#2



American White Ibis



Sand Hill Cranes and Chicks

#1



#2



Florida Banded Water Snake

[Marie Hass]

Really nice, Joe. It is difficult to pick a favorite.

Marie

[davidedric]

More great shots, Joe. I especially like the rwb's - the common birds so often don't get the attention they deserve and they are so sharp and clear.

[jprzybyla]

Really nice, Joe. It is difficult to pick a favorite.

Marie

Hello Marie, thank you for viewing and commenting.

[jprzybyla]

More great shots, Joe. I especially like the rwb's - the common birds so often don't get the attention they deserve and they are so sharp and clear.

Hello David, thank you for your comments. The Red-winged Blackbird may be common but the colors are so striking, one of my favorites.

[Brownbear]

All breathtakingly beautiful. My favourites are #1 & #2 especially, and #3. I am in awe of your bird photos for man reasons but especially for the detail and rich colours which you always capture perfectly.

[kaneohebud]

Beautiful as always Joe! The Ibis in flight is terrific. The RWBB is particularly difficult because the little buggers tend to take off if you try to get near them. My friend from California is sending back some awesome photos from the Merritt Island NWR. Thanks for the help you gave him.

[jprzybyla]

All breathtakingly beautiful. My favourites are #1 & #2 especially, and #3. I am in awe of your bird photos for man reasons but especially for the detail and rich colours which you always capture perfectly.

Hello Christina, thank you for viewing and your comments. Regarding the detail and rich color, it's all about light... with the sun to my back I only capture what is in front of me. There is much that I see that I do not photograph, I know it would have been a pain to post process and the final result would be less than the quality I want.

[jprzybyla]

Beautiful as always Joe! The Ibis in flight is terrific. The RWBB is particularly difficult because the little buggers tend to take off if you try to get near them. My friend from California is sending back some awesome photos from the Merritt Island NWR. Thanks for the help you gave him.

Hello Bud, thank you for viewing and commenting. I am pleased to read your friend is enjoying Merritt Island NWR, at times it can be a magical place for a nature photographer.

[Walj]

Joe -Hi,

Nice series of shots you have. Love them all especially #3 BIF. For image #1 of Sand Hill Cranes I find a little harsh, I would rather tone down a little on the bushes in the background.

[Brownbear]

Thank you Joe... Surely you also photograph birds with side lighting? Or is it absolutely always with the sun to your back?

It's difficult for me to walk away from the impossible to photograph, thinking that I'll get lucky with the right angle of light. For example there is an area in a local park where the trees are full of nesting herons. The herons are nesting and flying about the tops of the tall trees doing all kinds of interesting things. I can't get anywhere near them but I keep trying because if I managed to get a quality photo I know it would be special. The herons are about 40-60 feet (12-20 meters) up and once in a while they fly off to get a branch, with the most activity being during the early morning hours...

I try to photograph them with the side light (no front light from this position) but none have turned out well. So far they all lack detail, have a washed out colour, or they are too dark. If I expose to the max they have purple and green fringing, or too much noise. Since I can't get closer is their anything else I could try?

Hello Christina, thank you for viewing and your comments. Regarding the detail and rich color, it's all about light... with the sun to my back I only capture what is in front of me. There is much that I see that I do not photograph, I know it would have been a pain to post process and the final result would be less than the quality I want.

[jprzybyla]

Joe -Hi,

Nice series of shots you have. Love them all especially #3 BIF. For image #1 of Sand Hill Cranes I find a little harsh, I would rather tone down a little on the bushes in the background.

Thanks Walad, your right the lighting for the Sandhill Cranes is harsh. It was at the end of the day, they walked out of the marsh when we were almost back to the parking lot. The time of day was around 11 AM, if I remember correctly. I posted those two here but I am not done working on them, I keep going back till I get them just right.

[jprzybyla]

Thank you Joe... Surely you also photograph birds with side lighting? Or is it absolutely always with the sun to your back?

It's difficult for me to walk away from the impossible to photograph, thinking that I'll get lucky with the right angle of light. For example there is an area in a local park where the trees are full of nesting herons. The herons are nesting and flying about the tops of the tall trees doing all kinds of interesting things. I can't get anywhere near them but I keep trying because if I managed to get a quality photo I know it would be special. The herons are about 40-60 feet (12-20 meters) up and once in a while they fly off to get a branch, with the most activity being during the early morning hours...

I try to photograph them with the side light (no front light from this position) but none have turned out well. So far they all lack detail, have a washed out colour, or they are too dark. If I expose to the max they have purple and green fringing, or too much noise. Since I can't get closer is their anything else I could try?

Hello Christina, regarding side lighting, about 45 degrees is the most I will shoot. Anything more than that and I am on the dark side of the bird (shadow) and with that comes noise.

You mentioned a tree with herons building nests, I assume you are going there in the morning. What I would do is try another time of day watching how the sun moves and how the tree is illuminated. Birds are as active late afternoon as they are in the early morning. The nest building normally continues all day long. Maybe noontime, you have to observe when the best light is from the best vantage point.