Thanksgiving Surprise!

jsedlak

Sibling caught this guy landing in our backyard. After snooping in as close as possible with the 100-400 and failing and chasing I got this shot. I am happy with it! What do you think?

clemensphoto's

Great shot!

dlplumer

Which sibling?

jsedlak

Thanks!

dlplumer wrote:

Which sibling?

I believe it was my older sister, but now that I think about it, it may have been my mother. Anyways, there we were all 5 of us looking out and I am not even the one to think about taking its picture. My mom quietly yells out "john, go take a picture!" (she is the other photo person in the family) and I am still in holiday-vacation mode mumbling back that it is always me having to take the shots.

So I get the camera, put on the lens and go out the front (so as to make as little noise as possible) and start creeping around the back. It would have been easier if there were no leaves. Have you ever tried to sneak up on something while walking through leaves? I might as well been walking on miles of those packing bubble things that go POP! So I get decently close enough to get a "hey, look what we saw" shot and take a few.

Now it is time to get as close as possible! So I begin an awkward and slow pseudo-Navy SEAL walk up to the bird. Take a few more shots, but I can't steady the big lens in the 20* weather. Oh did I mention I am wearing shorts and a t-shirt? Our house is heated, what can I say. Anyways, the bird flies off to behind a fence. I get up to the fence and am much closer but no shot. Branches are in the way. I begin a strafe movement on the bird's position until I can get what may be a decent shot. I take a few shots before it flies off to its next destination. I figure it is better to keep all my fingers and toes rather than get the best shot so I go back inside and enjoy some good food.

And that is the story of how I got the shot! Which I know isn't amazing or anything, but it is rare that I get a shot of a bird that is in focus. The tend to be afraid of big guys walking up on them making clicking noises.

dlplumer

jsedlak wrote:

Thanks!



I believe it was my older sister, but now that I think about it, it may have been my mother. Anyways, there we were all 5 of us looking out and I am not even the one to think about taking its picture. My mom quietly yells out "john, go take a picture!" (she is the other photo person in the family) and I am still in holiday-vacation mode mumbling back that it is always me having to take the shots.

So I get the camera, put on the lens and go out the front (so as to make as little noise as possible) and start creeping around the back. It would have been easier if there were no leaves. Have you ever tried to sneak up on something while walking through leaves? I might as well been walking on miles of those packing bubble things that go POP! So I get decently close enough to get a "hey, look what we saw" shot and take a few.

Now it is time to get as close as possible! So I begin an awkward and slow pseudo-Navy SEAL walk up to the bird. Take a few more shots, but I can't steady the big lens in the 20* weather. Oh did I mention I am wearing shorts and a t-shirt? Our house is heated, what can I say. Anyways, the bird flies off to behind a fence. I get up to the fence and am much closer but no shot. Branches are in the way. I begin a strafe movement on the bird's position until I can get what may be a decent shot. I take a few shots before it flies off to its next destination. I figure it is better to keep all my fingers and toes rather than get the best shot so I go back inside and enjoy some good food.

And that is the story of how I got the shot! Which I know isn't amazing or anything, but it is rare that I get a shot of a bird that is in focus. The tend to be afraid of big guys walking up on them making clicking noises.

Good story John