Snow geese

Seatime

It's Getting chilly in the northwest, and the snow geese will be coming back soon. In winter I take a few trips to Skagit Valley to shoot the geese, and it's sure something to look forward to. Here's a few shots from last year.

bhogle

Number 1 is superb, as is number 3. It looks like you have some experience shooting these geese before. some nice angles. I especially love the frame filling nature of number 1, although you left just enough empty space to give the viewer the sense that the birds are ascending.

Ric Grupe

WOW! :wow

I don't think it would be snow that needs to be shoveled after this storm came through!

dlplumer

Excellent

Seatime

Thanks bhogle. In the past few years, I've taken thousands of snow goose pics, but with limited gear. I use a f4L 0-200 lens and my 350d. Since lighting is usually dim, noise is an issue, but some days you get a break in the weather and it gets exciting. I can't wait until the geese return, as I have more ideas to try.

Thanks for looking!

Kevin

Seatime

Ric Grupe wrote:

WOW! :wow

I don't think it would be snow that needs to be shoveled after this storm came through!

Thanks, Ric. You're right. You just about need an umbrella out there. Not to mention windshield wash! :patch

Seatime

dlplumer wrote:

Excellent

Thanks, dl. Glad you liked! Appreciate your comment.

Kevin

cmkultradome

Very cool photos!! My favorites are #1, 3, & 4. All I could think of was Alfred Hitchcock.

Stephanie

digitaldiva

Beautiful birds and some really wonderful shots ! My personal fav is #3. I like how you isolated the one goose in the air and the rest seem to go on forever into the background. Love the mellow light too.
(my only nitpic is the horizon not being level)

Seatime

cmkultradome wrote:

Very cool photos!! My favorites are #1, 3, & 4. All I could think of was Alfred Hitchcock.

Stephanie

Thank you, Stephanie. I think some of the farmers in the area feel the same way about the geese, losing acres of crops to them every year. I assure you though, the geese are nice and friendly.

Thanks for looking. I'll get some more pretty soon.

kevin

Seatime

digitaldiva wrote:

Beautiful birds and some really wonderful shots ! My personal fav is #3. I like how you isolated the one goose in the air and the rest seem to go on forever into the background. Love the mellow light too.
(my only nitpic is the horizon not being level)

Thanks digitaldiva. Glad you enjoyed. The light is usually mellow, and sometimes flat. Some shoots are a lost cause, but sometimes just after a storm the light and clouds are incredible.

Horizons are a mystery to me. In photo 3, the necks of the geese are plumb. The horizon in the photo is actually the irregular margin of a plowed field, obscured by fog. So to me, leveling the horizon would make the geese look unnatural. But then there's the horizon, crooked, standing out like a sore thumb. Hmmm... enlighten me. What should I do, average it? Or should I leave it?