Beach Birds, one for Ben, too

ginger_55

Only Ben would take a shot of a sandpiper stuck in the sand by his beak. I thought of him, immediately. When I took the photo.........



Birds, birds, birds, hot, muggy, but a big wind kept most of the people away..... OK, so I saw that someone else did shore birds, I just drove by Breech Inlet, and..........


















This last one is my favorite, I fiddled with it a long time. I like it because the subject is not what it looks like it is. There is that little bird, true, but the subject looks like it is a sky fixing to storm. It isn't, it is a wave at it's crest. It is the bokeh (ah) that makes it look like sky. I just like it. I tried all suggestions I could think of and probably messed it all up, but it is stil interesting to me.

ginger





I don't know what any of these birds are, but I decided that this is the butterfly bird because of the colors on his tail end. That is a wave, there is no horizon to straighten.

I was getting rid of a dust spot and saw this. I worked it up softly, tried to maintain whatever had drawn me to it, just as it was, not cropped at all.

John Mueller

Nice series Ginger.
I want my lens back

Osprey Whisperer

Nice job Ginger. KInd of like the first one. If you two are going to fight over that lens...I'll just take it ....and put an end to this bickerin'.


BMP

rutt

Beautiful, Ginger. These colors are both beautiful and very natural looking to my eye. Love the reflections and shadows.

PossumCorner

Beach People
Love No 2 the best, feathers in a ruffle, felt like that at work today. And No 4, lovely colours. It's not fair, I live almost 2 hours drive from a beach: and I don't have that lens (yet). We've found where there is a dogs-off-lead beach, so organising ourselves for a day out soon: would you have any tips on camera care at the coast when it is blowing half a gale damp and sandy together, as we are still in a cold windy winter down here.

JamesJWeg

Excellent, looks like I need to drive back down for a bird shoot. clap

James.

Rohirrim

Nice Series Ginger. I liked the second to last best. I thought it had the most interesting composition.

bfjr

Morning Ginger
your work is getting better, really
new lens seems to be working for you, excellent

Now I am flattered that you thought of me while out shooting, but beak in the sand?? . I just gotta ask (might be sorry I did ) but why ya think of me, shouldn't that be Harry or Jeff or Mike or how about Steve :hide

ginger_55

bfjr wrote:

Morning Ginger
your work is getting better, really
new lens seems to be working for you, excellent

Now I am flattered that you thought of me while out shooting, but beak in the sand?? . I just gotta ask (might be sorry I did ) but why ya think of me, shouldn't that be Harry or Jeff or Mike or how about Steve :hide

I thought of you as it looked like humor! Of course I don't have the good titles you do. You have kept us laughing and looking at birds from an unusual way from the beginning here, you AND Jeff............ But I thought of you, you use the humor the most it seems.

(Too bad the whole head wasn't buried in the sand, I think I could have come up with a humorous title for that. Then again, I like the bird too much. They sure do flit though. At least they do it on the ground.) Those flitting birds in flight.....................difficult.

ginger

ginger_55

John Mueller wrote:

Nice series Ginger.
I want my lens back

HUH? Now you know what they say, John,

it is not the equipment, it is the photographer!

How is the IS? I don't notice missing it. The longer arm

fits me like it belongs there. Problem is, I don't want to take

it off to shoot "regular" wide angle shots.

Thanks, ginger:D

ginger_55

Bird Man Photographer wrote:

Nice job Ginger. KInd of like the first one. If you two are going to fight over that lens...I'll just take it ....and put an end to this bickerin'.


BMP

Birdman, that first one cracks me up!

Thanks, for looking and thanks for commenting,

ginger

Re the lens, I just reminded John that it is not the equipment, it is the photographer. I forgot to add that when everything goes wrong, no birds
show up, etc. Then it is the equipment.

ginger_55

rutt wrote:

Beautiful, Ginger. These colors are both beautiful and very natural looking to my eye. Love the reflections and shadows.

Thank you, Rutt.

I am pleased with the shots, I am glad that you are.

I fell asleep reading a birdbook trying to ID some of these. I knew the top one was the sandpiper, just cause everyone does.

I just thought of you. That first one cracks me up, with his beak all the way down in the sand, so it looks like he can't lift his head.

That is not in the picture. That is in my mind. If I didn't know the bird had a long beak, I would be thinking he was just touching the sand.

Somehow that fits in w the discussion on colors, but I am not sure how. I know it has to do with the "mind".

ginger

ginger_55

PossumCorner wrote:

Love No 2 the best, feathers in a ruffle, felt like that at work today. And No 4, lovely colours. It's not fair, I live almost 2 hours drive from a beach: and I don't have that lens (yet). We've found where there is a dogs-off-lead beach, so organising ourselves for a day out soon: would you have any tips on camera care at the coast when it is blowing half a gale damp and sandy together, as we are still in a cold windy winter down here.

, I live closer to the beach, I should have a machine gun type camera and a 500 lens, what ya think? I am going to tell the man who gives..........no, I won't, he also takes away. (that makes sense to me, but.........)

Don't tell John Mueller, who has my old lens, but what special care for a camera at the beach?

Last time I was there with the dogs, and camera et al, I ran into a man who was amazed that I would even bring my camera to the beach.

I would guess that if I wanted to be real safe I would bring along a grocery sack, or any such plastic bag, in case of a lot of spray. I usually just bring my windbreaker, tie it around my waist and it serves double purpose. If it rains, I take it off of my waist and wrap the camera in it. My bag is usually too full for the camera w lens.

Also, if one wanted to be very safe, not changing lenses might be good. That way the sand really wouldn't get into anything.

And many other common sense things if you remember. The most important being not to count on one neckstrap to hold a camera w/o your hand being on it, too, when you are wading. My husband's neckstrap broke, with a company camera on it once. Right into the ocean. Not deep. But even sand is not a good place to drop a camera. In fact, I am not sure where one should drop a camera.

I rarely take any precautions that I have mentioned except the windbreaker thing. And I try not to get my hands sandy, if I do, I don't do anything silly with the camera until the sand is off of my hands.

ginger

GREAPER

Nice set Ginger

Steve Cavigliano

Ginger,

These are all very good indeed Those shorebirds are lots smaller than egrets or herons, but it looks like you were able to get much closer to them. They are look to be well exposed, well focused and very sharp Super feather detail on the gulls

We also know that your new lens is working very well (I'm jealous ). Your marsh subjects just need to cooperate better. They need to pose closer to you....lol Or at the least, pose closer to dry land

Excellent work gal :photo

Steve

PatandRich

Ginger,

Nice series I realy like 1,2,3 and 5 the wind ruffling the gulls fethers realt give life to the shot.

Thanks for the shots

Rich

ginger_55

Greaper,

thanks, I appreciate the comment and the look see,

ginger

ginger_55

Steve Cavigliano wrote:

Ginger,

These are all very good indeed Those shorebirds are lots smaller than egrets or herons, but it looks like you were able to get much closer to them. They are look to be well exposed, well focused and very sharp Super feather detail on the gulls

We also know that your new lens is working very well (I'm jealous ). Your marsh subjects just need to cooperate better. They need to pose closer to you....lol Or at the least, pose closer to dry land

Excellent work gal :photo

Steve

Steve, thanks for stopping and commenting. Remember, though the lens is working well, and I love it, it is the photographer, not the equipment.:lol

Also, it is the subject matter at times, in the right photographer's hands. . The problem with this area, it might be that it is not quite built up enough for photography of wild birds. They have these silly places that are even bird sanctuaries, then they make it so the birds can feel safe from humans. Their own "personal" space, so to speak. So the birds come home, or sit around in the afternoon, enjoying themselves as there is no way anyone can get near them. I don't think most of my wild birds would have it any other way.

Then there are the places that are not even protected, though I think hunting an egret, heron, etc, I do think that is not considered quite polite and could be penalized. Those unprotected places, where the wild birds hang out, they are huge. Photographer comes, bird moves just far enough to maintain that "personal" space. And that seems to be further away all the time. (They don't have to sit on nests anymore) Etc.

I did not think about it at the time, but things are a bit different at the beach. There is only so much room between me and the ocean, waves, whatever. Too many people, no birds. Too much room, birds move waaaaay down the beach. Where I was there is not too much room, so unintentionally I think I lucked out.

I will say that there are better ways and places to do this stuff. There are private places. I don't know where they are, but I know they exist. I think it is something like if you know so and so, who knows so and so........and are good company. Still one would wonder why that would make the birds more accessible. Since I have never been to one, I don't know.

The other way would be to have a boat. HAHAHA, not only do I need a machine gun, a 500 mm lens, but I need a boat now, and a place to dock it.
And gas, (though a strong rower might be cheaper shortly.) There are many places out there with ab fab views, wild life, and birds, birds all over. I have seen them. In the eighties I used to go over to one of the barrier islands. An old man had an old boat and for a small fee..........and all the way there were the birds. Now a new service has a large boat carrying more people for more money, ........haven't done it.
But a private boat, there are still many waters to be explored where the birds are more "at ease", the views are gorgeous. The rivers, gosh, the rivers and the bird shots from them. I would love to do that.

Thanks Steve for stopping, commenting and reminding me how I could take a good bird photo with feather detail, just trap the birds between a parking lot, rocks, and the ocean, with nothing for them on the fourth side. And sit for awhile with birds trying to catch food on the receding water, after a wave.

Smile,
ginger (Bird man, a 200 would work under those conditions, smile.)

ginger_55

PatandRich wrote:

Ginger,

Nice series I realy like 1,2,3 and 5 the wind ruffling the gulls fethers realt give life to the shot.

Thanks for the shots

Rich

Thanks, Rich. I really like those ruffled feather shots, too.

Thanks for stopping and commenting,

ginger

maddernc

Howdy Ginger

Great shots, nice exposures! particularly for the location and what looks like a sunny day. The colour and detail in the feathers looks spot on.

Nice work

Cain

jwear

very nice shots G --the dude on the beach needs some sun screen or send him over to Rutt