Portion control--or no fish is too small to eat

PGMPGM Registered Users Posts: 2,007 Major grins
edited March 12, 2011 in Wildlife
I watched this Great Egret catch several small fish at dusk, one right after another, from a pond so small I couldn't believe any fish could even live there. Naturally, my best shot was of the smallest fish.

All comments appreciated. I do know this is no great shot. Possibly in the running for smallest fish dinner captured yet on dgrin. :dunno
Harry, next time I am out, I promise to keep my aperture wide open at dusk.

Best to all, Pam

1211856610_gaQFz-L.jpg

Comments

  • Ric GrupeRic Grupe Registered Users Posts: 9,522 Major grins
    edited March 10, 2011
    Pretty good, Pam. :D (really)

    Shutter speed is a little slow.....and whites could use a bit more detail.

    Maybe iso 800 and lowering the exposure on the whites in post.
  • HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
    edited March 10, 2011
    Hey Pam rather than shooting wide open you want to hold the details in the highlights. When you find an egret hunting you might try shooting off a burst when it hits the water to make a catch. With luck you can capture the flip.

    Excellent BG for the capture but that darn egret gave you a lousy foreground (birds are evil that way). When you have a scene like that you might want to try a portrait capture to eliminate most of the foreground.
    Harry
    http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
    How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
  • PGMPGM Registered Users Posts: 2,007 Major grins
    edited March 10, 2011
    Ric and Harry,
    Thank you! I went back to the original photo I took, and tried to lower exposure in Lightroom, but there just wasn't any detail there (it just turned grey), so I think I needed to use exposure compensation in my camera to lower the exposure half a stop or a little more while I was shooting, right? That way I should have some details to hold in the highlights in post, right? I'll be out shooting next week for 3 weeks, so I will definitely try shooting off a burst when those birds hit the water--I would love to get some like those great shots Harry just posted of birds gulping down large fish! As to ISO, I have a Canon 7D, and usually shoot with a 400mm lens. When I set the ISO at anything over 400 in dusky light, it seems I get a grainy looking shot. Does this sound normal to you all? You can tell I'm not totally clear on when to push aperture versus ISO to get a high enough shutter speed. This bird was so evil he not only gave me the terrible foreground, but he also actually caught one big fish, with his back to me, of course. Thank you both for your always patient explanations. Best, Pam
  • Dennis KaczorDennis Kaczor Registered Users Posts: 2,413 Major grins
    edited March 10, 2011
    Nice capture Pam, I agree with Harry's and Rics comments here and maybe a bit more use of the exposure Comp, sometimes you will need to go a full stop plus at times. The other tool to help is the histogram, make sure that it is to the right, but not all the way and the other thing is check for Blinkies and that will guide you as well. These birds always catch the little fish and the odd time you will see them snag a big one. All comes down to practice and you will get there sooner than you think.
    Regards - Dennis

    Dennis Kaczor Photography
  • PGMPGM Registered Users Posts: 2,007 Major grins
    edited March 10, 2011
    Dennis, thank you! I love this forum because all of you are so generous with sharing your knowledge. Best, Pam
  • dlplumerdlplumer Registered Users Posts: 8,081 Major grins
    edited March 10, 2011
    Good one Pam. You already have gotten lots of advice. :D:D
    Dan
    http://danielplumer.com/
    Facebook Fan Page
  • ashruggedashrugged Registered Users Posts: 345 Major grins
    edited March 10, 2011
    Nice Pam. A little practice whith the above advice and you will nail the exposures.
    Robert

    http://rckimaging.smugmug.com/
  • DsrtVWDsrtVW Registered Users Posts: 1,991 Major grins
    edited March 10, 2011
    Nice shot Pam I have yet to catch one with a fish or a flip yet. Them egrets and snow geese make it hard on the exposure. I know when I am letting the camera do the metering I have to go -.7 to - 1 stops EV comp(D7000). If I have the time I usually kick it over to spot monitoring when shooting white or black birds to concentrate on the birds and ignore the fore and backgrounds. If I have the leisure time for it I go manual. Always checking histograms and blinkies too.
    Chris K. NANPA Member
    http://kadvantage.smugmug.com/
  • PGMPGM Registered Users Posts: 2,007 Major grins
    edited March 11, 2011
    dlplumer wrote: »
    Good one Pam. You already have gotten lots of advice. :D:D

    Thanks, Dan. Practice makes perfect, I'm hoping!
    ashrugged wrote: »
    Nice Pam. A little practice whith the above advice and you will nail the exposures.

    Thanks for the encouragement, Robert!
    DsrtVW wrote: »
    Nice shot Pam I have yet to catch one with a fish or a flip yet. Them egrets and snow geese make it hard on the exposure. I know when I am letting the camera do the metering I have to go -.7 to - 1 stops EV comp(D7000). If I have the time I usually kick it over to spot monitoring when shooting white or black birds to concentrate on the birds and ignore the fore and backgrounds. If I have the leisure time for it I go manual. Always checking histograms and blinkies too.

    Thanks for the advice, Chris. I'm going out to practice more next week. Too often I shoot first and ask questions later--so now I can work on that!

    Best, Pam
  • kdogkdog Administrators Posts: 11,681 moderator
    edited March 11, 2011
    Good shot, Pam. Looks nice and sharp. That egret seems to have a precarious grip on the fishy's tail. Any idea if his flip successful?
    Moderator of Landscapes forum
    Link to my Smugmug site
  • raptorcaptorraptorcaptor Registered Users Posts: 3,968 Major grins
    edited March 11, 2011
    I think Ric and Harry have steered you in the right direction.
    One thing that you might think about next time (If you try the portrait route)
    is to shoot with a fairly slow shutter. This will give you a really nice effect with the water in the background.
    Glenn

    My website | NANPA Member
  • PGMPGM Registered Users Posts: 2,007 Major grins
    edited March 12, 2011
    kdog wrote: »
    Good shot, Pam. Looks nice and sharp. That egret seems to have a precarious grip on the fishy's tail. Any idea if his flip successful?
    Hi Joel! I think this flip was successful. I was so surprised to see this egret catching one fish after another in a pond that was little more than a mud puddle. I do know he gulped down 5 or 6 fish, all but one quite small, in the 10 minutes I watched him. Best, Pam
  • PGMPGM Registered Users Posts: 2,007 Major grins
    edited March 12, 2011
    raptorcaptor wrote: »
    I think Ric and Harry have steered you in the right direction.
    One thing that you might think about next time (If you try the portrait route)
    is to shoot with a fairly slow shutter. This will give you a really nice effect with the water in the background.

    Glenn, thanks for the suggestion--I'll try it in the next couple of weeks! Best, Pam
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