Fine Dining Great Egret-Style (and my first flip)
My husband, Edmund, and I have had several good wildlife opportunities involving Great Egrets lately. These birds have returned to Avery Island early this year. All comments and coaching are especially appreciated.
Best, Pam
1. This Great Egret caught a fairly large perch just as I was driving up to its pond. The photo looks a little surreal to me. It was late afternoon, and the Egret chose to stand in a position that caused a partial eclipse of the sun. I had to process the heck out of it to keep the bird from appearing as a Black Egret:
2. Once the Egret caught the Perch, it hopped back up on land--maybe so that if it dropped the fish it could recover it more easily--or else just because it wanted to shield its prize from me:
3. Somewhat frustratingly (for me), the Egret was happy to stand in much better light once it had swallowed the perch:
4. This Great Egret is dining on Crab on a Stick, which I think is the Egret equivalent of those Corn Dogs we eat on the 4th of July or at State Fairs. Ultimately this dish was too much trouble. The bird dropped it, and made no attempt at recovery:
5. After dropping the Crab on a Stick, the Egret went back to taking smaller bites:
6. And here comes my first flip. I was surprised to read in Harry's tutorial that he had captured several flips, but never seen one (except looking at his photos later) with his naked eye, because they happen so fast. I followed his advice of firing off a burst of shots, and sure enough, it works! Okay, you may need a magnifying glass to see the flippee in this shot, but I had to start somewhere! The Egret looks a little cross-eyed to me:
Best, Pam
1. This Great Egret caught a fairly large perch just as I was driving up to its pond. The photo looks a little surreal to me. It was late afternoon, and the Egret chose to stand in a position that caused a partial eclipse of the sun. I had to process the heck out of it to keep the bird from appearing as a Black Egret:
2. Once the Egret caught the Perch, it hopped back up on land--maybe so that if it dropped the fish it could recover it more easily--or else just because it wanted to shield its prize from me:
3. Somewhat frustratingly (for me), the Egret was happy to stand in much better light once it had swallowed the perch:
4. This Great Egret is dining on Crab on a Stick, which I think is the Egret equivalent of those Corn Dogs we eat on the 4th of July or at State Fairs. Ultimately this dish was too much trouble. The bird dropped it, and made no attempt at recovery:
5. After dropping the Crab on a Stick, the Egret went back to taking smaller bites:
6. And here comes my first flip. I was surprised to read in Harry's tutorial that he had captured several flips, but never seen one (except looking at his photos later) with his naked eye, because they happen so fast. I followed his advice of firing off a burst of shots, and sure enough, it works! Okay, you may need a magnifying glass to see the flippee in this shot, but I had to start somewhere! The Egret looks a little cross-eyed to me:
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Comments
http://rckimaging.smugmug.com/
Seriously an excellent set of images and you handled some difficult exposures very well.
Congrats on your first flip capture. I'm betting it won't be your last.
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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!"
Harry, you make me laugh with those little figures or smilies or whatever they are! I'd bet my bottom dollar I'm far from the first and won't be the last to read and learn from your excellent tutorial! You would have laughed to see Edmund and me trying out your technique.
Yes, I hear you on that one! The amoeba, that is.
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I wish I was half the man that my dog thinks I am...
Thanks, Dan. The BG started out looking like the top half of #2. But because the bird was so backlit that it looked blue, I had to warm the colors up, which caused the yellow. Then, the yellow was still way brighter than the bird, so I darkened all of it except the center with ColorEffex Pro.
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Thanks so much, Chris! Hope to catch some bigger flippees next time.
Thanks, Pear! I appreciate the comment.