Just one of those days....

Desert RatDesert Rat Registered Users Posts: 103 Major grins
edited March 20, 2006 in Wildlife
Sunday afternoon.. I headed out to the coast and found lots of Brown Pelicans, Gulls, shorebirds...
What made my day was finding a single Black Skimmer sitting there on the sand near the lagoon... I walked up to within 150ft. and dropped down and crawled up on my knees dragging my camera on the tripod with me shooting a few shots as I moved forward...
I think I finally got within 50ft or less and took the camera off the tripod. While lying down in the sand using my left arm as a brace to keep the camera above the sand... I slowly inched forward still and shot some more images of this little guy.
Tech:
D2X
200-400VR
TC14E
ISO 250
f/9
1/750
Focal length of 300mm

57515314.jpg
Eric the Desert Rat :scratch
Los Angeles, CA :yikes

You can check out my ongoing website at the following http://www.pbase.com/desertrat99

Photography isn't about the Zone System or any other Ansel Adams nonsense.
It's simply about seeing. You either see or you don't see, the rest is
academic.
~ Elliot Erwitt ~

Comments

  • HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
    edited March 20, 2006
    Excellent close up of a skimmer Eric. i would have liked it cropped a little closer or ,if it had been possible, with all of the bod and feet in the shot.
    I would also try to make the eye more distinct in my post work.
    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!"
  • Desert RatDesert Rat Registered Users Posts: 103 Major grins
    edited March 20, 2006
    Harryb wrote:
    Excellent close up of a skimmer Eric. i would have liked it cropped a little closer or ,if it had been possible, with all of the bod and feet in the shot.
    I would also try to make the eye more distinct in my post work.

    Forgot to mention:

    The feet cut off are the only way I could have gotten this shot.. The birdie was standing on a downslope in the sand toward a pool of water. If I changed positions the sun would have been in a very bad harsh direction.....
    I do have some full body shots I just have not looked closely at any of them.. I even have some vertical portraits, but the feet are missing there as well...
    Another place I have been posting shots they have kept telling me to get down lower to their eye level.. Si i did this time, problem was I could not get the feet in most of the shots if I gtot down to the eye to eye level...
    I will have to try again.. :uhoh
    Eric the Desert Rat :scratch
    Los Angeles, CA :yikes

    You can check out my ongoing website at the following http://www.pbase.com/desertrat99

    Photography isn't about the Zone System or any other Ansel Adams nonsense.
    It's simply about seeing. You either see or you don't see, the rest is
    academic.
    ~ Elliot Erwitt ~
  • HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
    edited March 20, 2006
    Desert Rat wrote:
    Forgot to mention:

    The feet cut off are the only way I could have gotten this shot.. The birdie was standing on a downslope in the sand toward a pool of water. If I changed positions the sun would have been in a very bad harsh direction.....
    I do have some full body shots I just have not looked closely at any of them.. I even have some vertical portraits, but the feet are missing there as well...
    Another place I have been posting shots they have kept telling me to get down lower to their eye level.. Si i did this time, problem was I could not get the feet in most of the shots if I gtot down to the eye to eye level...
    I will have to try again.. :uhoh

    I figured somehting like that. I would try a crop where I cropped out the rest of the body behind the legs then.
    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!"
  • RohirrimRohirrim Registered Users Posts: 1,889 Major grins
    edited March 20, 2006
    Great low down angle. As Harry said cutting off the tail and legs is a little distracting, but I do understand why you ended up that way. Those birds just seem to know how to make it as difficult as possible. A nice head and shoulders portrait style crop may work nice here.
    Steve
    My Photo gallery- rohirrim.smugmug.com
    Selective Sharpening Tutorial
    Making a Frame for your image (Tutorial)
  • jwearjwear Registered Users Posts: 8,013 Major grins
    edited March 20, 2006
    well I have to agree you lost some tail and with no feeteek7.gif --go for head and shoulders not easy to get close to the skimmer thumb.gif how things headscratch.gif
    Jeff W

    “PHOTOGRAPHY IS THE ‘JAZZ’ FOR THE EYES…”

    http://jwear.smugmug.com/
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