An afternoon with the terns

jeff lapoint

Since the terns seem to be just about the only thing happening at Bolsa (and 'cause I dig 'em:):) I decided to spend an afternoon with them on Sunday.

I am still fascinated with their exit from the water after a dive and I found myself trying to study this with the camera until the sun went down.










And a motion effect for the artsy type:dunno



Thanks for lookin'!:thumb

-j

raian

Great shots. Nice color and light. You did a beautiful job studying them with your camera!!!

bfjr

Impressive work Doc!!

Sad I wasn't there :cry :lol4

Excellent action shots

Harryb

Sweet

Dick on Aruba

They're fantastic Jeff, very beautiful and well exposed. I like the first the most.

Thanks for sharing.

Dick.

jeff lapoint

raian wrote:

Great shots. Nice color and light. You did a beautiful job studying them with your camera!!!

Thanks so much raian! I had a great time with these little guys:D

saurora

Really amazing shots, Jeff! I can certainly see why their take-off captures your interest. The color is great in your shots...I drove by there Sunday and the water looked really pretty that day. Where do you guys shoot from? Are you shooting from the bridge area?? Someday I'll have to stop and give it a try. I think I would just get frustrated!!! I don't know how you can follow them....they are pretty fast!

boogie

Great shots Jeff and I love the artsy one!

pathfinder

These images really make me contemplate the athleticism required to go from swimming directly to flying. Quite a feat really.

ian408

The Tern nesting season is here too. Unfortunately, a bit too far out into
the water way. I will need lots of light and the 2x to get any shots

These are very nice indeed. And PF is correct in his assessment of their
ability to go from swimming to flying. Very good pictures to demonstrate
this.

Ian

raptorcaptor

Very nice set! I was there Saturday, but there was about 5 photographers for each tern.

Osprey Whisperer

Nice series of action captures, Jeff. I do like the last one....but would have liked to see the head sharper. Some interesting birds.

erich6

Jeff,

These pictures are awesome. I was there that afternoon also. I think I saw you taking these shots and I thought to myself "I bet this guy is a Dgrinner". How 'bout that? Were you the one sitting/laying on the rocks? I was the one with the not-so-impressive small telephoto lens (and towing along my 8-yr old son). Some of the shots I got are posted here: http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=36103.

Cheers,

Erich

erich6

saurora wrote:

Really amazing shots, Jeff! I can certainly see why their take-off captures your interest. The color is great in your shots...I drove by there Sunday and the water looked really pretty that day. Where do you guys shoot from? Are you shooting from the bridge area?? Someday I'll have to stop and give it a try. I think I would just get frustrated!!! I don't know how you can follow them....they are pretty fast!

I usually park in the lot at the corner of Warner and PCH and then hike over to the cement bridge. There's usually quite a bit to take in there. Sometimes I'll go over to the wooden bridge (which is further east).

Erich

jeff lapoint

bfjr wrote:

Impressive work Doc!!

Sad I wasn't there :cry :lol4

Excellent action shots

As always you were missed Ben! I even clipped a few of the wings in your honor:D

BigAl

Great action shots Jeff - even if you clipped some wings

jeff lapoint

Harryb wrote:

Sweet

Thanks Harry!

jeff lapoint

Dick on Aruba wrote:

They're fantastic Jeff, very beautiful and well exposed. I like the first the most.

Thanks for sharing.

Dick.

Thanks Dick! The first is also one of my favorites...wish I didnt clip the damn wing
BTW, I really enjoyed your wildlife gallery!

gluwater

Beautiful shots Jeff! It look like you were out in the water with them. Your exposures look really good. Did you have trouble exposing for the light birds against the dark water or did you shoot in manual? The light in the last couple is really nice. You did good Jeff, get as much shooting in as you can while your still there .

Paavo

Fantastic shots! Very sharp!!

riddim_maker

Lots of respect! I think it takes good observation, patience and perseverance in order to capture this action. You seem to have mastered all three.

kdog

Very nice captures, Jeff.

Regards,
-joel

jeff lapoint

saurora wrote:

Really amazing shots, Jeff! I can certainly see why their take-off captures your interest. The color is great in your shots...I drove by there Sunday and the water looked really pretty that day. Where do you guys shoot from? Are you shooting from the bridge area?? Someday I'll have to stop and give it a try. I think I would just get frustrated!!! I don't know how you can follow them....they are pretty fast!

Thanks saurora! Shooting terns takes a little practice...come on down to Bolsa and you'll get the hang of it in no time! Hope to see you there someday

jeff lapoint

boogie wrote:

Great shots Jeff and I love the artsy one!

Thanks Andrea! I'm trying to work on some different ways of shooting the same subject. I think my wife may be a tad bored of my 600 tern shots

jeff lapoint

pathfinder wrote:

These images really make me contemplate the athleticism required to go from swimming directly to flying. Quite a feat really.

Thanks so much PF! They kinda strike me as an aquatic phoenix of sorts...

saurora

erich6 wrote:

Jeff,

These pictures are awesome. I was there that afternoon also. I think I saw you taking these shots and I thought to myself "I bet this guy is a Dgrinner". How 'bout that? Were you the one sitting/laying on the rocks? I was the one with the not-so-impressive small telephoto lens (and towing along my 8-yr old son). Some of the shots I got are posted here: http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=36103.

Cheers,

Erich

Yes, and I would be the one with only a 200mm and a 1.4 extender!!! I always feel silly when I'm near anyone with a BIG WHITE LENS, but I can barely hold the 200 steady!!!

dallas

With everyone. Great job capturing those white things falling from the sky. Splash, Splash, Splash..........

jmlapoint

hmmmmm
Great color and action. Silky.
Nice shotting.
Dad

riddim_maker

Stunning

jeff lapoint

ian408 wrote:

The Tern nesting season is here too. Unfortunately, a bit too far out into
the water way. I will need lots of light and the 2x to get any shots

These are very nice indeed. And PF is correct in his assessment of their
ability to go from swimming to flying. Very good pictures to demonstrate
this.

Ian

Thanks Ian. Hope the light and the terns cooperate for you. If you are ever in the area during tern season (or any season) lets us know and we'll give you the tour!

jeff lapoint

raptorcaptor wrote:

Very nice set! I was there Saturday, but there was about 5 photographers for each tern.

Heh, ya it can get a bit crowded. Nothing like at San Joaquin though:uhoh...

So you were there Sat, Erich and I were shooting next to each other on
Sun and didnt even know it, Saurora was driving by on Sun, and William and Russ were there on Tues We need to get organized and have a SoCal Dgrin Bolsa shoot!