An ominous trip to the river...

Giphsub · February 7, 2008

I took the afternoon off work yesterday to go and look for something to shoot on the river. It was a cold, bleak, overcast day, and was offering only harsh light for me to work with. Hardly a thing moved at the river, and all I could hear above the chilly wind were the distant cries of some black kites that were nowhere to be seen. I was gonna have to get down into the riverbed and search out some targets. I pushed through the bushes, jumped out onto the sandy bed, and noticed something to my right...

#1

Some poor pooch had found its way into the river but not out again. A shiver ran up my spine (next to the 3 already doing laps cos of the cold wind).

Still, nothing was to be seen. I walked along the river bed as quietly as possible, scanning the branches for movement, when I stopped dead in my tracks. I had spotted something I had not anticipated finding on such a day...

2#

It disappeared pretty quickly, leaving me alone again in the creekbed.

The cries of the black kites were getting closer, but I could still see nothing over the trees. Then I spotted something up in the branches!

#3

Jackpot! I snuck around and snapped off a few pics...

#4

...before he spotted me...

#5

...showed me his tail (obligatory butt shot)...

#6

...and high-tailed it outta there!

#7

A little further down the creek I spied this fella singing from a nearby tree.

#8

But he took off pretty quickly.

Then from outta nowhere, came a whole lotta black kites, circling overhead!

#9

I scrambled up the steep bank to get a better view, and watched as they swooped down to the road on the other side of the river and snatched up some food that they had discovered.

#10

I then sat back and enjoyed the show!

#11

#12

#13

#14 (One of my favourites from the day)

#15

Shooting overhead constantly with my bigma handheld, gave me a sore arm, but great satisfaction at having gotten some decent shots.

Hope you enjoyed the pics. As always, comments and/suggestions welcome.

dbaker1221 · February 7, 2008

well worth skipping work

jwear · February 7, 2008

ah but for better light ,still a good day and you held your own with the gloom

JenGrace · February 7, 2008

That collar makes that first shot heart-wrenching. That was somebody's baby.

BigAl · February 7, 2008

JenW wrote:

That collar makes that first shot heart-wrenching. That was somebody's baby.

My thoughts exactly :cry

Nice series Mike! I really like #14

The shrike looks very like this brown shrike

Giphsub · February 7, 2008

dbaker1221 wrote:

well worth skipping work

It was indeed!

Thanks for looking Dave.

Giphsub · February 7, 2008

jwear wrote:

ah but for better light ,still a good day and you held your own with the gloom

Thanks Jeff. I was happy enough considering the light.

Giphsub · February 7, 2008

JenW wrote:

That collar makes that first shot heart-wrenching. That was somebody's baby.

I know! It actually took me a while to figure out it was a dog, and then when I noticed the collar I had exactly the same reaction.:cry

Giphsub · February 7, 2008

BigAl wrote:

My thoughts exactly :cry

Nice series Mike! I really like #14

The shrike looks very like this brown shrike

Thanks BigAl. I think it's the eye contact that gets me in #14. That does look similar indeed.

Hey, does it look like the colours are off in the kite pics? I am looking at this on my school laptop (processed on my macbook) and they seem rather too brown to me. I think I have the WB off...

BigAl · February 7, 2008

Giphsub wrote:

Hey, does it look like the colours are off in the kite pics? I am looking at this on my school laptop (processed on my macbook) and they seem rather too brown to me. I think I have the WB off...

Looking at #13, there is too much red (242, 232, 222) in the sky. Setting a white point on the sky (you did say it was overcast

) gives 233, 232, 232 and does look better. #13 can also handle a bit more sharpening without going off (I used 0.6, 150, 0 on the jpeg here) - it would work better on the original.

Giphsub · February 7, 2008

Thanks BigAl,　I'll have to go back and have another fiddle...

Giphsub · February 8, 2008

OK, I adjusted the WB and the pics are looking more natural now.

An ominous trip to the river...

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