Wildlife Photography across the Water: 36 minutes

Wednesday, 14 September 2011

36 minutes

Yesterday i did the photographic equivalent of speed dating, I took my dog for a walk and had my 200-400 and D7000 over my shoulder, It was early afternoon and although the sun was high and hot (88) it was quite cloudy, I went to Lake Lynn which is fairly local to me and really the only place around here that i know that you can guarantee bird-life, Its a very popular place for walking and jogging and the birds get fed my parents strolling with their kids, At this time of year its the same ol same ol Mallards,Geese etc but there are a lot of garden type birds from cardinals to hummingbirds and woodpeckers, I have had good results here in the past with Kingfishers which are not the easiest of birds to shoot without a set up,The problem i had was that it was going to be in and out as it was too hot for the dog, Looking at the exif info i too my first shot at 2:01 and my last shot at 2:37 so a total of 36 minutes, I took nearly 200 images, the main reason for this was that i wanted to keep the ISO fairly low-under 800 and handholding the 200-400 along with the cropped sensor meant that camera shake was very possible and so it proved, so multiple images of the same subject to guarantee some sharp images, I found a very nice dragonfly on a thin branch and just could not get a sharp image of it even resting the camera on the boardwalk edge, Out of 50 images i got just 2 that were acceptably sharp-thank god for digital!! The lake is one of the best i know for herons or rather tame herons, I started the session with a heron and ended with the same bird, I managed to get my photographic fix as its been a while since the camera was pointed at anything wild, The one bird that i did see and only as it spooked and flew was a green heron, I do not have any images of these and its the first time i have seen one there, So a good reason to go back with a longer lens and tripod

Dave

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Bio's

David Courtenay, a self taught wildlife and nature photographer, has been capturing images for over 30 years. He has had a passion for wildlife since early childhood and remembers being glued to the television whenever Survival, Wildlife on One and other natural history documentaries were shown. In the 2006 he swapped his established career for the life of a wildlife photographer, such a move demands a measure of uncompromising passion and commitment.

David has travelled extensively throughout Europe as well as spending more than 7 months in India working with local guides and trackers in search of Bengal Tiger, Asian One horned Rhino and Asian Elephant. He has also photographed Wildlife in Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sumatra, Africa, Canada and America. Working closely with Conservation companies he tries to raise funds to help Wildlife that has been put on the endangered list by poaching and habitation loss

Martin Dyer has had a passion for avian wildlife since childhood, particularly raptors. Photography was also another keen interest and it was with the specific availability and control of the whole process that digital offers that Martin was then able to combine the two in 2003. Based in the UK, Martin is a regular visitor to Scotland, specifically the Isle of Mull to watch the Eagles resident there. Other trips to Europe and around the UK are usually part of Martin’s agenda in a typical year.

However, as a firm believer on making the most of the local patch, Martin has spent a lot of time and hard work creating a wildlife garden which is reaping the rewards with many new species and varieties of wildlife. A keen member of a number of wildlife photographic groups, Martin is keen to expand his portfolio into other areas of wildlife, and has already established a wide portfolio of images of fungi.