gardenographer

Blueberry

Feb, 2014

Views

683

Likes

+85

Awards

Winner in Your Pet Budgies Photo Challenge

Superb Composition

Peer Award

Absolute Masterpiece

Top Choice

All Star

Magnificent Capture

Superior Skill

Outstanding Creativity

Love it

Top Ranks

Top 20 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 20 rank week 1

Top 30 rank

Top 20 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 20 rank week 1

Congratulations on winning my challenge. Thanks too for entering. Vega Polaris.

See all

Same photographer See all Behind The Lens

Rafi, literally the last stallion of his line of a Rare Arabian breed, staring straight into the camera in a field of soybeans

Reflections on the water make the fish seem like birds in a tree.

Behind The Lens

Location

This was taken in my daughter's bedroom. Blueberry was her beloved Budgie. He is sitting on a sunflower in front of her window which faces a lovely tree which shades her room from the morning light.

Time

This was taken mid-day. My daughter's bedroom gets direct sunlight in the morning but just around noon the room is well lit but anything by the window is not backlit. So when I had her hold Blueberry on his flower perch by the window, we got the sunlight on him and the flower without any backlighting.

Lighting

I try to avoid a lot of photoshopping or flash photography as much as possible. Of course adjustments and flash is necessary, I'm not insane. But a big part of my aesthetic is capturing the moment, the fleeting poetry of time captured on film. What I love about photography is sharing how I see the world as authentically as possible.

Equipment

I used my Canon Tsi, standard lens, and my hands. This photo session was just about wanting to take pictures of Blueberry for my daughter. And I just really fell in love with this shot.

Inspiration

As I said above, I wanted to take pictures of Blueberry for my daughter. I also saw it as a skills test for me. One of the things I love about shooting animals is its level of difficulty. People, plants, landscapes, they can all stay still. Studio shoots while technically beyond my skill level and price range (at this time) also have the benefit of stillness. Shooting animals requires calmness, focus, and weirdly very quick reaction. It's an odd balance to achieve. Practicing on Blueberry the Budgie and our other pets helps me when I shoot out in the wild.

Editing

My post-processing is always as lightly as possible. I try to simply correct any framing/color/lighting issues. I want my images to look the way I saw them through the lens. While I admire and respect photographers who can create whole new worlds through their images, that is not where I wish to take my work.

In my camera bag

My bag always has my Canon Tsi2, a standard lens, a telephoto lens, a macro lens, a couple filters, several cleaning cloths, a remote, a couple of batteries and SD cards, and my business cards. Sometimes I attach an extra lens carrier to the outside strap if I am going to be at a good site for a long time in order to add to my range. Occasionally I throw in my battery charger if we are traveling overnight anywhere.

Feedback

Shoot. Shoot. Shoot. Don't wait for the perfect shot. Just take the picture. Get the biggest SD card you can find. I have a 32G in my camera with a 16G back up card. Take single shots. Take multiple shots. Shoot on autofocus. Shoot on manual focus. Change your ISP. If you take several hundred shots, fantastic. You will delete 99% of them. And that is okay. When I did a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon I took over 500 photos. There are only about five I like. And I consider that a great result. I guess that is only one piece of advice but it's the best one ever. Take tons of pictures; experimenting as much as possible but never stop shooting.

See more amazing photos, follow gardenographer

gardenographer

gardenographer

Blueberry

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow gardenographer

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes. Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.