MyPhotoAdventure

Foggy and Snowy

To say the least, we had a bit of fog yesterday... I think it made for some fun images though. This is a snowy egret who was watching from above for the next me...
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To say the least, we had a bit of fog yesterday... I think it made for some fun images though. This is a snowy egret who was watching from above for the next meal. A few minutes later, he dove down to get something.
Read less

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

settings

Aperture 71/10 ISO 640 Shutter 1/2000 Focal Length 400/1

upload_date

Nov, 2016

Views

2293

Likes

+441

Awards

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Contest Finalist in Covers Photo Contest Vol 35

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+146

Superb Composition

+81

Top Choice

+62

Absolute Masterpiece

+59

Outstanding Creativity

+21

Magnificent Capture

All Star

Superior Skill

Virtuoso

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Behind The Lens

Location

This was taken in the Yolo Bypass Wildlife area in Davis, CA. I am fortunate that it is less than 30 minutes from my house, and I pass by it regularly when driving for work. 16+ thousand acres of nature waiting to be explored. The experience is truly never the same twice. No matter how often I go, I never know what I will find. But.. that is the reality of wildlife and nature photography. Egrets are plentiful, and one of my favorite subjects. You never know what types of adventures you can have in the 30-60 minute range from your house.

Time

This was taken mid morning on a foggy day. I had never had an opportunity to get to the area with fog, so was curious about what the photo opportunities would be like. I was blessed with this and a few other images that worked out very well. The fog made for a wonderful, natural backdrop, and the mid morning sun was coming through enough to make the shot possible.

Lighting

The combination of fog and morning sun made the shot for me. There were essentially no shadows with the fog defusing the light. Since this shot, I now go looking for fog to shoot in. Outdoor shooting for wildlife and nature can be very challenging with quickly changing light conditions. You end up getting a good amount more control over the situation with the fog filtering the sunlight.

Equipment

This was shot with my Canon 1Ds MkIII and Canon EF 100-400 f4.5-5.6 L IS lens at 400mm. I was sitting quietly in my Subaru blind. When doing this, I generally have my camera mounted on my monopod for stability, and simply to be able to have the camera ready without having to hold it up 100% of the time. With the monopod fully collapsed, I can stand it on either side of my seat for shooting out whichever window I want. Although the wildlife knows you are there, they tend to not care as much if you use your car as a blind for these types of auto tour areas.

Inspiration

The setting was simply amazing with the fog creating such a wonderful natural backdrop. Combine that with the tension between nature and man made in the shot, it was suddenly an image that had to be captured. When looking for wildlife, you don't often get opportunities that seem quite this perfect. When you do see them, you've got to do what you can to get it done.

Editing

My workflow is fairly consistent. LightRoom is mostly a file management tool, and where I will do any final adjustments. I used Photoshop for leveling and small amount of cleanup. Past that, the majority of the post processing was done with the Nik Collection. I used Viveza to sharpen and enhance the details of the snowy egret and the water gate handle. The egret had been doing some preening, so the feathers were still well defined and benefited from bringing the details out. The rust in the screw threads added to the feel of the shot, so those details were brought out quite a bit. I used Color Efex Pro for the majority of the post processing. Maintaining the details of the egret and structure, while softening the background. This is a shot where the Color Efex lighten/darken center filter really helps to give focus to the egret. Final adjustments were done in LightRoom, mostly enhancing the yellow of the egrets feet and patch around the eyes. The crop was a little challenging to find the right one. Although not what I would consider a truly natural crop with the egret so far to the left, it worked for me given the size of the structure it was standing on. I wanted to keep both in the image, and this put the egret at a 1/3 mark as well.

In my camera bag

My bag is pretty consistent. My Canon 1Ds MkIII and 7D MkII are always in it. The 7D MkII is my goto for video and was my first serious body. The Canon 1Ds MkIII I picked up a while back as a full frame option. The 1Ds has become my go-to body for most shooting in my primary areas of wildlife and nature. These two bodies give me a huge amount of flexibility, and ability to really look at the shooting conditions. Sometimes I may want the 7D's 10fps to capture the right instant of a bird taking flight, or for it's video capability. Other times I may want the color depth and added clarity the 1Ds provides. I have two primary lenses. My "walking around" lens for the 7D is a Tamron f3.5-6.3 16-300 VC. The range it offers, combined with the image quality, is simply amazing. As a general shooting lens, it has never failed me. My "wildlife" lens is a Canon EF 100-400 f4.5-5.6 L IS. I can't say enough about how great it is for wildlife, and works equally well on both the 7D and 1Ds. I also keep a Canon 1.4x III Extender handy for use with this lens. For the 1Ds, my walking around lens is a Canon 28-135 3.5-5.6, which is great for many types of shots. Past that, spare batteries for both bodies, polarizer for each lens, 1-8 ND filter for the Tamron, a remote trigger for most tripod shots, and spare 64GB cards just in case. Although not "in my bag", I have a ProMaster XC525 tripod, and a Really Right Stuff MC-34 monopod with the MH-02LR head, which are generally in my trunk ready to go.

Feedback

Wildlife photography has it's own set of challenges. You don't really know what they will do next. In this case, I saw the egret from a bit of a distance, but was not in any position to get a shot. Being in my car, I knew I needed to approach slowly enough that getting into position wouldn't cause it to fly away. Little things like already having your window down help with wildlife. Not only do you get to hear what is going on around you as possible clues where to look, but the noise from a window going down can scare your subject away. Also getting your camera in position while you are finding your shooting angle can help. You don't want to be spending time getting your camera up, while the subject may fly off. In this shot, I was able to get into a starting position and get some initial shots. My approach is usually to get to what looks like a good spot, and take some shots. Hopefully the bird is still there, and I can adjust as needed. Usually this means getting a little closer. Taking more shots, and trying to get closer while not scaring the bird off. In this case, the background became a key element of the image. As I was shooting, I was realizing there was a natural opening in the reeds behind the bird, so worked to angle myself so the egret would be framed in the opening. I was fortunate enough that the bird didn't leave until I got more than a few shots from this position. I was able to choose the shot I wanted to work with. The only other thing I recommend is that if you approach in your car, to stay in it. Getting out to try to get a better angle or closer is usually when you scare the subject away. You can create other opportunities to shoot by knowing the area and parking your car and walking to locations. It is amazing at times though, that birds and other animals are much more tolerant of a car than they are of a person on foot. The car does work as an excellent blind to shoot from.

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MyPhotoAdventure

MyPhotoAdventure

Foggy and Snowy

To say the least, we had a bit of fog yesterday... I think it made for some fun images though. This is a snowy egret who was watching from above for the next me... Read more

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow MyPhotoAdventure

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To say the least, we had a bit of fog yesterday... I think it made for some fun images though. This is a snowy egret who was watching from above for the next me...
Read more

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