Snow Geese
Snow Geese, Bosque de Apache Wildlife Refuge. New Mexico
Snow Geese, Bosque de Apache Wildlife Refuge. New Mexico
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Jun, 2014Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
Bosque de Apache NWR. The Bosque is a little south of Socorro, New MexicoTime
Mid-November at 6:27 PM Mountain time. Bosque is a place where you want to get up very early and shoot until you lose the light, rest a little while, and go back a few hours before sunset.Lighting
The lighting at the Bosque is nearly always gorgeous. It truly is a "be there to get the image" kind of place.Equipment
Canon EOS 1DMKIII, 600 f4L IS, Gitzo tripod, Wimberley gimbal mount. No flash.Inspiration
I enjoy photographing birds in their habitat. I wanted to show that large flocks of birds are made up of individuals. It sounds obvious but most of the time when we see a flock of birds that's what we see, a flock. The key to this shot, for me, was to pick one bird and track it while paying attention to what the other birds were doing so I could trip the shutter at the right moment.Editing
Minimal post processing (spot removal, etc). Typically I use Lightroom for initial processing and then edit in Photoshop if there is any detail work to do.In my camera bag
I carry a lot of gear in my camera bag. My primary camera bag is a 2000 Toyota Land Cruiser. I usually have a couple of tripods, 3 or 4 digital bodies, a 35mm film body, and at least one 4x5 view camera. I also have numerous Singh-Ray filters and filter holders. I carry necessities like memory cards, allen wrenches for removing or tightening Really Right Stuff lens plates, etc. I carry almost all of my lenses. I have a 200 f2 and 300 f2.8 for shooting sports and I usually leave those behind.Feedback
A pilgrimage to the Bosque de Apache should be on every bird photographer's agenda. The refuge has a well maintained loop road as well as ponds just off of the road that takes you to the refuge visitor center. It's easy to find the best places to shoot, there are photographers, cameras, and tripods everywhere. November and December are the best months though I have been in late October and had good luck. The best bet is to check the refuge website for their bird count. Socorro, NM is the closest town with accommodations. Reservations should be made in advance as refuge has the Festival of the Cranes late in November. Don't forget to go see the VLA (Very Large Array) while you are there.
