helenspurle
FollowTaken at the Gannet Colony Maori Bay Muriwai
Taken at the Gannet Colony Maori Bay Muriwai
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helenspurle
February 20, 2015
Thank you, I was using my 100-400mm lens 30 seconds later she flew away.
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Behind The Lens
Location
I live in Auckland New Zealand, and this photo was taken at the gannet colony at Muriwai Beach, this beach is on the west coast and the colony is one of only three mainland colonies in New Zealand.Time
I took this photo in the late afternoon in the middle of our summer at about 4.20pm, the sun was still quite high in the sky so it was giving me trouble with over exposure. I was there with my good friend, and mentor Fazeel who is a professional photographer. We were both having a great time as the gannets were performing just for us it seemed.Lighting
I used the sunlight from the sky to capture this photo, as it was a bright day that was all I needed. it was certainly a challenge but I learnt a lot that day.Equipment
I used a Canon EOS 60D camera, with a 100-400 lens, the camera was at F8, 1/800sec, and the lens extended to 400. I had this on my tripod as that combination is a bit heavy to hold steady for a long time.Inspiration
I love Gannets, I find them to be clumsy but graceful at the same time. It is hard to get that perfect shot, so after 4 or 5 hours and hundreds of photo`s later it is rewarding to see that you got that one perfect shot. we are limited with the animals in New Zealand, so I go out and find the beauty in the ones that we are lucky to have in the wild.Editing
Yes on this photo there was a lot of post processing, due to the bright day and the sun not behaving like it should have the photo was a bit over exposed, and then I decided that the photo was in the head, not the whole bird, so I had to crop it so that it stood out. I am thrilled with the end result.In my camera bag
Oh my goodness not sure if there is enough space to put it all in. I am still learning, I guess I will be learning till the day I die, my camera bag is packed with everything that I will need for a hundred photo shoots, I like to be prepared. first off is my Canon 60D and the 3 professional lens that go with it, I have my 50mm, 24-105mm, then the big gun my 100-400 that's my baby. then there's the extra battery, cards, flash units and clothes, plus everything else, my bag is full. This is my third camera bag, it is a backpack on wheels, so awesome as you are not carrying around all that weight. I also have my tripod and mono pod.Feedback
My advice would be to always carry your camera where ever you go, you never know when that moment is going to happen, that, that perfect shot appears. Take your time don't rush, to be a great photographer you have to have patient's, and enjoy what your doing, if you don't enjoy it your not going to get the great results. weather it is a hobby or a profession you should always have fun and enjoy what you are doing.