Photo
One of the many local birds on the eastern shore of Maryland. I am not sure what kind of bird this is. Someone help me out here. This was taken with my sigma 15...
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One of the many local birds on the eastern shore of Maryland. I am not sure what kind of bird this is. Someone help me out here. This was taken with my sigma 150-500
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May, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in Salisbury, MD at The Ward Museum. I visit this spot frequently to snap pictures of the different birds that visit the center.Time
This photo was taken around 5pm or so one evening after work. During the time I took this I was challenging myself to photograph something everyday. I found out that these birds are most active in the evening vs the morning.Lighting
I wanted this photo to look like something that belonged in national geographic. The bird was perfectly from the above and to the left. The water below created the perfect reflector to shine a lil light on the underside of the bird. The background was perfect placement as well. My long lens on the crop sensor body isolated the subject and compressed the background perfectly.Equipment
This was shot on my d5200 with a sigma 150-500mm lens. I used my manfrotto monopod for stabilization.Inspiration
My inspiration comes from my love of wildlife photography. I see all the great pictures on viewbug, Nat Geo, Instagram and etc. that make me want to get out there and shoot. I don't own any of the long expensive prime lens but the sigma 150-500 was my introduction into wildlife photography. Chris McNeill is one person that follow and watch videos of very often. His shots are just amazing and you can see the passion and understanding that he has for his craft.Editing
This photo was shot in JPEG and very minor adjustments were made. I adjusted the exposure and sharped the eye just a tad bit.In my camera bag
I have switched up equipment since taking this shot. Currently in my bag right now I have 2 bodies. A Nikon D3 and D7100. My current lenses are nikon 50mm af-d 1.4, nikon 105mm af-d micro 2.8, nikon 24-70 2.8, nikon 80-200 2.8 and my sigma 150-500. I keep everything with me at all times because I shoot portraits and sports for LifeTouch National School Studios. I also have 2 Yongnuo along with wireless receivers and transceivers.Feedback
My advice is to shoot as often as possible and really study the subject that you are trying to capture. Also study your equipment so when you're out in the field you can make adjustments without removing your eye from the viewfinder. These birds move very quickly and don't stay still for long. It took me about a week to capture this photo. Understanding how to compose the shot and lighting play an huge role in wildlife photos. Having a long lens can help with the composition as well. Patience is the number one thing when it comes to wildlife photography. All animals have some type of pattern and if you sit still long enough you can figure it out. Also the more you're around the more comfortable get used to you being there. Just be careful though as this can possibly put you in danger as well. I hope you enjoy my photos and hope to see more great ones as well. Thank you to all that voted for this photo and thank you to viewbug for the opportunity.
