Snowy Egret and Friends
Snowy Egret taking flight with two turtles watching the action.
Snowy Egret taking flight with two turtles watching the action.
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Nov, 2015Views
445
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Awards
People's Choice in Animals in Action Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Emotions
Impressed
Categories
NolaPhotos
December 21, 2015
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo early in the morning at the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch in Gilbert, AZ. I was walking through the preserve and saw something on a log in the pond and went over to see what it was. It was a turtle enjoying the sun. I started to take pictures of the turtle when I saw this Snowy Egret flying over the pond dipping it's head in the water and dragging it's feet through the water. I was so fascinated in the show it was putting on I started taking photos like crazy. The Egret circled the pond 3 times doing this so it gave me several opportunities to get some great shots.Time
I love going to the preserve at sunrise when there is a lot of activity and take photos in the golden hours of the day. When I took this photo it was around 7:30 in the morning so the morning light was hitting the wings beautifully.Lighting
I love the shadows the sunlight was putting on the wings of the Snowy Egret. I was thrilled to see the reflection I was able to capture in the water even with the water moving from the Egret dragging it's feet in the water. The added bonus was the sun hitting the water droplets, they really popped.Equipment
My husband gave me a Nikon D5200 DSLR camera for Christmas last year, (2014) and I started my journey into the world of photography. I'm drawn to nature photography and wanted a lens the would capture nature close yet letting me be at a distance to not disturb the wildlife. I used my new Nikon AF-S Nikkor 55-300mm 1:4.5-5.6 G ED DX lens.Inspiration
The show this Snowy Egret was putting on I couldn't help but try and capture what it was doing. First I was enjoying the show then it hit me I need to get this action on film. I was in the right place at the right time for this shot! I couldn't wait to get home to see if I got any good action shots of this incredible moment. I was thrilled when I saw this photo on my computer screen.Editing
I do very little post-processing on my photos. I download my photos onto my computer and use Photo Gallery to crop my photos if they need it. This program came with my computer and it does allow you to fine tune your photos by adjusting the exposure, color, detail and straighten them. I will go into the exposure section and adjust the shadow and up the contrast a little. In the color section I'll up the saturation a little and if need be adjust the warmth or coolness of the photo, then go into the adjust detail section and up the detail a little.In my camera bag
Currently I don't have a lot in my camera bag I travel very light. I always have a spare battery with me I don't go anywhere without one. My favorite lens is my 55-300mm which is always on my Nikon D5200 body. My camera came with two lenses, an 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 G and a 55-200mm 1:4.5-56 G. The 200mm lens is my second favorite lens.Feedback
My advice to others taking nature shots is not to give up you will get that awesome photo. You need to be patient when taking photos of nature. I'm still learning my camera and have taken several online photography classes. I'm mainly learning by going out every weekend and experimenting with different times of day; sunny days, cloudy days and night time. My favorite time of day is sunrise when wildlife is most active. I find a spot and sit for awhile and wait & watch. Birds are always coming and going and action shots for me are not easy. The more I practice the better I'm getting. When I finally got a good shot of a bird in flight that was clear I was doing a happy dance; I'm still dancing every time I look at this photo. This is my awesome photo and I know I will have many more in the future; every time I have a camera in my hands I'm learning and getting better.
