Blue-footed Booby
The Galapagos Islands offers so many treasures, such as "up-close" views of these gorgeous blue-footed boobies!
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The Galapagos Islands offers so many treasures, such as "up-close" views of these gorgeous blue-footed boobies!
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Jul, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This shot was taken in the Galapagos Islands in 2016. My grandparents had traveled there several years prior to that and told my parents and me about their exciting trip and about this extraordinary bird. I was so grateful to be able to plan our 2016 trip with my parents and experience the amazing journey, especially with my father who passed away from cancer only months later.Time
This photo was taken in the morning hours during an excursion to one of the islands in the Galapagos. Our tour provided two excursions each day to different parts of the beautiful collection of islands of the Galapagos. If it had not been cloudy, the bright morning sunlight would have changed the feel of this image!Lighting
This photo was taken on one of only two cloudy days during our visit. I think the overcast skies lent beautifully to the feel and brings out the amazing colors of the booby's feet. The background colors are also deep and vivid, and would have been a bit more washed-out if the sun had been shining brightly!Equipment
This shot was taken with my Canon 5D Mark II using my Canon 70-200mm USM L lens. It was at 150mm with an ISO of 100, f/5.6, and at 1/500 sec. It was a handheld shot from a swaying panga in the water, but still tack sharp!Inspiration
I was so grateful that we were able to get so close to this gorgeous bird. In the Galapagos Islands, the wildlife seldom appears threatened by photographers due to the regulations that the government puts on tourism and visitors to protect them from harm. Therefore, as our panga drew in to the shore, closer and closer to this bird, I was so pleasantly surprised he didn't fly away! In fact, I had to zoom out from 200mm to 150mm to get his entire body in the shot! Now that's close!Editing
Most of the post-processing from this trip included removing bugs or flies from the animals, however, this bird was sitting on the edge of the shore where a nice gentle breeze kept the insects away. I added a very slight vignetting around the edge of this photo to make the colors pop just a little more. The feet really are that blue when the birds are healthy. That's how you can tell how old or how healthy the birds are!In my camera bag
I kept my Canon 5D Mark II even after I purchased my Mark IV. I love having 2 cameras in my bag, even though there's a little extra weight, but by having a shorter lens on one and a longer lens on the other, I'm ready for anything! I keep the Canon 24-105mm lens on the Mark II and use either my 70-200mm or 100-400mm Canon lens on the Mark IV. I find this to be an especially good idea when I am on safari where's there's lots of dust, or like in the Galapagos when there's wind. That way I don't risk getting dirt in my camera from changing lenses. I also keep a wide-angle lens, a Canon 16-35mm for architecture, astrophotography and landscape photography with me.Feedback
It's hard to go to a place like Africa, the Galapagos Islands, or Alaska to shoot wildlife and have expectations of specific images you want to capture. You just never know what animals you will see, the lighting at that moment, or even what direction they may walking, flying, or looking. So you have to just keep looking, watching, and be ready for the shot they give you! Be patient, allow yourself time to wait for the perfect balance, light, and "expression" of the animals and you will undoubtedly capture images unique to your experience and journey.
