Bubbles
He was moving so slow, as if he was waiting for me to grab my shot.
He was moving so slow, as if he was waiting for me to grab my shot.
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Feb, 2018Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in my neighborhood near my home. Living in Florida there is always a body of water nearby, which makes it fun to be a "backyard photographer" sometimes. There is no shortage of birds or gators or some type of animal life that shares the area with us.Time
It was about 4:30 PM. I arrived home from work a bit early that day and went through my normal routine: kiss the wife, change clothes, let the dog out, relax in the back yard for a few moments. All of a sudden I see my little feathered friend fly by and land in the water by the corner of the pond. I sprint back inside, grab my camera, change lenses quickly to my longest one, and sprint to the back gate. Then I began slowly following him so as not to scare him away.Lighting
It was afternoon in January so the sun was a bit more forgiving. The sun had already begun descending to set to the rear of the subject (left of frame). It worked out better than it would have during other times of the year since we had not hit daylight saving time.Equipment
Nikon D750, Nikon 70-300mm 4.5-5.6G, VHD8K 67mm UV filterInspiration
I'm still new to digital photography so any opportunity I get to photograph an interesting animal up close I take it. I find myself migrating towards animals/wildlife because it's a challenge that is very rewarding when done right. Nature is beautiful and I want to portray it's beauty as best I can.Editing
I used the built in Microsoft Photos with Windows 10 for minor adjustments and to convert my raw files to a jpg. The biggest adjustments were sliding the clarity up and exposure down slightly. At the time I did not know how to adjust the colors to show a bit more vibrant feathers, beak and highlights. I cropped it down to remove negative space and focus on the subject and the water trail.In my camera bag
I have my Nikon D750 body and 3 lenses: NIKKOR 50mm 1.8g, NIKKOR 24-120mm 4g ED VR, and NIKKOR 70-200mm 2.8GII ED VR (AMAZING lens btw). I was gifted a SUNPACK TravelMaster Professional Carbonfiber Tripod by my father for Christmas. He's always been into photography and was ecstatic to hear I began taking this hobby a bit more serious. I always have UV filters and recently got some B&W circular polarizing filters.Feedback
I would say know your environment, study your subject, and if you are new to digital photography, learn as much as you can from online videos, tutorials, and courses. As environment goes, I could have easily missed that shot by taking for granted that the pond is close enough to my back yard that I don't have to set up too far in advance. I've lost a few shots of some amazing animals because of this. Knowing your subject is also key. Know where they live, eat, rest, etc. and decide which location will afford you the composition and exposure you desire, while respecting their environment. In Florida birding is pretty popular since there is a large variety wherever you go. If you come to Orlando Gatorland supports a birding pass for those willing to arrive a bit early. Also state parks will have a lot of birds in their natural habitat. Constantly learn and improve. I have more recently enrolled in a course on shawacademy.com which has opened my eyes to the technical side of photography. I have learned so much in the past few weeks that I never would have learned simply shooting "backyard photography". Now get out there and shoot something great!
