We're having fish for dinner
While photographing mother birds and their chicks, I came a cross this mama chick feeding a large fish head to her chicks. It was amazing to watch and photograp...
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While photographing mother birds and their chicks, I came a cross this mama chick feeding a large fish head to her chicks. It was amazing to watch and photograph.
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Jul, 2019Views
629
Likes
Awards
Winner in #babybirds Photo Challenge
9Teen Award
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Superior Skill
Virtuoso
Emotions
Impressed
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Categories
Platinum
Eddieuuu071
November 01, 2019
Thank you for submitting you wonderful photo to my Best Nature Photo challenge! Best of luck!
PRO+
PRO
JoanLoBo
August 05, 2020
Thank you everyone for voting for my photo in the baby birds challenge. Being the winner is such an amazing feeling. Thank you also for all your kind thoughts.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
I live in Florida and every March, I look forward to visiting the many rookeries in Florida to see the hatch-lings of the many beautiful baby birds that live here. In Orlando, Florida you can find this rookery, where many great Egrets nest and care for their chicks. On this visit I came across this mom feeding her chicks a fish head. You could see it in their faces that they were as amazed as I was when they saw their next meal.Time
When ever I visit a rookery, the best time is early in the morning or during the golden hour when the sun is beginning to set and the light is so perfect for photography. On this day I was there in the evening, which provided for beautiful back lit subjects.Lighting
I wanted the chicks to be the focal point of the photo so I found a position that back lit the chicks in the nest. I didn't want the Halo light coming from behind them to be too strong so that it blew out their white feathers, so I stopped my aperture down to a small opening of f 16.Equipment
I put my canon 5d mark 3 on my tripod and used a 70-200 mm lens. I shot this image at 200 mm, so that the back ground would go out of focus and the chicks and momma bird would be the main focal point. I also used a cable release and watched for moments when the chicks were interacting with the mom and looking right at her. I put my shutter on high continuous shooting setting and took several shots hoping for that perfect one.Inspiration
Nature and bird photography are my favorite photography subjects. I get excited each spring in hopes of finding that perfect shot of baby birds. I search the internet or correspond with Audubon friends, always looking for that new location, that will provide me with some memorable images to add to my gallery.Editing
When shooting birds there is often a lot of distracting objects around the nest that might impede the final image and take attention from the subject. I began by processing my raw image in light-room using my normal workflow making sure to bring down the highlights and bring up the shadows. I added some texture and applied a vignette. This image had some objects around the nest that needed to be removed so I used the healing brush and cloning tool to clean up the nest. I also used the curves tool to darken the background and emphasize the light.In my camera bag
My equipment of choice is a canon 5d mark 3. Although I would like to up grade to a 1DX, My bank account only allows me the next best choice, but I love this camera, for I have made many remarkable memorable images with it. When I am photographing wildlife or birds, my go to lens are either my canon 70-200L 2.8, I will use this if the subjects that are in close proximity, or my 100-400L 5.6. The 100-400 is a new purchase and I am so happy with it's sharpness and bokeh. I have even used it for close up work of dragon flies and flowers with great results. I always pack a tripod and a cable release to minimize camera shake. Both these lens are heavy and not easily handheld.Feedback
Photographing wildlife takes a lot of patience and preparedness. The animals will not stay put and pose for you. Good wildlife photography means checking your settings, making sure you are all set and ready for when the bird or animal lands just where you want them. It helps to study their happens and anticipate their next move. I also spend a lot of time on the internet researching locations and chatting with other photographers that I communicate with on social media. Today I am headed to Cape Coral Florida to photograph the Burrowing owls. I will post the images soon.
