samhumphreys
FollowViews
528
Likes
Awards
Curator's Selection
Spring 21 Award
2020 Choice Award
Peer Award
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Superior Skill
Genius
Top Ranks
dantaylor_3680
January 22, 2021
So many awesome pictures. I had a family of Eastern Blue Birds on my back porch a few years ago. They are a beautiful bird. This is an awesome shot.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in a nature preserve near where I live.Time
It was probably mid-morning when I took this picture. My sister and I often head out to the preserves, early in the day, to hike for miles, snapping photos as we go. As we hiked along the path I noticed the unmistable flash of brilliant blue and followed it with my eyes after coming to a complete halt. Without taking my eyes off the bird when he landed, I turned my camera on, lifted it and began to adjust the focus even before looking through the lens. I hit the button several times quickly before the bird once again took flight.Lighting
It was a perfect weather day, sunny but not hot and early enough in the morning that the colours weren't yet washed out.Equipment
I use a Nikon Coolpix B600. It's lightweight and small enough for my little hands but with enough bells and whistles to get the job done. I don't have a tripod so I've worked on holding the camera steady enough for these shots without one.Inspiration
I suppose the bird itself was the inspiration. I have a particular fondness for Bluebirds and this happened to be the first one I've photographed with this camera. Just a happy accident I suppose. I was in the right place at the right time.Editing
I did a teensy bit of adjustment on the light and cropped just the smallest bits of the edges.In my camera bag
Not much. (I just now looked through the bag to see what I have) There is a lens cleaner, an extra camera battery, a chapstick, and a small ziplock bag.Feedback
I never set out on a photo safari with a preconceived idea of what I'm going to shoot and I don't give a lot of thought to any individual picture. I just operate from my gut. The entire time we are walking or hiking, I'm looking around, up, down, behind us, and whatever strikes me in that moment, I shoot. I believe the entire thought process that led to this photo in the very few seconds preceding it were literally, "Bright blue! Bluebird? Yes. There it is." snapsnapsnap. That's it.