By Mia McPherson, on May 18th, 2012%  Snowy Egret - Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1/1000, ISO 500, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural, low light Yesterday I posted a Snowy Egret in flight in what many bird photographers would call good light and the image had wonderful dynamics because of the action of the bird.
This Snowy Egret image was taken just after the sun had risen above the horizon in about the same location as the egret image I posted yesterday but at a completely different time of the year, September of 2008.
This image conveys a very different mood but both Snowy Egret images have wonderful appeal for me.
Mia
More Snowy Egret images
By Mia McPherson, on May 15th, 2012% I was photographing one evening in Florida while laying in the mudflat of a tidal lagoon, there were Dunlins, Black-bellied Plovers and Greater Yellowlegs in front of me where the evening light was great.
 Sidelit Piping Plover - Nikon D200, handheld, f7.1, 1/640, ISO 160, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light Out of the corner of my eye I caught a bit of movement and turned my head towards what I could see was a Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) looking for prey in the mudflats. The light was not what most photographers would call “great“, the plover was below a dune and the angle of the sun in the west caused the bird to be sidelit.
Some photographers would pass on the shot because of the “tough”, “harsh” or “contrasty” light, but I simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
Even though the sun wasn’t behind my shoulder and the light wasn’t golden this image has a great mood to it. I know I could have used flash to brighten up the bird and the setting but if I had it certainly would not be this moody, besides; I very rarely use flash.
This Piping Plover image reminds me to try to photograph birds in other than perfect light. Sidelit and backlit images can be spectacular so I don’t like passing up taking the chance that I might just get a great shot despite what some photographers think of as bad light.
Mia
More Piping Plover images
*I pre-scheduled this post because I am away, please feel free to share this with your friends & family!
By Mia McPherson, on April 22nd, 2012% One photo of a Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola), two different compositions:
 Nonbreeding Black-bellied Plover on one leg (horizontal) - Nikon D200, f6.3, 1/750, ISO 160, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light As much as I like to compose images that are full frame I find that I often allow myself a touch of extra space around my subject so I can recompose in post processing by making different crops.
When I photographed the resting Black-bellied Plover in the frame above it was on the edge of a tidal lagoon at Fort De Soto’s north beach with evening light falling softly on the shorebird. For this version I cropped a little off of the left side of the frame to make the bird closest to that edge because the plover was looking towards the right side of the frame and used a horizontal format. I wanted to leave as much of the water as possible in this composition because I love the contrast of the cool blues of the water and the light, warm tones of the sand and the bird’s plumage.
 Nonbreeding Black-bellied Plover on one leg (vertical) - Nikon D200, f6.3, 1/750, ISO 160, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light This is the same image but I cropped it vertically and tighter around the subject. I like both compositions and find them equally appealing but other people they may prefer one over the other because of their own personal tastes.
Mia
More Black-bellied Plover images
By Mia McPherson, on April 13th, 2012%  American Oystercatcher - Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1/1250, ISO 250, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light These two photos are of the same adult American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) in sequential order taken at Fort De Soto County Park in Florida. I was laying in the sand while I created the images to get a low angle and the bird was on a ridge elevated slightly higher than my location. I had beautiful light and did not need to use any exposure compensation to have nice details in the darks and the whites.
When photographing with waves in the background a split second can matter because of the fluid movements of the incoming waves. In this frame the closest wave is just about to crest thus it created the darker horizontal band of sea green just below the body of the Oystercatcher.
 American Oystercatcher - Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1/1000, ISO 250, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light In this next frame the wave had crested and rushed towards the shoreline creating a smoother blue background without the sea green horizontal band.
Is one background better than the other? Personally I don’t think so, I find them both visually appealing. It is just a matter of personal taste.
Mia
More American Oystercatcher images
By Mia McPherson, on April 12th, 2012%  Springtime California Gull Portrait - Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/4000, ISO 640, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 258mm, natural light, not baited Yesterday while I was out photographing Long-billed Curlews this California Gull (Larus californicus) flew in so close that all I could do was take portraits of the bird. After a long holiday weekend and the abundance of campers on Antelope Island State Park, I’m fairly certain the bird was looking for a hand out. I could see other gulls scouring the campsites for any scraps of food left behind.
I like the out of focus, tiny pink wildflowers that are currently blanketing the grasslands of the island showing in the background, the snowy white plumage of the gull, the bits of oolitic sand on the bird’s bill and the brilliant colors of the gape, orbital ring and bill. I also rather enjoy being able to see the reflection of the fluffy clouds in the sky in the upper quadrant of the gull’s dark eye.
You’d think that Utah would have selected a different species for the State Bird given that the name of this species is the California Gull. I’ve written about why the California Gull was picked for the Utah State Bird here, it is an interesting story.
Mia
Oh, the Biting Gnats (no-see-ums) are back and bit me up yesterday. Grumble, grumble.
More California Gull images
|
Photographing a Tricolored Heron from a tidal lagoon
Focusing on Wildlife Contributor
|
