An 8 part series using traditional portrait photography techniques applied to different birds of prey. The hope is to capture the subjects different expressions and perhaps a momentary glimpse of their personalities.
A special thanks to Horizon Wings, raptor rehabilitation, for allowing us to meet their residents.
An 8 part series using traditional portrait photography techniques applied to different birds of prey. The hope is to capture the subjects different expressions and perhaps a momentary glimpse of their personalities.
A special thanks to Horizon Wings, raptor rehabilitation, for allowing us to meet their residents.
An 8 part series using traditional portrait photography techniques applied to different birds of prey. The hope is to capture the subjects different expressions and perhaps a momentary glimpse of their personalities.
A special thanks to Horizon Wings, raptor rehabilitation, for allowing us to meet their residents.
An 8 part series using traditional portrait photography techniques applied to different birds of prey. The hope is to capture the subjects different expressions and perhaps a momentary glimpse of their personalities.
A special thanks to Horizon Wings, raptor rehabilitation, for allowing us to meet their residents.
Recently someone from ‘away’, not New England (Australia, so not even close to here), made a comment about how surprised they were with an image we posted of an Egret capturing a fish. It went on to say how difficult it was to get close for photos. This again confirmed an ongoing conversation we have here.
We have many readers not local so here is a brief view of the shore bird world according to me, with absolutely no hard evidence included.
The Connecticut shore is part of the north / south migratory highway. There has been an effort made for some time now to protect the marshes, rivers, and connected woodlands. Not everyone will agree on the effectiveness, but that’s not a topic for here.
Connecticut has many rivers, preserves, and land trusts but none provide access to wildlife like the shore. Important to this is how the animals have grown comfortable with people if there is just a little space allowed between them. This is a small state, with a dense population. However, the design of the shore access, with some areas even closed to people, seems to have struck some type of balance.
As an example the following series of images was taken in a fairly short time frame from a wooden walkway along a salt marsh.
The gallery below displays a number of other visitors taken at the same time.
The picture is the story.
I had not given any thought to photographing birds at a beach on our trip. All the plans and maps revolved around the swamps and scrub pine forests. We found a wildlife preserve right on a beach while driving and ultimately made it a nightly stop.
While I expected the usual suspects, Pipers, Willets, and the like I also found White Ibis and Snowy Egrets. Both bird types had no fear or thoughts to the waves crashing around them. They are not small but still compared to the rushing water each surge was of tidal wave proportions.
They just let the water break around them and kept searching for food. I could stand in the surf and not move to photograph the Ibis up close. They simply walked around me like I was part of the landscape.
Snowy Egrets were a bit shy, but again we could stay still in one place and they ignored us for the most part.
After spending the day walking through various woods and marshes it was a great change of pace.
For the record, these shots were taken in a Butterfly house. That is also the only way I would have had the patience to photograph them.
I tried the standard techniques used to shoot birds. Well, birds usually fly in a line you can follow. Butterfly’s ‘flit’ where ever they want or the wind blows. I needed a new plan.
Next I tried focusing where they could be expected to land. No logic in their flight that I could see. So again frustration.
Finally I just scrambled around different flowers with the shutter held down. I did get a few decent images. But not many.
How did people do this when they had 36 exposures on a roll of film?
