I was posting regularly and then well I wasn't. I did it for a bit, but then fell back in to my old ways and got busy doing other things (but still shooting mostly).
As 2016 is winding down, I was thinking about using December to catch up and post a new photo a day, but that didn't happen.
So today I just posted 3 images, each from a different day and locations.
(In chronological order)
The first images is of some oystercatchers, an adult and chick, feeding in New York, in late August. I grew up just down the beach, literally, from this spot where a bunch of different birds nest (common terns, black skimmers, oystercatchers, plovers, etc).
The oystercatchers can be a little hard to shoot if they get weary and react to being watched. This day I tried to notice when they were watching me and then looked away and didn't eyeball them. It mostly worked and I shot them from a fairly close distance as they went around hunting and feeding their chicks. There were a handful of adults and chicks.
Next I shared an image of a Green Heron from Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington DC.
This year I went as many times as I had been in all previous years combined. Earlier in the year I photographed the lotus flowers a bunch, experimenting and doing some macro stuff in the last few visits. By September when I got the heron the flowers were past, except for a few lotus, and for some water lilies in the back ponds. Most of the busy summer traffic is over and I saw just a few other people there this morning. Everyone comes for the lotus - so by September it is much more peaceful and low key. And even if your thing is flowers there were enough water lilies to make it good.
Finally from later in September, I shot some stars at Cape May along the beach.
I've only experimented with star photography a little bit, I think all this year. It can be a challenge. Getting good focus is hard because it is night out and the stars are small and far away - I used manual focus on nearby lights and tried to chimp and adjust but I need to work on the night focus techniques... With the cold nights, it can be hard to keep the lens from fogging up (but I plan to use hand-warmers to keep the lens warmer than the ambient air temp and some special lens coating/spray to prevent fogging next time). I also wonder if shooting from sand (ie not solid ground) contributed to softer images.
2016 has been an amazing year, I've seen and done a lot. I've changed a lot of things I needed to change (in 2015 and 2016). I've been meditating for a little more than a year, and chalk up a lot of the movement in my life to that slowing down practice.
-Jon
Read more On "Catching up in late 2016 - 3 photos from 3 locations"!
Saturday, December 17, 2016
Catching up in late 2016 - 3 photos from 3 locations
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Don't just take the perfect shots
From http://natureandwildlifephotography.blogspot.com/
One thing that I've learned is that you have to take tons and tons of photos.
It takes time to experiment, review, learn. Repetition is a big thing.
I like to have photos that cover the in between times, not just the moments that appear to be "the perfect shots". They help glue together the day for me when reviewing the images I got. They also help me to keep an open mind - and potentially shoot anything.
I shot some photos showing the parking lot here, the signage, and the water tower - a few days ago.
Tonight when I was reviewing the image I realized that there was a peregrine falcon hiding on the tower! While I didn't get anything great of him, I did get him. And I will know for future reference.
Shoot anything and everything.
Peregrine's like high perches and there was lots of other birds in the area. Birds were traveling to the bay side to catch fish, and then flying back to the ocean side. I bet the peregrine could pick off a skimmer or tern in about 20 seconds or less and be done hunting...
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