Ginger's Pond, the reality

[ginger_55]

http://upacreekPHOTOGRAPHY.smugmug.com/photos/64059058-L.jpg


Where I was sitting when I took this photo is where I was sitting when I took most of the photos, and certainly where I was sitting when I took the photo of the duck. The only one I might have been standing for was the green heron, as I had just arrived and wanted to make sure I got something without scaring the bird too much. Then I sat down, waited for birds, shot some, got eaten by bugs and got bombed by a squirrel, but I sat right there.

Those are the colors, now I did PS them a bit, but I have the RAW file if anyone really wants to see it. I did not clean up the algae and stuff in the water. It is crummy looking water in places. There are houses on each side. You can see a bit of the houses on the left in that photo.

Below is just a junk shot that I took of the tree colors with the water while I was "waiting". I have just water shots, too, but they would be pretty unbelievable, though I think they are gorgeous w/o any PS at all.

http://upacreekPHOTOGRAPHY.smugmug.com/photos/64058718-S.jpg

The leaf tops are a bit blown, but I did not want to PS it.
Can you get a glimmer of the water to the rt, it was pretty intensely
colored.

Below is the RAW, from RAW, converted straight to jpeg, shot of the Mallard. I think the main thing that changed in PS was I cleaned the water of all those spots, but here they are in this virgin jpeg from RAW photo.

http://upacreekPHOTOGRAPHY.smugmug.com/photos/64059374-L.jpg


Below here is the Mallard that I posted this AM, the one where the colors are unbelievable, or the result of photoshop LSD.

(The water was time consumingly cleaned. I don't like that dirty water.)

http://upacreekPHOTOGRAPHY.smugmug.com/photos/63902433-L.jpg


I cropped it a bit, too. I did not put that light in the duck's eye. I will stoop to such activities, but didn't think to in this case. Then I noticed that it was there naturally and quite effectively.

Not only that, but the eye will follow you no matter where you put your head, it looks like the duck is looking at you. I thought that was cool.

thanks all for looking............have a good evening, or a good day, whichever it is for you!

And welcome to my real world, smile. I do not like that place, it is stagnant, but I was surprised at the amt of activity there. I have never
been bombed by a squirrel before.

ginger

[Dick on Aruba]

Nice series Ginger, good work.

Dick.

[saurora]

What a beautiful little pond, Ginger! All I have is an 8 foot balcony with a view of a couple of large sycamores overlooking a parking lot. Well, occasionally some hummers (as in birds) pay me a visit. I tried shooting little birds in the trees today. I am way too slow! Actually, they were all in other trees not near my balcony, of course! This makes me think of Walton's Pond, except a little smaller. You have so many cool places to shoot birds, you lucky lady. :D

[ginger_55]

Thanks, Dick and Saurora!

That pond is where I shot my first egret, and probably my first Great Blue Heron. I can't see it from my townhouse. From where I live I see the parking lot. I have a good view of the mailman, the UPS truck, etc.

The pond is down the block and around the corner. But it is in walking distance. Yes, I thought of Walden's pond, too. "My pond" used to be cleaner, more birds came there then, about a year or more ago. But I did go there the other day.

I am fortunate, IMO, with the places I have to photograph birds. I went to one of my haunts from last summer, went there today. There weren't many birds there, yet. But there was a Great Blue Heron, he made up for the slim quantity of birds.

He was fishing, never did get a fish big enough for me to show anyone, not that I saw thru the lens. I missed him each time he dove, but I did get good shots, better than I have gotten of a GBH in quite awhile. If I had been quicker, I would have gotten more. It is always "the one" that got away, smile.

I actually saw, to try to photograph, small birds a month or so ago. I can't get them either. They go behind folliage. If there is no folliage, they go behind all the branches. And they flit from here to there.

Wading birds sometimes just stand there, but not the small ones.

Thanks for stopping and commenting on my "little" world. I understand that to see Walden's Pond is rather disappointing, too.

Ginger, smile