ain't easy being a fish

[Harryb]

Hi you'll, http://dgrin.com/images/smilies/wave.gif

When I shot with Trish a while back we came across an Osprey
http://behret.smugmug.com/photos/19072780-L.jpg

It was enjoying a morning snack
http://behret.smugmug.com/photos/19072774-L.jpg

http://behret.smugmug.com/photos/19072777-L.jpg

He must have liked it because he started to get too energetic and started to drop pieces of fish
http://behret.smugmug.com/photos/19072791-L.jpg

Pretty soon he got to the tail
http://behret.smugmug.com/photos/19072798-L.jpg

Like Andy Osprey's feel that its all about the food.
http://behret.smugmug.com/photos/19072794-L.jpg

[ginger_55]

You are back in full force, or posting anyway, Harry! So glad to "see" you!

I must disagree. Having watched one egret family, and other birds there is much more to their lives than eating and procreation: except maybe you are right, that is what it comes down to with all of us isn't it. Used to only be Adam and Eve. Now look at us.

I digressed. I am amazed at the love and caring some of those birds put into their partners.

I have not looked up, and have forgotten, which of these birds mate for life, but all of them are deeply in love right now. It is a world of sin out there, only made up for the caring of each other from the participants.

I love your photos. I am starting to watch your numbers to see why your photos always seem a little bit better.

One thing though, do you take a blow dryer? We had 50 MPH winds and our birds weren't as tousled looking as yours often are. Most flattering, I think.
Maybe the styles are just ahead down there.

A long time ago I learned that some people had matrix metering, finally got that camera and my husband sold it. That is why I have all this other stuff, guilt.

Anyway. When people say that my birds are soft, I look the feathers are not soft, but the faces, or eyes appear to be. They are certainly without color.
I had thought about using that one thing metering, but I know that can get me in trouble to. The bird might move.

You are at f5.6, matrix metering. I try not to go below f5.6, yet a part of my bird is soft?? (It is not shake) And I think I am further away. Can it be because my bird's head is shaded?

Also, I answered Dixie. I added a photo of what I looked like after the weekend was over...........you may not think to look since you have answered.

Hope you are OK,

ginger, you "look" ok. I love your bird's "do".

[bfjr]

Your back very :cool
and as always Pristine :thumb So Sharp :thumb

[Harryb]

Hey Ginger.

Thanks for taking the time to comment. Never try to give birds human emotions because they don't have any. They do mate for life though and are usually caring parents until its time to kick the youngins out of the nest.

If you look at my settings you have to look at the aperture, shutter speed and focal length together. I was shooting at 420mm so I want to keep the shutter speed as high as possible. The need for the higher shutter speed is why I had the aperture wide open at 5.6. I was too stubborn about keeping the ISO at 200 so my shutter speeds are a tad too low because the subject was moving around. I should have gone to ISO 250 or 320 on these shoots.

My exposures were off by about a third of a stop. The osprey was backlit and I should have gone to a +0.3 EV adjustment. The darker feathers of the osprey were underexposed and I had to bring out the details in my post work. I used D-Light in Nikon Capture (Its like the shadows/highlights filter in PSCS but better). This resulted in some noise and I had to use NR software on the shots. The final result were these shots which are a bit softer than I like.

I'm doing fine and I'm glad to be back.

[wxwax]

Hi Harry! :wave

Excellent shots, esp. the first and second ones.

[Harryb]

Your back very :cool
and as always Pristine :thumb So Sharp :thumb
Hey Ben,

Good to be back and thanks for your comments.

[Harryb]

Hi Harry! :wave

Excellent shots, esp. the first and second ones.
Thanks Sid. Its great being back.

[ginger_55]

Thanks, Harry, I printed your response to me. If I carry it with me I might remember a part of it. Of course within seconds I was shooting egrets and that GBH. And I was shooting them at about -2/3 EC, both of them. The BGH was backlit, etc, etc, etc,.............. so you can see that your response was of great value.

I have become paranoid over blowing these birds, though. Like your Osprey, he has some white on him where the sun must be hitting. I would be afraid to overexpose, but considering I must have taken about 20 shots of him, mostly while he was in the same position, I could have changed settings. That was a learning curve. I did get two of him that were well lit. And I now know why the others weren't.

Thanks, ginger

[Steve Cavigliano]

Another most excellent series Harry :thumb :thumb

I've yet to earn my Osprey merit badge :lol You set the bar pretty high for this old man.....lol I guess I'll have to find one first :scratch

Good to see you back, even if you may have to stand while typing :lol3

Steve

[Kirwin]

I'm gettin' hugry for some grilled grouper.:eat A most edible series of images!:D

[lynnma]

Hi Harry, wonderful osprey shots.. glad to see you back.. you sittin down yet??:rofl

[Harryb]

Thanks, Harry, I printed your response to me. If I carry it with me I might remember a part of it. Of course within seconds I was shooting egrets and that GBH. And I was shooting them at about -2/3 EC, both of them. The BGH was backlit, etc, etc, etc,.............. so you can see that your response was of great value.

I have become paranoid over blowing these birds, though. Like your Osprey, he has some white on him where the sun must be hitting. I would be afraid to overexpose, but considering I must have taken about 20 shots of him, mostly while he was in the same position, I could have changed settings. That was a learning curve. I did get two of him that were well lit. And I now know why the others weren't.

Thanks, ginger
Hey Ginger,

I'm glad if I can be of some help. There's really very few rules of thumb that will apply to all pictures. We all have to train ourselves to look at the scene we are trying to capture and evaluate the lighting and its effect on our subject. Then we have to understand how our camera and lens will handle that scene.

In photography you are always making some compromise. If you step down your aperture you will slow down the shutter speed. If you expose for the highlights you lose shadow detail. If you bring out the shadow detail in your post processing you will get noise. If you expose for the shadow areas you may blow out the highlights. etc, etc, etc.

[Harryb]

Another most excellent series Harry :thumb :thumb

I've yet to earn my Osprey merit badge :lol You set the bar pretty high for this old man.....lol I guess I'll have to find one first :scratch

Good to see you back, even if you may have to stand while typing :lol3

Steve
Hey Steve,

I can sit, I just have to do it carefully. :D Thanks for the kind words but they could have been better. :cry

[Harryb]

I'm gettin' hugry for some grilled grouper.:eat A most edible series of images!:D
:rofl Thank you Kerwin

[Harryb]

Hi Harry, wonderful osprey shots.. glad to see you back.. you sittin down yet??:rofl
Thanks Lynn. I'm sitting down now but very, very carefully:D