So while I'm unemployed, I've been roped into doing some bird photography for Kathryns PHD. I was at Brownsea the other week trying to get decent avocet shots. Having been there from dawn till dusk, it was amazing seeing the difference "golden hour" makes to shots.
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6033/6235435082_dbeed4642e_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6235435082/)
Swan (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6235435082/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6102/6234980769_3507d37503_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6234980769/)
Avocet lagoon panorama (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6234980769/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6226/6234870239_0e0ace1c79_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6234870239/)
Avo group 4 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6234870239/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6174/6234662467_8ff8a614f5_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6234662467/)
Avocets 4 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6234662467/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6031/6234591617_5dc5062e5e_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6234591617/)
Avocet landing (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6234591617/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6050/6234578011_84a64c0088_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6234578011/)
Godwit landing (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6234578011/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6218/6234485375_45059ab53c_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6234485375/)
Godwit (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6234485375/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6157/6234481313_b5d196fcf6_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6234481313/)
Sandwich turn (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6234481313/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6171/6234463237_17a82e5382_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6234463237/)
Female red squirrel (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6234463237/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
The light was wrong for this one, with the sun behind the squirrel in the canopy, so I tried swapping to spot metering and using AE-lock on the squirrel, almost worked!
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Red Squirrel (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6234947758/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6051/6234979446_52a317fa88_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6234979446/)
Peacock (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6234979446/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6102/6234387917_fe51ac31a4_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6234387917/)
Teal and avocet (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6234387917/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
These guys were watching me on the way to the hide in the morning, had to hand hold so it's a bit fuzzy zoomed in:
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6057/6234786366_6b34780c69_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6234786366/)
Deer (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6234786366/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
And my favourite of the lot, I managed to get the sequence when one Avocet attacked another, making it look like it's pushing the victim over and getting him to face plant :D
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6054/6234930530_734d859f7d_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6234930530/)
Avocet Attack (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6234930530/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
I like Avocets 4 and the deer :)
I really like the deer framed by the trees :)
Love the red squirrel shots and the deer, good work ;) :ptu:
Couple of good ones, the female red squirrel by itself the Avocet attack and the panorama's quite good, nice level of detail to go nosing around in but could do with being a bit taller.
Looks a good spot to go to regularly though, nice selection of wildlife and if there's hides there someplace to well hide!
Yeah, the panorama suffered a bit from being done with my 100-400mm lens. At the end I tried doing a multi-level panorama but ran out of time as we had to run to catch the ferry. Maybe this weekend!
Aye probably not the easiest lens to do it with, would dread to think of the amount of photos to give the same as your panorama at 400mm, that should be your challenege for next time, a 400mm panorama...
It'd end up being like in Blade Runner, zooming in and in and in :D The original size of the above panorama is something like 20 000 pixels wide :D
Hmm, it'd be interesting to do a macro panorama, and make it interactive like Google Earth, but instead of the planet, it's a 1mx1m area of your back garden in mega detail...
Quote from: zpyder on October 12, 2011, 20:07:58 PM
It'd end up being like in Blade Runner, zooming in and in and in :D The original size of the above panorama is something like 20 000 pixels wide :D
Hmm, it'd be interesting to do a macro panorama, and make it interactive like Google Earth, but instead of the planet, it's a 1mx1m area of your back garden in mega detail...
Do it!
Think I might need to book some time on a super computer to photomerge that many photos ><
Bah! I once put together an image together 1.5m x 15m @ 300dpi on a PIII 500 for a James bond exhibition at Beaulieu Motor Car Museum.
It wasn't quick, but it did it ;)
Some more from a trip we made Thursday night, shooting all day Friday.
I had mega jealousy going on. Whilst we were staying at the wildlife trusts villa there was another guy there who was studying wildlife management at uni, and somehow managed to get known in wildlife photography. Whilst he was sat around the dinner table it was just one big name dropping session. Does anyone else ever feel jealous when they see amazing photos? Not that I don't give the artist all credit where it is due, I mean I just wish I could be as good as them, or have that inspiration they have ><
Anyway...photos. Sadly this time it was only sunny for an hour or two first thing in the morning before the clouds rolled in.
"lucky" shot, the Redshank was shaking its head whilst stationary, causing this faceless effect :D I have sometimes wondered how weird birds would look without a beak, this is pretty close.
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6045/6276628719_98637dd485_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6276628719/)
Faceless Redshank (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6276628719/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
TAKEOFF!
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Mute swan takeoff (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6277144984/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
Pretty much one of my objectives sat in the hide is to try and get decent images of the birds feeding, and what they're feeding on. I seem to be quite lucky at picking out which birds going to hit the jackpot. Hopefully next time it'll be a bit closer and the light will be a bit better.
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6060/6277108330_c7579d78cf_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6277108330/)
Avocet feeding with prey in beak (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6277108330/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
Another prey shot, but we think this one is a small shrimp, which is cool if it is :D
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6056/6276423297_cdc2156c70_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6276423297/)
Avocet feeding with small shrimp in beak (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6276423297/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
To me this looks like a "I'm thinking of a number..." moment...
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Thinking Gul (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6276404503/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6042/6276910834_b80a54dda6_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6276910834/)
Moorhen (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6276910834/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
Spoonbills are pretty rare in the UK.
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6222/6276908178_e9af44b510_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6276908178/)
Spoonbill (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6276908178/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
We're not sure if the Heron caught the flatfish in the lagoon, or if it was dead and dropped by some seagulls.
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6093/6276385095_46d9f651d1_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6276385095/)
Heron with flatfish (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6276385095/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6225/6276902106_a3f83e12bc_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6276902106/)
Male Sika Deer on Brownsea Island (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6276902106/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
There certainly doesn't seem to be a shortage of subjects there, the thinking gul is great!
More deer and stuff, this time from the Arne Nature reserve in Dorset. Still stuck in a hide all day :D
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6233/6320408432_c1e618468a_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6320408432/)
Deer Rush (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6320408432/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6033/6319832899_9ecb711f3f_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6319832899/)
Buck (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6319832899/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6229/6319330879_83b7e7c087_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6319330879/)
Bucks fizz (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6319330879/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
And without him flicking mud and roots into the air
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6215/6319847032_40439726af_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6319847032/)
Bucks (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6319847032/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6212/6320372060_d7cd6f1c48_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6320372060/)
Deer bum (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6320372060/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6120/6319239259_7da75a76d9_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6319239259/)
Starlings in flight (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/6319239259/) by Chris_Moody (http://www.flickr.com/people/zpyder/), on Flickr
Some good shots of the deer there, well of there rear ends anyway! Not much you could probably have done about it but obviously better if they're facing the camera :D
I'd love to go out and get some deer photos, but I can never be bothered to get up that early, and its awkward trying to find them. I dare say there's plenty of them around in Northumberland, and I know of some areas where they might be but actually finding them is a bit more awkward. One of these days...
There are loads down here. They were out on the saltmarsh all day, but gradually went further out during the day.
I know facing the camera would be good, but I thought the rear ones in this case offered an interesting angle. The staring at the camera shots are my least favourite as it just looks like I was bad at getting close to them. "Buck" (no.2 down) I like as it's like he's surveying his domain, the bucks and buck wig shots show the potential territorial nature of the bucks, and the bum shot wouldn't work from the front :D