SoCal Whimbrel

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Archive 2012 · SoCal Whimbrel

KCollett
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p.1 #1 · SoCal Whimbrel

I would never have guessed that the area around LA had so many great areas for bird life. The shooting opportunities abound, and some of the scenery in the midst of urban areas is quite nice. The pictures below were taken at Crystal Cove State Park. That stretch of beach provided me with a full day of exploring and photo ops. Wish I could have taken better advantage of them, and I would certainly visit this park again next time I'm in the area.

Shot handheld with a 7D and 400mm f5.6.

1. Whimbrel - One of the challenges I found in shooting at this location was that the subjects were pretty much always between me and the sun. I guess earlier and later in the day might be better. Aside from flash, how do you beach frequenters deal with brightly backlit birds?

This image is copyrighted by the owner

2. Whimbrel Silhouette - I wish I was a bit lower in order to reduce the area of in-focus water behind the bird, but overall I like the effect I was getting. To get the shot, I had to wait for a bigger wave set. The spectral highlights in the foreground were from when the water receded back down the beach.

This image is copyrighted by the owner

I would appreciate your comments, good or evil (ok, maybe not evil, but constructive is acceptable).

Apr 12, 2012 at 02:38 AM

surfnron
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p.1 #2 · SoCal Whimbrel

It's the first for me Ken ~ Ron

Apr 12, 2012 at 03:12 AM

DonGut
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p.1 #3 · SoCal Whimbrel

Lovely image in #1. That is a weird effect in #2, but very appealling as well. Don

Apr 12, 2012 at 04:11 AM

Conrad Tan
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p.1 #4 · SoCal Whimbrel

I actually like #2 very much!

Apr 12, 2012 at 04:51 AM

ashley138
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p.1 #5 · SoCal Whimbrel

I like both shots - 1 looks great to me as far as exposure. so it seems you're dealing with backlighting just fine. I always use Manual mode for a backlit shot, and some flash if I have it with me. I looked for this bird while I was living in WA and never did see one. Nice work.

Apr 12, 2012 at 08:00 AM

PaulCal
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p.1 #6 · SoCal Whimbrel

First for me as well, nicely done
Paul

Apr 12, 2012 at 12:12 PM

trailhiker
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p.1 #7 · SoCal Whimbrel

Yep, there's lots of pockets of nature here in So Cal, Ken, more than most folks -- even those who live here -- are aware of. And birds, of course, don't care if the greenery is in Compton, or bordering a freeway (Hepatic Tanager and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, respectively), they'll go where the food is! And you're right about early morning and evening being the best times/possibilities for getting the sun at your back. For dealing with backlit birds, as with the recent GHO fledgling, I shoot in RAW, underexpose the bird, then re-adjust things in DPP RAW software,using Tone Curve Assist and RAW brightness adjustment, to where you can see the bird's details yet still have highlight control around the flared edges. It's a bit tricky, but it works well enough for me...

Nice shooting!

Best Wishes,
Steve

Apr 12, 2012 at 12:24 PM

chupacabra31
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p.1 #8 · SoCal Whimbrel

2 is a great shot, but I have one minor knit. For me the silhouette should be sharp against that background. Right now it looks like the background is the focal point.

Apr 12, 2012 at 12:31 PM

KCollett
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p.1 #9 · SoCal Whimbrel

surfnron wrote:
It's the first for me Ken ~ Ron

Thanks for taking a peek Ron.

Apr 12, 2012 at 12:36 PM

KCollett
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p.1 #10 · SoCal Whimbrel

DonGut wrote:
Lovely image in #1. That is a weird effect in #2, but very appealling as well. Don

Thank you for the supportive comments Don. Yes, the edge effect on the bird is a bit weird. That was the first time I tried shooting directly into the sun with the 400.

Apr 12, 2012 at 12:38 PM

KCollett
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p.1 #11 · SoCal Whimbrel

Conrad Tan wrote:
I actually like #2 very much!

Thank you Conrad!

Apr 12, 2012 at 12:38 PM

KCollett
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p.1 #12 · SoCal Whimbrel

ashley138 wrote:
I like both shots - 1 looks great to me as far as exposure. so it seems you're dealing with backlighting just fine. I always use Manual mode for a backlit shot, and some flash if I have it with me. I looked for this bird while I was living in WA and never did see one. Nice work.

Thank you for the comments Ashley. Much appreciated.

Apr 12, 2012 at 12:39 PM

KCollett
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p.1 #13 · SoCal Whimbrel

PaulCal wrote:
First for me as well, nicely done
Paul

Thank you for stopping in and commenting Paul.

Apr 12, 2012 at 12:40 PM

morris
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p.1 #14 · SoCal Whimbrel

I love both Ken.

Birds and people have much of the same needs and tend to move into the same areas.

Morris

Apr 12, 2012 at 12:40 PM

KCollett
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p.1 #15 · SoCal Whimbrel

trailhiker wrote:
Yep, there's lots of pockets of nature here in So Cal, Ken, more than most folks -- even those who live here -- are aware of. And birds, of course, don't care if the greenery is in Compton, or bordering a freeway (Hepatic Tanager and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, respectively), they'll go where the food is! And you're right about early morning and evening being the best times/possibilities for getting the sun at your back. For dealing with backlit birds, as with the recent GHO fledgling, I shoot in RAW, underexpose the bird, then re-adjust things in DPP RAW software,using Tone Curve Assist and RAW brightness adjustment, to where you can see the bird's details yet still have highlight control around the flared edges. It's a bit tricky, but it works well enough for me...

Nice shooting!

Best Wishes,
Steve

Thanks for the comments and tips Steve. If I recall, I may well have applied something close to your technique on #1.

Apr 12, 2012 at 12:42 PM

KCollett
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p.1 #16 · SoCal Whimbrel

chupacabra31 wrote:
2 is a great shot, but I have one minor knit. For me the silhouette should be sharp against that background. Right now it looks like the background is the focal point.

Thank you for the comments. I don't mind the soft edges, as in some respects as the surrounding highlights are a big part of the overall look. But the amount of in focus background is what I wish I could have eliminated/reduced. A lower angle would have helped to a degree. A crisp silhouette may have looked good too, but I don't have one for comparison unfortunately.

Apr 12, 2012 at 12:47 PM

KCollett
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p.1 #17 · SoCal Whimbrel

morris wrote:
I love both Ken.

Birds and people have much of the same needs and tend to move into the same areas.

Morris

Many thanks for the kind words Morris.

Apr 12, 2012 at 12:49 PM

z06jim
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p.1 #18 · SoCal Whimbrel

Nicely done Ken...like em' both.....

Apr 12, 2012 at 01:38 PM

redmule
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p.1 #19 · SoCal Whimbrel

Cool shots Ken!!
Kevin

Apr 12, 2012 at 01:41 PM

kmunroe
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p.1 #20 · SoCal Whimbrel

very nice Ken .. i like them both

Apr 12, 2012 at 03:25 PM

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