Brenton Biggs wrote:
These are great!!!

Thanks so much Brenton.

Kirk

Tim Kuhn wrote:
Fantastic work Kirk! I love fog shots and these are spectacular As you can see from the comments they aren't for everybody but I just love them. Good on you for getting out there and shooting on a day that isn't "perfect". That said the curlew is pretty spectacular!

To notch work buddy!!

Tim

Thanks a ton buddy. This was my first experiment in shooting under foggy conditions because I've always just thought I gotta have great light to work with. I must say that I really enjoyed the experience and am pretty pleased with the series. BUT... there's no replacing great golden light is there

Thanks for the good words Tim.

Kirk

Imagemaster wrote:
Sandpiper shots came out great. Pays to shoot in the fog.

Tony

Thanks Tony, very much appreciated. Now I know, it does pay to shoot in the fog.

Kirk

Nello Milanese wrote:
Impressive set of images Kirk the low angle on the sandpipers and the details there are just amazing
In #2 the bird closer to the lens seems like a giant compared to the 1 in the bg
#10 is outstanding!!!

Thanks buddy... I sure appreciate the good words.
Oh, I knew I forgot something...
No Nello's... well, next time.

Kirk

jdc562 wrote:
Nice work, well done.

Thanks John, appreciate it.
Looks like you're a local in Long Beach, maybe I'll see you out at BC sometime.

Kirk

danjacquitaylo wrote:
Hi Kirk,
Terrific set of images here. Love the low angle and the IF shots. My top picks are 1, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 11.

I hope you don't mind me playing w/ your first pic here. I can remove it after you viewed it.

Best,
Your Nikonian brother...Danno

Thanks Danno... really appreciate the very kind words and picks.
Solidarity.

Kirk

Nello Milanese wrote:
Best,
Your Nikonian brother...Danno

Great now they gang up together against us
I need to throw a few Pms


The few, the proud, the Nikonians.

ms_yuan wrote:
Lovely images, Kirk, one and all.

Thank you so much Mark, glad you enjoyed them.

Kirk

genefixer wrote:
Kirk

#2 is simply beautiful. I also really like #8 and 12...

thanks for the show!

Mike

Hey Mike, thanks for the picks and good words... I'm always happy to put on a good show.

Kirk

Really like how the foggy shots don't have a detailed BG or horizon, just the isolation of the birds.

trenchmonkey wrote:
Long Willed Kirklew for me! Your foggy bottoms shots real sweet too.

Looks like Zm is affecting your bird ID'ing skillz TM.
Thanks a ton for the looksee and kind words my friend.

Kirk

Robert Spencer wrote:
Sometimes I see photos posted to this forum that simply amaze me. This is one of those times. Just great shots! is all I can say. Take care. Bob

What a wonderful thing to say Bob, it is very much appreciated. You take care as well.

Kirk

B Benson wrote:
Great work Kirk, Bruce

Thanks so much for the very kind words Bruce.

Kirk

Thomas Sanders wrote:
I'm liking the monochrome look you achieved in the first 4 frames Kirk, gives a great feel to the image Nice of the Peli to blow the grey out Nice underwing view in #7. Sweet techs on the Avocet and both Browns look terrific with great poses!!! Fav is the Curlew, great perspective and the light is delicious

Tom

Thanks for the very generous and thoughtful critique Tom, it means a great deal to me.
I'm very pleased with the look of the first six, it's just what I saw through the viewfinder and what I truly wanted to convey.
Thanks again Tom.

Kirk

Ed Robertson wrote:
Very Nice The American Avocet blowse away great shot. Ed

Thanks Ed... is that a standing ovation
Appreciate the good words.

Kirk

72chevelle454 wrote:
Kinda late to the comments Kirk, but I echo what others have already said. Great job buddy

Fashionably late I believe is the correct term.
No worries at all buddy, thanks for the props man... I really appreciate it.

Kirk

Shasoc wrote:
Two different feelings from the first and last shots, Kirk, each one with its own character and with the last shot being an explosion of colors and lighting. They all have good techs and detail are really nice with 8 and 11 being my favorites.
Socrate

Thanks for the very thoughtful and generous critique Socrate, I always value your feedback very much.

Kirk

Alright, Kirk - those are some great shorebird shots! #9, followed closely by #10, are my favorites. Also like the low angle and exposure on #8. Well done!

Robert Spencer wrote:
Kirk wrote: D300 and 70-300 VR making the most of any and all available light.

Kirk I would like to know common EXIF data as shown in these shots. I undersatand that the D300 is avery good low light/high ISO body. Where do you commonly find ISO values that work for you. Thanks & take care. Bob

Hi Bob,

By looking at EXIF data of some excellent photographers here, I notice that many of them shoot at a constant 400 ISO to control noise and IQ. What I've always done is shoot in manual mode at f/7.1 (my 70-300VR is too soft any wider open than this) and adjust SS depending on in flight (1/1250 +) or perched shots (much less). I then set the D300 to AUTO ISO with a maximum of 1600. I do this to always get the the lowest ISO the conditions allow which usually varies between 200 - 400. I notice that in a burst of 7-8 shots tracking birds in flight that the ISO will adjust as camera angle changes in relation to the sunlight angle. I've been very pleased with the results I get with these settings.

To answer your question about these shots, the ISO in the first 6 images ranged from 320 up to 720 in very low light, foggy conditions. Again, normally I'll always aim to keep the ISO in the 200-400 range by commonly adjusting shutter speed.

Hope this helps, don't hesitate to ask for further info if you want it.

Kirk

morris wrote:
These are a delight Kirk.

Morris

Thanks Morris, glad you enjoyed them.

Kirk