The bill of a brown pelican balloons underwater as it scoops the water for fish. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3: 1/640 sec. at f/7.1
This week’s photo features a brown pelican fishing. What impressed me about this photos is just how big the pelican’s throat pouch balloons underwater. Often we just see the head as it comes up full of water (and hopefully fish), but here we can see the bill before any water starts to drain. Brown pelicans often dive for their food, whereas other pelican species prefer to scoop prey just below the surface of the water. Once the bill is above water, it must drain before the pelican can swallow what’s left over. During this time, fish can sometimes be seen jumping out of the throat pouch for freedom. In addition, other birds sometimes take this opportunity to steal fish out of the pelican’s mouth.
A great egret perches on a wheel of an old pump station. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 640. Evaluative metering +2/3: 1/1600 sec. at f/8
I’m a sucker for a photo with a perfect background, and that’s what sets this week’s photo apart for me. I usually try not to include man-made objects in my wildlife photography, but in this case, I thought the old rusty pump wheel juxtaposed against the smooth white feathers of the egret added to this photo. And there’s that background! Smooth green, with just enough abstract shapes to hint at lush vegetation. Yes, I know it’s another egret shot, but why not? After all, they are a pretty photogenic bird.
Because I wanted to make sure that both the egret’s face and its back were in sharp focus, I stopped down to f/8. I knew that the background was far enough away to still render out of focus. As I often do with stationary birds, I used only the center focus point on the egret’s eye, then recomposed while holding the shutter button half way. This ensured that if I didn’t stop down the aperture enough to include both the back and face in focus, at least it would be the eye that had the sharpest focus. If the eye isn’t in focus, the shot goes in the trash.
This photo was taken on a very overcast day, so I didn’t have to worry about the sun angle. The shadows would be soft and even, without bringing in too much contrast. Therefore I positioned myself according to the nicest background I could find. This had the egret facing away from me, so I had to wait until its head came into view, and was at least parallel to the sensor plane, or pointed slightly toward me. No one wants to see a photo of just an egret’s back. I made a noise, prompting the egret to swing its head and neck around to look back over its shoulder. That was it – I knew I had the shot!
May you and your loved ones have a happy Valentine’s Day.
I’d like to wish my Valentine and beautiful wife of 7 years, Kerry, a very special day. Thank you for all of your love and support in everything that I do! I love you.
A bushtit hangs from the small branch of a tree, clinging to a tiny cone. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering 0: 1/1000 sec. at f/8
Often when I go out to photograph wetland or shore birds, I also check surrounding trees and bushes for passerines that might be in the area. You never know when you’ll get a great lighting condition for a common song bird, or perhaps a passing migrant. In this case, I found a busy bushtit foraging among several trees near a large wetland area. Catching these birds still is quite a feat, as they seem to be constantly moving and changing position.
This photo caught my eye because of the colorful background – I always like photos that mix bright blues and yellows together. The tiny cones of this tree aesthetically complimented the small bird well.
When using a super telephoto lens as I was here, it can be difficult tracking fast moving birds, whether they are flying, or flitting between tree branches. I was happy with the few frames I managed to capture in focus.
