reflection – Page 12

April 19, 2010January 14, 2013

American Avocet With Food (Photo of the week)

I photographed this american avocet at first light, just as the sun was peeking over the eastern horizon. Like most avocets this time of year, this one is in full breeding plumage, with reddish feathers all around its neck and head. In non-breeding plumage, its head and neck match the white of the rest of its body. This avocet had just snatched a food item from the shallow water. They feed either by dunking their entire head into the water, or by skimming their upturned beak across the surface of the water.

Early morning is a great time to photograph wetland birds as the water is usually very still, and the birds tend to be very active with morning feeding. Also, with the still water and low sun angle, reflection shots are possible.

Here are a few more photos from the same morning of this and other avocets.

American Avocet With Open Beak — An American Avocet opens its beak to call as it feeds in early morning

American Avocet With Grass — An American Avocet is reflected in a shallow pool, a blade of grass decends from its beak

April 12, 2010January 14, 2013

Snowy Egret Reflection (Photo of the week)

This photo was take this week just after sunrise. When I got to the area in which I wanted to shoot, I looked for a spot next to a pond where lots of birds were congregating. As I approached that area, they all moved to the opposite side of the pond (as expected). However, I just sat down and waited, knowing they’d be back.

By lowering my tripod close to the ground and sitting behind it, I accomplished two things. First, I knew by my low profile and by keeping very still, the birds would stop perceiving me as a threat and move back to their original locations. Second, by getting down to their eye level, I could create more intimate images of the various species.

This egret actually showed up to the pond just after I did, apparently unaware (or uncaring) that I was hunkered down beside the shoreline.

March 3, 2010January 14, 2013

Creativity tip #1 – Shoot close to home

After The Storm — Turning orange and yellow at sunset, clouds are reflected in the still waters of the San Francisco Bay. The sky has been cleansed by a passing storm. Foster City, California.

Don’t wait for the weekend or vacations to get out the camera. Take one along with you as you go about your every day life. You never know when you might have an opportunity to capture something unexpected.

Even when I don’t have my camera with me (which isn’t TOO often!), I’m constantly on the lookout for interesting ideas for photographs. I get especially excited when I see opportunities for shots that are outside of the subject I normally shoot (nature, landscape, wildlife, etc). This helps keep my creativity going, especially when I’m stuck close to home for long stretches of time.

Moonrise Over The Bay — The moon rises over the San Francisco Bay at sunset.

While working one afternoon last week I could see out my window that there were some pretty interesting looking clouds lining up over the bay after a particularly wet winter storm had passed through. I quickly checked my tide chart and saw that it would be low tide right around sunset. It was a quick 5 minute drive out to the edge of the bay, and only 30-40 minutes out of my day. By being on the lookout for something that caught my eye during my day-to-day life, I was able to capture some beautiful colors in the heart of an urban environment of over six million people.

November 8, 2009January 14, 2013

Great Egret At Dawn (Photo of the week)

A great egret searching for food is reflected in early morning light

Usually, capturing dynamic interesting light requires getting up very early in the morning. Luckily, this is also the time of day where birds tend to be very active. This week’s photo was taken near my house, in a slough extending from the San Francisco Bay. The calm water of the early morning was perfect for great reflections, and I was rewarded with lots of feeding and preening activity.