Project 52 by Geoff F

[Letrow]

That viewpoint from just behind that magnolia is lovely Geoff. Frustrating isn't it, if you have a better shot, but taken at lower quality? I know that feeling.

[Geoff F]

Yes, Peter, that is why I keep returning to the same position hoping for decent light. Or adapting to try other angles. It really needs a bit of clear north west wind instead of coming from the east. This year I left it a bit too long so the flowers are starting to turn white and beginning to drop.

Anyway thanks for all the comments.

[Goldcoastgolfer]

I have that photo hanging on my wall, Mal, from a couple of years ago.

Took a lot of finding. I keep my older files on an external drive and as CD's; for some reason a group of images were placed onto a CD but not into the drive. Probably from when I upgraded my computer.

Anyhow, from 2009 when the light was better, the typical Springtime east wind always creates poor light for landscapes. And, due to that, I haven't produced anything as good for this particular scene since then. But unfortunately my equipment wasn't quite so good then.

Can I have that for my wall too?

[Geoff F]

Actually, Mal, I did squeeze a 13 x 9 ins print from it but it was shot with my Canon 28-135 lens which is adequate for the price but not quite up to L lens quality, which I now have.

And a 40D.

[Geoff F]

Herons nest in tall trees around the estuary.

I managed to hide behind an old wreck, the Iverna, in my dinghy and find a suitable angle.

The light wasn't perfectly clear and the white egrets posed an exposure problem. So I tried to meter for them and recover the background during editing. In fact, I ended up slightly underexposed; about 1 stop brighter would have been better.

Because of the distance, even with a 500 mm lens, these shots have been considerably cropped.





And a close up of the Heron and Juvenile



The heron looks a little fed up; which is probably understandable considering it's noisy squabbling neighbours!

[Bobobird]

Nice set but the last one in the series is outstanding.

[Geoff F]

A view of the overall scene which may help to explain the problems in getting good results. I actually shot around 150 images (and nearly 140 got ditched)



Thanks for the comment, Bobo.

If I had got the exposure perfect it would have been slightly clearer.

And resting the lens on the edge of that wreck while standing in a small dinghy didn't actually help either.

Actually, it nearly became embarrassing because the tide was rising and part of the wreck became wedged inside my boat. Just in time, I realised this and, with a bit of downward pressure, managed to free my boat.

[gilliebg]

A great set of shots that looks like you shoot in similar locations to us. Snowy egrets are very difficult to photograph, especially with other birds, as one has to use such a small aperture that anything else is almost beyond recovery. The third picture of the mom and baby is just wonderful, especially for the conditions in which you were shooting. I love to hear that other people do silly things in boats to get their shots! I took the following last spring of this egret turning her eggs. I was standing on a stepladder, on the front of a small boat, with a friend hanging onto my legs! We went back this year, but the water level has dropped so much and the water lilies encroached so far that we couldn't get anywhere near enough.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5067/5...ff7f5f32_z.jpg

[Letrow]

Your herons are great fun Geoff. We shouldn't read anything into it of course, but it is almost like they have certain expressions. Especially the first shot, where the white flies into the nest. The other two look quite grumpy.

[gregj1763]

Great photo's Geoff,
The expressions on the Herons make the shots for me and seriously only a mother could love that chick.
Cheers Greg

[jprzybyla]

Nice series Geoff...well done. The last is my favorite and reminds me of a image I shot recently of a Sand Hill Crane and fledgling.

[Geoff F]

Thanks for the positive comments. I just wish I had shot with a fraction more brightness which would have given slightly better quality.

I did try that towards the end of the shoot, but didn't get the birds in such good positions.

Incidentally, on a technical note. I created two versions from the original Raw files but with increased sharpness on one copy, then combined them with layers and a mask.

[Goldcoastgolfer]

You took those photos while standing in a dinghy? Fantastic shots Geoff!

[Geoff F]

You took those photos while standing in a dinghy? Fantastic shots Geoff!

And with that 150-500 lens at 500 mm. But I did manage to partially rest the lens on the upper surface of that wreck which did help; and gave the OS a bit of a better chance. But, as I mentioned, a lot of rejects to just get a handful of keepers.

[Geoff F]

Not one of my intended subjects for this week. But something unusual with a slight warning.



And a close up. Note the small drops of nectar underneath where the flower and stem join.



This scene didn't exactly go according to plan. I noticed this house plant was flowering (the first time for me) so took these quick shots to act as a starting point; then intended to return on the next day when I had sorted out a better backdrop and lighting, and had more time to 'mess about'.

Two days later, I realised the the flower was past it's peak and starting to wilt. They only flower for a very short period so procrastination should be avoided.

7D with 24-105 lens, F11, 1/15, Iso 400. Tripod with cable release. Lighting from a window and fluorescent room light.

Sansevieria is commonly known as Mother in law's tongue (long and sharp) in the UK but sometimes called Snakeskin in other countries.

[Goldcoastgolfer]

Not so sure about the first one - it's a bit busy for me. The second one definitely holds my interest - particularly with the nectar drops. I had actually been wondering before you described the lighting that was present what it would have been like with more directional lighting.

[Geoff F]

Week 18 already - and it's still cold and wet!

This machine is taking core samples prior to improvement work on the Fish Quay.



The rain stopped for 5 minutes, just long enough for a quick shot; but still bleak grey conditions.

1/200 F11 Iso 400. 7D with 24-105 lens at 28 mm.

In an attempt to put a little bit of colour into the scene I created a duplicate layer and set the blend mode to soft light at 60% opacity.

[Goldcoastgolfer]

Cold and wet down here too at the moment. So for the sake of those of us with far less PP skills, what did the original look like?

[Donald]

Week 18 already - and it's still cold and wet!

That wonderfully conveys the cold, drab, wet day it obviously was. We use the word 'dreich' for a day like that and this image conveys it very, very well.

[oldgreygary]

I am beginning to like these village/urban type scenes with the houses and rooftops as backdrops. Its interesting that you have gone with what looks like a 'flat' sky. Thats one I would have problems controlling but it works well. It conveys over what these sort of days can be like but also shows that making good images is still possible.

Cheers for now

Gary