Water birds

[Bobobird]

Nothing fancy, just plain ol' water birds.

Would have preferred lower shots but site constraints prevented that.

1. Flamingo


2. Ducks


3. Wood Duck (Male)


4. Black-crowned Night Heron

[dje]

Nice set of images Bobo. I particularly like the first one with the contrast between the lovely green background and the striking white and colour of the flamingo.

Dave

[Bobobird]

Thanks Dave, appreciate the kind words.

[jeeperman]

Quite the selection of water bird, Bobo. Sometimes there is not much you can do about the angles. I like the first and last the best. The last...for the reflection.

[Otavio]

Bobo, what a nice set of pictures! Perfect composition, for the angle you could get the shots, IMO. I liked #1 most, due to these fantastic birds contrasting with the beautiful green background.

Thanks for sharing.

[Bobobird]

Thanks Paul, Otavio.

Since losing 180mm of "reach" I have been trying to change composition from a portrait style to a more birdscape style. Hope it is working.

Regarding #1 I like it for the same reasons quoted in your posts but what I really wanted here was just a shot of the heads and parts of the neck to project a "pssst, did you hear about..." type of scene. . Unfortunately could not crop any closer due to loss of detail.

[jprzybyla]

Good work Bobo, I like them all. The reflections in #2 are wonderful. I have not shot a Flamingo yet, neither a Wood Duck both very beautiful birds.

[Bobobird]

Thanks Joe. Not to worry, you will one day.

[Mike Buckley]

Are you back from your trip?

The first and third one are really special for me. The first one because of the pose, detail in the feathers, drops of water hanging off the beaks, and the rich, vibrant colors. The third one because the pattern in the water complements so nicely the pattern in the duck's coloring. Also because it shows the environment so nicely.

On that last point, I wonder if your so-called lack of reach with the full-frame camera is going to result in environmental portraits of your birds, as opposed to portraits that don't show the environment.

[Bobobird]

Thanks Mike. No, still in HK and will most likely taken in Sabah and some part of China if possible. Returning end-November.

Portraits vs environmental - does look the latter. Longer glass is an open option. However, that is pointing to at least a 400/2.8 and the weight alone is killing that idea. Could wait for the 200-400 to come out and then reconsider.

On the positive side - now have to really get into landscapes and learn to factor in the target's surroundings whereas in the past they could be ignored. I don't like being stuck into a straight-jacket approach so the "shorter" reach is a bonus in a way.

[Soozie B]

Lovely shots Bobo

I am so aspiring to be able to produce shots that have the same quality as yours. Simply stunning

[escaladieu]

Nice set Bobo, I like the first one best

Keeo em' coming !

Jeff

[Bobobird]

Thanks Soozie. Appreciate the nice words.

Thanks Jeff. Keep em' coming is the hard part. I have had the new camera since 4/10 and only had time for 2 rather short sessions.