More photos from earlier this week, the back-lit photos are my favourites







Tighter crop of the previous image




Tighter crop of the previous image






Tighter crop of the previous image

[reh321]

And yet with your explanations you still missed the catch light in 2 of the photos (actually just one, the other is a closer crop). The thing is I don't buy into the whole lifeless if there is no catch light in the eye idea as it puts photography into a pretty small box, just like those people who think specific focal lengths are the only focal lengths that should be used for portraiture. I'm not saying that they may be ideal for some portraiture but holding hard to those made up rules limits creativity. Creativity like back-lit birds, yes not many photographers would shoot a bird into the sun but then that is way not many photographer would be able to get a new different artistic look to a bird photo.

Now I've used a fresnel lens on a flash before and found it truly ruined photos of birds and other animals, the idea is neat but the execution and end result is very bad. You see when the light is direct on the subject whether its feather or fur it comes directly back to the camera causing very flat ugly looking detail in the feathers of fur. Had the light been 45-90 degrees off the axis of the lens then it would be great... sure I could have a friend hold the flash off camera, use a radio trigger and get off angle light but any of my friends who are interested in photography would much rather be shooting the bird than be holding a flash for me.

Bottom line is if you hold dearly and strongly to the existing conventions and rules decided on by random photographers of the past and don't explore outside the box you're severely limiting your creative potential. Not every photo has to be clinically perfect just because that is the preferred method by some photographers.

Also I'm not a serious anything photographer, I'm a happy jack of all trades, master of some trades, serious when I want to be and explorer of the unorthodox photographer! Wait! don't I have a quote about being outside the box that appears in the signature of my threads? Anyhow you don't have to like the photos that don't match the usual way of doing things that you buy into, it seems others can appreciate when things aren't the boring everyday ordinary.

Yes, getting "sparkle" in bird's eye requires that you and the bird be in exactly the right spot at the right time. If someone is wanting to sell his pictures for $$$$ these days, he may be willing to wait all day at one spot in the hope that one might happen. I'm not a slave to my camera - I have a life to live. I have taken, or at least tried to take, pictures of terns. I think these are fine pictures, especially the first two.

[MightyMike]

Yes, getting "sparkle" in bird's eye requires that you and the bird be in exactly the right spot at the right time. If someone is wanting to sell his pictures for $$$$ these days, he may be willing to wait all day at one spot in the hope that one might happen. I'm not a slave to my camera - I have a life to live. I have taken, or at least tried to take, pictures of terns. I think these are fine pictures, especially the first two.

Well put reh321, I think we can consider this the difference between someone trying to earn a living selling photos and someone enjoying the hobby taking photos. One could edit in a sparkle into the eye very easily. I wouldn't do this myself because it goes against the unaltered naturalism I try to portray. Sure I edit photos to make them look as good as I can, however I don't add, move or remove stuff from a photo and still call it a photo (not including cropping or taking out a dust spot)

[Dewman]

Mighty Mike, I found these images to be amazing, especially considering that you were using a 500mm lens! I hope any negative comments don't give you reason to NOT post any more of them! Some times, the "Ignore" feature the forum has made available is well worth using.

[Kozlok]

I quite like the second one. The colors really pop.

[pete-tarmigan]

More photos from earlier this week, the back-lit photos are my favourites







Tighter crop of the previous image




Tighter crop of the previous image






Tighter crop of the previous image

I`m amazed by the detail in the shadow.

[MightyMike]

Mighty Mike, I found these images to be amazing, especially considering that you were using a 500mm lens! I hope any negative comments don't give you reason to NOT post any more of them! Some times, the "Ignore" feature the forum has made available is well worth using.

Yes I could use such a feature but its not my style, negative comments can well be discouraging but there are far more positive and constructive comments so I keep posting.

I quite like the second one. The colors really pop.

Thanks Kozlok

I`m amazed by the detail in the shadow.

Thanks Pete, balancing the shadows is the hard part.

[swip]

Nice shots. K-1 II did not disappoint.

[MightyMike]

Nice shots. K-1 II did not disappoint.

Thanks swip

[wtlwdwgn]

Nice sharp shots Mike!

[MightyMike]

Nice sharp shots Mike!

Thanks Steve

[lesmore49]

Nicely done..very sharp.

[MightyMike]

Nicely done..very sharp.

Thanks lesmore49

[TedH42]

Terrific shots. Terns are beautiful birds, until they poop on your boat. You have captured them well. The backlit ones really show their wing feathers.
Thanks.

[MightyMike]

Terrific shots. Terns are beautiful birds, until they poop on your boat. You have captured them well. The backlit ones really show their wing feathers.
Thanks.

Thanks Ted, sorry to hear they poop on boats, I've only seen them flying and fishing

[normhead]

If your experience was like mine when I shot terns, the AF.c tracking was pretty amazing.