Images from Little Estero Lagoon.

[Canon_Bob]

Went to one of my favorite spots this morning. Lots there as usual, but mostly common stuff. Won't bore you with the same old birds. I went specifically to photograph the Forster's Terns, which are nesting there in earnest now. Got some great images, here are a few:

A Crab waits patiently for the Terns to leave their nests so he can get some eggs for breakfast. All he got was pecked on the head and sent back down his hole


Here's a Forster's Tern sitting on it's nest:


A White Morph Reddish Egret catches it's breakfast:


A White Ibis that just wouldn't stop posing. Who can resist those blue eyes!

[Lori11]

Incredible shots! I love the first one, they dont even look real lol The 3rd shot is beautiful!

[Loupey]

Lovely whites on the egret shot - beautifully done!

[AgingEyes]

I love the third one. But perhaps I'm partial to action/behavior photos.

[susaan]

Knocked my eye out..as they say..the egret is stunning-,exactly the right moment.

[serenity]

Very nice! Bore us with same old shots? No way - you should post the more "common" ones too because these are great!

I especially love the Egret in action. Amazing capture.

[Old Timer]

Beautiful and amazing as I have come to expect each time I open one of your post. One thing that seems to set your images apart from so many others is the angles that you shot from. You go that extra mile to give your images that extra boost to put them over the top. Great job. Love the crab but that egret is very special as well.

[victorhuang20]

sigh....those shots never cease to amaze me...please tell me you work for some sort of wildlife magazine or national geographic or something....you are too skilled for it to be a hobby...or is it?

[mn shutterbug]

I love the third one. But perhaps I'm partial to action/behavior photos.

My exact sentiments.

[Canon_Bob]

Thank you for the kind words all! I enjoyed shooting these as well.

Old Timer - Thanks! I do work hard on setting up my shots. A very challenging thing with wildlife. Most of these were captured with me standing waist deep in seawater! I focus on three primary things when composing a picture: Light angle, background, and POV. Camera setting and all that are, of course, important too....but I think these three elements seperate the ordinary from the extraordinary. I certainly try to add that extra bit, and I appreciate you noticing :-)

victorhuang20 - Sorry, but I'm just a part timer. I actually have a "real job". Photography is what keeps me sane :-) I guess I would classify myself as a "semi-pro". I sell a lot of images each month, but i couldn't live on what I make as a photographer. The good news is, I'm improving all the time, and I make more money each month....so who knows! maybe someday.

Anyway, here are a few more from the weekend. Since everyone liked the White Morph Reddish Egret so much, I've added a few more:







And here are a couple more of the Least Terns. Notice the one that is keeping an eye on that crab! That was a funny exchange to watch :-)

[AmberC]

Just STUNNING!

[victorhuang20]

whats your setup for most of your pictures? I love how the POV on all the pictures are level with the subject you are shooting. I think that's what brings out most of your pictures...other than the contrast and the color and the clarity and the bokeh and gah.....

[Canon_Bob]

whats your setup for most of your pictures? I love how the POV on all the pictures are level with the subject you are shooting. I think that's what brings out most of your pictures...other than the contrast and the color and the clarity and the bokeh and gah.....

My settings are dictated predominantly by the histogram. I typically shoot in AV mode, and usually with a wide open aperture. I then move the exposure compensation according to what the histogram tells me. I check the histogram at least once every five frames or so.

....Now, that said, you have to know when to switch to manual mode...and when to increase the DOF via smaller aperture setting. For instance, that last Least Tern above was shot at f/14! Why? Because I was too close for a wide open aperture. I needed more DOF for it to be right. I typically shoot in manual mode when I have a "target rich" environment. What I mean by that is that I will use the camera meter to check something of neutral color (a gray or something like that), validate with the histogram, and then make manual adjustments on the fly by increasing/decreasing SS or aperture based on the color temperature of the subject of the moment. So, if my camera is set manually for a neutral temp, and a white bird shows up, I just quickly speed up the shutter or use a smaller aperture. If a black bird shows up, I decrease the shutter speed or open the aperture. Make sense?

[AgingEyes]

My settings are dictated predominantly by the histogram. I typically shoot in AV mode, and usually with a wide open aperture. I then move the exposure compensation according to what the histogram tells me. I check the histogram at least once every five frames or so.

....Now, that said, you have to know when to switch to manual mode...and when to increase the DOF via smaller aperture setting. For instance, that last Least Tern above was shot at f/14! Why? Because I was too close for a wide open aperture. I needed more DOF for it to be right. I typically shoot in manual mode when I have a "target rich" environment. What I mean by that is that I will use the camera meter to check something of neutral color (a gray or something like that), validate with the histogram, and then make manual adjustments on the fly by increasing/decreasing SS or aperture based on the color temperature of the subject of the moment. So, if my camera is set manually for a neutral temp, and a white bird shows up, I just quickly speed up the shutter or use a smaller aperture. If a black bird shows up, I decrease the shutter speed or open the aperture. Make sense?

Thanks for sharing, Canon Bob !!

If I may ask, when you shoot in the water, do you put on any particular clothing to keep yourself dry?

[Canon_Bob]

Thanks for sharing, Canon Bob !!

If I may ask, when you shoot in the water, do you put on any particular clothing to keep yourself dry?

I usually wear "fishing" pants and shirt. the type that are really fast drying (like the Columbia "H.P.F." series clothing). I live in Southwest Florida, so the concept of wearing waders is just too darn hot! I'd rather smell like sea water than sweat

Many folks down here do wear waders, but I like the mobility of not wearing them. I do, however, wear neoprene scuba boots to wade in.

-CB