I should practice what I preach more often than I do.
One of my mantras is to leave plenty of room in the frame in the direction the bird is facing/looking when the goal is take-off shots. If you don’t the danger is clipping body parts or not having enough room in the frame in front of the bird for a pleasing composition.
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
This Western Meadowlark is from last week on Antelope Island. I wasn’t particularly fond of the setting so my goal was takeoff shots. I’ve deliberately left the image uncropped so you can see how I had framed it just before it lifted off. I left plenty of room above the bird but not enough to the right – the direction it was facing and most likely to take off.
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
So when it lifted off I didn’t clip any body parts but I also didn’t have enough room on the right for a composition I like and I can’t add canvas in that direction because the rabbitbrush at the bottom of the frame would be virtually impossible to clone realistically. With rare exceptions I really don’t like “squarish” compositions.
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
I was lucky to get a second shot without clipping anything but I still don’t have enough room on the right. Even though the bird is slightly past me I quite like this shot because of the trailing feet and the position of the right wing but for me the compositional issues with both images are insurmountable.
I don’t know why I didn’t frame this bird better for takeoff – that’s something I usually do instinctively.
In bird photography, learning (and remembering what you’ve learned) is a never-ending process.
Ron
Note: I’m camping in southern Utah. So far birds have been scarce and right now at 5 AM the wind is howling and it’s very cold outside the trailer. But the generator has brewed our coffee and we have a better internet connection than usual. Things could be worse…
Ron, what might be your distance from the Meadowlark? Your photography teaching skills and knowledge helps more than you give yourself credit for. This real life teaching is great. My 100-400 is in getting calibrated,next week I will be out again.
There are many of us “lurkers” ready you blog. thanks for all of your sharing. jake
Marvelous shots Ron!
Charlotte
As you know, I tend to visit and revisit your images. The more I look at the last two images, the more I like the way they fill up the canvas…
I always learn something new from your posts. While your splendid photographs and observations about the behavior of various species are what attracted me to your blog, your photography tips are the dessert I look forward to. Have you ever considered putting together a workshop on bird photography?
Picky, picky, picky. Again.
One of your defining characteristics. I also suspect you are harder on yourself than you ever were/are on your students.
Have fun while you are away. And I hope the birds as well as the internet learn to co-operate.
Two beautiful shots. You and Mia both have an instintict for good composition, and therefore are uncomfortable when, in your view, it’s even slightly off whack. I think you just made it in the second, although I would have liked a little more surrounding space (“canvas”). The bird just makes the “rule of thirds”, the bulk of the bird taking up two thirds of the frame…and square is “in” these days. Both images are so crisp and detailed, any very minor “imperfection” would go unnoticed. I think they’re wonderful….
Quibble if you will, but I beg to differ with my standing, “Oh just WOW!” I mean, really. Yes, I know about square shots and I’ve got one of those pesky (annoying) Perfectionist selves, too, but Jeesh Ron, the feather detail, the takeoff action detail, and the color detail is just astoundingly gorgeous. I’d tell you not to be so hard on yourself, but that Perfectionist thing has its upsides. There’s always the thing that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right–yadda, yadda, yadda. Yeah, I get that.
And what Elizabeth Sawine said. Don’t be so hard on yourself 😀
I totally agree with you, Laura!! So I’m just going to say – “Ditto, Ron!!”
Your pictures are full of detail, do you have anyone who then draws or do a painting of your photographs and shares them with you?
I have often thought about asking permission to do a drawing or painting based on one of Ron’s wondeful images, and have frequently used them for detail reference, but always get that feeling his images have been done so well, it makes no sense to “do another version”..,so I don’t. I know other artists also follow his blog and I have wondered if they have the same or similar experiences. I would be happy to share some of the things I have done with him, but am too electronically challenged to do so, besides, my evil iPad HATES me and probably would sabotage any attempt to do so….
In the heat of the moment…………….:) I get tunnel vision on a regular basis! 🙂 We’ve been doing the wind thing here in NC MT for some time now – getting old! Good luck!
Judy, yesterday brought back my own memories of “Montana wind” – something I mentioned more than once.
Thanks, Ron. The meadowlark is as beautiful in your images as its song.
Thank you, Elizabeth.
The bottom image is great Ron, I love the exposure and the ability to see some reflected light off the meadowlark’s beak. Hope you have calmer weather, the weather reports are calling for less wind the rest of the week.
Ed, “Less wind” would be wonderful – yesterday afternoon it rocked my boat. Kept the birds down too. Thank you.