I always enjoy a sequential series of images that shows action.
1/4000, f/7.1, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
These photos were taken this past April on a morning when there was a frenzy of curlew activity on Antelope Island. Several male curlews in this area had been excitedly competing for the attention of a female (at least that’s the way I interpreted the behavior) and just moments before there had been at least one attempted mating. Birds would repeatedly take off, fly over the area as they called loudly and then land again nearby.
When this curlew launched I was able to get a series of shots of the takeoff and I liked the three I’m presenting here.
1/4000, f/7.1, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
This might be my favorite of the three because both wings and legs are fully extended in the effort of takeoff, with that ridiculously long bill pointing the way.
1/4000, f/7.1, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
I was able to get several more images after this one but by then the bird was too far past me so I deleted them.
To be perfectly honest I never posted this series before because I wasn’t very fond of the road we see in the upper background which becomes more prominent as the series proceeds. But when I stumbled across the images again last night I decided it’s really not such a big deal.
I guess I’m becoming a little more flexible in my old age…
Ron
PS – Ok, I’ll admit to some curiosity about something. Did you notice the road in the background before I mentioned it and if you did how much do you think it detracts from the images? If you decide to respond (which isn’t necessary of course) please be perfectly honest, either way. Thanks.
I never saw the road until you mentioned it lol
I noticed the road but really didn’t care.
Stephen
Love the series and did not recognize the road as such. I find that I am not a great judge of my photos because, like you, I know the backstory and have some kind of attachment to the event which colors my view of the photo itself.
Ken
I didn’t notice the road at all. Absolutely great photographs.
Great shot, enjoyed this series. I don’t think the road is an issue either.
I LOVE Curlews! 🙂 My focus was on the bird so hadn’t noticed the road! NICE! 🙂
Didn’t notice the road. I think it adds a horizontal element that enhances the lines of the take-off nicely. 😀
Road? There was a road?
Add me to the list of those who focused on the balletic and elegant long-billed curlew.
Thanks, everyone! Your feedback was very valuable to me.
The results are unanimous – the road didn’t particularly bother or distract anyone but me and that’s probably because I was the only one who knew what it was. That tells me that sometimes a little knowledge isn’t necessarily a good thing – ignorance really can be bliss. 🙂
In the future, in similar situations, I’ll keep what I learned here in mind. Thank you again!
This is a keeper. The road is not a road unless you name it as such. It’s just a really straight line of gray brush if I was guessing.
Road? What road? (Love the images, especially the second one, with that wonderful curve from tip to toes!)
I did not see the road, did not remember anything that looked like a road. Had to go back and look. I was far more impressed with the way the bird looked like it was about to do a belly flop in the first shot, and by the whole process of taking off. I love that you can capture action the way you do.
If you didn’t say it was a road most people would think it’s a pond of some sort in the background. You were the only one who knew it was a road…we would be clueless since it’s so out of focus. Nice pics.
Really didn’t notice and makes no difference to me. Could have been a slough, bare spot, or many other things and doesn’t detract from the image since it’s so blurred. Great sequence.
Like most others, I didn’t notice the road until you pointerpd it out and it didn’t detract from the picture. I was more intrigued by the ciulrew shadow and how it changed ad the bird took flight. Great series!
Didn’t notice the road until you mentioned it — too excited by seeing a curlew on grass! I’ve only ever seen them at the beach. Great series!
I did notice the road in the second and third images but did not find it a distraction. I did not notice the road in the first image but was distracted by the glowing weed that intersects the bill. As a stand-alone photograph, the third image is my favorite but the 3 image series provides the viewer with a sense of watching the action. I like the series.
I didn’t notice at all until you mentioned it, but I was far too fixated on the bird’s takeoff and feather patterns to notice/care. The bird is the star here and the blurred background just didn’t reach into my consciousness. But then, I’m a bird nerd 🙂 And OH WOW! What a spectacular series of bird shots…LOL!
No Ron, I did not notice the road either. Just the pretty feathers and action. I did notice the plants in the pictures. Thank you for posting.
Sorry I meant to say I do Not see the road as distracting —-sorry—
I do notice the road as being distracting. However, the tip of his bill is fascinating —–what is that last little bit—-a deformity or something?
Bobby, no, that bill tip is normal for the species.
I didn’t notice the road …until you identified it…I wish you hadn’t, because now I’m very aware of it and how close it is to the bird…
The curlews are great!! I’m a cloning fool. One hardly notices the road and if you cloned a little no one would be able to tell. It’s fuzzy enough. Also loved your hooded merganzers yesterday. They are my favorite fowl.
What road? My attention was on the bird and when I looked again, I still would not known it was a road unless you told me. Just a nice out of focus background to me. Love the Curlews! If the photos were mine, my complaint would have been the distraction of the “asparagus” plants, but that’s just me. Never satisfied, are we! Its a disease.
You are so right Frank, it is a disease!!! VBG!
Because it is so softly focussed, I think I subconsciously registered that gray-blue strip as probably “water”–didn’t bother me at all ; looked at it again after reading your text , still only barely
reads as a road—-the bird shots are exciting !
I didn’t notice the road either. The beautiful curlew captured my full attention!
Fantastic shots, love all three!!
No, did not notice the road until you mentioned it. What caught by attention other then the curlew are the two plant spikes that look similar to asparagus spikes and wondering what they were.
Even after you mentioned the road, that gray area in the background is no big deal to me.
Dick, I should know what that plant is but I don’t. They’re fairly common on the lower parts of the island in early spring. Later today I’ll try to do some research – you’ve piqued my curiosity.
I was wondering about those too.
Didn’t notice. Don’t think it derltracts-might even add color interest.
Thanks, Mk.