Sparring Herons

[icassell]

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll249/icassell/sparring1.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll249/icassell/sparring2.jpg


http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll249/icassell/sparring3.jpg

[René]

Love it. #3 the left one is saying 'Look, I'm doing a Jeebus, walking on water!'

[icassell]

Love it. #3 the left one is saying 'Look, I'm doing a Jeebus, walking on water!'

LOL

I was driving along the shore with my daughter and saw yet another Great Blue (this place is crawling with them). We were a bit noisy getting out of the car and it took off -- only to try and land in the territory of a second ... and I got a few shots off. Lighting wasn't great and had to move fast anyway, so I had to settle for the sillouhette look ...

[icassell]

Here's another

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll249/icassell/sparring4.jpg

[Dagwood56]

Wow, great captures. I don't know why, but I never thought of them as being territorial and fighting like that. It must have been interesting to watch.

[icassell]

Wow, great captures. I don't know why, but I never thought of them as being territorial and fighting like that. It must have been interesting to watch.

I didn't realize it either. I was too busy shooting pix to watch :biglaugh:

[KMann]

Wow! The second one is gorgeous.

I have some shots of fighting swan. Who would have thought that such graceful creatures would fight? heh.

[spiffybeth]

i think the 2nd photo is really amazing and that little wave underneath them is great. great timing!

[icassell]

Here's how it all ended ...

The loser limps off and the victorious heron celebrates (and tells the ducks all about it) ...

[polymoog]

That second one is excellent http://www.polymoog.se/smilies/icon_thumright.gif

[icassell]

Thanks, all. If I had already gotten a 7D, I might have filmed it ... then I would be upset that I didn't take images ... maybe I shouldn't get one ...

[Jeff Jarboe]

i also like #2 the most

[KMann]

I hear what you're saying Ian, about the "if I had the ... "

It seems that you manage to get some pretty cool shots without the new and wonderful technology. I wonder if adding the power to video everything will cause you to miss out on photo opportunity.

I say this as I wade through PsCs4 and Lr 2.5, filling in gaps of my knowledge. Outdoors the leaves are falling and the geese are restless. The season is swiftly fading and I'm reading Photoshop books. I should give my head a shake maybe, but I feel compelled to learn more, and more and more ...

This is part of an internal dialogue that I've been having about how to spend my precious time. Had a few serious health scares last year and realized how finite it all is. Made choices - will I spend my time playing the piano and dusting off the oils and canvas or should I just do what I do best full time for the rest of my time? I chose to concentrate on my best skill and it surely isn't the piano.

Now I'm lusting for a better camera ... it just goes on and on, the things that a person might distract themselves with.

But I wonder if it actually is folly, and we are led to waste our time with technology when we might be simply practicing our art.

Ya think?

[Antarctican]

Fantastic captures of the action. I especially like the first two...they look like illustrations from some ancient Chinese text. The second one is definitely my favourite overall

[icassell]

I hear what you're saying Ian, about the "if I had the ... "

It seems that you manage to get some pretty cool shots without the new and wonderful technology. I wonder if adding the power to video everything will cause you to miss out on photo opportunity.

I say this as I wade through PsCs4 and Lr 2.5, filling in gaps of my knowledge. Outdoors the leaves are falling and the geese are restless. The season is swiftly fading and I'm reading Photoshop books. I should give my head a shake maybe, but I feel compelled to learn more, and more and more ...

This is part of an internal dialogue that I've been having about how to spend my precious time. Had a few serious health scares last year and realized how finite it all is. Made choices - will I spend my time playing the piano and dusting off the oils and canvas or should I just do what I do best full time for the rest of my time? I chose to concentrate on my best skill and it surely isn't the piano.

Now I'm lusting for a better camera ... it just goes on and on, the things that a person might distract themselves with.

But I wonder if it actually is folly, and we are led to waste our time with technology when we might be simply practicing our art.

Ya think?


Yeah. I got CS4 and LR2 a few months ago and I have yet to learn how to use LR ...

One can certainly get caught up in technology and forget about the art ... I see it every day in the commentary on several Forums. My old 30D does the job quite well (as does my Minolty XD-11). It has its failings as I learned when I was shooting grizzly in Alaska in June and couldn't crop sufficiently to make the bear cubs look good, but oh well.

As in my film days, my art suffers with lack of time. Even if I do get out and shoot, I have gazillions of images that need "darkroom" time (to be read as post-processing, since I'm not shooting much film these days), but that was always the case when I shot film too.

Sigh ... only 24 hours in a day ...

[icassell]

Fantastic captures of the action. I especially like the first two...they look like illustrations from some ancient Chinese text. The second one is definitely my favourite overall

Thanks, Anty. That is exactly what they reminded me of (although I think the Chinese usually did storks). I'm trying to figure out a way to print the series together to keep that feel.

[icassell]

OK, I'm curious. Some have suggested that I crop off the shore. Here are 2 variations. Thoughts?

[icassell]

Or perhaps this crop? I've also preserved a bit more of the grey scale.

[Antarctican]

Thanks, Anty. That is exactly what they reminded me of (although I think the Chinese usually did storks). Or maybe cranes?

[icassell]

Or maybe cranes?


Yep -- I mis-spoke. Cranes is correct. (Cranes are correct?)

[KMann]

I would pull it in a little tighter on the right side. The two diagonal lines are a little awkward. I am glad to see the bar gone from the bottom.

[KMann]

Maybe really tight around the cranes and sell it as a logo to a Kung Fu dojo.

[icassell]

Hmmm ... I think I like it this way ....


http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll249/icassell/heronsalone-1.jpg

[KMann]

Me too!