This Just In: Chickens Continue to be Cute

ISO 250 38mm f/11 1/30

ISO 250 38mm f/11 1/30

Yesterday I was wondering about white balance, so I did mess around with a couple of other settings, but came back to the “shady” setting on my camera.  Not the most representative color, but it gives these chicks a glow that I like.

As far as my tripod project, I got everything up and running, but no birds! Oh well, try that again tomorrow.  Also, for the tripod near the hedgerow, will try a f-stop higher than 4.5

While I was working with my tripod, I spotted this fledgling robin, still being fed by its parents:

ISO 1000 135mm f/5.6 1/40

The ISO is high, because it was quite dark in the hedgerow. Even at this image size, you can see the noise.

Cheers!

More Chicken Photos? Egg-cellent!

The life cycle unit continues, here are two pictures from yesterday:

ISO 500 90mm f/9 1/15

ISO 500 90mm f/9 1/50

Taking these photos makes me wonder what the Kelvin temperature of the heat lamps are? or just in general, what is the best white balance setting?

Meanwhile, back at the tripod project, I ran into yet another technical difficulty.  As in,it is technically difficult to take a picture using your remote shutter, if you don’t have the thing turned on properly….

Sigh, so then I got this shot of a robin taking off, but I am thinking, it is nice in an “art” sort of way, but I personally think the action should be frozen a bit more:

ISO 250 38mm f/4 1/125

Also, the silhouette:

ISO 250 135mm f/10 1/200

Cheers!

Cute as a Chick(en)

Everyone, all together now, awww….

ISO 250 135mm f5.6 1/60

ISO 250 135mm f5.6 1/60

These little folks are part of my youngest’s life cycle unit in school.  Which is a unit that has taken over our world and led to dinner conversations like this:

youngest: well, it came out of the egg but was bleeding because it’s intestines weren’t fully inside.  Mrs. C. separated it from the other chicks who had started pecking at it.  It died though, that was sad.

others: oh…

It’s the life cycle that’s for sure, not so sure it makes for great dinner conversation though.

This morning, sigh, here are the results of my tripod project:

ISO 500 28mm f3/5 1/125

It’s a tiny image because I cropped almost all of it out.  Note to self: check the focus of the frame before walking away!  By the time I figured out that I had a problem, I had lost the light.  Or more specifically, had gained the light,  A LOT of light:

ISO 500 28mm f/13 1/125

15 minutes between the two shots.  For tomorrow, pay more attention to focusing the frame.

Cheers!

Where have the birds gone?

I’m thinking perhaps this wandering soul knows…

Meet our neighborhood free range dog.  She does have a home and owner, is well fed, but spends a lot of time out and about.  There was a lot of chirping in the hedgerow, before she came around the corner.  Here is the closest I got to a bird this morning:

I promise there is a robin hidden in the middle of that picture.

My earlier work with the tripod set up didn’t produce much this morning.  When the light was good, there were no birds.  Tomorrow I am going to try these same settings, but from a different spot, just to see if I like it better.

ISO 640 122mm f5.6 1/125

Cheers!

After the rain, the bunny came out

ISO 640 135mm f/7.1 1/125

It has been seriously raining here.  No outdoor, tripod, set up the camera and leave it routine for me.  In the five minute break the rain took, this bunny stepped out of the hedgerow for a bite to eat, think he saw me?  I think today’s nature photography tip is: Be Sneakier.

Cheers

Me, as a winner

I was very happy to be a finalist in the World Bird Sanctuary’s “What Do They Do All Day?” contest.  Here I am with my winning entry:

Here are the pictures in slightly larger form.  I’ll start with the center and then go clockwise:

Cheers!

The Beauty Problem

I started this blog in part to keep track of what I am shooting and what settings I have used so that I would have a reference when I can’t remember what settings I used last week.  Then I started with the birds.  I figured, I’ll go out and shoot them everyday, messing with my settings and I’ll get it all figured out.  Problem solved right?

Ha, yeah, sure.  Insert the beauty problem.  Here is my best bird picture of the morning:

ISO 100 135mm f/5.6 1/15

Wow, that bird looks a lot like a hosta you are thinking. Or, wow, what an idiot, she doesn’t know her birds from her plants.  So, this hosta presents a whole host of other setting issues.  I should stick with just one subject matter, but it is hard with so much beauty to shoot.

Oh, and then there is beauty problem part 2; The beauty I miss:

ISO 400 56mm f/4.5 1/125

See that water drop on the outside of the plant in this cropped photo?  Well I didn’t until I had it on my computer.  That would have made an interesting close-up, had I not missed it.

Cheers!

Photography and Hockey for the Masses

If you happen to be in the St. Louis area between now and May 13th, and you love photography, stop by to see the special exhibit at the Saint Louis Art Museum, “An Orchestrated Vision”.  Special exhibits are free at the museum on Fridays, so I stopped by today.  It definitely gave me something to think about.  While everything in the exhibit is contemporary, there are a lot of different styles and subjects within the exhibit.

I have to throw in this photo I took outside the museum:

Let’s Go BLUES!

Taken in about the worse conditions, mid-day, sunny, and on an iPhone, but I think the message is clear,

LET’S GO BLUES!

Cheers!

When your child discovers your blog…

So, everyone in the house knows I am writing it, but the youngest found my blog site up on the mac this morning.  I sometimes have the kids come with me when I take photos, they bring along the point and shoot that we have.

The result is this posting, which my youngest requested, showcasing the best image she got on our last outing.  It is quite good, I like the catch light in the bird’s eye.  What I love more is when the kids come outside with me and we have a good time seeing what we can find!

Cheers!

Post for Alana

Here is the same bird Alana, just a minute later, in the other picture he was just landing. 

🙂