I managed to slip out for a little waterbird photography on Friday.  I went to Racine’s boat ramp and the conditions were wonderful.  It was chilly but windy.  That wind makes for interesting water patterns and blowing feathers. It was also mostly sunny. The bad part was that I discovered no rare gems although one of my favorite birds, the Hooded Merganser was plentiful.  Then the bad part of that was those mergansers kept a good distance from my camera. The merganser images that I am showing are enormous crops.   I settled mostly for those very common birds such as Ring-billed Gulls, Mallards and Canada Geese.  Those species always give you opportunities for detail shots of preening etc.  Close up art can be just as good as distant action.

It’s true that I very seldom go out and shoot pictures these days, but no matter where I go, or how long I stay, I always make pictures.  That has always been my philosophy.  You can turn every day in the field into a visual celebration, whether or not all that you hoped for occurs.  Even one of my less productive days like this one, is a reason for joy.

Being out, and locating some of nature‘s creatures with my camera lens, is not only a reason for me to be happy, but it is reason enough to share.  To share my personal vision of what nature provided for me.

Gulls

Canada Geese

Mallards

Hybrid. This is likely a Mallard + hybrid ?, but it could also be a Black Duck mix.

Hooded Mergansers.  Like I said these are huge crops.  More and more when I photograph ducks or geese swimming in a line, I use a pano crop.  I will often make that crop even with up close images that I would otherwise not crop at all.  Often all of the negative space above and below the line of birds is visually disturbing. The females have the reddish heads and the males have black and white heads. Notice the final shot of a female merganser, as she had just caught herself a crab or other shell-fish.

God Bless,  Wayne