Blast Off

Gallery: AvianPosted January 19, 2012156 views12 comments

Well, I made it back from Bosque del Apache and what a place. The rangers indicated that the bird count was way down, but it was great for me.

I took this image upon our arrival there around 1:30 pm. We went straight there and checked into our motel later. We set up at the pond north of the entrance; there were tons of geese in the water and pretty close to us on the shore. I had heard the term blast off from the folks on NPN but could not imagine it until I saw it. Wow. This image almost captures what I felt. Amazing.

7D with 500mm
Tripod
1/2000 at f / 8.0
ISO 160
EV = - 1/3
AV
Center-weighted metering

Comments and critiques are appreciated

Comments

12 comments

Comment posted by Angela McCain on January 19, 2012 at 10:24 PM

I like this. You've really got a lot of detail and light under the wings, especially considering the time of day and what must have been overhead sun. A nice pleasing blend of sharpness and blur. Hope to make it there sometime.

Registered on April 19, 2009, 367 Posts, 3589 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on January 19, 2012 at 10:44 PM

Wow, blast off indeed, excellent shot, the larger image shows the center geese in focus which draws me into the image. Sometimes these mass take off type shots really do not work out but this one does for me, nice job in getting this shot, well done Harry.

Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on January 20, 2012 at 12:16 AM

Now you know! Definitely indescribable!

I like this a lot - some in perfect focus, some blurred.
Did you get some wider-angle shots too?
Looking forward to more of your trip!
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on January 20, 2012 at 7:52 AM

nice, Harry--having lots of birds (especially the center ones) in focus really helps with these blastoff shots. I like how you have a blue goose in there too. this conveys the chaos well.

I'll be posting some Bosque shots soon--I'm there now, but don't trust my laptop for processing.

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments

Comment posted by Patrick O'Healy on January 20, 2012 at 9:36 AM

Harry,
Great shot. I feel like buckling my seat belt. The movement in the photo gives me a visceral reaction.

Registered on March 13, 2011, 326 Posts, 1679 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Leggett on January 20, 2012 at 3:27 PM

Yep, pretty amazing, Skip. I shot a video when I was there at Thanksgiving, my third trip there. The sound of it is just as inspiring as the sight and being able to capture both was wonderful.

Registered on July 21, 2004, 706 Posts, 3233 Comments

Comment posted by May Haga on January 20, 2012 at 6:16 PM

Wonderful group shot Harry.
May

Registered on February 22, 2007, 714 Posts, 8470 Comments

Comment posted by dan elster on January 20, 2012 at 6:35 PM

A tighter composition than the classic "blast off", making this unique. I

Registered on September 23, 2005, 299 Posts, 2443 Comments

Comment posted by Cristina Strudthof on January 20, 2012 at 6:50 PM

I like this because it gives you a more intimate feel than shots of this nature typically convey. Organized chaos perfectly represented by one moment in time.

Registered on January 14, 2011, 53 Posts, 363 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on January 20, 2012 at 9:04 PM

Impressive. The sharper bird, center and slightly left, makes this work well for me. I'm hearing the sounds in my head as I type...

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on January 22, 2012 at 8:01 PM

It is hard to make flock shots like this work, but you did it very well. The fact that the sharpest bird is in the perfect spot really helps. Nice exposure too.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by David Haynes on January 22, 2012 at 11:14 PM

Wow Harry,
Congrats on a terrific group shot. I'm generally not that keen on these types of images but you nailed this one. Like others have said, what makes this work is the sharpest bird is near the center. Looking forward to many more of your images over the days and weeks ahead. We need to get together for a shoot some time soon. See you.

Registered on February 20, 2010, 110 Posts, 1511 Comments