Posted by Ron McCombe on December 6, 2011 at 5:52 PM
The day dawned and it was a very frosty clear morning, the temperature forecast for the day was hovering around 0°c, and with the wind, a minus windchill was in evidence.
I checked out the tides at Berwick upon Tweed and high tide was at 10.58 am, this is a perfect timing for photographing the migrating waders on Little Beach. The timing for the morning was to be on the beach two hours before high tide and work your way into position near to the birds an hour before high tide and the waders come up on the tide coming quite close. It needs to be a session in the mornings as the sun comes around and behind the cliffs by lunchtime, leaving the north beach area in heavy shade, an early morning shoot leaves the sun shining long the tide-line on the beach. The light changes as the morning progresses, from a warm softer light earlier in the morning, to a harder, harsher light later in the morning.
These are rare days at this time of year, getting the right weather with the right tide time to produce a morning which allows you to get some reasonable pictures.
Canon 1d mk iv, canon 500mm f4 lens, f7.1 1/3200th sec ISO 800
Hi Ron it's just not sharp but the water is. it needs a head turn as a back on shot is not the best.
Phil.
Posted by Neil Burton on December 7, 2011 at 4:04 AM
Nice colours Ron, just the head turn needed but as he is he looks dejected and cold.
Posted by David Sewell on December 7, 2011 at 4:16 AM
The lighting and colours are very nice, but apart from the nits already mentioned the large version is very grainy. Is there any particular reason you chose to use 800 ISO? Certainly your shutter speed suggests you could have got away with something lower.
Is this a very large crop as the body and lens combination at ISO:800 should produce very little noise in good light (even in a dark woodland full frame images with these techs should be pretty noiseless)?
Colour and light are great but despite the bird looking a bit fed up its not really engaging, especially with the lack of sharpness around the head.
I like the positioning and pose of the bird Ron but the point of focus is behind the bird and as such spoils it for me.
Posted by Phil Ellard on December 7, 2011 at 5:39 PM
hi Ron, lovely light on this as you say, a well planed trip. Something has gone wrong with the focusing though. Have you tried Nikon? if you took a few the others maybe sharp, worth checking
Discussion
6 repliesI checked out the tides at Berwick upon Tweed and high tide was at 10.58 am, this is a perfect timing for photographing the migrating waders on Little Beach. The timing for the morning was to be on the beach two hours before high tide and work your way into position near to the birds an hour before high tide and the waders come up on the tide coming quite close. It needs to be a session in the mornings as the sun comes around and behind the cliffs by lunchtime, leaving the north beach area in heavy shade, an early morning shoot leaves the sun shining long the tide-line on the beach. The light changes as the morning progresses, from a warm softer light earlier in the morning, to a harder, harsher light later in the morning.
These are rare days at this time of year, getting the right weather with the right tide time to produce a morning which allows you to get some reasonable pictures.
Canon 1d mk iv, canon 500mm f4 lens, f7.1 1/3200th sec ISO 800
Phil.
David
Colour and light are great but despite the bird looking a bit fed up its not really engaging, especially with the lack of sharpness around the head.