Professional Bird Photography Tips

Jeff

One of my favorite photographers to follow is Scott Bourne. If you don’t know of him, just do a search on the Internet. Scott’s name will show up many times because even as a very talented and gifted professional, he gives freely of his knowledge to help others advance their skills.

Blue Heron
Picture by Jeff Ross, Scott Bourne’s pictures would be much, much better!

One of Scott Bourne’s favorite subjects is birds. I enjoy photographing birds as well, but I am a rank amateur. I do my best, but as indicated in the referenced articles below, capturing the best bird pictures is hard!

Scott provides twenty tips for capturing your best shots in the articles:

10 Down & Dirty Quick Bird Photography Tips

How To Photograph Birds | 20 Tips & Some Resources

Here are three of the tips just as a sample…

“Start Big. Practice with larger birds such as pelicans, gulls and herons. Also practice at local zoos. Captive birds will give you a chance to study behavior, hone your skills and become familiar with bird photography (and your gear) and guarantee enough keepers that you won’t be frustrated.

Track the Sun. I’m not much for photography religions but if I were – this would be the one I would practice. Photograph birds with your back to the sun. Especially when you are just starting out. Birds look best when front lit. Sidelight may be the landscape photographer’s friend, but it’s the avian photographer’s enemy. Keep the sun at your back, or in other words, point your shadow at the birds. Believe it. Practice it. Live by it. You’ll get better shots.

Shoot Shutter Priority. When shooting birds in flight, use shutter priority. A fast shutter speed is essential to capturing birds in flight. Unless you want to blur the subject for creative reasons, a shutter speed of 1/1000th of a second should be your minimum preferred shutter speed. Also use the lowest ISO you can and still get a fast shutter speed.”

Notice Scott’s advice about side light which may be good for landscape, but not for birds!

You can also find Scott Bourne on the photofocus website which I believe he founded.

Of course, one of the best ways to improve any photographic skill is to get out there and practice. Take pictures and examine them. Which are good, which are best, which are worst? Find out why and you are well on your way to doing your best work.

STATUS QUOtes — 20151204

Jeff

“An ounce of image is worth a pound of performance.” — David Lee Roth (various attributions)

“The happiness of the bee and the dolphin is to exist. For man it is to know that and to wonder at it.” — Jacques Yves Cousteau

“Don’t let your struggle become your identity.” — Ralston Bowles

“When it comes to eating, you can sometimes help yourself more by helping yourself less.” — Richard Armour

 

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STATUS QUOtes — 20151203

Jeff

“The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it.” — Richard Bach

“The role of the writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say.” — Anais Nin

“Wear your learning, like your watch, in a private pocket: and do not pull it out and strike it, merely to show that you have one.” — Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield

“I live in my own little world, but it’s ok, they know me there. ” — Unknown

 

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PL8ATUDES – December 2, 2015

Jeff


Plate-A-Tude

We continue our series of personalized (vanity) license plates in Arizona. To maintain individual privacy, we try to show as little information about particular cars as possible as long as we can reveal the license plate.

NOTE – License plate photos may have been archived for quite some time. The years indicated on the registration stickers DO NOT necessarily reflect the current status of any given plate!

We hope you enjoy these PL8ATUDES!

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The World Sympathizes With

Paris

We Offer Them Our Support and Applaud Their

Fortitude

!


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STATUS QUOtes — 20151202

Jeff

“Failure is a bruise…not a tattoo.” — Jon Sinclair

“When you can’t make them see the light, make them feel the heat.” — Ronald Reagan

“Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk.” — Doug Larson

“I don’t recognize you – I’ve changed a lot.” — Oscar Wilde

 

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Photography of the Italian Eye

Jeff

The Painter Constructs, The Photographer Discloses

Photography is a significant interest of mine and to stay motivated and informed, I follow quite a few photography blogs. Through these blogs, I become aware of other photographers and their work. I am awe struck by the photography talent that is exhibited across the globe.

If you like unique, insightful, intimate and often very beautiful photography, I urge you to visit the site of Danilo Piccioni, The Italian Eye. You Won’t be disappointed!

Guitar player in the bathtub

You don’t have to leave the home page of the website to understand that Danilo is not only talented, but he brings a fresh new perspective to the art form.

It was difficult to pick just a small sample of Mr. Piccioni’s work to demonstrate his breadth and scope, but these are some of the shots I found interesting.

In the picture below, which is the master? Can you feel the bond between these two lives?

Man and Dog Relationship - Love

Two young girls, perhaps sitting together on a train, might be sharing a secret. This is a truly intimate look at friends being deeply connected. I can feel the intensity both in the telling and in the listening.

Best Friends Share Secrets

Danilo certainly understands how to capture female beauty. Without being blatant, the picture expresses sensuality; they eyes, yes the eyes! She is looking at you! The trick here, as in his other photos, is that the picture reveals to the viewer more than is actually shown.

They Eyes of Beauty

Oh…this cat. “What are you looking at?” the cat might be thinking. Don’t you love the lighting and the colors? Where do those stairs lead? Does anybody own this cat?

Marmalade Cat Has Attitude

I want to thank Danilo Piccioni/The Italian Eye for allowing me to use the images for this post. It is a pleasure to be able to learn from so many gifted photographic artists!

If you do nothing else at the website,http://www.theitalianeye.com/, scroll to the bottom of the page until you see:

“Mag-EYE-zine
Here is a magazine format small selection of my work for your enjoyment, click on EXPAND and start flipping thru the pages.”

And click and expand the pictures presented in large format in all their beauty and often juxtaposed thematic presentations. I couldn’t help but be inspired.

A True Artist Is Not One Who Is Inspired, But One Who Inspires Others

All Photographic Rights are reserved by Danilo Piccioni and the Italian Eye

 


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STATUS QUOtes — 20151201

Jeff

“An apology is a good way to have the last word.” — Unknown

“Regard it as just as desirable to build a chicken house as to build a cathedral.” — Frank Lloyd Wright

“The head never rules the heart, but just becomes its partner in crime.” — Mignon McLaughlin

“The past, the present and the future walked into a bar. It was tense.” — Lex Martin, Dearest Clementine

 

Desert T-Shirts

Jeff

Living in what I call a designated tourist area such as Phoenix, Arizona has both positive and negative aspects. Of course during those months that are cold in a good part of the United States and Canada, we have an influx of tourists, part-time residents and guests.

When guests come to visit us, one of the areas we like to take them is Old Town Scottsdale. There are some historical attractions which we look at, but the gift shops of all varieties are the real draw.

As the resident Phoenician, I get a kick out of going to the tourist shops to see what new desert themed T-shirts are displayed. They generally come in two categories, 1 – The beauty or uniqueness of the desert or 2 – Poking fun at the unusual life styles and/or environment of the desert.

The t-shirt below reminds us of the beautiful wildlife we have in the area. We do have some extraordinary lizards, although nothing quite like the one pictured.

XXXXXX

Of course Phoenix is a big draw as well as Scottsdale…

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And to celebrate the heritage and uniqueness of the desert…

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Then there are those that make fun of the harsh environment and cowboy atmosphere and this one tackles both…
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115 degrees is hot, but c’mon it beats 30 inches of snow, doesn’t it?

One of my favorites this day was this punful one…

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All of these T-shirts were found at Scottsdale Southwest Gifts and Apparel just north of the Scottsdale Historical Museum on the same side of the street.

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I am not making a recommendation although I have made purchases there. Many stores offer unique apparel both authentic southwest as well as humorous or stylized southwest items.

When you visit Scottsdale’s Old Town, be sure to bring your camera and your sense of humor. I am sure you will have a good time. Don’t forget the Scottsdale Historical Museum in the center of Old Town.

STATUS QUOtes — 20151130

Jeff

“Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence.” — Hal Borland

“Remember how far you’ve come, not just how far you have to go. You are not where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be.” — Rick Warren

“When I tell any truth it is not for the sake of convincing those who do not know it, but for the sake of defending those who do.” — William Blake

“You can’t be a rascal for 40 years and then cop a plea the last minute. God keeps better books than that.” — Wilson Mizner

 

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