Photography (1)

[Caitlin]

Hi Graeme!

I really love the photos of the bird. I've tried to get photos of birds before but they never stay still! Yesterday I had the perfect opportunity. I came face to face with a hummingbird on my front porch, but unfortunately I didn't have my camera on me!

<3 Caite

[graemek]

Thanks for the compliments Andrew & Caite.

My admiration goes largely towards the camera
manufacturer for things like lenses & that incredible
gyroscopic gadget that compensates for my movement.

That little honeyeater, by nature, is super active & to have
him sit for a couple of brief moments on the clothes hoist while I pressed the shutter button was just too good.
Incidentally I have three other seriously blurred shots of him(her?).

And to Caite particularly: The last three days I've been deliberately using the camera to become familiarised with all
the necessary features that it has. So I've been hunting subjects
& therefore was largely prepared. Added to that the camera has a superb zoom capability. The little honey eater was around 20 ft. away.
Plenty of times as I pressed the shutter the subject vanished or
sometimes half vanished!!
Hope you enjoyed your Grand Canyon break & didn't use up too
much adrenalin by the way.
Graemek

[graemek]

Here's a Silver Gull on Lake Illawarra.
He's our most common gull & is slightly larger than
the European Laughing Gull.
He's nevertheless a beautiful bird...immaculate.

Graemek (I've reduced the presentation size of this shot only.
It downloads at 1183x743 pix = approx screen size)

[Richard]

Congratulations Graeme!

Your bird photographs are fantastic, and they are pin sharp. Your camera must have a very fast shutter speed to capture the water droplets from the gull's beak that clearly! i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

Best Wishes from London,

Richard

[postscript]

caite said:

Hi Graeme!

I really love the photos of the bird. I've tried to get photos of birds before but they never stay still! Yesterday I had the perfect opportunity. I came face to face with a hummingbird on my front porch, but unfortunately I didn't have my camera on me!

<3 Caite

I know the experience. When i was in Llandudno there was a very large seagull looking really ridiculous sitting on a car's roof parked in a town centre street, so I took the picture. When I checked it, the car was there all right but where was the bird?!!!

But if I'd had graeme's camera it would have made a world of difference to my morning visitor photographs when I was house-sitting a week or so ago!
Peter

[Caitlin]

graemek said:

Hope you enjoyed your Grand Canyon break & didn't use up too
much adrenalin by the way.
Graemek

My trip to the Grand Canyon was breathtaking! I believe sky diving is next on my list and then you'll get to see some lovely Wisconsin countryside!

<3 Caite

[Caitlin]

There's an exhibit at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum (my new favorite place in Minnesota!) based on the book The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I've been to the exhibit twice now and would love to go back again. Below is a picture from 'Penny Lane.'



The following is a picture from the harbor as the sun sets over Lake Michigan.


<3 Caite

[Steve H]

Hi Graeme and Caite,

Thanks for those great pictures, I too was taking photo's last weekend of seagulls in a quaint place on the Suffolk coast called Aldeburgh.

It was beginning to get quite dark by now, the moon was out.

Thanks again for all the contributions to this thread!

Steve H

[Caitlin]

Hi Steve!

Great pictures. I especially like the one of the moon and the gull. Though the contrast of the light/orange of the lamp and the dark of the building and bird is striking.

Since we appear to have a theme going here I might as well join in! Both were taken on the shore of Lake Michigan, on the Michigan side.





<3 Caite

[graemek]

Here's a duck duo in perfect time!
You might like the water pattern Caite.
It never ceases to amaze me the quality & interest
of the shots that end up on this site.
Caite, your gull appears very physically similar to
our silver gull (a whole Pacific Ocean plus half of North America distant) except our gull has bright red legs & beak.
Stuart, your first gull appears to be like our Pacfic Gull but
ours has black upper wings. (Pacific Gull is one of its names.)
Your second gulls flying (well taken!) are what I think of as
European gulls & they have their breeding season black heads.
They get called laughing gulls as well.
Our silver gulls make a raucous screeching noise.
Richard: the speed was 1/320 second (or 3 thousandths sec)

[graemek]

Here's the top end. The Australian Pelican.
Also called the Yellow Eyed Pelican. I can't imagine why.
I chose this shot as he's about to fly & his wings are
enormous...something like instantly putting up a large tent.
His wingspan is 2m or more. A magnificent flyer, he uses soaring similar to eagles & his wings have no noticible dihedral.
As he glides towards a landing spot & adjusts his speed he
often uses 1 big webbed foot at a time as an asymmetric air brake. Beautiful to watch.

Graemek

[postscript]

Hi again Caite.

I am delighted to know of your appreciation of The Secret Garden. It is a superb children's classic and I am delighted it not only holds current favour but also holds well in the US.

Peter

[postscript]

Hi Steve. Isn't it funny how we cross our tracks? It is some time since I visited Aldeburgh and it wasn't for the Festival. I'm not sure of the dates. Were you there for the Festival?

Peter

[postscript]

Hi Caite.

Followjng on my post to Steve regarding having also been (not recently) at Aldeburgh, I too remember visiting the lake side of Lake Michigan but on both sides!

Peter

[Andrew]

Hi Graeme and Caite,

Many thanks for your recent photographic contributions! 'HWI' seems to have quite a team of photographers! Excellent work- well done!

I wonder if Steve and Stuart will remember to share some of their birthday party photos with us?

No fighting over your birthday cake boys...

Regards,

Andrew