| Some of my most memorable photographs are featured in this section, along with photography tips and the story behind the making of each photograph. I hope these images inspire you to go out and experience your own memorable moments. |
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Canon 1V
We arrived at the "Flight
Deck", an observation platform at the Bosque del Aapche NWR, in pre-dawn darkness.
Broken clouds to the east showed great promise for a colorful sky at sunrise. I set up
with the 28-70 lens on a steady tripod and waited for the show to begin.
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| It was exciting to see the first hint of
color in the clouds. Excitement turned to exhilaration as the color intensified and a
nearby flock exploded into the sky, passing at low level right in front of us. I exposed
several quick frames in horizontal mode, then switched to vertical to include more of the
colorful sky - framing the stationary geese on the water for foreground. Shutter speed was
quite slow because of low light and the fact that a small aperture had been selected
(f/16) so birds in foreground and the dead tree in background were all sharp. From
previous experience I knew the slow shutter speed would blur flying birds, and was using
that effect in an attempt to depict, in a still image, the sense of motion and chaos
resulting from thousands of geese taking off simultaneously. Although knowledge of the effects of aperture/shutter speed and behavioral pattern of geese is necessary to plan such an image, luck plays a big part in achieving a sucessful one. Too little blurring and the viewer will tend to think it's a bad, unsharp image; too much blurring and the basic shape off flying birds will no longer be recognizable. However, the fun is returning to try, again and again, until you get images that convey your feelings as you experience one of nature's most awe-inspiring moments. |
