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ISv

"The equipment that matters, is you"
CR Pro
Apr 30, 2017
2,558
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ISv you are right. Some very amazing shots come by chance others of course are very well planned, but even then luck plays a part. Good luck.

Jack

Thanks Jack (for the good luck)!!!
On other hand - you are very right, the luck is playing very important part but somehow I 'm getting my best results when I plan it according my knowledge of the particular bird. And yes - sometimes I'm nicely surprised by unplanned shots... In generally I agree with you (actually a lot:)!) but I still believe in the knowledge of the object.
Hmm, I may apply tomorrow for position in the local government;) (saying a lot of words and... finally nothing)!

Do not take my entire comment seriously - the luck is very important part of the game, I just try to improve the odds with some knowledge!

And I hope in the near future (for me it's ~1.5 more months, I don't know how it's for you!) you will get some relief from the high temperatures (it's suppose to be seasonal, no?).
 
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Jack Douglas

CR for the Humour
Apr 10, 2013
6,980
2,602
Alberta, Canada
Thanks Jack (for the good luck)!!!
On other hand - you are very right, the luck is playing very important part but somehow I 'm getting my best results when I plan it according my knowledge of the particular bird. And yes - sometimes I'm nicely surprised by unplanned shots... In generally I agree with you (actually a lot:)!) but I still believe in the knowledge of the object.
Hmm, I may apply tomorrow for position in the local government;) (saying a lot of words and... finally nothing)!

Do not take my entire comment seriously - the luck is very important part of the game, I just try to improve the odds with some knowledge!

And I hope in the near future (for me it's ~1.5 more months, I don't know how it's for you!) you will get some relief from the high temperatures (it's suppose to be seasonal, no?).

You're 100%, you must plan and understand to increase your chances immensely. And, then try to expect the unexpected. For example I might head to a location and just as I'm approaching not be as perfectly slow and careful as I should be and as a result frighten something that was not in my mind would be there :oops:, or my camera was not cocked and ready for this unexpected subject:mad:. Obviously, you know all this. Then there is Murphy's rule always operating, like just when you give up and start to leave you miss the perfect shot of a bird who was just arriving:(. So, I usually, stop my impulse to leave and delay a couple times, maybe 5 - 10 minutes.

Hot, yes but the smoke is awful and we're hundreds of miles from all the BC fires and can only imagine how terrible it is for them, like in Prince George. My cancelled trip would have us driving right through there. I think the earth is groaning. This summer we've had so little rain, my lawn has earthquake kind of cracks all over and the grass is virtually dead. It'll revive though. And then there is California. At some point how will governments pay for all this.

Jack
 
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Jack/ISv, I find luck to be the biggest deciding factor as it does not matter how much I plan/prepare for daily visits to the local areas, the birds/wildlife can always chose to visit a different spot or land behind me. One of the green herons on the river likes to do that, fly just past and land about 10' directly behind me.

Thursday evening after I left work I was hoping the marine layer would continue breaking up and give me some late evening light. Brought a tarp and climbed down the rocks just as one of the Yellow Crowned Night Herons flew in and landed about 30' upriver. I managed to get the tarp out in the mud, tripod low(two legs flat) and leveling base as close as possible. The heron kept hunting, getting closer and I'm trying to work around a rock digging into my ribs. In any event it finally hit MFD so I tried to slowly scoot back, then ran out of tarp and into the mud. Not the most light for action but overall I was pretty happy with this shot. Really contemplating a 200-400 1.4X for shenanigans like this because this one got about three feet away and all I could do was look down the side of the lens.
SDR56014_sRGB-X2.jpg

1DX MK II 600 f/4L IS II 1/320 : f/10 : ISO 1000
 
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Jack Douglas

CR for the Humour
Apr 10, 2013
6,980
2,602
Alberta, Canada
Very nice shot, ERHP.

+1 and I had to smile at all the fun you were having.

Just speaking for myself, I will accept that I more or less know how to use my camera and beyond that it's primarily luck ... and people routinely think I'm just being modest, ha ha. In fairness, along with luck there is shear stubborn persistence that many can't/won't nurture. It don't come easy very often. Well, again in fairness, sometimes I just sit in a chair and wait for the birdies while I read a good book and it doesn't get any easier than that.:)

Jack
 
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ISv

"The equipment that matters, is you"
CR Pro
Apr 30, 2017
2,558
7,410
You're 100%, you must plan and understand to increase your chances immensely. And, then try to expect the unexpected. For example I might head to a location and just as I'm approaching not be as perfectly slow and careful as I should be and as a result frighten something that was not in my mind would be there :oops:, or my camera was not cocked and ready for this unexpected subject:mad:. Obviously, you know all this. Then there is Murphy's rule always operating, like just when you give up and start to leave you miss the perfect shot of a bird who was just arriving:(. So, I usually, stop my impulse to leave and delay a couple times, maybe 5 - 10 minutes.

Hot, yes but the smoke is awful and we're hundreds of miles from all the BC fires and can only imagine how terrible it is for them, like in Prince George. My cancelled trip would have us driving right through there. I think the earth is groaning. This summer we've had so little rain, my lawn has earthquake kind of cracks all over and the grass is virtually dead. It'll revive though. And then there is California. At some point how will governments pay for all this.

Jack

:):):)! "Obviously, you know all this " - yes, I do Jack:mad:! It's part of the game.
On other hand when I get home with some good shots after all these obstacles I feel like I really deserve my beer ;)!

Concerning the second part of your post - what to say? It happen and we are not in control of this.
 
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ISv

"The equipment that matters, is you"
CR Pro
Apr 30, 2017
2,558
7,410
Jack/ISv, I find luck to be the biggest deciding factor as it does not matter how much I plan/prepare for daily visits to the local areas, the birds/wildlife can always chose to visit a different spot or land behind me. One of the green herons on the river likes to do that, fly just past and land about 10' directly behind me.

Thursday evening after I left work I was hoping the marine layer would continue breaking up and give me some late evening light. Brought a tarp and climbed down the rocks just as one of the Yellow Crowned Night Herons flew in and landed about 30' upriver. I managed to get the tarp out in the mud, tripod low(two legs flat) and leveling base as close as possible. The heron kept hunting, getting closer and I'm trying to work around a rock digging into my ribs. In any event it finally hit MFD so I tried to slowly scoot back, then ran out of tarp and into the mud. Not the most light for action but overall I was pretty happy with this shot. Really contemplating a 200-400 1.4X for shenanigans like this because this one got about three feet away and all I could do was look down the side of the lens.
SDR56014_sRGB-X2.jpg

1DX MK II 600 f/4L IS II 1/320 : f/10 : ISO 1000

"Jack/ISv, I find luck to be the biggest deciding factor as it does not matter how much I plan/prepare for daily visits to the local areas, the birds/wildlife can always chose to visit a different spot or land behind me ".

But they are still in the biotope where you expected them? And obviously not far from the chosen point? I think they are simply going after their food (and we usually ignore the movement of the food source(s) around - for this type of birds).
Anyway - great photo as usually (and well deserved judging by your comment:))!!!
 
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ISv

"The equipment that matters, is you"
CR Pro
Apr 30, 2017
2,558
7,410
Didn't include this in my previous posts - it's from series of photos posted last time. I didn't mention that after walking ~ 1-1.5 miles to the typical point where you can find them, after enduring all that heat and moisture walking around the "best spots" (total ~2-2.5 hours, you see them but can not approach), I gave up and went back to the parking spot - all I needed was a shower and cold beer (or any other cold liquid:)-even that low:D!). These bastards were just 20-30 meters (yards) from my car!!!! It cost me more than 30 min. to take all the photos (approaching, sneaking around e.t.c.) but I was glad at the end!!! Tell me about luck!
 

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Didn't include this in my previous posts - it's from series of photos posted last time. I didn't mention that after walking ~ 1-1.5 miles to the typical point where you can find them, after enduring all that heat and moisture walking around the "best spots" (total ~2-2.5 hours, you see them but can not approach), I gave up and went back to the parking spot - all I needed was a shower and cold beer (or any other cold liquid:)-even that low:D!). These bastards were just 20-30 meters (yards) from my car!!!! It cost me more than 30 min. to take all the photos (approaching, sneaking around e.t.c.) but I was glad at the end!!! Tell me about luck!

With animals in the wild it is always "luck" to be able to capture them so well as you regularly do - but then, good preparation and knowledge of e.g. feeding habits can improve your chances dramatically... Another well deserved beer thum-up-s.png
Wiebe.
 
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AlanF

Desperately seeking birds
CR Pro
Aug 16, 2012
12,298
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Jack/ISv, I find luck to be the biggest deciding factor as it does not matter how much I plan/prepare for daily visits to the local areas, the birds/wildlife can always chose to visit a different spot or land behind me. One of the green herons on the river likes to do that, fly just past and land about 10' directly behind me.

Thursday evening after I left work I was hoping the marine layer would continue breaking up and give me some late evening light. Brought a tarp and climbed down the rocks just as one of the Yellow Crowned Night Herons flew in and landed about 30' upriver. I managed to get the tarp out in the mud, tripod low(two legs flat) and leveling base as close as possible. The heron kept hunting, getting closer and I'm trying to work around a rock digging into my ribs. In any event it finally hit MFD so I tried to slowly scoot back, then ran out of tarp and into the mud. Not the most light for action but overall I was pretty happy with this shot. Really contemplating a 200-400 1.4X for shenanigans like this because this one got about three feet away and all I could do was look down the side of the lens.
1DX MK II 600 f/4L IS II 1/320 : f/10 : ISO 1000

Beautiful portrait. There's a lot to be said for the 100-400mm II. It's IQ is great and its MFD just under a metre.

As Louis Pasteur once said: "Luck favours the well-prepared gear."
 
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