Animals, Nature, Photography, Places to Shoot, Shooting Close to Home, Uncategorized

Birds at the Lake

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In our second installment of “Where to shoot Birds” we’ll visit various lakes in the Flagstaff area…ish.

My wife, Ellen, and I like to paddle in the warmer months. We have a canoe, kayaks and SUPs. I find the stand-up paddleboard to be the most difficult water vehicle to shoot from, probably because I am, well, standing. The other two are the easiest as the ammo can is right in front of me.

Shooting from the lake on a boat is cool but don’t forget the action that happens on land or from the shore at a lake either.

Canon EOS 7D, 28-135 at 115 mm, ISO 100, 1/320 of a second at F/9, handheld from shore      One of my favorite pictures of all time, the Lake Powell Inspection Committee. I can’t remember if we were coming or going so the boat was either ready to fill or had just been emptied when these clowns showed up. They were quite interested in this strange vessel that had landed on their shores. I fired off several shots in burst mode and this is my favorite as it has all of their heads looking in the same direction. A classic. 
Canon PowerShot Elph, 13 mm, ISO 400, 1/640 of a second at F/5, handheld from a kayak        This crew was found anchoring a rock and keeping watch over the waters of Watson Lake near Prescott, AZ. I love how everything is gray except for their beaks and duck feet. 
Canon EOS 7D, 70-300 at 140 mm, ISO 400, 1/1000 of a second at F/5, handheld from shore    I went to Encanto Park one day on a quick trip to Phoenix. I found a goose who was diving for food so I aimed at fired off several images in burst mode. This one came out cool with how perfectly round the hole around his (or her) neck is and how its head just disappears. 
Lumix DMC-GX8, Olympus 14-150 mm at 135 mm, ISO 400, 1/250 of a second at F/8    This goose was floating around the boat ramp at Watson Lake. I was struck by its blue eyes. 
Canon EOS 7D, 70-300 at 400 mm, ISO 400, 1/2500 of a second at F/5                             These two were also found at Watson Lake jockeying for position to get fed by the park worker. 
Canon EOS 7D, 70-300 at 400 mm, ISO 400, 1/1600 of a second at F/5                             Again at Encanto Park, this Canada Goose was taking one giant leap for bird kind!
Canon EOS 7D, 100-400 at 250 mm, ISO 320, 1/800 of a second at F/5, handheld from shore  There’s a pond where I live in Kachina Village out by the interstate. One summer I found this Mama Coot feeding her little one a yummy flying insect. 
Canon EOS 7D, 28-135 at 135 mm, ISO 100, 1/500 of a second at F/8, handheld from a kayak  I found this guy taking off at Watson Lake. Great Blue Heron are such beautiful birds. Quite often they will escort us down river when we float the local Verde River near Camp Verde, AZ.

Another one from Watson Lake. I love silhouettes.

And finally, a solo Canada Goose flying off into the sunset. Okay, it was probably mid-day, no sunset. This is the only one of this series that turned out clear. Shooting flying birds can be tricky.  It’s a good thing pixels are free.

So there you go, take your camera to a lake. You don’t need a boat, there is plenty to shoot from shore. If nothing else it’s a beautiful place to practice your skills and get to know your camera.

Happy Shooting!

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