Flight

A Great Blue Heron takes to the skies near Newcastle Island. Canon EOS 7D EF 70-300mm at 100mm f/5 1/2000 ISO 100 -1ev

The heron stretches out its wings, slowly at first into that rushing of air and it lifts-leaps off the rock and into the air.  It’s neck drops into that familiar curve as it reaches for the skies and I am shown the perfect grace of an animal in its element.

I had spent most of an afternoon following a Great Blue Heron around Newcastle Island. And the bird finally took flight and headed off into the distance. The afternoon skies had darkened and the bird and the exposure that I needed to freeze the motion of the bird’s wings almost left the bird in silhouette.  I liked the way that the underside of the tips of the wings have gone almost to full black.  There is almost a sense of saying goodbye, of a sad parting in the muted colour cast and  content of the image.

Through a Glass Darkly

A gorilla stares intently in the Seattle Zoo. Canon EOS XSi EF-S 75-300mm f/4-5.6 at 250mm f/5.6 1/45 ISO 800

His eyes stare out intently, not at me, not at someone else but out into the middle distance.  Out to the place in his hindbrain where the pack lived in lush tree covered hillsides.  Out to the place where his father was king and his family moved in freedom.  It is a dimly remembered reflection seen through a glass darkly but it is there, deep down in his DNA every cell in his body reminding him of what he could be.

Visiting a zoo is interesting and exciting but always a little sad.  The people who run the Seattle Zoo do a very good job at producing interesting and stimulating enclosures for the animals but still…  I wanted a photo that captured this tension and when I saw this gorilla I hoped I might catch it.  The zoo has thick glass windows that look into the gorilla’s den and this always produces issues of reflection and dirt on the glass.  The other concern was that it was quite dark in the area where I was shooting but there was just enough light for my lens to capture even thought the maximum aperture was only f/5.6.  After I got the image home I cloned out the reflections and dirt on the glass in Aperture.  Luckily these where mainly in the side of the photo that I wanted to go dark.  I  then exported into Nik Silver Efex Pro and darkened the left side of the photo.  I was really happy with the way that the texture of the skin came through and the way that the his face is in the borderland between dark and light.  It adds to the tension in the image of a wild thing not living in a place where he belongs. 

-Russell Berg

Screech

These beautiful peacocks in Beacon Hill Park, Victoria, let me get very close. Canon EOS 7D EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 at f/5.6 1/160 ISO 400

The colour of the bird hits me first, it is a blue so blue that it beggars description.  There is an almost incandescent, glowing quality to the blue and it changes colour ever so slightly as the feathers shift, then settle in the sun.  The bird is a riot of outrageous colours and flamboyant form.

I was wandering around Beacon Hill Park and I heard the screech of what I thought was a peacock.  I followed the sound and saw a couple of them sitting in trees beyond a fenced enclosure.  I tried to get a few shots from that distance but nothing was coming out very nicely.  I heard another screech and it was off in a different direction.  As I wondered towards the sound I saw one wandering around on the grass.  I moved in very slowly and began to snap away.  It was fairly early on a Sunday morning so there weren't alot of people around and the peacock seemed very tame.  It let me get quite close.  I was so focused on this bird so much that I didn't even notice the second peacock until it walked right past me within inches of brushing against me.  I spent about 20 minutes photographing the 3 or 4 birds that gathered around me.  It was very cool.  I was using a long lens 300mm so even though the aperture is only f/5.6 the background is thrown out of focus and I was able to get a nice clean background that doesn't distract from the wonderful feathers.

This peacock's stare was so inquisitive. Canon EOS 7D EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 at f/5.6 1/250 ISO 400

Twins

Black Oyster Catchers in the sun on Vancouver Island Canon EOS 7D EF 70-300mm f4-5.6 at f9, 1/250, ISO 200On a fine morning in the middle of May last year my daughter and I went out in our kayaks to do a little exploring around Departure Bay.  We were out interested to see if there were any seals out sunning themselves on the rocks as paddled by one of the small islands in the middle of the bay.  I was watching for birds and seals to photograph as we paddled out with my dry bag open between my knees I had my telephoto lens on the 7D ready to yank out and fire away if we saw something.  I place my cameras lens down into my bag in such a way that when I reach in to grab them I am holding on to the grip and it comes up to my eye ready to fire.  I have missed too many shots while I was fumbling for my gear.  This did require some careful paddling to prevent the water from dripping into my open bags but it wasn’t too difficult.  When I move out into open water or I am paddling for speed I close up the dry bag which holds my whole camera bag.  Anyway as I looked up two Black Oyster Catchers walked up over the rise.  The Island sloped up from the water so I was below them and I think this adds to the visual interest of the frame.  I snapped off a few pictures and then the one bird moved behind the other and I knew I had the image I wanted.

-Russell Berg

A Hitch In The Neck

I follow herons around Newcastle Island from time to time and this time it paid off. EOS 7D, EF 70-300mm 4.5-5.6 at 280mm, f/5.6, 1/2000, ISO 500

I live in, Nanaimo, BC on Vancouver Island so I have ready access to the ocean.  There is an island about 2 km out into Departure Bay called Newcastle Island and I paddled across to it in my kayak. I spent the morning following Great Blue Heron around the island ant this one in particular was very comfortable with me hanging around, photographing it and watching.  I spent probably 30 minutes watching this one and taking pictures.  I noticed him, her? I don’t know, make a particular motion with his neck just before he stabbed his beak into the water in an attempt to get food.  I was ready the next time the motion came and I hammered down the motor drive.  8 fps provides coverage for a lot of action and this was the best one of the group.  The photo is not quite as sharp as I would like it to be but the action was so remarkable that I had to share it.

-Russell Berg