The Lake is FINALLY Thawing!

[ddt0725]

I was able to get over to Lake Michigan slightly before sunset and was finally able try out my new 7D & 100-400mm lens! Thank goodness for daylight savings time!!!

I'm still VERY new at this so I know I still have lots to learn about photography and post-processing. These weren't really pp much at all ...so much to do ...so little time! Any and all suggestions highly appreciated!

These guys are patiently awaiting a full thaw of Lake Michigan!

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Thanks & have a great night,


Denise

[btaylor]

Hi Denise,


Great shots! Glad to see you're enjoying your new gear.


Might I suggest a slight increase in colour temperature/ fiddling with your white balance settings. I think some of the shots could be a little warmer. Especially the last one where the whites in the posts/ gulls seem a little bluish to me (could just be my eyes playing tricks on me too!).


Composition's great though - I particularly like # 6.


cheers, Ben.

[ddt0725]

Might I suggest a slight increase in colour temperature/ fiddling with your white balance settings. I think some of the shots could be a little warmer. Especially the last one where the whites in the posts/ gulls seem a little bluish to me (could just be my eyes playing tricks on me too!).

Hi Ben,


Thanks for the compliments! You are correct about the last one. I did not have time to do any editing and just wanted to quickly post a few as is. There's plenty more where these came from that are probably better and I plan on going back there tonight. I was just so excited to have something other than backyard birds to photograph! It's been a long winter!

Denise

[neuroanatomist]

Great pics, Denise! I really like #6! I also like that you have a lower angle in shots 4-6 - that might have been something to try when composing shots like 1-3.

[ddt0725]

Great pics, Denise! I really like #6! I also like that you have a lower angle in shots 4-6 - that might have been something to try when composing shots like 1-3.
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Hi John,


Yes, a lower angle is definitely a plus. I will go thru the rest tonight and see what others I have. I'm going back tonight and will try in slow it down and concentrate more on composition.

BTW, the 100-400mm is my lens of choice over the 300mm without a doubt!!


Denise

[neuroanatomist]

BTW, the 100-400mm is my lens of choice over the 300mm without a doubt!!

Glad to hear that - I ordered my EF 100-400mm today. []

[Brendan7]

BTW, the 100-400mm is my lens of choice over the 300mm without a doubt!

In that case, It would make sense to sell your 300 f/4. You could have that $1200 for other, more useful gear. I personally prefer the 300 f/4 by a long shot but I am a minority in this.


brendan

[Ralph]

Eerie duck eyes [] LOL Are they really red? Sorry, I haven't seen that kind of ducks here on the other side of the globe.





Kidding aside, are these cropped? How far away are you from the ducks? Those are so close.

[ddt0725]

Eerie duck eyes [img]/emoticons/emotion-2.gif[/img] LOL Are they really red? Sorry, I haven't seen that kind of ducks here on the other side of the globe.





Kidding aside, are these cropped? How far away are you from the ducks? Those are so close.
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There are steps at the marina that go right down to the water so I am anywhere from a foot to 20 ft. from the birds. Most were very close last night! A couple of these were cropped about an inch on the side opposite of the direction they are looking.

I have more to come that are maybe a little better than these.

Denise

[Brendan7]

Hey Denise,


These are by far your best shots to date. #4 is my favorite. The last one would be the best, but the gulls are a bit too far to the right in the frame and the bokeh just doesn't smear out those trees in the BG. This is one of the 100-400's biggest flaws and is partially why you might want to use your 300 f/4.


I don't have anything close to Lake Michigan near me, but I do have a medium-sized pond that is also thawing. Just got over there last week for some shots, there were some geese and ring-billed gulls:





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