by successfulbob | bird photography, Lumix GH4, photography, photography education, wildlife photography
So you want to see the befores?
I received a request to show the images I’ve been playing with the last couple of days how they looked pretty much straight out of the camera. I can do that…
Great Blue Heron at the Venice, Florida Rookery. Art Photo here
Sandhill Cranes, Sarasota Florida.
Sandhill Cranes behavior images. Art Photos here
Sandhill Cranes at dawn Sarasota, Florida. Link to post here
Photo gear used was the Lumix GH4 and the 100-300mm Lumix G Vario f4-5.6 lens. A faster lens would have been better but the reach of this is quite good (200-600mm 35mm equivalent) At just under $500 this is a pretty nice lens to chase down waterfowl.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | bird photography, Lumix GH4, Lumix Lounge, photography, wildlife photography
This time I went to the rookery in Venice Beach about a half hour south of Sarasota. Apparently I am a little area for the big nesting season but there were a few Great Blue Herons, some Anhingas and some other smaller birds in the area. Not the ideal time of day to shoot but with a little imagination, a couple textures and some Photoshop Blend Modes I might be on to a little something here…
Playing around with the concept night and day… Great Blue Heron from Venice Beach Rookery.
Original image captured with Lumix GH4 and the Lumix Vario 100-300mm lens.
Back out to shoot some more… Later!
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | bird photography, Lumix GH4, Lumix Lounge, photography, photography education, wildlife photography
I’ve always had a hankering to photograph birds… Not sure where it comes from. Perhaps the thought of the freedom of being able to fly away at a moment’s notice. I know I always enjoyed going fast. Loved windsurfing and the freedom that gave… It was on a par with flying. in fact sailing uses the same physics as flying. But, I digress.
Went out to photograph the Sandhill Cranes this morning.
Feeding as the sun rises. Sandhill Cranes in silhouette in Sarasota, Florida
A couple cranes dancing with each other in the sunrise in silhouette. I often look
for a bit of behavior other than feeding or standing to add some action to the image.
Tips on photographing birds…
Arrive about 45 minutes to 1 hour before sunrise. The birds will start to become active a little after first first light. If they see you coming in they will tend to split.
Try to set up so you are downwind of the birds or at an angle to the wind so they fly across your field of view. They are going to take off flying into the wind. If you are upwind you’ll get lots of bird butts.
Try have the sun behind or slightly to the side of you for best light on the subject. (or prepare to work with silhouettes as I’ve done here)
Of course a long lens is very helpful. For these I used the Lumix GH4 and the 100-300mm Lumix G Vario f4-5.6 lens. A faster lens would have been better but the reach of this is quite good (200-600mm 35mm equivalent) At just under $500 this is a pretty nice lens to chase waterfowl with…
More bird stuff tomorrow.
Your in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | Lumix GH4, Lumix Lounge, musician photography, people photography, photography, photography education
RJ CAN WAIL!
Lots of high energy from the rockin’ blues band RJ Harman and Company! I told you I like to practice and play on my vacations. It gives me a chance to stretch and add to my bag of tricks with no pressure. Last night I went to the Blue Rooster in Sarasota to hear RJ and Company. Based in Orlando this harmonica driven band has toured all over the United States, played with many national touring acts and hold numerous titles from the International Blues Challenge.
RJ Harmon and Company live at the Blue Rooster in Sarasota, FL
Lumix GH4 with 35-100mm f2.8 VARIO lens 1/80 sec f2.8 3200 ISO
I had my trusty Lumix GH4 on hand for the festivities and it really helps to have the density range of the camera and the speed of the glass when photographing stage lighting. I used to have to shoot multiple images and blend them together in post but now with a few tweaks in Adobe Camera RAW I have details in the shadows and highlights are not blown out.
I also decided to have some fun with motion and the 12 FPS on the camera gets a nice series of images to create animated gifs.
Here’s the drummer and RJ with approximately 40 images stitched into gifs
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | landscape photography, Lumix GH4, Lumix Lounge
Here in Florida for some personal time… But always have a camera at hand to practice and play.
Tonight’s Sarasota sunset was a bit on the intense side. Just happened to be in an OK place to grab a bit of color and some silhouettes of sailboats along with some shoreline.
A short walk from the Tiki bar I was enjoying when a strip of color started to materialize under a cloud filled sky. 1/250 sec f4.5 ISO 200
After helping to judge the International Loupe Awards over this last couple of days I almost didn’t make this photo because I had viewed so much absolutely beautiful work. So I made this more for me and for seeing what happens with a little experimentation as seen in the second photo.
OK this is moments after the first photo was taken. Camera movement up during slow exposure and adding some color
enhancement correction and a bit of work in post leads to this more abstract rendition of the scene. 1/6 sec f20 ISO 200
I haven’t decided if I like this version. I need some time away from the image. but I believe it’s given me a place to start and I have some new thoughts on how I may capture some scenes in the future as starting places for creating a more artistic look in my work.
Images were captured with the Lumix GH4 and the 35-100mm Lumix Vario f2.8 lens.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | lighting, Lumix GH4, Lumix GX7, photography, photography education, photography lighting resources
We all use social media to promote our photography business. But, I ask how do you show up? Do your have a professional portrait that shows that you value professional photography? Or, have you posted a snapshot, or worse, a cellphone selfie?
I’ve made many self portraits with the camera mounted on a a tripod and triggering the camera with a remote or worse yet using the timer and running back to get the photo. It takes lots of effort. And, while it has a professional look I haven’t always ended up with the ideal expression.
I have an idea for you. Get together with a fellow professional photographer and take each others head shot. I guarantee you’ll have a good time, learn something new, (‘cuase we all lend to light a bit different) and end up with a portrait you’ll be proud to use for the next year…*
Here are some results from working with my friend Silvio of Silvio Portrait Design.
This was photographed using a wide open garage door as the light source. A black fill was used camera right to add some dimension. Captured with the Lumix GH4 and the 35-100mm Lumix Vario f 2.8 lens
Here’s a different look clothing and pose same lighting.
And here’s one that has a totally different lighting scheme. This was done with three Pro Photo B1 lights ** and a white reflector. The main light was camera left and encased with a 36 inch Octobox. The fill light was an umbrella bounced into the white ceiling of the 8 foot garage. A third light was used to add a background light. You can see when you craft the light you can get lots more depth to the photo.
* Notice I said next year, not the rest of your life. If there’s one thing that’s worse than a crappy selfie it would be one that is out of date…
** The Pro Photo B1 lights were pretty sweet to work with. Very powerful and versatile. They are battery powered heads meaning no cords to be tripping over and these were matched to the TTL of the canon camera that Silvio uses.
