Many people have switched from mere bird watching to a more exciting hobby of photographing birds.The pleasure of bird watching, and the capability of preserving the visual image that brought that pleasure is possible only with photography.Therefore, bird watching and bird photography complement each other.
You don't need to be an experienced birder to enjoy photographing birds,but you need to know your subjects - study birds and know their biology,travel patterns,habits, and behavior.
The best way to start photographing birds is to begin in your backyard with subjects that are easily accessible.To attract birds - set up a feeding station in your backyard. Choose some location with a non-distracting background. Set up a blind close to the feeder and shoot.Or,you can shoot through an open window.
Also, you may have some of your best luck with photographing birds at bird sanctuaries.
Begin photographing from a distance, and with a wider angle lens, and photograph birds in a larger context.Wide-angle lenses and short zoom lenses are useful for some of the more creative aspects of bird photography.
For bird photography you'll want to own the absolute best quality lenses you can afford.A 400 mm lens is usually considered the minimum acceptable focal length for serious bird photography - a quality 500mm f/4 telephoto lens is ideal.
Alternatively,use extension tubes.They move the film plane further away from the lens resulting in magnification of your subject.However,extension tubes reduce the amount of light reaching the film.
Some form of camera support is required for bird photography. A tripod is recommended since you'll use a long focal-length telephoto lens. When photographing birds from a vehicle in a game park, a good window support is useful.And,for photographing birds in flight,the shoulder stock is very helpful.
Use the slowest film possible for the conditions you are shooting under.If the light is low, go with film in the ISO 200 and above range.On bright sunny days,you can use slower films such as ISO 50.
When photographing birds, study their reactions.If they become agitated - back off.Never put their safety into question. Avoid photographing nesting birds and also be sure not to stress a bird for the sake of a photograph.
With the right equipment and a little patience, you can get impressive results photographing birds.
Author Info:
Felix Zhucha owns http://www.postersphotosartwork.com . Come and find popular art photographs and posters.
The One That Got Away on the Green River
Fly fishing can be a surreal experience mending the soul of any person. That is, until you have to deal with the one that got away!
The One That Got Away
I've battled the crowds, seen the masses of fish in the crystal clear water, and been skunked by the some of the most educated trout around on the Green River below the Flaming Gorge Dam. On a float trip last fall, I experienced the true meaning of …The One That Got Away.
This fight and escape was like no other that I have experienced in my 10 years of fly fishing. This fish was not just big, but the most aggressive and determined trout I have ever seen!! It was a picture perfect moment; I spot a large rising fish on the left side of the river about 50 down. We row into position. I make the perfect cast and my drift is right on target. Suddenly, the fish comes almost completely out of the water.
Now you are probably thinking, big deal, what makes this the ultimate one that got away story? It's not the size of the fish or even the amount of time the fish was on, it's all about the angler.
Moments before my fly drifted over this fantastic fish, a dive-bombing Osprey snagged him out from under me nose, or more accurately, the nose of my fly! Maybe their eyesight is not quite as good as I thought, because this bird chewed off way more than he should have!
It was a perfect snag, both talons sunk into the back of the fish. The bird was able to pull the fish almost completely out of the water with a few extremely labored flaps before he went down. Yep, the Osprey was completely dragged under by the heavy, powerful and extremely determined fish.
Amazingly, the Osprey surfaced still clutching the fish and made another attempt to conquer the beast. Dragging the fish half submerged across 10 feet of river, the bird was once again almost completely submerged. Again the Osprey surfaces, well, almost surfaces. Only one wing comes out of the water and flaps frantically. One had to wonder who was having who lunch!
Unbelievably, it started to look like the fish was going to roll the Osprey under it. Sure enough, the fish came over the top and was partially in the air while the Osprey was completely submerged under it! The trout made a vicious twisting movement and the Osprey apparently thought oxygen was a better meal. It let go of the trout. The soaking wet bird laboriously returned to a nearby perch for a well-deserved rest.
We all stared at each other in complete shock. Now that is one hell of a One That Got Away story!!
Rick Chapo is with NomadJournals.com - makers of writing journas for fly fishing. Visit NomadJournalTrips.com to read more articles about fly fishing and the great outdoors.
Who are We Cheering For Anyway?
Who Are We Cheering For Anyway?
It can be the most devastating, cruel remark heard in that moment of your greatest despair.
"There's always next year."
As a sports fan, it's the equivalent of adding insult to injury. The words might be comforting if not for the fact that 'next year' is an entire year away. Not to mention one long off-season from any kind of redemption. However, when referring to 'next year', what exactly do you wait for?
It used be that you lived in a certain region of the country, and you were either blessed or cursed by your current local sports affiliation. Today, you can find a person from just about anywhere cheering for a team just about anywhere else. Knick's hats and jackets not just in New York anymore. 'Red Sox Nation' has become just that. You might even be lucky enough to find a few LA Angels fans in Anaheim.
With many contributing factors, sports have become less and less about the game and more and more about individual efforts over team achievements, free agents, expansion, endorsements and contracts. It used to be about the foul line, goal line and baseline but today all that really matters is the bottom line.
Money has changed the way sports operates. No longer just a game, it has become most importantly a business. Franchises once purchased for hundreds of dollars are now investments worth hundreds of millions. Once about the game, it's now about the shoes the players wear; about the sports team apparel and the merchandise; about everything except the final score.
Invariably athletes at almost every level perform at their best according to their motivation. Once the motivation was love of the game, pride in the team or the chase of the championship trophy. Those expendables have been replaced by the signing bonus, endorsement deal and record book. When it comes to sports team apparel, the brand is more important than the logo. The number after the dollar sign has become more important than the number on the back of the jersey. So the question arises, who are we rooting for anyway?
The liberation of free agency allow athletes to go to the highest bidder for a multi-million dollar signing bonus in the NFL, a guaranteed max contract in the NBA or an incentive-laden deal in the Major Leagues in exchange merely showing up for the games (effort not requisite). Players change teams so often, it now seems as though the cheering is for an empty uniform anyone is entitled to fill for the right amount.
So you could simply cheer for the team. No Matter the good, or any bad, stick with your team through and through. Unfortunately, that fantastic concept of 'root, root, root for home team' (and only the home team) works in theory only. Sometimes fans give up on teams during a season, but increasingly in the professional ranks, teams are giving up on the fans. When the luxury boxes aren't selling enough somewhere, the team up and moves. Canada is down to one NBA and MLB team. Fans embraced the Hornets in Charlotte until financial instability moved them to New Orleans and now partially to Oklahoma City. Now those same fans are to embrace the expansion Bobcats? Do Cleveland Brown fans really have an allegiance to their 6 year old franchise that bears the apparel and logo of the previous tenants that now find themselves in Baltimore? Fans get tossed to and fro in the sea of relocation as a one time Houston Oiler fan follows their team in spirit to Tennessee only to have to start all over with another Houston team. Franchises move so often it resembles a large scale game of musical stadiums.
So we are left with the memories, the faded team jacket in the closet, maybe a ticket stub. You still cheer and attend a game when you can. Vain attempts to not to get too attached to any one player, part or park bring down one of the purities of your childhood. In reality, no fan is immune to any of these threats. Under the right circumstances any contract can be traded, any team relocated or even contracted.
The one redeeming quality is that there is always a new player to draft, another new ballpark to build, or new team for which to cheer. If you don't like the direction in which your favorite franchise is headed, there's always a trade to be made or coach to be fired. So when your favorite player leaves to a bigger contract, they tear down your favorite childhood stadium or ballpark, don't worry:
"There's always next year."
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