Today was almost a repeat of yesterday but earlier - on the bus by 5.30am.
I did wonder about spending so many days shooting the same thing, but now I understand why: we repeat, to improve on what we have done. There is the personal factor (some people have been ill & unable to go out), the weather factor, the learning factor (the image review details tips, things to try, and things for improvement), and there's the way of arranging action possibilities that cannot be done if there are other photographic tour buses around. (Don't divulge your strategic advantage.) Of course bird photography is very random & you can only control certain factors, the camera & settings, your placement/perspective. What the birds decide to do will often be completely contrary to what you want.
The town 'centre' has a digital temperature sign that read -15 as we passed it this morning and it was bitterly cold standing in pre dawn at the first site as you don't have a lot of room to move about. Then its off to the second site which thankfully is in the sun and later those who wanted to (kiwi contingent) were able to go for a bit of a walk in search of landscape shots which got the blood moving to frozen numb fingers and toes. On these mornings we take breakfast with us and eat on the go but we could get hot drinks at the second place.
Back to the hotel at 10.00am for quick down load of images & then it was into a group image review.
Immediately after that it was off to a restaurant for lunch and out for the rest of the day shooting until just after sunset at 5.00pm. Drive back to the hotel and we have approx 60 min before dinner. After dinner maybe enjoying the onsen then more image review/editing/blogging.
I tell you these trips are not for wimps!
And we will do it all again tomorrow.
I did wonder about spending so many days shooting the same thing, but now I understand why: we repeat, to improve on what we have done. There is the personal factor (some people have been ill & unable to go out), the weather factor, the learning factor (the image review details tips, things to try, and things for improvement), and there's the way of arranging action possibilities that cannot be done if there are other photographic tour buses around. (Don't divulge your strategic advantage.) Of course bird photography is very random & you can only control certain factors, the camera & settings, your placement/perspective. What the birds decide to do will often be completely contrary to what you want.
The town 'centre' has a digital temperature sign that read -15 as we passed it this morning and it was bitterly cold standing in pre dawn at the first site as you don't have a lot of room to move about. Then its off to the second site which thankfully is in the sun and later those who wanted to (kiwi contingent) were able to go for a bit of a walk in search of landscape shots which got the blood moving to frozen numb fingers and toes. On these mornings we take breakfast with us and eat on the go but we could get hot drinks at the second place.
Back to the hotel at 10.00am for quick down load of images & then it was into a group image review.
Immediately after that it was off to a restaurant for lunch and out for the rest of the day shooting until just after sunset at 5.00pm. Drive back to the hotel and we have approx 60 min before dinner. After dinner maybe enjoying the onsen then more image review/editing/blogging.
I tell you these trips are not for wimps!
And we will do it all again tomorrow.
The swans are so funny they come heavy & ungainly in like a Hercules aircraft and then skid on the ice
The swans congregate here because of the warm hot spring under the lake, which explains the steam
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