Photography (Mostly reposts, no actual original content)

Yeah, ok.

I guess his plate wasn’t very fast. So he’d have needed a large aperture to get a quick shot as the bird couldn’t be relied upon to sit still.

VB

Well it was 1895

2 Likes

Massively underrated bird is the Lapwing.

Very green

Seems like I had the same problem 113 years later. Bloody cameras, you would think they’d have moved on :roll_eyes:

Birds are difficult subjects, the buggers never do what you ask :wink:

Wasn’t being critical, just a passing comment on the photo technique, I quite like shallow DOF as I do lapwings :wink:

Lapwing.jpg by -DaveBailey1-

1 Like

The most remarkable thing about that date is how late it is - reliable high quality photography had been widespread for about 40 years at that point as had a mania for natural history - seems remarkable no-one had united the two notions a tad sooner…

1 Like

Indeed, but I guess getting close to a bird without a long telephoto lens and carrying a massive plate camera and tripod was difficult.

Besides, in general, ‘birders’ back then followed the norm, which was to shoot the subject and identify it from the corpse.

1 Like

Alas, it’s not so many years since that habit disappeared in the civilised world… Daresay some septics still do it…

Easier these days to take a quick snap of the bird in focus then scare it away, take a long exposure of the landscape and photoshop/merge the two pics together.

EDIT: Maybe the exposure change would play merry hell with the colours.

VB

Right. Bird photographers.

Rant mode activated!

80% of them (and I see and know quite a lot) are wankstains of the highest order. As are 80% of ‘twitchers’

Some of the behaviour I have witnessed is truly disgraceful. There’s supposed to be a ‘code of conduct’ that the welfare of the bird comes first. Not so with said 80%. They will do anything, and I mean anything, to see or photograph the bird.

I’ve missed many an opportunity to get the money shot of a mega rarity due to respect for that part of the code, only for some ignorant cunt to come along with a gazillion mm lens and want to get within 10 feet of it so they can post it on the website of choice, purely for kudos. Often they get that shot, but inevitably the bird is flushed, which not only is distressing for a bird that may be thousands of miles off course, but it also prevents others seeing it from a respectable distance.

To say I’ve had a ‘few words’ is an understatement. I propose that it should be legal to kick their teeth down their ignorant fucking throats. :rage::rage::rage:

Rant over

and breathe

8 Likes

image

7 Likes

I recall seeing a documentary about twitchers - talk about competitive and secretive - and the charge (rugby scrum) to get the money shot was unedifying at best…

They’ll all be in Norfolk today

That hasn’t been seen for days.

Last Sunday evening it was seen at Snettisham RSPB reserve. It should be heading North, so @Mrs_Maureen_OPinion keep your eyes peeled :grinning:

1 Like

:+1: It should feel at home at the mo, as there’s a light dusting of snow, and no shortage of rats!

Sod birds, I’m off to take a photo of a tree. They don’t move as fast.

1 Like

They had the RSPB guy on the radio (4) this morning re; said Snowy - he was very good actually, taking time and the opportunity to suggest there are thousands of amazing birds out there, everywhere, beyond the odd Snowy Owl.

He’s right, but people will always be drawn to the spectacular.

The BBC can fuck off too. It isn’t a ‘Harry Potter’ Owl it’s a Snowy Owl.

1 Like

I know it’s all rather pathetic and dumbed-down, but what can you do :smirk:

1 Like