When the Light is Absolutely Perfect

[zackiedawg]

This Sunday, I went out to the wetlands...but I struggle to describe how gorgeous the light was. ; It was this glowing, razor-sharp, crisp, warm, metallic, reflective light, that just played a sublime mix of warm color tones on cool water palettes, and mirrored metallic reflections shining like they were their own light source. ; I absolutely LOVE a day like that! ; This thread is just ducks of all variety...all taken with my A550 and Tamron 200-500 lens straight from camera as I wouldn't dare process the colors that nature was displaying for me that day. ; As usual, link to the larger 1024x pixel version sits right below the tiny posted version, to do the light justice.

The first few were still during the harsh mid-afternoon light...this was the WORST that the light was, which wasn't half-bad! -

Blue-winged teal, female:

http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/image/122431726/original

Green winged teal couple:

http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/image/122431728/original

The light got a little nicer by 2-3pm, as the sun moved off center and the reflections really started kicking in better -

Male blue-winged teal:

http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/image/122431736/original

By 5pm, the light really was putting on its show - sun was setting, shadows were long, and light was as warm as can be on a cool crisp day -

Black bellied whistling ducks:

http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/image/122431764/original

http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/image/122431767/original

http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/image/122431768/original

http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/image/122431776/original

http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/image/122431777/original

Female blue-winged teal doing the wing-flap stretch:

http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/image/122431771/original

http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/image/122431772/original

--
Justin
galleries: www.pbase.com/zackiedawg

 

[bmitch]

The ability to see the light that way is what we all strive for, I think. Not just finding good light, but to be able to look at it and turn the light into ; something we can use to evoke emotion.

Great shots in great light!

 

[hulagirl]

Sigh...I love the way you described that light and have no idea why you say you struggled with it. ; Your words certainly gave me a beautiful picture in my head, even before I looked at your photographs. ; Light like that just begs to be soaked in. ; Lovely, Justin. ; These are just so so pretty. ; I live on a river where ducks are plentiful and I see them every single day even throughout the winter. ; I hope to capture some photographs of them in light like this, as soon as spring warms things up for me a little. ;

Light does evoke emotion, doesn't it? ; I wonder about that....I guess it's just because of the great way it makes us feel. ; The lack of it, creates a feeling too, not only internally, but in our photographs.

I enjoyed these alot. ; Thank you for sharing them.

 

[zackiedawg]

Thank you both.

Indeed, light is one of the most inspiring things to me. ; Strangely, I'm not one for artificial light so much - I often keep my house darker, only using lights in the room where I happen to be...I love to have a fire on the fireplace as the light source, or a candle. ; And I love the various forms of moonlight and daylight...from morning violets and blues to warm yellows and crispness as the sun comes up to vivid daylight patterned by clouds to gorgeous red and orange and yellow and pink sunsets. ; And cool blue and grey moonlight, with that diffuse glow and white-fringed edge barely there through the darkness, catching just the highlights.

Without realizing it, many of my travels and vacations that I often repeat have much to do with light - the Caribbean and southern Americas with their warm tropical and equatorial sun and green foliage, the mountains with their stark white snow and fingers of light walking the landscape through the holes in the clouds, the deserts with their black velvet-painting glow under an impossibly starry sky and spotlight of the moon, Europe with its moody ancient sky and paintbrushed clouds throwing shadows across a cragged historic landscape, the open ocean with the endless sky and watercolor canvas. ; Whether I'm photographing it, or admiring it, I am drawn to such light.

While I love to photograph at the wetlands, and do virtually every weekend - always in awe of the birds and the wildlife and the beautiful Florida sun, every once in a while a day comes along like this one, and you just come home and lay back on the couch and let out your breath...it makes it as full a day as can be.

 

[PolynesianMedic]

Beautiful shots and description Justin!

 

[zackiedawg]

Thank you Jeff!

 

[mSummers]

Nice work Justin! ; The second and third to last shots are my favorite. ; Getting the motion blur on the wings while keeping the body sharp is not easy to do.

 

[zackiedawg]

Thank you Michael. ; I was fortunate to have so many birds around, which gave me a few chances to get it right.