Finally figured out how to take bird photos. This was shot with a 500mm lens and the camera set to FX mode, that allows the lens to act like a 750mm lens. I also shot it with a 1/4000 sec shutter and aperture at f/8 giving the photo nice background bokeh with crisp subject and great colors.
These Pelicans were just drifting back and forth through the opening in the ice. They seemed to be just relaxing but all of a sudden they would all start dipping their beaks into the water and appeared to be feeding on something. Once in a while a gull or another smaller bird would take off with a small silver fish in their beaks and a whole flock of gulls would be squawking and trying to take it away from the one who caught it.
The ducks seem unconcerned as this beautiful Bald Eagle joins the group, but the gulls and other waterfowl don't take any chances, they just get outta town.
This is 4 captures of the same sea gull as it was taking off. I composed it from 4 different photos, somehow I managed to catch it with its wings in the upward position each time and then blended them into one photo.
These next few pictures were all taken along this river, the Big Cottonwood Creek just east of Salt Lake City, UT on a cold winters day. The golden hue in this photo is a reflection from the mountain on the other side of the valley. It is composed of a golden color of granite and reflects light onto the stream.
This scene was so amazingly beautiful, again it is just a small area but the closeup view and long shutter speed make it doubly so. And just one day in the 40's and this is all gone.
As I look at this shot it just looks cold, in fact it was only 22d F. The ambient temperature has to stay below mid 20's and dip into the teens to get the water to freeze into these beautiful formations and remain through the day times. I heard once that you must be uncomfortable to get really good pictures, that was really true here.
It almost looks like little figurines in ice are watching over this waterfall. They were probably about 4" tall. I used a 4 sec shutter speed to capture this scene.
I thought, as I looked at this scene that I was peering into an ice cave with a fast flowing floor (say that three times really fast). Although it looks like it is black and white it is actually in full color.
