Weekly photo, 24 April 2015
Last week I stopped a couple of times along a lake shore to see what I could found, I was able after 3 encounter with a Canada Geese couple to take an interesting
photo of one of them last week with my 400mm lens.
This morning I went again
But I saw this Canada Geese couple swimming among the long weeds to find foods. They kept coming closer and closer, in the end they were too close for my 400mm lens. To my surprise the got off the water and walked directly in my direction, I grabbed my K50 which was equipped with my DA 16-85mm, they walked just past me and I had time taking some shots. The light level was very low and I didn’t had time to change my settings and I forgot to turn off the SR ( the shutter speed was fast enough to stop the camera movement but not the birds movements).
I got one shot that is sharp enough (no bird movement) and a good pose by one of the Canada Geese. It’s the first time that I saw Canada Geese coming so close to me, usually they swim or flew away when i’m at around 300 feet !!!
Taken with Pentax K50 and DA 16-85mm WR set at 28mm, ISO 800, 1/80 sec. at f/8, handheld.
Canada Geese are back !
Finally the Canada Geese are back here in Canada, it’s just the beginning but it’s one of the best sign that spring is here. I visited some places i knew where they like to stop during their migration to see if i could get some photos. I come home with not so interesting photos but always fun to be out and observe that spring migration after a long winter.
The most interesting photos i made were taken with my 90mm Macro lens of the carcass of a dead Canada Goose. In the coming weeks i will be concentrating my photography on Canada Geese while waiting for the frogs to come out. This year i will try to show them in their habitat when possible to show how much they are during the migration.
BTW, all the photos were taken with my Pentax K50 and Tamron 90mm Macro.
Frosted feathers.
Close-up of a paw of a Canada Goose.
Another frosted leaf.
Family portrait !
Last Week-end i was lucky to be able to photograph a cooperative Canada Geese family. Around here they tend to be nervous and difficult to get close to, but at that pond there are a lot of peoples going there for fishing and walking, so they are easier to photograph.
Nice family portrait, the young geese are so cute, they came very close to me after that shot. Canon 7D with 400mm/5.6 L.
The little geese up-close. Canon 7D with 400mm/5.6 L.
Weekly photo, 13 April 2014
It’s been a couple of weeks now that i didn’t post my weekly photo because i haven’t shot any interesting subject. Canada Geese, Great Blue Heron, Cormorant and even Swallows are back from the South. Yesterday i was on the shore of the St-Lawrence river before sunrise to photograph Canada Geese in the early light, my goal was to get more artistic shots of them. I got some interesting ones, here is my favorite.
Canon T3i, 70-200mm/4L, tripod.
Canada Geese out of the water.
Canada Geese during spring migration can be found eating grass and can be photograph even if it’s not the best looking environment. Try to make the most out of the situation by doing close-ups or getting interesting interactions.
Canon 7D with 400mm/5.6L, tripod, RAW.
Canon 7D with 400mm/5.6 L and TC-1.4X II, tripod, RAW.
At the end of my photo session the 2 Geese were quite close.
Canon 7D with 400mm/5.6L and TC-1.4X II, tripod, RAW.
Not my sharpest shot but i like it.
Canon 7D with 400mm/5.6L and TC-1.4X II, tripod, RAW.
The migrating Canada Geese.
Every year the Canada Geese migrate to warmer climate in autumn and come back in spring to nest here in Canada. They are millions to breed on our land (lakes, ponds etc…), they had some up and down in populations during the history of Canada.
They certainly make a great subject for the wildlife photographer because you can take photos of them in different environments as well as in flight, you can take them in couple or when they all eat in the fields of the local farmers. They have a personality that i like, but they can be very aggressive between each others.
The more you photograph them the more you learn their body language and can anticipate their next move. When they swing their beak up and down and you hear their “Honk … Honk … Honk”, you can be sure they are ready to take off, so be ready. In autumn during the hunting season it can be difficult to get close to them, a hide might be your best bet. I found them easier to get close during the spring migration in my region.
Seeing those big birds flying over me and hearing the sound of their wings and their “Honk” as they pass by me is always an experience that i will remember all my life! I hope that i will be able to enjoy photographing them and share the Canada Geese migrations with my kids for many more years to come.
steevemarcoux2 