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What's Up Dude? - TBN 6


What's Up Dude? - TBN 6
Photo Information
Copyright: Loot Eksteen (loot) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5695 W: 603 N: 3357] (8939)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-04-27
Categories: Birds
Camera: Cannon EOS 350D, Sigma 170-500mm f/5-6.3 AF APO Ultra DG, Digital ISO 100, UV 86mm Kenko
Exposure: f/8, 1/640 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Theme(s): Birds of South Africa 1, 60 - 69 Points (Chapter 2), A study in Ornithology, Birds / Aves, Birds of Africa, Touched by Nature [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2006-06-20 20:46
Viewed: 1397
Points: 60
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
African pied wagtail - Motacilla aguimp

The 6th delivery of the "Touched by Nature" series.

This curious little wagtail was photographed at the Thulasihleka Bird Sanctuary at Richards Bay. I said before that I believe there is no such thing as co-incidence when it comes to nature. Sometimes we are at the right place, at the right time to witness something extraordinary or special, but I don't think it has anything to do with luck or chance. Nature selects us, and from time to time it gives us a moment of special attention, revelation, or even interaction which transcends the normal run of the mill stuff, which is greater than the every day average experience and seems to place it into the category of insignificant mediocrity.

Whenever this happens, whether we are ready and prepared for it or whether we are surprised by the moment, we then tend to call it "luck". I say luck has nothing to do with it. While we actively search for and go out of our way to look for whatever nature has to offer us we spend hours waiting patiently or sometimes it just comes out of the blue, but either way I believe it was really nature which selected us to reveal that something special or to interact in a peculiar way towards us. These are the moments when nature impresses us the most. These are the moments that have long lasting memories burned into our minds.

So it was with this little guy. (Please refer to the workshop for indications which follows.) As I sat inside the bird hide (at the arrow), and facing towards the gang way leading unto the bird hide, this little wagtail came and sat on the split poles, at spot "A", ±6m away from me. He started to sing with a joyful, shrill voice calling "tjee-tjee-tjeree-tjeroo". My 170-500mm Sigma lens was pointing out of the hide, through the viewing slot, as I just took some photos of a swamp hen in the reeds to the right of point "B". Between verses he would stop and stare at me with his head twisting and turning to get a better view of me. I obviously started to shoot him while he came closer, stared at me, sang his song, stared at me, came closer and so it continued until he was so close to the hide that the angle was too peculiar so that I couldn't manoeuvre my lens through the viewing slot to follow him anymore. This meant he was too close anyway for me to take a photo as the Sigma's minimum range is 3.2m.

The next moment he took off and flew down towards me, hovering in mid air ± at the point of the arrow. This was approximately 1.5m away from me and I could not believe this curious guy was actually inspecting me, trying to see what I was doing inside the hide with this big black lens sticking out at the side. That’s when I got touched by nature as he actually landed on the edge of the viewing slot (point "C") 1m away from me and just sat there looking at me. No need to say I sat frozen, drinking in and enjoying this extraordinary moment while it lasted.

Post Processing was done with Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0.
lovenature, jeanpaul, pilonm, rsiliato, manyee, Janice, red45, scottevers7, Dando, elefantino, SkyF, LCannon, valy67, peter_stoeckl, marhowie, ramthakur, jchemas, cas_orla, aido, zeca, firelord, goutham_ramesh, Gudule, Dyker, Leace, Miss_Piggy, Rehanna has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To Gudule: Most welcomeloot 1 06-29 00:03
To LCannon: On second thoughtloot 2 06-24 02:02
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi Loot
I love the look this African pied wagtail is giving you as you took his photo. I guess he was checking you out as you were checking him out. His cocked neck adds interest to the photo, instead of just being perched. The blue sky in the background really shows off his true colours. Your notes are very interesting. TFS Janice

  • Great 
  • pilonm Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 542 W: 99 N: 813] (2647)
  • [2006-06-20 21:53]

Hello Loot,

What a curious and nice look that African Pied Wagtail offered you that sunny day! He looks like saying : "What are doing here???". The nice blue sky act as a wonderful bg in order to enhance the bird. Your note and workshop helped a lot to feel what you feel when you capture that nice guy! Excellent pov and composition. TFS, Loot!

Michel

  • Great 
  • manyee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3068 W: 231 N: 5840] (19618)
  • [2006-06-20 23:54]

Hi Loot,
I just loved your story. : )
I agree with you that nature chooses us at times,
and we feel so blessed. : )
You did a great job of catching this wagtail's inquisitive expression. The pose is just fantastic, with that head tilted just so, the wonderful eye contact, the tentative foothold.
Focus, exposure, and composition are right on the spot.
The wagtail honoured you by his attention, and you honoured him with your skillful artistry.
TFS a great moment. : )

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2806 W: 75 N: 7857] (26309)
  • [2006-06-21 2:12]

Hi Loot!
First of all I love pose of this bird. With your great title it made excellent combo :-) Exposure is very well - whites, blacks and blues of sky are nicely visible. Note is long and interesting. Perfect post!

"hello, i´m from the bird police, may i see your photographing license, sir?"

"touched by nature" should be a book of short stories
of your "adventures" and illustrated with your great shots, loot! :-)
the pose is amazing, like he´s really trying to communicate
with you, giving you the eye with an opened beak.
excellent composition and good pov, nature offered you,
with a perfectly handled exposure on the difficult black and whites.
well done & take care, thor.

  • Great 
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3414 W: 144 N: 5803] (17197)
  • [2006-06-21 3:29]

What an experience Loot! Wonderful. "Touched by an angel!" An angel that came to sing to you, to spoil you. And he had no fear of you either. Super story.
Super little bird too, well captured, more so because of the story, of his visit to you. Yes, you were blessed, and so are we...
Janice

Loot,

Great Sharpness, detail, Composition and the clear sky in BG make it a great pic. Nice pose from the subject too! TFS,
Sheriff

Hi Loot,
I guess that is sometimes a nice problem to have when they are willing to come so close that you can not even focus on them. I think at times it is just better to put the camera down and just enjoy the moment. We work so hard to get the photo that we really don't enjoy it unless we get a great photo. This looks great! Beautiful saturated colors and sharp detail. Great interaction between you and the bird is plainly visable with his look. Nice ork my friend!
Scott

  • Great 
  • Dando Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 643 W: 32 N: 790] (3052)
  • [2006-06-21 8:28]

Hi Loot, great shot. Lovely moment and expression captured. Details are clear with good exposure on the colours and the bird has chosen a nice POV for you :-) with the blue sky. I agree with your comments about nature selects you as recently I had quite a bizzare experience. I was sitting in my car with the window down patiently waiting for some rabbits to appear, suddenly out of nowhere a finch came and rested on my car side mirror, looked to see what I was upto Totally amazed and surprised I remembered I had a camera in my hand but by this time is was too late and it flew away. Anyway thanks again for sharing your wonderful photos and stories.
Best wishes,
Dean.

Bonsoir Loot
Félicitation pour cette belle présentation avec ce bel oiseau ,c'est la première fois que j'en vois un sur le site.Les détails et les couleurs sont merveilleux,l'oiseau se démarque a merveille dans ce magnifique ciel bleu.
Bravo et merci...JP

Hi Loot nice bird here.
In Italy it looks a little different.
The eye is really vivid with its light.
Nice pose, too and interesting note.
Andrea

  • Great 
  • SkyF Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2390 W: 194 N: 1991] (8113)
  • [2006-06-21 12:25]

Hi Loot,
it seems to be really curious, as much interested in you as you on him. Very nice Eyecontact and great POV. Details, sharpness and colors are excellent.
TFS..Sky

I love this photo Loot for the special message it sends about nature and those special moments we sometimes seem to stumble upon. You've captured the birds curious stare, head turned just slightly, well done.

Yesterday I had pause to think of your note which I had read but neglected to leave a critique. On the way to our hike from Watum Lake we encountered a black bear standing in the middle of the road. I've only seen one other in my lifetime in the wild. It was an amazing encounter and I thought of your note, maybe we were selected for this special attention. In any case it was one of those magical things we won't forget soon.

Thank you for your point of view on the subject, I appreciated it.

Hi Loot ! What a wonderful bird ! It looks really curious, it seems that you really interested him. The pose of the bird is fantastic, it is looking directly at you, and this blus sky in the BG is very beautiful, makes the bird stand out nicely. I alsoloved your note, it is excellent as always from you. I'm glad you decided to share this special moment with us.
Valérie.

Hi Loot,
very lively pose, and a very charming character portrait!
Lovely shot. Thank you!
Best regards,
Peter

Hello Loot, another excllent Job here, perfect details, very crisp, colors are right on target, Perfect DOF, BG and POV Great , Great Job, TFS Kyle

Hi Loot,
You've caught a very nice pose, great POV with eye contact also..This is a well composed closeup, with very good exposure and sharp details...
The blue BG nails it :)
Very nice work..and Thank You!

Your views on man and nature in your note verge on mysticism, Loot. Perhaps you are right; perhaps your convictions grow out of lived experience. The story of your encounter with this bird seems to me to be a fair example of what you have tried to say.
Anyway, the picture is beautiful. The way the bird is looking at you speaks of the communion between you two. A great moment!
Thanks for your thoughts and the nice picture.

Hi Loot,

This critter must have been very close for the DOF to run out at F8. Tack sharp where it count though. Well done. I have never seen one of these before... TFS.

Hi Loot,
such a wonderful bird and I like it how it looks down to you, asking: What's up - so your headline is also perfect. Thank you very much for this lovely shot
Sabine - wishnugaruda

Hi Loot.
This wagtail looks splendid in this shot. Looks like is asking if you want him to pose in another angle.
I really like the composition and its colors and details. The, POV and BG are superb.
Regards and have a wonderful weekend my friend.
Jorge

  • Great 
  • aido Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1097 W: 168 N: 1221] (4048)
  • [2006-06-24 20:05]

Hi Loot,
He looks as if he is up to something, tiptoeing along the section of hide like that, almost as if he is trying to get by without you seeing him :-)

Firstly, excellent note and additional information through the workshop post, a great example to TN'ers. Secondly, the shot is great too, difficult circumstances and a great result. Good exposure, great detail and colours. Great post.
Regards,
Adrian

  • Great 
  • zeca Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 370 W: 14 N: 530] (2795)
  • [2006-06-25 1:21]

Hi Loot!
What a nice post! Excelent sharp details and perfetc lights! I see that I should dream about to buy one 170-500mm in the future to shot birds... well done photo and note!
Regards,
Zeca

  • Great 
  • osse Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1029 W: 0 N: 90] (7659)
  • [2006-06-25 4:07]

Hi Loot
He is giving you a pose. Good POV and colours. Great sharpnes, details POV and note.
Well done Loot

osse

Hi Loot,
Luck?? what is it :-) Such a lovely note, it makes me think a lot.Great picture. I like the catch light in the eye and the expression filled shot! were you expecting it :-)...
The Blue BG compliments the other tones in the picture very well!
Great Note , keep it coming
TFS
Goutham R

Hi Loot,
Thought I would check in and see your postings. This is an excellent exposure getting awesome illumination for both white and black tones. Im down in Peru, I went to Machu Pichu the other day and enjoyed it very much, forgive me if I havent stopped by lately.

I got a cool picture of a local lizard running across the archeological ruin walls of MP, it was weird, it looked like it wanted its picture taken or it was just very inquisitive.

Paul :)

Bonjour Loot,
Merci pour cette belle Pie. Ici, notre Pie d'Amérique (Black-Billed Magpie)est vraiment différente. Et elle ne se montre pas souvent.
J'aime beaucoup cette photo qui montre de très beaux détails. Votre note est une inspiration pour moi. Si vous le permettez, je vais l'imprimer pour la conserver et la relire souvent.
Merci à vous.

Very nice bird. I have never seen this bird before. I like the pose, exposure and sharpness are wonderful. TFS

Hello Loot

Goed, goed, laaste een, ek belowe. Ek is lekker verveeld vannaand so ek geniet so bietjie om na jou ouer fotos te kyk. Hier is 'n skatkis met sulke pragtige materiaal dat 'n mens eintlik nie weet waar om te begin nie, toe los ek maar daardie wat reeds min of meer genoeg gesiggies het en konsentreer op daai wat dalk so bietjie ingedoen was. Soos hierdie een by voorbeeld. Hierdie ou kwikkie is te oulik vir woorde en ek het jou notas so veel geniet. Ek het die nuuskierig van 'n kwikkie al baie maal in my lewe ondervind en kan myself 100% vereenselwig met jou storie. Hierdie outjie is pragtig afgeëts teen die diep blou lug.

Groete
Rehanna

Hallo Loot
This is a fantastic photo with details clearly visible and well displayed. Great focus, great sharpness and great framing. Image presented in a superb manner. This is a very nice shot of a beautiful curious looking wagtail, as if it is asking "What are you doing down there?" The dark and light colours of the plumage are really a beautifully displayed. I fancy the stripe on its head, the partly opened beak and especially the catchlight in the eye. The blue-blue sky as background brings out the colours of the plumage even more. It was a delight to look at this inquisitive little fellow. Thanks for sharing.
Love
Anna

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