This is a chapter from my seventh book called Bookeh - Through the lens of a Trinidadian photog
From light to flight. My last chapter was titled light and this chapter is titled flight. They say that the early bird catches the worm but I want to say that the early photographer catches the bird. At least that is what I had hoped for. The best camera is the camera that you have but some situations are easier with good gear. Birds and wildlife for example are easier to capture with a superzoom. Nonetheless I set out with my mobile phone this morning to get a photo of a bird in flight. Can you spot the bird in the photo? It is in the upper left hand corner. Probably a pigeon. The birds I see in my neighborhood are egrets, herons, pigeons, tanagers, mockingbirds, kiskadees and house wrens. I did manage to see a hummingbird this morning also. That does not happen often. I also saw a plane (the mechanical bird) heading for Piarco. I wanted birds in flight but I also saw some birds in fight. Gemini tells me that birds fight primarily over territory, mates, food, and protection of offspring.
The morning was beautiful. There were clouds in the sky. The birds were chirping and in search of their morning meal. I was hoping that one would fly by close enough to make a good photo. I was looking firstly to the East where the sun was rising. In all my photos the birds came out tiny even when I used two times zoom. Zooming more than two times on my smartphone is just horrible. I just do not bother. I found a spot where the top of the hibiscus plant and flower kissed the sky. I thought to myself this would make a beautiful photo especially if the birds flying by would come in the frame. I took about 200 photos in total. None of them was "the shot" that I was looking for. I was patient and stood there for some time but that was not enough. I was defeated. I would have to do this another day. But I did have something to work with and a story to tell.
Motion photography captures movement in a still image, often using techniques like long exposure or panning. Also, adjusting shutter speed controls how movement is captured, from freezing action to creating dramatic blur effects. When I saw the hummingbird. The idea of having a hummingbird come up to the hibiscus with its fast flapping wings and me capturing that enticed me. That would have been perfect and dreamy. I did some artistic post processing on the photo I came away with. I adjusted the levels and created a nice clear sky and added some grain. I like the photo because it represents effort and better try next time and better luck next time. Many times in life we do not get what we want. We come away empty handed. We taste defeat. But we live to fight (or flight) another day.
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