Nature Walks (7 Comments)
When we visited The Grandparents we took many a walk in the drippy woods Rain Forest. We saw many interesting things- like deer tracks, moss, flowers, trees (of course), and birds. One of the birds that Grandpa pointed out was a Pileated Woodpecker.
(Click to enlarge)
Don’t the kids just look enthralled?
Anyway, the Pileated Woodpecker is the largest woodpecker in North America and is about the size of a crow. It has red on it’s head, which I know because I looked it up- it was too far away to get a good look at it. I didn’t even try to get a photo of it because it would have been a dark blob on the side of a tree and you would have looked about like this:
You would have given me the “sure we see it” and the “I’m bored, can we go?” looks.
The Nature Walks were enjoyable to me, at least.
On the subject of Photography in The Rain Forest- you will notice that in the first photo that Grandpa is really the only one in crisp focus. In the second one I think KJ is the clearest. I am just not sure how I could have done it different. I should have tried full automatic just to see what the camera would have tried. Any thoughts?
I don’t know much about photography or cameras. However, I think what you’re expressing is frustration with depth of field. There are many links online if you’re into researching (yes, I am a former library reference clerk). I liked the second result on Google for a fairly clear explanation.
Comment by kn. — April 25, 2008 @ 4:32 pm
However, the more I read about this, the less I feel like I am getting a grasp, or anything like a grasp, on it. So perhaps it is better that you pursue experimentation and ignore me. 🙂
Comment by kn. — April 25, 2008 @ 6:34 pm
Part of the issues I was having was that it was so dark under the trees with an overcast day (on a sunny day it’s not too much better). So I had set the aperture wider open- which let in more light but also shortened the depth of field (focal length). I should have changed it in these photos because we were in a clearing where there was more light. I get caught up in getting the picture snapped and forget to fiddle with the settings. Live and learn!
Comment by JustMe — April 26, 2008 @ 9:52 am
I know nothing of photography but thought the rain forest pictures were great to look at!
Comment by Lindsey — April 28, 2008 @ 7:34 am
I like the results, too. They are loaded with personality and are plenty sharp — especially where you’re rarely going to blow these up to 8×10 or larger.
Although it’s not much value at this point, my sports editor says you may have liked your result better at 200mm or 320mm rather than 70mm. As for me, I still don’t really know.
Comment by kn. — April 28, 2008 @ 8:00 am
I can’t add anything on the technical aspects because I have yet to advance beyond the point-and-shoot level of photography (I haven’t even made the jump to digital, unless you count the camera that came on my cell phone). However, I can appreciate the photo’s composition. Three tall kids standing in a forest with many tall trees in the background — intentional or not, the repetition of the tall-and-vertical theme makes for an interesting picture.
Comment by Arat — April 28, 2008 @ 9:24 am
[…] kids and I are heading to the Rain Forest again tomorrow. The Col. and The Dog will stay here and keep an eye on things- like deer. […]
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