Low and Shallow...

William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message

​Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them. Full of splendor and majesty is his work. Psalms 111

Killdeer bird, Charadrius vociferus, on sand and gravel. Photographed in May in Monroe, Walton County, Georgia, USA. The killdeer is a medium-sized plover. A shorebird you can see without going to the beach, Killdeer are graceful plovers common to lawns, golf courses, athletic fields, and parking lots

​Friday, 7:45 AM - Another pre-8 AM birding walk to the shelter pounds before starting the day. Very, very busy at work. Had some coordinating nightmares with the rescue from Alabama. But getting a lot of dogs out!
 
This Killdeer shot was only possibly by getting low and shallow. Even though it may look like a shorebird on the beach, I’m actually not talking about shallow waters at low tide. I’m referring to camera angle and depth-of-field!  

Next to the animal shelter where I work is the Public Works compound. It’s a series of gravel and dirt drives, a few piles of fill dirt and stone, and a myriad of large construction and paving equipment. It isn’t the most flattering landscape. But there are two large retention ponds nearby that attract all sorts of birds and wildlife. The challenge is photographing these birds without the unsightly equipment in the background. 

That’s the beauty of adjusting your camera angle. A few feet to your right or left can eliminate an ugly background. Or getting as low to the ground as possible to move the bird to eye level can create some dramatic scenes. The use of long lenses (also known as zoom or telephoto lenses) can also help to create that shallow depth-of-field which blurs out the background and makes the subject stand out. 
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The photo of the Killdeer looks as if he’s standing on a beach. But that is the magic of getting on my belly for the shot. The bird is actually on a dirt driveway not far from a large tractor! The Easter Bluebird is on an old pile of unused decorative stone. The shallow depth-of-field blurs out the ugly piles of fill dirt nearby. 

Eastern Bluebird songbird, Sialia sialis, perched on landscaping stones. Photographed in spring in Monroe, Walton County, Georgia, USA. The eastern bluebird is a small thrush found in open woodlands, farmlands, and orchards.

Killdeer bird, Charadrius vociferus, on sand and gravel. Photographed in May in Monroe, Walton County, Georgia, USA. The killdeer is a medium-sized plover. A shorebird you can see without going to the beach, Killdeer are graceful plovers common to lawns, golf courses, athletic fields, and parking lots

Common Grackle

Eastern Kingbird

Northern Cardinal