Photo ABCs

Whimbrel

A Whimbrel takes flight.

Photographed yesterday in La Jolla, California, shortly after sunrise.

Great Egret

Another Great Egret, fishing in a sliver of light remaining at Famosa Slough last Sunday afternoon.

Look carefully and you can see that it has caught a small fish.

The more I photograph birds the more I try to emphasize their environment, and compose the photo as though it were a small landscape. (tap or click to enlarge—it will look better!)

 

House Sparrow

Few birders, myself included, would give a House Sparrow more than a quick glance.

Many would scorn them, being an introduced species in the United States.

Yet any bird in good light, posed nicely, with a nice background, is a candidate for a photograph! And it's actually a handsome bird, such as this male in its breeding plumage.

Photographed last Sunday at Famosa Slough in San Diego.

 

Flower

I don't know the name of this flower, but I liked the composition!

The softness of the image, in part, is caused by using a very long lens with a shallow depth of field, as well as shooting through a small opening in the vegetation of the plant with the red flowers.

Photographed last week at Fullerton Arboretum.

Allen's Hummingbird

An Allen's Hummingbird strikes a pose.

Photographed last week at the Fullerton Arboretum.

 

Great Egret

This Great Egret was trying to be inconspicuous to fish below, barely moving as it hunted for its dinner, shortly before sunset at Famosa Slough.

The colors in the water are reflections of the setting sun, reflected by apartment windows across the slough.

Photographed two days ago.

(tap or click to enlarge)

American Wigeon

I may have a few more Day of the Dead photos to share, but time for a break.

It had been a while since I had visited Famosa Slough, one of my favorite birding spots in San Diego. I stopped by yesterday just before sunset. This young American Wigeon glided past as the light was disappearing.

Day of the Dead: Oaxaca

Candles burn in the cemetery of Xoxocotlán, during Day of the Dead, 2019.

Day of the Dead, Oaxaca

Inside the tombs at the Panteón General in Oaxaca, during Day of the Dead, 2019.

Day of the Dead: Oaxaca

In the cemetery of Xoxocotlán, during Day of the Dead, 2019.