Composition for the Amateur

Perspective, the rule of 2/3, color and of course not cutting peoples' heads off in a shot are probably some good basics to bear in mind when putting together decent photos.

I've seen where some online photography instruction suggests that photographers not forget to take occasional portrait shots instead of always taking shots in landscape orientation, but it seems to me that landscape shots are more popular. But if you're putting together a photo book, some of those portrait-style shots will add interest to the layout.

When the shots are all taken and you're in the review process, sometimes a slight cropping can enhance the composition in a shot.

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The secretive Green Heron

This bird is small for a heron, but on close examination, its colors are extraordinary. Double click on the image to enlarge.  Once you've seen it, click on the 'back' button to bring you back here. This appears to be a juvenile green heron because of its brown and white streaked neck, slight crest, and light-tipped wing coverts.  The yellow markings around the bill and eye are also indicative of a juvenile, because the markings are less pronounced in the adult.  They average between 16 and 18 inches long, their wingspan is about 25 inches and they weigh about 8 or 9 ounces.  It's also called the green-backed heron.

This is a difficult bird to get pictures of because of its secretive nature.

This is a photo of the same bird with the colors punched up a little bit.

I stood outside this morning as it was about to rain with my rebel T1i camera and 300mm telephoto lens and managed to get some shots of this one before it started to rain.  I tried different aperture settings because the light wasn't very bright, due to the cloud cover.  ISO 1600, shutter speed 1/100.

I didn't punch up the color on this one, although I did in a few of the other shots I took.

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Downy Woodpecker

Downy Woodpeckers are very quick, almost as quick as a White Breasted Nuthatch, Goldfinch, or even a Black-Capped Chickadee.  At times I wonder if the world appreciates these creatures as much as I do, and at others I don't care because I'm continuing to practice taking shots in different scenarios and gaining more and more experience.

This photo would be another exercise in contrasts, as the colors are vibrant, and the background somewhat muted.

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Color Contrasts

This white egret standing on the boat launch against the darker water seemed a striking contrast.  Waterbirds are everywhere here, but they are not always obvious.

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