Tuesday, May 25, 2010

hold it steady

Blue Jays above Memorial Park in Downers Grove

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Red-tailed Hawk with breakfast

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These birds caught my attention on my way to work, so I pulled into the lot for these shots. Limited on time, I took the pics without the tripod. I ended up with a few blurry pics, but I like these two. Cue the piano Jerry Lee, 'cause there's a Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On. I suppose I must come to terms with the fact that I simply do not have the steadiness in my hands that I would like.

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A tripod collar is on order. I hope it helps. (sigh) We shall see.

11 comments:

imac said...

Nice shots Craver, hold your breath until you press the shutter.

EG CameraGirl said...

I think you did quite well without a tripod! Often there's not enough time to set up for a shot. I use imac's technique. Sometimes it works and sometimes....

dot said...

Not bad shots IMO. As much as you stop for pictures I hope you don't have a reputation for being late on the job. lol

Gaelyn said...

Good shots with no tripod. That's why I take many captures and hope at least one turns out.

Craver Vii said...

I've tried that, Imac. I still do that. If I am in a hurry, I hold my breath. If I have time, I take a deep breath, exhale, then hold it. Let's face it; I am to the camera what Barney Fife is to the service revolver. (Have you ever seen The Andy Griffith Show?)

Thanks EG, but these are not representative of most of the shots. I had to throw away some good angles and compositions because of blurriness. It seems the more I grow, the more I see that I need to learn.

Believe it or not, my situation is just the opposite, Dot. I have a reputation for being the first in my department. That is because when 8:30 rolls around, I like to have already browsed through email and have a fresh cup of decaf at my desk. An occasional pit stop for pictures only cuts into my personal email time.

That is the plan I go with, Gaelyn. Since I have to take bunches of pics anyway, I like to look around and ask myself, "What else can I do while I am here?" Sometimes those secondary shots are better than the first ones.

George said...

I think these two pictures are good even without a tripod. You're not the only one afflicted with "a whole lot of shaking goin' on".

SAPhotographs (Joan) said...

Oh my!! Lovely shots Craver. I never use a tripod and it does not work too well with pics like this anyway.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Craver: We can all be thankful for IS and all it does to help. Don't forget your car can be a tripod.

mommanator said...

Nice shot, when I arrived hoem yesterday a tern was sitting atop my cooper mini, I tried to picture it, but of course I wasnt quick enough! Now is it good or bad luck when a tern sits on your roof!

Craver Vii said...

Thanks George. It's just that I see so many amazing things and they inspire me to raise the bar a notch or two.

Well, if all photographers were as good as you Joan, it would endanger the tripod business. Day after day, you amaze me with your unbelievable macros.

Yes Fishing Guy, but only after I remove one of the wheels. ;-)

Whether it is lucky Mommanator, I could not say. All I know is that one good tern deserves another.

lime said...

red tailed hawks are such cool birds.