Canon 1200 D DSLR (T5, T6)

[Karl_Mcknight]

Red Sky at Morning, Sailor take warning........

I was out this morning before sunrise. The Sun was not yet over the Horizon but it was shining its light on the clouds overhead.

This is a Hand held shot of the Red Sky with manual focus and settings

I was at 100mm on my focal length (I wish I had the wide angle lens on at the time but I didn't)

ISO - 400, F10, Shutter 1/50

It's not really spectacular, but I still think it's a cool picture.

 

[DollysMom]

Beautiful! Almost looks like a painting.

 

[Karl_Mcknight]

♪♪♫ Smoke on the Water...... ♪♪♫

Actually it's steam or fog.

We've been hovering around the high 90's, Low 100's daytime and the Low to Mid 80's night time now for about 3 months. After strong storms and a cold front, we woke this morning to 52 degrees in Franklin Tennessee. This is the coolest it's been in a while. It felt good to go out walking this morning, and I caught the warm lake water evaporating into the cold air above.

All of these pictures are hand held, 70mm focal length, manually focused, and manually exposed. My Chosen ISO was 400.

 

[Karl_Mcknight]

No, this is "Not" Jerry Mathers ..........

This is "The Beaver"

I spotted him (her?) swimming along the bank this morning so I followed and the critter crawled out of the water right in front of me and proceeded to strip bark from a tree. "Yummy!"

All shots are Hand Held, Manually focused, and Manually exposed. My Focal Lengths vary from about 100 to 200 mm, and my chosen ISO was 400.

 

[Karl_Mcknight]

Silhouettes anyone?

The sun was so bright, this Great Blue Herron is silhouetted in the picture.

Once again, Hand Held, and everything set manually.

 

[DollysMom]

Nice Karl. So many cool wildlife and nature photos. Yep, that fog forms when cooler air moves over warmer water. Beautiful!

 

[Karl_Mcknight]

Why did the Chicken cross the road.........

Ahh, but the real question why did the Turkey do it?

The answer is obvious, "To rejoin the rest of the Flock."

All hand held, manual focus, manual settings, 100mm focal.

 

[Karl_Mcknight]

More from Radnor Wildlife Refuge

Pic 1 - I got a picture a few days ago of a Blue Herron in bright sun and it was Silhouetted. Today's picture also featuring a blue Herron in bright sun but from a different angle, and you can actually see more detail of the bird.

Pic 2 - This is another picture of one of the many Beavers living on the lake.

Pic 3 - A Chippy Chipmunk posed briefly for this picture. Actually I don't think he knew I was there. As soon as I moved, he bolted.

All pics were taken with the Canon T5 (1200D) Hand Held, manual focus and settings. Lens was 70 to 300mm.

 

[DollysMom]

Well done Karl! Beautiful nature shots. I have to travel to see things like that, or more accurately see things like that in the wild. I live less than a mile from the entrance to Brookfield Zoo. Somehow it's not the same thing.

 

[Karl_Mcknight]

well this is almost like a zoo. Yes, they are wild animals, but it's also a Wildlife Refuge and somehow the animals Know that we Humans can not touch them or hurt them, so they have no problem tolerating us.

A lot of people come here to walk, jog, ride bikes, get exercise, or just enjoy the scenery. A few people like myself bring cameras.

The Deer and Turkeys will literally walk right up to you. There are Otters, Beavers, Birds of all types, Raccoons, and everything else you can imagine.

They are very strict out here and the Game Wardens and Park Police keep a watchful eye. You can't so much as Pick a Flower without being fined. You're not allowed to get in the water. You can't stray from designated trails and roadways.

It seems interesting to photograph so many different animals in one location, but I have to tell you it's really quite easy when the animals walk right up to you and strike a pose for the camera.

 

[DollysMom]

Very cool, Karl! It still takes a lot to get a good picture of wildlife!

 

[Karl_Mcknight]

Pic #1 - Sunrise on the Lake, Pic #2 - A "Downy Woodpecker." I heard him long before I saw him. It took me a moment to find him. Pic #3 - A Beaver standing to reach the Good Stuff. Pic #4 - The Old Valve House. Pic #5 - The Valve. It's all rusted now, but it was opened and closed every day back at the turn of the century to allow water from the lake to flow to Radnor Yard where the old steam Locomotives would stop to refill with fresh water and coal.

All shots hand held, Manually focused and Manually set using the Canon T5 (1200D).

 

[Karl_Mcknight]

Pic 1, an American Cardinal. A very common bird to see in Tennessee, but I still think they are beautiful.

Pic 2, A Turtle covered in green slimy algae, trying to sun himself on a log.

Pic 3, Another Downy Woodpecker. He was making a Hell of a racket up there.

All Pics hand held, shot with the Canon T5 (1200D) manual focus and manual settings. Using the 70 to 300 mm lens.

 

[DollysMom]

They are all great, Karl. But I absolutely adore Cardinals! We have those here an they have a beautiful song as well. I know they are glorified finches, but I just love 'em! Ty for my morning nature fix!

 

[Karl_Mcknight]

yeah big red finches is all they are. They're all over the place here.

 

[Karl_Mcknight]

Pic 1, full moon - this morning at about 5:45 I was sitting in the Starbucks drive through buying a Cup to go and I snapped this picture from the Jeep.

Pic 2, Yes Canada, We have your Geese. If you want them back you'll have to pay a small ransom.........

All Pics Hand Held (of course), manual settings and focus.

 

[Rich Z]

Sigh.... I wish I could shoot that well with all manual settings. Guess I've just gotten lazy and let the camera make it's own best guess. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

 

[Karl_Mcknight]

Well, sometimes the Manual Stuff works too and sometimes it doesn't. I probably toss out more pics than I keep. You'll probably get more and better pictures with the Auto select options than with the Manual selections unless you're a really good photographer.

I use the Manual Settings more often because I believe it makes me a better photographer. I learn what works and what doesn't. If I simply let the camera "Auto" everything, I may end up with some good pictures, but I'm not learning anything. Back when I used film cameras many years ago, the Instructor I had in my photo classes would not let us use Auto on our pictures. She wanted us to use the Manual options whenever possible. I guess that's still in my head today.

 

[DollysMom]

Karl, JMO but anyone worth anything in photography these day tosses a lot of pictures. They also do postprocessing.

I use autofocus and aperture priority most of the time. It gives me a lot of control but also lets all that fancy software in the camera do its job.

With the snakes, the best way for me to get a focused pic on any camera is to use a touchscreen and tap to set the focus point. I let the camera take it from there. But the bottom line is, whatever works for you. If you like full manual, and obviously you can pull it off, go for it!

I believe the product is more important than the process, though it is always interesting to know how it was done. I'm also learning not to let the higher ISOs the camera uses bother me within reason. I limit mine to 1600 tops. These digital cameras are just different animals than the old film SLRs were.

 

[Pumpkin D. Cat]

Well, sometimes the Manual Stuff works too and sometimes it doesn't. I probably toss out more pics than I keep. You'll probably get more and better pictures with the Auto select options than with the Manual selections unless you're a really good photographer.

I use the Manual Settings more often because I believe it makes me a better photographer. I learn what works and what doesn't. If I simply let the camera "Auto" everything, I may end up with some good pictures, but I'm not learning anything. Back when I used film cameras many years ago, the Instructor I had in my photo classes would not let us use Auto on our pictures. She wanted us to use the Manual options whenever possible. I guess that's still in my head today.

I shot 35mm film for years, and, after having two cameras stolen, I finally got back into the game a few years back with a Canon DSLR. I shot in Auto a lot at first, mostly because I was out of practice. I challenged myself to shoot only in Manual mode for a month two years ago. It really helped me understand my new camera. These days I shoot Manual, or in Aperture Priority Mode (Av) if I'm shooting fast.

Excellent work, by the way. I wish I lived so close to that much wildlife!

Take care, and I can't wait to see a better shot of that bald eagle.