photos Archives - Page 6 of 11 - Craig Rogers Photography

Young Kingfishers Are Now Out Of The Nests

8th July 20198th July 2019Craig Rogers

It’s taken a long-time this year to get these particular shots of the Kingfishers which started many months ago, originally with the adults.

I have been trying to get very dark backgrounds to create an almost studio-like image. I appreciate that these style of photographs are not to everyone’s taste, but the idea was to create a contrast to bring out the detail in the feathers.

The problem I have had this year is that every time I set the scene, the river has dried out before I manage to capture any shots. However, I found an area where the river has pooled and it seems to be a popular dive spot. This scene has been set for 3 days, however, every morning since has been cloudy. I was awake at 6am this morning and again, the skies were unseasonably cloudy. Slightly later, there seemed be a large gap in the cloud cover so I headed down to the river and got lucky before the cloud re-appeared.

There was a pair of juveniles at the spot, unfortunately, the female didn’t come out into the light, but the male was very happy on the perch. The light still wasn’t great, but good enough even though I was shooting with a slightly slower shutter speed to what I was hoping for. Luckily, he stayed still enough for long enough!

The big giveaway that this is a young male is the legs, you’ll notice that they are not bright coloured, adult Kingfishers have very bright coloured legs.

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📷 Nikon D850, AF-S 500mm f/4 @ 1/640sec, f/8, ISO500Continue reading >>

Morning Dog Walk: Lupi Is Settling In

21st June 201921st June 2019Craig Rogers

It’s been just over a week now and Lupi is starting to settle in. He just about realises that he isn’t going back to the Kennels and that this is his new home. We are having a few trust issues still and he’s found that he likes to chase Cats, but this is something we continue to work on.

Just in case you are wondering, in this photo he is on the lead, but I removed it in Photoshop. He’s not ready to be off the lead yet because we have no way of recall. So he walks on the lead until we are completely satisfied with his trust in us and of course, his hearing issues make it even more difficult.

Please also remember, I offer Dogs-In-Nature Photo Shoots for you and your greatest companions. Dogs-In-Nature Gift Vouchers are also available should you wish to give something different as a present!

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Hiding In The Shadows

17th June 201917th June 2019Craig Rogers

As I continue to shoot more “artmospheric” shots I noticed a huge family of Eurasian Jays in a thick area of Eucalyptus this morning. It included many youngsters shouting to be fed by the parents.

They were mainly in the shade, but the morning sun was breaking through gaps in the branch. Here is one of the Eurasian Jays I just had to shoot with just it’s head in the light.

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Purposely Underexposing A Shot

16th June 201920th June 2019Craig Rogers

I’m a fan of underexposing shots for many different reasons and this was one of them.

You may remember my post from Friday with a Kingfisher watching me whilst I was scouting the river (Read Post). Well once I took the shot, I dialled in -3EV, yes, underexposed the shot by 3 stops.

It was to see if I could hide the messy background and also just expose the areas where late sun was reaching. Then a little bit of work in Lightroom to bring out those lighter spots and the resulting photo is a much nicer atmospheric shot.

Just to clarify, this is a technique I only use when I want to create something a little different. Normally, getting the exposure right to start with is a good plan, although I usually underexposed slightly to avoid highlight clipping.

This Week’s Featured Print: Ready To Pounce (Short-Eared Owl)

15th June 201915th June 2019Craig Rogers

This week’s featured print is also a new addition to the Shop, however, it was taken back in March 2016.

I spent many weeks photographing 2 Short-Eared Owls that were wintering in an area near the city of Derby in England, either arriving before sunrise or an hour before sunset. The were totally fine with my presence. Usually shooting with the 500mm f/4 lens with a 1.4x teleconverter attached I was able to get some close-ups, but also some great atmospheric shots when the Owls where at a distance. Of course, the sunrise and sunset colours always providing an incredible backdrop.

With this particular shot the Owl had spotted something on the ground and was just about to pounce. It did, but came back up empty!

I printed this photograph to put on display at last weekends International Algarve Fair and it looks amazing printed and mounted behind glass, so it is now available for purchase and of course, is this week’s featured print.

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Back-lit Flora

30th May 201930th May 2019Craig Rogers

I was late taking Wally out this morning after a late night in the studio. I have had a lot of Real Estate work (FotoSul) over the last few days and I’d rather process the photos at night!

It was 10am before we headed out and many of the bird life, apart from the Bee-Eaters were quiet due to the already above 30 deg heat. The sun at 10am is strong and high at this time of year, so I used it to capture from back-lit shots of some of the plant life. Here are 4 that I captured. Each photo is taken with -2EV (Exposure Compensation) dialled in. The dark background is provided by some distant trees blocking the sunlight.

First up, one of Emma’s favourite plants, the Allium.

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