Seagull, Narragansett bay, Rhode Island
Again with the Narragansett Bay. I went out onto the bay on a boat in October with John Stone.. It was our last weekend up there and we wanted to get our chance to go boating. The bay is encompasses over half of the size of Rhode Island. The state wraps around the bay with two large islands in the middle. The middle area of the bay between Aquidneck and Conanicut Islands is over a mile wide and over 100 feet deep. During the colonial era Newport was a thriving port rivaled only by New York and Boston. The American Revolution and the War of 1812 tempered the the port access early in its development as many ships were sunk by the British deliberately to prevent it use by the Americans.
The photo of above is a Herring Gull as it takes off from the water. The photo is as much about luck as it is about skill. Technically the photo was made at aperture priority at 1/640 sec at f5.6 at ISO200 with a 70-200mm. Vibration reduction was critical in making this photo as we were on a 18 foot skiff going at 10-12 knots. The luck was that the bird lifted off in our direction, but it was the preparation for this scenario that got the photo. Most lenses are at their optimal sharpness 2-3 stops down from their widest setting. In other words for a f2.8 lens set the aperture to 5.6 or 8. This ensures a sufficient amount of sharpness over the whole subject and a fast enough shutter to freeze action.
I noticed the bird a few yards ahead as we were moving so I set myself up and tucked the camera in as close as possible to minimize the bouncing of the waves. Then I monitored the rhythm of the bouncing to shoot at the proper time. Luck would have the bird taking off as we were in a dip in the waves to allow a brief moment to shoot. The VR mode on modern cameras is terrific in it compensating for the violent pounding of the waves.
To learn more about Narragansett Bay:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narragansett_Bay
http://www.visitrhodeisland.com/what-to-do/jewels-of-the-bay/