Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Swallows





I find it very difficult to photograph barn swallows. Which is why I had to stole this image from the interwebz.
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I've been accused of being a good photographer, but let me tell ya. I'm not. I'm kind of learning to compose nice images, but that's just a matter of finding a setup that my eye and experience tell me might make a good photograph. Then I put the camera on auto and push the button until it stops making images. I push the button a lot and make dozens-to-hundreds of images. Usually the camera will capture something that's marginally worth sharing. And that there is the sum total of my skills as a photog.

But I've been reading up and I'm thinking about trying a few photographeresque techniques. In part because I'd really like to take better pictures to share. The difference between what my eye sees and what my digital camera images is the difference between night and day.

Barn swallows are a good example. They are brilliant in the air, as are most flycatchers. But they don't hold still long enough for the camera's program to capture. I need to tinker with some exposure and film speeds and some aperture settings. I probably need a better camera, but I need to try some stuff to get a better idea of what to buy.

Anyway, here are a couple of swallow videos from this morning.





After I took the videos and got them downloaded, Mom and I went to Scottsbluff so she could have her one-week post-surgery eye appointment. She was pronounced a success and is very pleased with her vision. Then we had the Lincoln serviced in preparation for our pending trip out west. And that chewed up most of the day.

And finally, I've been getting a kick out of this. Great song. And the girl is kind of interesting. Who knew there were 14 year-old internet drummers?

10 comments:

  1. Who knew there were really good 14 year old internet drummers?

    Girl has some mad skills.

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  2. DANG, I need to get headphones/speakers. Thanks for the post.

    Paul L. Quandt

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  3. What an awesome kid, she rocks!

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  4. I see she has two bass pedals. One is on center, the other strikes towards the edge. I wonder how much difference it makes on a drum surface as small as that of a drum kit?

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    1. I saw that too. I have pretty much zero knowledge or understanding of such things, so I'm learning some new stuff.

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  5. ...never played a musical instrument. Nor can I carry a tune. Somehow, I missed getting that gene from the pool. I am in awe of anyone who can do separate things, at different speeds, with each limb. At the same time. The closest I've ever come to mastering something like that was driving a manual transmission vehicle: brake, clutch, gearshift, steering wheel. {chuckle}

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    1. I'm with you on that! I got pretty good (by my own estimation) at hovering H-3's, which for the part-timer can be nearly as kinetic as that drum playing looks to be. Sounds different though. :)

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