I got the same one, and started a new topic before I saw this thread. Isn't it nice that we all seem so kind, loving, honest and helpful?

Ran out of a restaurant in Nova Scotia to catch this one.

That's really cool! It gets the old thought processes going... I'm getting some ideas... hmmmm. Thanks for the inspiration!

I don't think any of us was born with "camera talent", so fear not, it can be learned! It looks as if you have an eye for composition, which is harder to learn, so you're well on your way. A couple of things to think about:

1) Painting is an additive medium; photography is subtractive-- start by taking away everything that isn't essential to your artistic vision of the subject. The teacher who gave me that insight (I didn't come up with it on my own) provided one of those great "aha" moments for me.

2) Try building your photos from the background to the foreground, moving around (and up and down) to get the background right before pressing the shutter release. Again, I can't take credit for that insight-- a National Geographic photographer said more photos are ruined by bad backgrounds than anything else.

My own personal preference (and it's just mine, I think) is to liberate my photos from frames, allowing them visual space-- especially if they are living things. Many of the artists here feel differently, though...

What a splendid series! Thanks for a fabulous start to the day.

Because you can see the white extending under the iris, it suggests that the right eye is looking upward more than the left. Which is a bit disconcerting.

I second WHCC-- I've always had great results and fast service.

Thanks, photo guy. I was trying to figure out how to make something that didn't appear to be moving very fast show motion blur. I tried this, and it worked.

I wanted to make the action seem a little faster... shot at ISO 100, f/22, 1/6 sec, zoomed while shooting.

zooming to the scene

I'll add my vote for Red-shouldered adult. Seems the best fit from my two birdbooks.

I'd agree with this pair. The tricolored heron is gorgeous, and the great blue is a beautifully sharp capture, too. Good luck!

[quote=MrP]Wow, thanks. And that platform is almost identical to the two I see all the time. Where is this one located? Nice shots and wow they did grow big..Fast... Nice job...Nice shots.
Gator

This platform is in a St. Paul, MN suburb. For several years the osprey had it, then 2 years ago a pair of geese took it over! I don't think they were successful-- I didn't watch, but I'm betting goslings don't bounce very well.

Osprey add to their nests over the years, and I saw this male bring a variety of sticks for the addition he and the missus were planning. Another one around here incorporated a dead cat and several colorful pieces of clothing into the decor. So there can be lots of variety.

Typically, osprey have 2-3 chicks. Often one will be the runt, and won't survive, but 3 chicks and 2 adults wouldn't be surprising in one nest. They grow very quickly-- these 2 photos were taken one month apart.

They are quite territorial, but if there's abundant food (in the form of fish-- the only thing osprey eat), they might tolerate another family pretty close by.

taken 6/28


7/26-- a lot of growth in a month!

I would certainly like to see more of your views when you have a chance to get back there. And if it's possible to get on the other side of the wooden gate/fence without trespassing, you might find some more great angles.

In #1, the horizontal bar of the gate blocks a lot of the rock wall that it's framing, and the junction/corner of the rock wall is out of the picture. I think it would be a stronger composition taken closer to the gate, with the horizontal bar below the whole wall, and showing the corner where the rock walls come together. I don't know if that's physically possible-- it may not be. But it seems to me the rock wall is the most interesting feature, and so you want to show as much of it as possible.