M1X In The Barrier Island Mangroves Part One

A wonderful wildlife habitat. Every one of these photos was shot while sitting in collapsable camp chair. As I often do for wildlife photos is hike into remote areas, find a suitable spot and park my butt in a chair and wait. Yesterday it was about three hours not including the hour hike to and from.The fidlers have good eyes but they also feel virations and if walking towards them you never see them. The birds were so close that at times I barely get focus @ 100mm with my Oly 100-400. I’ve used this method for 70 years after my grandfather taught me how to hunt. Yes, I am a Geezer, older than dirt!


Part of this place at ebb tide.


A pretty Snowy with a beautiful blooming mangrove background.


Hundreds of Fidler Crabs that created a 10 foot long herd. You will rarely see that!


White Ibis foraging the last tides bounty.


The inpenetratable mangrove roots They can withstand hurricane wind surges and prevent erosion.


Male Fildlers with one large claw. Used for defense, communication and mating. Bigger is better say the crabs.


Snowy


Female Fidler. Note the claws are same size.


White Ibis


Snowy roosting in the mangroves


Male”bigger is better” Fidler.

Star Geezer said:

Yes, I am a Geezer, older than dirt

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From one geezer to another, great shots and I envy your patience in sitting there for so long!

dicky109 said:

Star Geezer said:

Yes, I am a Geezer, older than dirt

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From one geezer to another, great shots and I envy your patience in sitting there for so long!

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Thanks, Rich, The one thing I've learned shooting wildlife is patience, however, at times, I also just enjoy hiking to see what I can find. I've learned that in many situations, the sit and wait method works quite well. The areas I frequent are not often seen by people so the wildlife is very easily spooked. If the distance to a subject is much greater, requiring maximum reach of my lens in this case 400mm, and then considerable cropping, you reach a point of diminishing returns. I like to bring home images with most of the meat remaining on the bone. I could never have approached those crabs and see them en masse as they would have scattered away. After an hour waiting, I had that egret fly in and landed very close to me. He looked at me and thought I was a stump and harmless. Then went about his job hunting for fish. He flew away a few times but always returned. Every image I posted in this thread I shot sitting.

Great! Good to see someone actually taking pictures. I get the feeling the majority of folks on this forum are just arm chair posters not photographers. Good to see someone take there chair into the bush and wait for something to happen and capture it in photos.

DA

da7329 said:

Great! Good to see someone actually taking pictures. I get the feeling the majority of folks on this forum are just arm chair posters not photographers. Good to see someone take there chair into the bush and wait for something to happen and capture it in photos.

DA

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It is understandable that gear dominates the forum, given its nature. Occasionally, I see some commendable work. However, when I observe a post with an image of a piece of gear garnering more likes than someone’s creative work, I cannot help but question whether the gear worship has transcended its purpose as a tool for capturing images and become an obsessive religion.

I owned a camera & photo shop for over 40 years and I did not see gear worshipping at virtually any level, even in early digital years. I offered free photo workshops at my store that introduced newcomers to general photography skills to advanced photo techniques. I also had a darkroom for all my customers (a small fee for chemicals) and studio room with lighting and backdrops. Most beginners attended these weekly workshops and I was always rewarded to see the improvements and commitment in their work and of course their continual patronage. I even had local pros that were kind enough to share tips and show some of their inspiring work. Back then, brands were used, not worshipped, defended or ARGUED! Of course this is not a blanket indictment, however it does show a propensity to idolize gear but ignore the purpose of gear.

Times have changed as have spending habits especially with digital gear. Where decades ago most people could live comfortably with one body and two or three lenses but then only when years into photography! In this forum alone I see many amateurs with tens of thousands in gear, but in most cases little to nothing to show in their work. But! Take a lousy photo with a "Big White" or other worshiped gear and you are king for the day. What more can I say?

It's rather sad for me to see how far removed people have become in creating meaningful work, but instead immerse themselves into a tribal community. It's interesting but also disturbing for an old timer like me to see what the internet has created not just here but virtually everywhere! and why I don't use more than 5GB of data a month!

Finally a true professional in this MFT swamp! I have a fair amount of gear not for me but to get the best fit for my wife as she has weight limits and high quality standards. She is the professional spending hours and hours in the field trying to get the shot that is her vision.



DA

da7329 said:

Finally a true professional in this MFT swamp! I have a fair amount of gear not for me but to get the best fit for my wife as she has weight limits and high quality standards. She is the professional spending hours and hours in the field trying to get the shot that is her vision.

DA

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Although many times it requires effort and patience to capture the optimal images, I think these virtues are not possessed by most people.

Star, another great set! Beautiful colors and details!

The crabs bear a striking resemblance to those featured in the Japanese film “Crabzilla!” :-D

Very well done!