Lunch Along the Kamo River, Try #2
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Yesterday in “Lunch Along the Kamo River”, I wrote that I wanted to visit the birds at the river with a longer lens, and indeed, today I spent awhile with my Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm zoom. The weather/lighting was quite different today, and this time I was on the other side of the river...

Lunch Crowd Two egrets and a heron at the Kamo River, Kyoto Japan -- Copyright 2010 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 65 mm — 1/1250 sec, f/9, ISO 900 — map & image datanearby photos
Lunch Crowd
Two egrets and a heron at the Kamo River, Kyoto Japan

I focused on the large egret closest to me, who held this pose for the longest time...

Watching. Waiting. Motionless. -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2010 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 340 mm — 1/1250 sec, f/9, ISO 1100 — map & image datanearby photos
Watching. Waiting. Motionless.

I had my monopod with me, but soon wished that I had my tripod. The birds didn't move, so I could have set the camera on the tripod and relaxed with the remote shutter release in hand. As it was, I tried the best I could to be comfortable holding the heavy lens and camera focused on the bird for long periods at a stretch, but you get the best stability from a monopod when everything is out of balance, so it was a challenge.

Eventually the bird started wandering around a bit aimlessly...

Pardon Moi while I scratch -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2010 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 380 mm — 1/1250 sec, f/10, ISO 900 — map & image datanearby photos
Pardon Moi
while I scratch

... and then suddenly with purpose he stuck his neck way out as he marched quickly over to the waterfall...

At Attention -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2010 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 500 mm — 1/1250 sec, f/10, ISO 720 — map & image datanearby photos
At Attention

... and then held a striking pose for a bit...

Like a Cobra at Defcon 1 -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2010 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 290 mm — 1/1250 sec, f/10, ISO 800 — map & image datanearby photos
Like a Cobra at Defcon 1
Seems to Have an Audience -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2010 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 95 mm — 1/1250 sec, f/10, ISO 1000 — map & image datanearby photos
Seems to Have an Audience
Piercing Strike! -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2010 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 210 mm — 1/1250 sec, f/10, ISO 800 — map & image datanearby photos
Piercing Strike!
“Houston, We Have Lunch ” -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2010 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 210 mm — 1/1250 sec, f/10, ISO 900 — map & image datanearby photos
“Houston, We Have Lunch
Sashimi doesn't get any more fresh than this -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2010 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 500 mm — 1/1250 sec, f/10, ISO 640 — map & image datanearby photos
Sashimi
doesn't get any more fresh than this
O ( crop from the photo above ) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2010 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
O
( crop from the photo above )

I was doing this with manual focus, and I feel happy with my manual-focus results for the first time in a long while.

And then “poof”, the fish was lunch...

Down the Hatch -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2010 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 420 mm — 1/1250 sec, f/10, ISO 720 — map & image datanearby photos
Down the Hatch
“Gulp” -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2010 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 420 mm — 1/1250 sec, f/10, ISO 720 — map & image datanearby photos
“Gulp”

This is somewhat more work for lunch than the bird in “Lunch with a Great Blue Heron” had to do, but perhaps more satisfying.

Then a much smaller, more delicate egret flew in to try his (her?) hand at it...

Smaller. Closer. More Classy. is it even the same kind of bird as the first one? -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2010 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 290 mm — 1/1250 sec, f/10, ISO 720 — map & image datanearby photos
Smaller. Closer. More Classy.
is it even the same kind of bird as the first one?
Waddyuz Lookin' At? -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2010 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 500 mm — 1/1250 sec, f/9, ISO 900 — map & image datanearby photos
Waddyuz Lookin' At?
Quick Strike! apparently, faster than I am -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2010 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 240 mm — 1/1250 sec, f/14, ISO 1400 — map & image datanearby photos
Quick Strike!
apparently, faster than I am
Empty Handed ( but not for long ) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2010 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 240 mm — 1/1250 sec, f/14, ISO 1250 — map & image datanearby photos
Empty Handed
( but not for long )

One second later, so fast I couldn't get the strike...

Lunch -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2010 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 240 mm — 1/1250 sec, f/14, ISO 1250 — map & image datanearby photos
Lunch

And equally fast, in a second or two it was down the egret's throat.

Then the egret did a pufferfish impression...

Puffy Egret Pose #1 “pufferfish” -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2010 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 380 mm — 1/1250 sec, f/16, ISO 1400 — map & image datanearby photos
Puffy Egret Pose #1
“pufferfish”
Puffy Egret Pose #2 “penguin” -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2010 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 380 mm — 1/1250 sec, f/16, ISO 1600 — map & image datanearby photos
Puffy Egret Pose #2
“penguin”

I didn't think I had much prospect to top that, so I decided to call it a day.

Parting Shot Golden Late-Afternoon Sun -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2010 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 50 mm — 1/1250 sec, f/14, ISO 1000 — map & image datanearby photos
Parting Shot
Golden Late-Afternoon Sun

As I was leaving, I came across this couple having a cozy lunch, and thought the inviting, relaxing (and nicely photogenic) view would make for a nice ending to the bird lunch story...

Lunch people style -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2010 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 500 mm — 1/1250 sec, f/6.3, ISO 500 — map & image datanearby photos
Lunch
people style

It's always nice to visit the Kamo River area with a camera, as there are usually lots of people enjoying themselves. Of course, three months ago the water was several meters higher and flooding angrily, so less enjoyment then, but still nice to visit with the camera.


All 6 comments so far, oldest first...

Great shots… would love a lens like that. Can really reach out and touch them. It’s a great location as well… lots of great water texture there.

— comment by AdelaideBen on October 15th, 2010 at 4:46am JST (13 years, 5 months ago) comment permalink

how How HOW did you do that?!!!?
Even with the carpet-bomb approach to digital photography, I can only rarely get my own child’s eye in focus even when 6 feet away and bribed into absolute stillness by promise of an M&M. Not only did you get the fish’s eye in perfect (MANUAL!!!!) focus, you got the *expression* on the fish’s face.

Awesome series.

— comment by Marcina (USA) on October 15th, 2010 at 10:14am JST (13 years, 5 months ago) comment permalink

Nice sequence of photos.

You’re right, they are different types of birds. The first one (with the yellow beak) is a Great Egret. The second one is either a Little Egret or a Snowy Egret – they’re pretty difficult to tell apart.

— comment by Ed Rosack on October 15th, 2010 at 11:53am JST (13 years, 5 months ago) comment permalink

The closeup in “O” is captivating; loved the composition with complete beak & sharp focus on the egret’s eye, along with inclusion of the fish eye mirroring egret’s.

— comment by parv on October 15th, 2010 at 12:20pm JST (13 years, 5 months ago) comment permalink

That Sashimi/O shot is fantastic! You can definitely be proud of that.
You can almost see the victory in the eyes of the egret and the despair in the fish’s… 🙂

The birds were pretty casual about it all… lunch was lunch was lunch…. same thing day in and day out, i’m sure. Certainly quite different for the fish, for which it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event. —Jeffrey

— comment by Jonas, Tokyo on October 15th, 2010 at 12:53pm JST (13 years, 5 months ago) comment permalink

Great photographs, mate! Thank you for sharing

— comment by Mike on January 17th, 2014 at 10:52pm JST (10 years, 2 months ago) comment permalink
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