More baby greenies

[squirl033]

Went back to the little park in Lynnwood this afternoon to see if I could get some more shots of the baby green herons. Took a while, but eventually they came out and started moving around, sunning themselves in the upper branches of their nesting tree...

[sampoodle]

Wow, they are beautiful! How high off the ground were they? Soon to be a beginner with wildlife, I have to ask, was was the main challenge in taking these shots? I mean, beside waiting...!

[squirl033]

Originally Posted by sampoodle

Wow, they are beautiful! How high off the ground were they? Soon to be a beginner with wildlife, I have to ask, was was the main challenge in taking these shots? I mean, beside waiting...!

Thanks, Sam. They were about 35 feet above the base of the tree, but I was on a hillside close to the tree, so they were only about 15-20 feet above me, and maybe 50 feet away.

These shots weren't all that difficult - it was mainly a matter of waiting till they came out in the open enough for a good shot. It was breezy, and the leaves were blowing in front of them a lot. But I had good light, and the distance wasn't excessive, so those weren't problems, and the nest tree is in a city park that's readily accessible.

For wildlife photography in general, the biggest issues, for me anyway, are distance (you can never be close enough, or have a long enough lens!), poor light (many times animals are most active at dawn or dusk, when it's dim, or the weather's lousy), getting to where the critters are (sometimes involves a lot of driving, and that can get expensive), and FINDING the critters once you get there! . Once you learn about the animal and its habits and habitat, it's a lot easier, though, and you waste a lot less time searching for them. Good luck getting started! I don't know what gear you have or plan to get, but one quick tip... get the best glass you can afford. Better to scrimp on the camera body if you need to save money, and spend your cash on a top-quality lens. I prefer zoom lenses, simply because they offer a lot more flexibility than primes, but some folks want primes because they're marginally sharper. So whichever is more important to you...