It all happened very quickly. During our paddle tour last Saturday in the Green Island Wetlands I saw suddenly three shore birds landing on a sand bank not far from the kayak. I raised the camera, focussed, fired the shot, and right after the birds flew away. No time for a second chance. The scene had everything that could have made a good photo but I blew it. These Semipalmated Sandpipers posed nicely in their natural habitat. The low perspective is what I’m looking for when I shoot out of the kayak, and the birds are mirrored in the water. So what’s wrong? Well, the focus is on the wrong bird, the one on the left. There is no way that all three could have been in focus because the two on the right are too far behind the left sandpiper. I know I focussed on the one in the center but somehow I didn’t nail it. The problem with the picture is that the eye wants to go first to the bright spots (in this case the two other sandpipers) and second to the sharpest.
I get over a missed shot usually very quickly but this one bothered me a bit. It was the first time that I saw Semipalmated Sandpipers in the Green Island Wetlands. As you already know I shoot a lot from my car in this environment, use it as a blind, and with good success, but nothing beats the low perspective of shooting from a boat. I guess I have to try again… :-(