Dowitchers

While I’m not adverse to seeing a “first” like the recent Pectoral Sandpiper and I’m not totally immune to the disappointment of not seeing a recently sighted rare bird, I’m am content to just photograph birds I see regularly, learning to see them better and, thus, getting a better shot than before.

While we were at the beach looking for a Ruff, I was content to spend an hour or so taking pictures of Dowitchers, a common bird around here.

Three Dowitchers

Once at the computer, though, I’m less satisfied to merely present the pictures as shot. I almost always re-crop pictures to fit the size of the screen, even though I might like the picture better cropped less tightly in a larger format. Since I shoot with no adjustments in the camera, I also end up sharpening at least the main subject of the shot. And, more often than not, I tweak the lighting to adjust for shooting conditions.

Sometimes, though, I look for new ways to draw attention to the photo, as in this shot,

Dowitchers

where I played around with the texture of the water but left the main subject untouched, something I often do.

Truthfully, the camera is seldom capable of capturing any subject the way I actually see it, so I consider Photoshopping a picture a better way of showing what I actually saw, or, at least, what I was paying attention to the moment I pressed the shutter,

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