California bird photography

Sanderlings on Asilomar Beach in Pacific Grove Wildlife Photography

Sanderlings on Asilomar Beach in Pacific Grove Wildlife Photography

Sanderlings a fast running shore bird that fascinate me

I have always been very curious about these funny little birds running along the shore at Asilomar Beach in Pacific Grove, California. They search along the water’s edge for food, but seem quite adverse to the water washing over their feet, so they run at an incredible fast pace, their little legs moving like a blur, to avoid getting wet! I finally learned their name, sanderlings, and had a chance to photograph them at their eye level thanks to an unusually high sand dune.

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Cormorant of La Jolla California bird photography

Cormorant of La Jolla California bird photography

Get the background and the bird right

In La Jolla, California I was pleasantly surprised to have the opportunity to do bird photography. I knew there would be a chance for seal photos, but having birds also was great. I miss the bird photography I could do almost anywhere in Florida. Check out this anhinga for example. What makes a good bird photograph (or any photograph) assuming you have a good looking bird as the subject? Then for a bird photo to stand out it is a matter of having good light (it was only so-so in this shot) and having a good background. The latter made up for the former in the above shot with the creamy bokeh created by my Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 G2 lens. The blue in the bokeh is the Pacific Ocean.

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