Eastern Shore Rambling

[Rick F.]

Another beautiful set of pictures, Rick! I was struck as I scrolled down through them a second time (just for visual content rather than narrative this time) at how I love the late afternoon light. The wintering waterfowl picture is outstanding.

I've been in Florida with my mother almost all month, and plan to start for VA tomorrow. Your pictures make it a little more enticing to leave this 80 degree weather and sunshine for the gray skies up north.

Jody

Jody,

Thanks very much. You're right about the late afternoon light. Maybe Kres (or, egads, R'Man) can explain what's so special about early morning and late afternoon lighting--I just know it produces extraordinary sights.

Regarding the wintering waterfowl, most people who have looked at the picture have assumed that they're ducks. I think they're actually geese, but I'll confess I didn't look carefully enough to really tell. What do you think?


The full-size picture, incidentally, only shows some of them. I guessed that there were as many as a thousand in that one creek. It was quite a sight.

Have a safe trip back to the Commonwealth!

Rick F.

[RocketMan]

Another beautiful set of pictures, Rick! I was struck as I scrolled down through them a second time (just for visual content rather than narrative this time) at how I love the late afternoon light. The wintering waterfowl picture is outstanding.

I've been in Florida with my mother almost all month, and plan to start for VA tomorrow. Your pictures make it a little more enticing to leave this 80 degree weather and sunshine for the gray skies up north.

Jody

Jody,

Thanks very much. You're right about the late afternoon light. Maybe Kres (or, egads, R'Man) can explain what's so special about early morning and late afternoon lighting--I just know it produces extraordinary sights.

Regarding the wintering waterfowl, most people who have looked at the picture have assumed that they're ducks. I think they're actually geese, but I'll confess I didn't look carefully enough to really tell. What do you think?


The full-size picture, incidentally, only shows some of them. I guessed that there were as many as a thousand in that one creek. It was quite a sight.

Have a safe trip back to the Commonwealth!

Rick F.

A very good question (and one obviously beyond Ricky-boy limited comprehension,


but then so it is beyond mine..

(Stabbing myself madly in the back I continue none the less)..

I’ve always thought it was due to the fact the light is "softer", being filtered by the additional atmospherics, similar to how the moon looks larger, softer and more orange (and the sun through early clouds for that matter) and the fact that shadows are longer which helps bring depth to the scene again similar to shooting the moon; a 2/3 moon shows greater detail than a fully lit one when viewed through a scope or in a photo. Also the fact that there is less contrast between the lit and unlit areas helps brings out greater detail, since the pupil of our eyes, just like closing down the F-stop gets smaller as the scene get brighter. Any one who’s done much photography can tell you high noon is the hardest time to get a well balanced image on a bright day, an overcast day produces much better results, contrast wise. But mostly I really think it’s the filtered effect that softens the image and brings out the longer wavelengths while blocking the shorter ones (or is the other way around?). Even to the naked eye things just have a more pleasing texture to them during those times.
That’s the semi-scientific totally off the cuff answer that first pops into my brain-pan….
Take it away kres…

And who is this egads person?of whom you speak?? Is he a new rival I will have to dispatch in short order, pray tell (or not, as the mood lighting strikes you, (preferably a solid, deadly blow to the head!))

RM