Bued River in golden light

Noticing the interesting formation of clouds over Bued River* late this afternoon, I took a walk along its bank with my 5D MIII and EF 16-35 f4 L IS in hand. I was hoping that the last golden rays of the setting sun would somehow find a way to pierce through a gap in the clouds and illuminate the environment.

 

Sure enough, at about 6:05 pm, a soft burst of golden photons managed to shine through, and a good photo opportunity materialized. I didn't bring my tripod with me, as such would slow me down while trekking over the slippery boulders along the bank.  I had to shoot this one hand held at a shutter speed of 1/6 sec - slow enough to smoothen the flowing water and render the turbulence with a painterly touch, yet fast enough to have a chance of freezing the static elements in the frame.

 

While holding the camera just above the water surface, I framed the scene using Live View and the display grid. It was pure luck that I got a shot with a level horizon, without the need to do some corrective rotation in post process. I find it amazing too that camera shake was tamed well by the lens's Image Stabilizer (IS) system - tiny details are sharp across the frame even at actual pixel view (aka 100% crop).

 

*Bued River originates from the city of Baguio and winds down towards the South China Sea, in the process separating the provinces of La Union and Pangasinan with a natural boundary.

Shooting info - Bued River, Rosario, La Union, Philippines, July 30, 2015, Canon 5D MIII + EF 16-35 f/4 L IS, 16 mm, f/11, ISO 100, 1/6 sec,
manual exposure in available light, hand held/IS engaged, AWB, uncropped full frame resized to 1575 x 1050 pixels.

1575 x 1050 version

Hungry White-eyes after Typhoon "Egay"

After more than 24 hours of strong winds and torrential rains brought by Typhoon "Egay" (international name - Linfa ), Lowland White-eyes converged like starving bees at a fruiting tree in my mother's backyard at Bacnotan, La Union. The tiny birds feasted like there's no tomorrow on whatever berry-like fruits that survived the onslaught of the howler.

 

I braved the light rains and wind of the typhoon's tail-end and enjoyed a prolonged shooting session. I had to wrap my birding combo in a plastic sheet to protect it from moisture. The overcast lighting made exposures easier to tame.

 

Again, the 400 2.8 IS + 2x TC II's IQ and AF accuracy didn't disappoint (the DOF is super thin at 800 mm and 3 - 5 meters shooting distance).

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Lowland White-eye (Zosterops meyeni, a near Philippine endemic)

Habitat - Second growth, scrub and gardens. 

 

Shooting info - Bacnotan, La Union, Philippines, July 6, 2015, Canon 5D MIII + 400 2.8 IS + Canon 2x TC II, 800 mm,
f/5.6, ISO 1600, 1/250 sec, 475B/516 support, manual exposure in available light, near full frame resized to 800 x 533.

1500 x 1000 version

Not the prettiest bird in our islands

This bird is perhaps not the best looking feathered creature in our islands, but it certainly has one of the most impressive avian eyes I've seen (colored blood red, according to the Kennedy Guide). It is a common noisy resident, and can be found in many areas in the lowlands. Its total length is about 8 inches. The adult is glossy black, while the immature (featured here) has a more interesting range of colors.

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Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis, sub-adult)

Habitat - Lowlands from second growth to downtown in cities. 

 

 

Shooting info - Bacnotan, La Union, Philippines, June 28, 2015, Canon 5D MIII + 400 2.8 IS + Canon 2x TC II, 800 mm,
f/5.6, ISO 1250, 1/500 sec, 475B/516 support, manual exposure in available light, near full frame resized to 800 x 533.

1500 x 1000 version

 

A closer view of the eye.

1500 x 1000 version (100% crop)