Figure 1 – Double crested cormorants on Fresh Pond, Cambridge, MA. (c) DE Wolf 2014.

By this point if there is one thing that I have learned about photographing birds is that there is always an issue.  Nothing is ever perfect.  Today was cold, blustery, and there was a spectacular sunlight that reflected off the water. I spotted three double crested cormorants, Phalacrocorax auritus, sitting on a branch that was just above waterline about an 1/8th of a mile ahead of me.  I was convinced that they would fly away before I got there.  But to my surprise the birds stayed put.  Not only that, it was one of the few places on Fresh Pond where the fence is low.  In fact I could rest the camera on top of the fence for extra support.  But then I found the problem.

Try as I would, there was no way to totally avoid intervening branches.  In the end I decided that I would take it as indicative of the surrounding brush, my need to stalk the birds, and their need to hide themselves.  the other problem was that the grouping of three just didn’t work compositionally.  No matter what I did, the photograph seemed out of balance.  So in the end I chose to show only two of these magnificent birds, who to my eye really make a handsome pair.  These are truly gorgeous giants!

Canon T2i with EF70-200mm f/4L USM lens at 172 mm, ISO 1600, Aperture-Priority AE mode 1/4000th sec at f/8.0 with no exposure compensation.