Bird Watch

The Birds of Ireland

The theme of this photo journal is of the birds of Ireland. The idea for a photo journal of this theme actually began the very first weekend I was in Dublin. During one of my first walks around the city I instantly noticed the large number of pigeons that crowded the streets and sidewalks. I then came across a couple of swans in St. Stephens Park and immediately took out my camera to take several photographs. Since these first encounters I have constantly been on the lookout for interesting birds everywhere I go. This journal includes only a select few of the many photos I have taken of birds that are found in Ireland.

Seagulls

This image is of a pair of seagulls that were found resting on a couple rocks along the shore. The image was taken in the mid-afternoon on the smallest of the Aran Islands the other week when we went to Western Ireland. Like many of the photos Ive taken of birds I was forced to stand a fair distance away so I would not scare them away. I used a zoom lens that I have for my camera to get a closer up image of the photo. In the photo, the bird on the right was sitting rather still, only moving its head around to observe the surrounding area. The bird on the left had its head turned towards its back because it had been picking at its feathers. The moment captured was during one of the few brief moments that the bird on the left had paused and looked up.

Flying Castle

Another photo taken outside of Dublin, these birds were found in the southwest of Ireland in the Killarney National Park. The Castle in the background is the Ross castle which is an old ruin from the 15th century. Although the castle was interesting to explore, what I enjoyed about this location was the gathering of several types of birds in this one small area by the river/lake. Action shots of birds can be difficult because of their unpredictability so I was pleased to walk away with at least one photo I really liked. What I love most about this photo is the different angles at which the birds are flying at. I find this enhances the randomness of the atmosphere and birds found which I had hoped to capture. The types of birds that are in this photo are swans, ducks, crows, and seagulls.

The Rook Crow

The Rook Crow is the type of crow that was part of the last image. This photo was taken around the same point of time in Killarney National Park, near the Ross Castle. A rook crow is about the size of a Hooded Crow, the rook is all black and in certain lights can show a reddish or purple sheen to its plumage (BirdWatch Ireland). This photo did not require a zoom lens as I was able to walk up very close to the bird without it flying away. Since it was just walking, which is why one claw is blurred in its motion, on the ground I chose to kneel to get a photo of the bird at eye level. This gives the photograph a perspective that relates to what another bird would see if it too had been walking along on the street.

Duck Pond

The Duck Pond, which is not actually an image of Ducks in a pond, is solely just a grouping of ducks floating in the waters on the coast. This photo was taken in western Ireland in a small town named Strandhill, a coastal town part of Sligo. I found this moment to be particularly interesting because of the large number of ducks that were just floating in the water. They all stuck together as shown in the photograph, fighting the waves but not trying to get anywhere. The photograph itself was taken from a point on the shore some distance away where the water did not reach. To get a closer view I once again used my zoom lens to narrow in on one section of the duck colony.

The Pondering

This particular image was taken in Dublin early on in the semester. I found this bird in St. Stephens Green one afternoon while walking to class and I luckily had my camera on me. This bird is nothing like any bird that I have seen before and unfortunately have found it difficult to identify what type of bird it actually is. I was able to capture a couple different angles of this bird doing various poses, but find this particular one to be most interesting. The was in which the bird walked was very interesting to me since it has such long legs. I also like how its head is angled towards the water as if contemplating whether it wants to go in or not. For the few minutes that I stood by this bird taking photos, it continuously walked up and by the edge of the water as it decided whether to go in or not, which in the end it did.

White Beaked

The photo above is of two different types of birds, swans and another unidentified bird. What I like about this photo is that it shows the differences in the personalities between the birds. There are three swans which is a bird that I have found almost never travels alone. Since being in Dublin, whenever I see a swan it has always had either one or two other swans in the same vicinity. The smaller black bird, with a white beak and marking was on its own. Although I have not been able to identify this bird, I have seen it a couple of times and it is usually traveling without any other birds of the same kind. This type of scene makes me wonder why it is that some birds will travel travel in large packs, some will travel in twos or threes, and some travel alone. This photo was taken in Dublin in an area of Phoenix Park.

Magpie Tree

The bird in this photograph has become a favorite of mine. This photograph is one the first bird photos that I took once arriving in Dublin and was a reason I became so interested in the birds of Ireland and Europe as a whole. Found in St. Stephens Green, where this photo was taken, and in other green areas of Dublin, this particular bird is actually a type of Crow. It is was is known as a Magpie, a small black and white bird which can appear to have a blue or green tint as well depending on the light. I have found that these birds do not stay in one place very long and so this is one of the few decent photos I have managed to capture of the bird. This one had landed on a branch and sat there until another Magpie joined it, then they both flew off together, all in what took around a minute at most to happen.

The Swan and Pigeon

The last image in this photo journal is of the two types of birds that were really the inspiration for this theme, the swan and the pigeon. The photo was also taken at St. Stephens Green where I had stumbled upon swans for the first time since arriving in Dublin. The angle of the photograph was obtained by bending over so I was closer to the ground but still looking down upon the scene. In the foreground is the swan which is the main subject with its body turned to the side with its head turned to be looking almost directly at the camera but also over its shoulder. His staring directly at the camera captures how swans tend to be braver than other birds and will walk close to humans, especially if they are being fed. In the upper left of the photograph is a pigeon, one of the many pigeons found in the city. This pigeon appears to be looking its shoulder back towards the swan. This balance artistically is designed to help move your eyes around the photograph and to show the characteristic of pigeons always being around watching but never getting too close.

Photography as an Art Form

Photography is sometimes considered the poor relation of the Arts, inferior to drawing, painting, sculpture etc. Because of its mechanical nature it does not require any real skill. The need for hand eye co-ordination is minimal, the subject of the photograph comes ready made and the Photographer does not need to be creative or imaginative (assignment sheet). My immediate response to this statement is that it is true in some respects but that overall I do not agree with the statement and most definitely find photography as an art form that can be very challenging. I believe that there are two types of photography, one as a pleasure and leisurely activity, and one as an art form, and the difference is in the photographers motive. However just like all paintings, good or bad, are considered art, I believe that all photographs are a form of art. As a graphic designer and photographer myself I definitely do not believe that just because of its mechanical nature does not mean it does not require any real skill. With photography, there are a wide range of cameras to choose from that will give you different image quality. Simple point and shoot cameras can be great for people who do not take a lot of photos and can have decent image quality but it will be impossible to get the best image quality from this camera. An SLR camera of sorts is needed to get higher resolution photos, which produce a higher quality. A manual setting is available on these cameras which allows the photographer to set their own aperture, ISO, and shutter speed. A person must learn how to control these and understand exactly how the camera works to get the best kind of image. Without this knowledge photographs can come out good, but for photography as an art, the photographer must be in control and not use automatic settings. The second half of the statement refers to the subject matter and creativity of the photographs produced. For this I understand why some people might believe this, but personally do not agree. Yes when you hold up a camera the frame is given and all you need to do is put what you want inside that frame. It is not the same as a painter who paints solely from his mind and interpretation of the surroundings. What I find to be left out of the statement though, is the ability to capture your subject in a way to create an interesting composition. This is one of the major differences between good photography and bad photography. The photographers ability to set up a good composition with subjects provided, is a skill that is needed for any good photography or other art form. This is also where creativity and imagination come into play, because it can be very difficult to find a new and interesting composition that has not been done before, since so many people will take very similar photos. Overall, I do believe that photography is an art form that requires a different set of skills and imagination than other art forms without a mechanical aspect. Although anyone is able to take photographs and have them turn out very good, there is a difference in the image quality and artistic merit if the photographer becomes more engaged in the photo taking process than just zooming and clicking a button. This is what makes photography art.