• Photos

  • Level

  • Score

Baby Blue Sky

© Michael S. Lazarus

Baby Blue Sky

Uploaded: February 18, 2008

Description

f/32, 1/100, 70-300mmVR@70mm, DSC-7042, 8:40AM, ISO 400

I took this shot of Miami's South Beach (looking north) lying on my back with the camera held over my chest. I though the "birds eye" view of the scene would be interesting. Being on my back keeps the camera and my hands out of the sand and provides somewhat of a platform to keep the camera steady. I really closed the lens down to try and get the long view. The ISO still at 400 from earlier-on was a laps but nothing major. The birds in the foreground are Black Skimmers resting from their morning breakfast flight. The beautiful baby blue sky was something I really was hoping to capture by giving it most of the canvas. Hope you enjoy it!

Exif: F Number: 32, Exposure Bias Value: -0.33, ExposureTime: 1/100 seconds, Flash: did not fire., ISO: 400, White balance: Auto white balance, FocalLength: 70.00 mm, Model: NIKON D40

Comments

Aimee C. Eisaman February 18, 2008

Aaaaaaaa! Such a peaceful scene! That blue sky is beautiful! I love all the clutter in the bottom half of the picture....including the puffy clouds. And then the soft abyss of the blue sky! Fantastic compositon! #857938

February 19, 2008

This is a great shot and would make a good club entry #5514986

Kay E. Mahoney level-classic February 19, 2008

Nice capture, Michael. Beautiful colors and scene. Love your description. #5515025

Michelle Alton February 19, 2008

Michael...this IS an unusual POV for such a place, and it is very effective. I see from your wonderful remarks about one of my shots (in the woods) that you are partial to this view. I think I am too. And by the way, I love your gallery description. Haven't had a chance to explore further...I'm at work. Ugh!
Michelle #5515773

Eivor Kuchta February 19, 2008

That's a lot of birds! I didn't see first that they were birds, in the thumbnail, thought they were piles of sand. Beautiful blue color(s) on the sky. #5516065

isabel C. Zepeda level-classic February 20, 2008

another grate photo Michael.
I see you enjoy taking pictures on the beach,i miss that,we have grate beachs in Venezuela,but I dont live there :(.
Have a grate day
Ysa #5521712

Jayme S. Hall February 21, 2008

Michael- What hit me right off was the red building. It is in such stark contrast with the Miami skyline. It almost looks like an old landed UFO :) Especially with those little puffs of clouds nearby it. Then I noticed the man standing at the end of the stairway, looking out at the ocean :)

Anyway, I love your explanation of how you captured your POV. The POV is excellent. It's at times like this that I wish our cameras could even come close to capturing what we are seeing with my eyes! If it were able, we would be able to see all the detail in the shadows of the birds. You made a choice to show the sky & it turned out beautifully, but don't you just wish you could have captured it as you really saw it? Cameras can be such pains! LOL Someday, and probably soon, we will be able to capture all the ranges of light & shadow the human eyes can see. I hope I live that long. #5525340

Patrick Rouzes level-classic February 22, 2008

Unique & exceptional pov, fantastic colors, detail, comp & clarity also!!! Wonderful job here, Michael!!! #5535298

Michael S. Lazarus February 23, 2008

John, Kay, Michelle, Eivor, Isabel, Jayme, and Patrick I want to thank you for your comments here. It really means a lot to me to get this input and the little bit of the sharing of our experiences that accompanies it.


#5537486

Michael S. Lazarus February 23, 2008

Jayme, you have such an incredible imagination. I'm really glad you did "wander" over here. There's always a hot cup to tea waiting for you in my cyber cafe.

Regarding the birds in the foreground and what's lost of them in the shadow detail......... Stay tuned because I have some big plans for those guys. They will be strutting their stuff in my gallery very soon :-)

#5537525

Jayme S. Hall February 23, 2008

Michael- I can't wait :) Don't get too close, they might beat you to death with their wings:) (imagining this in my mind's eye & how the morning Miami Herald headline would read!) LOL

And thanks for the nice complement about the imagination. I had 2 really mean older brothers & 2 really mischievous younger sisters. I had to learn to think fast on my feet in the imagination department :) I remember my Dad use to have this sign, it said, " If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with BS". I did this quite frequently with my older brothers & it usually worked! :) LOL Got me & my sisters out of a lot of jams!

"Why were we playing with your short wave radio? You really want to know why? Well...., we heard this strange noise coming from your room. It was a girl's voice repeating your name over & over & over. She sounded like it was urgent. So, we opened your door & found that the radio had turned it's self on, all by itself. Some girl was trying to reach you :) We tried to respond in your absence, but not knowing exactly how the thing worked, we had to turn "ALL" the dials. Sadly, we lost her, but not before we heard her mention she'd be calling you back in about 5 minutes." ;) LOL And so the story goes :) #5537802

Gail R. Schuett February 23, 2008

WOW...what a great picture with alot of punch!! Did you shoot in vivid?? I would really like to be there...you have captured this sooo very well Michael.Have a super weekend.Gail #5540859

Michael S. Lazarus February 24, 2008

Thanks Gail. Yes, I believe I did shoot this using the vivid mode as I usually do when I go out there. I also tweaked it using Apple's iPhoto to give it a little more pop. You do know where the "Baby Blue Sky" idea came from don't you? We have them here too :-) #5542778

Michael S. Lazarus February 25, 2008

Well everybody, thanks once again for your wonderful comments on this image as I just noticed the EP as I checked my gallery tonight. Yeah! #5551047

Karen Slagle February 27, 2008

Cool shot, Michael. Love the pov and touch of red. #5561279

To discuss, first log in or sign up (buttons are at top center of page).

Get Constructive Critiques

Sign up for an interactive online photography course to get critiques on your photos.


 

Did You Know?

Discussions by Category: You can view photo discussions on various themes in the Community > Photo Discussions section of the site.

BetterPhoto Websites: If you see an orange website link directly under the photographer's name, it's totally okay. It's not spam. The reason: BetterPhoto is the one that offers these personal photography websites. We are supporting our clients with those links.

Unavailable EXIF: If there is no other information but 'Unavailable' in the EXIF (meaning no EXIF data exists with the photo), the 'Unavailable' blurb is not displayed. If there is any info, it shows. Many photos have the EXIF stripped out when people modify the image and resave it, before uploading.


 

The following truth is one of the core philosophies of BetterPhoto:

I hear, I forget.
I see, I remember.
I do, I understand.

You learn by doing. Take your next online photography class.

You &

Love It!

BetterPhoto.com Editor's Pick


Copyright for this photo belongs solely to Michael S. Lazarus.
Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed, written permission of the photographer.
Log in to follow or message this photographer or report this photo.