'Sunset Marsh'. 5x7. Pastel
Gathering reference photos is hard work! Today Jayne and I spent the day touring around Lake County Florida. We decided to stay a day after the workshop to unwind and get some Florida bird photos. It was an amazing day. We took hundreds of photos and added a few birds to our life list.
We saw many osprey, a few bald eagles, hawks and countless herons and egrets. But just as good as the bird sightings was their surroundings. We saw beautiful marshes and lakes and ponds and canals. I can't wait to get home and not only apply what I've learned at the Doug Dawson workshop but also to paint some birds.
I am a firm believer in using my own reference photos for my paintings. I have learned a few things about taking good reference photos. Here are my top tips:
- Be sure to have plenty of free memory on your camera cards.
- Charge your battery and carry a spare battery.
- Take lots of photos. Don't be stingy! You can always delete but I find the bad photos make the best paintings!
- Take close ups of the flora and fauna. They might not look like great photos but they will be valuable to help you understand the area better.
I will be blogging more about taking photos and cameras. I want to share a review of my latest camera...a canon super zoom!
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I didn't know you were also a birdwatcher! :)
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