Cindy Marple  

Bedlam by Cindy Marple

January 2025 - Bedlam

January 2025 - Cindy Marple

Original

January 2025 - Cindy Marple

Original 2

About the Image(s)



I went to New Mexico in early December to photograph Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese, which winter there by the thousands. Corn is planted in this refuge for the birds, and they move between the fields and overnight roosts in nearby ponds. In the late afternoon the birds congregated in this field, and would periodically “blast off” in waves as they moved around. It was quite the sensory experience with the sight and sound of so many birds in the air together. And amazingly they don’t seem to ever collide. I tried different techniques and focal lengths with the different blastoffs, including some slower shutter speeds as the sunlight began to fade. I liked the compression with this longer focal length, which I felt emphasized the chaos.

Nikon Z8, 100mm, 1/800 f/13 ISO500

Post processing: increased the exposure and contrast and bumped up the saturation a bit.

5 comments posted

Bruce Benson   Bruce Benson
(Groups 59 & 72 & 91)
Cindy, Your image really shows the incredible scene of the birds at Bernardo. It is a world class experience to see and your image makes me want go back again already. Very well done. Bruce   Posted: 01/03/2025 16:03:16
Larry Treadwell   Larry Treadwell
I have to agree with Bruce. While it has been nearly 15 years since I witnessed this event your image actually brings back the sights, drama and action that the visitor experiences. I can almost hear the sound of all those wings flapping at the same moment. Enlarging the image to full screen actually puts the viewer in the midst of the action. I feel the best part is that almost all the birds in the air are sharp which, at least for me, makes it feel real. This is one of those bucket list images that every wildlife photograph need to actually see to fully grasp.

I do not know what is better the amazing image, or the skills of the photographer! Even more stunning when you see the shutter was only 1/800   Posted: 01/03/2025 21:59:25
Bud Ralston   Bud Ralston
Hi Cindy, Great shot. It is so unusual to see so many Sandhills on the ground with snow geese overhead. The geese make such racket that Sandhills normally spook in No. Calif. Of course, there are a lot of hunters in that area with guns being discharged. Unless one has been around these events, they can't appreciate the chaos and the sounds, especially when you throw a few thousand Northern Pintails into the mix. I love it!   Posted: 01/03/2025 23:33:29
David Kepley   David Kepley
Cindy,
Well I have never been to this event, but I think you just put it on my bucket list! There is a lake in PA where thousands of snow geese hang out this time of year. I felt challenged in trying to get a good image. Do you go with getting all at once, which is what you did, but then of course the birds pretty much merge together. Or do you try to find groupings of them where each bird is distinct? I went with the latter approach, but would love to hear what others think.   Posted: 01/07/2025 20:22:24
Cindy Marple   Cindy Marple
Hi David, glad to be an inspiration :)
I spent a couple of days in the area so had a lot of opportunities with these birds. I have a tendency to get "stuck" on a single type of picture so to combat this I try to be purposeful about varying what I shoot.
All that to say- I did shots of individual birds and groups of birds as well. I posted a single crane flying in the bird group 91.   Posted: 01/08/2025 00:04:10

 

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