Practice Makes Perfect

Eastern screech-owl, Maumee Bay State Park, Ohio,11 May 2016 (photo snapped by Carlos Bethancourt using Kate St. John's cellphone)
Eastern screech-owl, Maumee Bay State Park, Ohio,11 May 2016 (photo snapped by Carlos Bethancourt using Kate St. John’s cellphone)

Back in May I saw an eastern screech-owl snoozing in a nestbox at Maumee Bay State Park, Ohio. His photo, above, is on my cellphone but I can’t take credit for its beauty.

I have all the tools to create this photo — a bird scope and a cellphone — but I don’t have the skill yet.  I watched bird guide Carlos Bethancourt set my cellphone on the scope (without a scope adapter), manipulate the screen, and take three beautiful pictures.

Carlos made it look easy but I can’t get my cellphone to behave. My two best attempts at photographing a robins’ nest look like this.

Closeup of baby robins in a nest, 9 Jul 2016 (photo by Kate St. John)
Closeup of baby robins in a nest, 9 Jul 2016 (photo by Kate St. John)
One baby robin, partially obscured by leaves (photo by Kate St. John)
Baby robin in a nest partially obscured by leaves (photo by Kate St. John)

 

I need a lot more practice to make it perfect.

 

(owl photo by Carlos Bethancourt using Kate St. John’s cellphone, robins’ photos by Kate St. John)

5 thoughts on “Practice Makes Perfect

  1. Wow, I have tried so many things to get my cellphone to take good pictures. I didn’t know it was even possible. Awesome, thanks to you both.

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