Quick reflexes help capture winning osprey image

Photographer Robin Green maintains that her strikingly clean, crisp close-up of an osprey fishing off Florida's Gulf Coast simply was the result of lucky timing.

Press her, though, and she'll admit some technical skill and quick reflexes also were at play.

"I had to use a quick shutter speed, because with the birds flying and the reflection off the water, I zoomed in on it," she said. "When you're shooting something like an eagle or an osprey, you have to get fast. This was just a lucky shot coming out pretty well."

Her image is the February winner of the Daily Herald's Photo Finish contest. Green will receive a $50 gift certificate from PJ's Camera in Glen Ellyn for her good work.

"This is a great nature photo of an osprey coming in for a landing on the water," DuPage County Photo Director Bev Horne said. "Good exposure stopping the action at the peak moment."

A longtime photography buff, Green said she's been adding a bit of sophistication to her technique since she retired two years ago from her job as beginning band teacher at Kingsley and Elmwood elementary schools in Naperville.

"It's given me a lot of time to play with photography," she said.

Her husband, Steve, is also retired from his career as band director at Lisle Senior High School.

"We've been able to travel a bit, to Florida, the Grand Canyon, Colorado," said Green, a Warrenville resident. "We have friends who retired in Florida. They took us to Honeymoon Island State Park, which is on the Tampa side. It was a beautiful day."

When Green saw a flock of ospreys spray through the salt water to pluck their prey, it was the second week of January, with temperatures peaking in the 50s and 60s.

"We actually were there during a cold spell," she said.

Green said she used her Canon 70D, a DSLR camera. She said she began shooting with a simple point-and-shoot camera, but soon graduated.

"Four years ago I got my first DSLR," she said.

She took classes and workshops to help her refine her craft. This past year, she said, she also joined the DuPage Camera Club, where photography enthusiasts share tips and experiences.

"It makes you up your game a little," she said.

She also sometimes partners with fellow photographer Nancy Havener, who won the Daily Herald's Photo Finish contest last August with a photo of a dragonfly.

Green said practicing her skills have enabled her to more reflexively determine the proper settings. When she began, she said, she shot dozens of frames, hoping to catch the right light.

"I shoot less now. Now I'm a little bit pickier because I can get the exposures," she said.

In addition to shooting scenes during her travels, Green said she likes to photograph local, picturesque locations such as Herrick Lake, Whalen Lake and Starved Rock State Park.

"I prefer to do nature photography to people photography," she said.

While the osprey photo was not edited, except for a tight crop, Green said the Photoshop class she took has given her the ability to enhance some of her work with special effects.

"The possibilities are endless," she said.

About our contest

If you'd like to submit a photo, email it in .jpg format with at least 300 dpi resolution to dupagecontest@dailyherald.com. Be sure to include your name, address and a phone number, plus a description of where you took the photo, why you like it and what challenges you faced. The winner will receive a $50 gift certificate from PJ's Camera, Pickwick Place Plaza, 662 Roosevelt Road, Glen Ellyn.