Leisurely Traveler with Check-in System

Chapter 90: Chapter 84: Photography: Bird Shooting Chronicles [6,000 Words]_2

Li Younan was momentarily speechless, not knowing how to comment.

After staying up late and hitting the road last night, Zhu Qingyue fell into a deep sleep. The artistic young girl maintained a serene expression even in slumber.

As they gradually drove away, the scent of porcelain on the Jingdezhen road slowly faded until it disappeared.

There weren’t many cars on the highway, outside were the rolling hills of North-eastern Jiangxi, shrouded in a light morning mist.

Part of the journey required taking the national road, which was a bit of a detour, but the road conditions were fine. On either side, there were mostly farmlands and villages. At the roadside of a small town, the two stopped to buy some water and simple ingredients.

Calling it camping, of course, they didn’t plan on sleeping under the stars; it was primarily for picnicking.

The detour took some extra time. On the outskirts of Yongxiu County, they found a small restaurant for lunch. Simple stir-fried dishes with rice.

While eating, Zhu Qingyue mentioned, ”There aren’t many migratory birds in the summer; the white cranes only come in winter.”

Li Younan acknowledged with a sound.

This trip wouldn’t have much bird-watching; there were only some summer stay-over birds. But they could experience the water highway, for which they had already applied for a permit.

The owner heard they were going to camp at Wucheng and gave them a block of ice to take along.

By 1 PM, they arrived at the Wucheng Visitor Center.

At the entrance, staff in reflective vests checked their IDs and permits.

He handed Li Younan a map: ”Drive along the road, and it leads to the water highway, ending near Lake View Pavilion, which is a good spot to park.”

The asphalt road extended straight ahead through the vast reed marshes.

The water just barely skimmed over the road, about twenty centimeters deep, the car wheels lifted two clear curtains of water.

Zhu Qingyue rolled down the car window, and the lake breeze, carrying moist air, rushed in.

There was a water level gauge by the road; if the water level rose any higher, cars wouldn’t be allowed to pass.

The water highway stretched for several kilometers, and they drove slowly.

On both sides were endless reeds and water, occasionally spotting water birds flying by.

At the end of the road, the terrain rose slightly, and the outline of Lake View Pavilion came into sight ahead.

The pavilion looked old, with a clearing beside it.

They parked the Land Cruiser near the pavilion.

Getting out of the car, the lake wind became more pronounced.

The air carried the scent of lake water and vegetation. In the distance, the water and sky blended endlessly.

Clouds accumulated far off, their colors deepening.

Zhu Qingyue stood by the car, gazed at the lake with some excitement, and said, ”Here it is!”

Just as they stepped out to stretch, they heard a somewhat impatient clicking sound nearby.

Following the sound, they saw a man wearing a brand-new multi-pocket photography vest, setting up a seemingly expensive telephoto camera and tripod, rapidly pressing the shutter toward the lake.

At his feet was a huge equipment case, its lid open, revealing a multitude of lenses, filter boxes, and various accessories inside.

His lens-changing motions were large as he muttered to himself, ”Ah, this light is still not ideal, I’ll have to wait until dusk, use an ND filter... Tsk, these migratory birds are uncooperative, flying too scattered.”

A short distance away, a woman, likely his wife, was preparing camping gear, completely ignoring the man, while two kids ran wild around the canopy.

The photographer eagerly pulled out a box of square filters from his case, comparing them against the sky.

Li Younan walked over a few steps and looked in the direction of his camera.

In the distance on the lake, there were indeed a few white water birds flying, but they were far away, just moving white dots.

”Hey, photographing birds?” Li Younan casually struck up a conversation.

It was as if the man finally found someone to talk to, he immediately turned around, patting his gleaming lens: ”You bet! Came all the way from Nanchang for this. Look at this setup, paired with this big white lens, a bird photography weapon!”

His tone was brimming with unreserved pride, then he complained: ”Except the birds aren’t cooperating, flying too high and erratically. I just tried a few shots, felt the composition lacked impact, need to find another angle.”

He enthusiastically showed Li Younan a few of the photos he had just taken.

The birds on the camera screen were indeed tiny, nearly drowned in the gray-white lake and sky backdrop, a few even a bit blurry due to the birds’ swift flight.

Pointing at one blurred bird on the edge of a picture, he said, ”See this moment, the wing posture is decent, right? Just the position’s a bit off. Composition, gotta think it over, rule of thirds, golden ratio, they all have to be taken into account, right?”

Li Younan nodded, without much comment.

The man lowered his head again, swiping the camera screen, studying his composition grid lines, muttering exposure parameters under his breath.

Zhu Qingyue softly cleared her throat, possibly reminding him it was time to pack up.

Li Younan walked back to the car, taking out the camping chairs from the trunk.

The man, still adjusting his tripod towards the lake, made large adjustments, and one of the tripod’s legs sank into the soft earth; he struggled a bit to pull it out.

Zhu Qingyue handed Li Younan a bottle of water, smilingly saying, ”His gear is really complete.”

Li Younan indeed found it a bit ironic.

The mismatch between the man’s top-notch gear and the shots he captured—and tried to capture—presented an indescribable contrast.

Li Younan unscrewed the water bottle and took a sip, the lake breeze bringing a slight chill.

In the distance, those tiny white dots were still leisurely circling.

...

Li Younan and Zhu Qingyue began to unload the camping gear from the trunk.

The lake’s wind, carrying water vapor, felt quite pleasant.

The photographer was still shooting, the tripod moved several times; he occasionally muttered words like ”lighting,” ”angle,” ”noise.”