I keep reminding myself that the best baseball players get a hit one-third of the time.
And then I remind myself to breathe and not to get too excited.
That's how it goes at the best of times. At the worst of times... lots of blurry pictures
I have decided to teach myself better techniques for photographing birds in flight. I have been photographing flying birds for quite some time. Most of the time, they are like the gull below. The birds are taking off, landing or about to fly to a predetermined point. In the gull photo, I could see that it was heading towards the piling, so I could swivel my camera, focus on the piling and wait the action to begin.
Another example is the kingfisher at Titlow Park. He kept repeating a similar path from a snag to the pond below. I just had to wait, watch, and wait some more.
Photographing birds in flying in the open air is another task altogether. First, you have to see them with you naked eye. Then, quickly train the telephoto lens on them before they change direction. Attempt to focus, track, keep in focus, keep in the frame and shoot.
And then I remind myself to breathe and not to get too excited.
That's how it goes at the best of times. At the worst of times... lots of blurry pictures
I have decided to teach myself better techniques for photographing birds in flight. I have been photographing flying birds for quite some time. Most of the time, they are like the gull below. The birds are taking off, landing or about to fly to a predetermined point. In the gull photo, I could see that it was heading towards the piling, so I could swivel my camera, focus on the piling and wait the action to begin.
Another example is the kingfisher at Titlow Park. He kept repeating a similar path from a snag to the pond below. I just had to wait, watch, and wait some more.
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| Gull in a pose reminiscent of Henri Cartier-Bresson's Decisive Moment |
Photographing birds in flying in the open air is another task altogether. First, you have to see them with you naked eye. Then, quickly train the telephoto lens on them before they change direction. Attempt to focus, track, keep in focus, keep in the frame and shoot.
And then I remind myself to breathe.
Below are some successes from a recent outing. Please note that all except the Caspian tern and Double-crested cormorants are cropped quite a bit, for another factor is having the birds fly close enough to be able to capture a photograph.
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| The five-foot wingspan of the Osprey makes it large enough to photograph more easily. Its distinctive patterning and white body also make it easy for new birders to identify |
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| Ospreys often hover over the water for several seconds while scanning for fish. They pluck their prey with impressive, grabbing talons |
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| A pair of Double-crested cormorants pass overhead in near perfect formation Their powerful wings allow them to fly up to 30 miles per hour |
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| Caspian terns are the largest terns, a wingspan just over 4 feet. Their aerodynamic shape helps them to plunge quickly into the water and capture fish withe their large, pointy bill |
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| Purple martins have a 15 inch wingspan. They can fly between 17 and 40 miles an hour. And, they can change direction in less than 1/10 second! Needless to say, Purple martins are difficult to photograph in flight |