BIRD IN FLIGHT ONLY -- share your BIF photos here
- Thread starter Dylan777
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Click said:
Much thanks Click!..I crept up on this guy only having my 70-200 with me...leaving my 100-400 back at camp..was lucky enough to get just close enough for a few quick snaps
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Haven't been posting here because, ah, um, well, I only have a 6D and furthermore I'm not (yet) very good at all with quick aim and shoot and all that. But with January boredom setting in, I started playing with chickadee captures, kind of in flight but more like landing shots and here's one that is cute.
Jack
Jack
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Well, this will be my first post. I mostly photograph birds because I am getting too old and hideous to attract many willing models of the female persuasion to photograph. Hiding behind a blind works out well for myself as well as for the birds.
I am a rank beginner who has taken snap shots for most of my life. Nothing wrong with that. But for the last year or so I've tried to make this a serious hobby. My subject matter is very limited as is the time I can take to practice. I'm an old truck driver that works 70+ hours a week. Most of my photos are taken in truck stop parking lots or the close surrounding area.
I observed this Black Phoebe for the better part of an hour flying back and forth between this roost and another. Now, I've had a lot of trouble getting pictures as sharp as I like them to be. I'm not as steady as I'd like to be, so I tried out a new strategy for this bird.
The bird's approach and landing on this hydrant was very consistent. What I did was:
1. Set up a Canon 600EX-RT to the left of my intended frame, and another Canon 600EX-RT to the right of my intended frame. Both flashes were in high speed synch mode as these photos were shot at 1/4000th of a second, with an aperture of f/5.6 and ISO 1600.
2. Mounted my Canon 70D with the attached Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L and Canon ST-E3-R3 on my tripod in front of my truck.
3. I placed a Magic Marker atop the hydrant and manually focused on the label in live view (zoomed in) to make sure my bird would be in focus as he landed. Once in focus I removed the Magic Marker and switched off live view.
4. I returned to the cab of my Freightliner (which acted as a very comfortable blind) and got out a third Canon 600EX-RT and set it to act as my remote trigger... a feature I had just discovered and am now in love with.
5. I took photos of the bird... trying to time his landing and finally got it right, though my framing is a little off on the landing.
Believe it or not, the flashes going off while the bird traveled back and forth did not bother him at all. This is just a little bird, but this is a huge accomplishment for me, as I do not get to practice much at all. I am very happy with the results. For some reason the photos look much better if you click on them. The colors are off in the forum thread... at least on my end. Great to meet all of you!
Taken with a Canon 70D, Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L, Canon 600EX-RT x3, Canon ST-E3-RT
I am a rank beginner who has taken snap shots for most of my life. Nothing wrong with that. But for the last year or so I've tried to make this a serious hobby. My subject matter is very limited as is the time I can take to practice. I'm an old truck driver that works 70+ hours a week. Most of my photos are taken in truck stop parking lots or the close surrounding area.
I observed this Black Phoebe for the better part of an hour flying back and forth between this roost and another. Now, I've had a lot of trouble getting pictures as sharp as I like them to be. I'm not as steady as I'd like to be, so I tried out a new strategy for this bird.
The bird's approach and landing on this hydrant was very consistent. What I did was:
1. Set up a Canon 600EX-RT to the left of my intended frame, and another Canon 600EX-RT to the right of my intended frame. Both flashes were in high speed synch mode as these photos were shot at 1/4000th of a second, with an aperture of f/5.6 and ISO 1600.
2. Mounted my Canon 70D with the attached Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L and Canon ST-E3-R3 on my tripod in front of my truck.
3. I placed a Magic Marker atop the hydrant and manually focused on the label in live view (zoomed in) to make sure my bird would be in focus as he landed. Once in focus I removed the Magic Marker and switched off live view.
4. I returned to the cab of my Freightliner (which acted as a very comfortable blind) and got out a third Canon 600EX-RT and set it to act as my remote trigger... a feature I had just discovered and am now in love with.
5. I took photos of the bird... trying to time his landing and finally got it right, though my framing is a little off on the landing.
Believe it or not, the flashes going off while the bird traveled back and forth did not bother him at all. This is just a little bird, but this is a huge accomplishment for me, as I do not get to practice much at all. I am very happy with the results. For some reason the photos look much better if you click on them. The colors are off in the forum thread... at least on my end. Great to meet all of you!
Taken with a Canon 70D, Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L, Canon 600EX-RT x3, Canon ST-E3-RT
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Every year we have these wintering visitors hang out in the same spot, in the fields to the southwest of Ramona, CA. These Mountain Bluebirds rarely seem to interact with the resident Western Bluebirds, even though you can find them on opposite sides of the same hill.
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Ooooo! Nice!ERHP said:Every year we have these wintering visitors hang out in the same spot, in the fields to the southwest of Ramona, CA. These Mountain Bluebirds rarely seem to interact with the resident Western Bluebirds, even though you can find them on opposite sides of the same hill.
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ERHP, we now seldom even get them (any bluebirds) on a post let alone opportunities to try flight shots. That is really nice.
A side note here. Sometimes a few waterbirds end up in some Alberta oil producers pond and all the well meaning environmentalists raise a huge cry, it can be 5 birds and it's on the news. Recently, I read that pet cats are killing multiple millions of birds in N A and represent a threat to some populations. Not news worthy, of course!
I'm all for protecting our environment but sometimes I think the birds have more brains than the people.
Jack
A side note here. Sometimes a few waterbirds end up in some Alberta oil producers pond and all the well meaning environmentalists raise a huge cry, it can be 5 birds and it's on the news. Recently, I read that pet cats are killing multiple millions of birds in N A and represent a threat to some populations. Not news worthy, of course!
I'm all for protecting our environment but sometimes I think the birds have more brains than the people.Jack
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