This article features a number of new images of terns at Grimsby Harbour with most of the birds in-flight. This has been an unusual spring birding season with some locations like Hendrie Valley not being very productive.
All posts by Thomas Stirr
Incorporating a Foreground Element
Incorporating a foreground element in our compositions is an important way to add a feeling of depth to our landscape images. This approach, combined with our choice of focal length and aperture can help create deep depth-of-field.
Since more people are resuming travel that was interrupted by a couple of years of COVID-19 lockdowns, we thought a quick review of some landscape photography fundamentals may be helpful.
Practical Limits
Working within practical limits is something that we all face on a regular basis, regardless of the camera gear that we may own. Rather than blindly accept what other people think the practical limits of specific piece of photographic equipment may be, it is important for each of us to do our own experimentation. This enables us to establish what we consider to be the practical limits of various components of our integrated camera systems based on our photographic style, image use, and our individual skill sets.
Focus Stacking with 100-400
This article shares some in-camera focus stacking test images captured handheld with an M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS zoom lens. I really didn’t know what to expect using my E-M1X’s in-camera focus stacking capability with this particular lens. In the past I most often used the M.Zuiko PRO 40-150 mm f/2.8 zoom or the M.Zuiko 60 mm f/2.8 macro with in-camera focus stacking.
The 100-400 does have a reasonably short minimum focusing distance of 1.3 metres, so I thought this test was worth a try. These test photographs fall under the ‘let’s see what happens’ category.
Appreciating Camera Technology
Fully appreciating camera technology is something that we sometimes forget to do as we take our camera gear for granted on occasion. I visited the Royal Botanical Gardens yesterday for about an hour and 45 minutes. During that short time I successfully captured 127 handheld in-camera focus stacked macro images of various flowers and foliage. I did miss 7 attempts.
OMDS Canadian Service
I received an announcement email today that OMDS Canadian Service will now be available through Sun Camera Service, located in the Toronto area.
Redefine Camera Systems
We live in a photographic age that is causing us to redefine camera systems well beyond our previous, and simplistic, two dimensional view. It wasn’t that many years ago when many photographers only considered two factors. The camera body. And, the lenses associated with it. In the past some cameras were bought more because of the lenses that could be married to it, rather than specific attributes of the body itself.
Twelve-spotted Skimmer In Flight
I visited the Royal Botanical Gardens yesterday and was able to capture some images of a twelve-spotted skimmer in flight. These were some of my first images of dragonflies captured during the 2022 season.
Comfort and Ergonomics
When using camera gear for extended periods of time, the importance of comfort and ergonomics can become a critical factor. This month marks the third anniversary of the purchase of my first E-M1X. I loved the camera so much that six months later a bought a second one. My love affair has only deepened over time.
Oriole Leaving Pond
Yesterday I had my first ever opportunity to photograph a Baltimore Oriole leaving our backyard pond after taking a bath in it. We usually have a few weeks during the late spring when Baltimore Orioles visit our backyard. They regularly feed at our hummingbird feeders and will also consume orange sections that my wife puts out for them. Neither my wife or I had ever previously seen them take a bath in the pond, as they tend to be quite skittish birds.