Catching up in post with images we have already created can be a challenge, especially if we’ve been out with our cameras on a regular basis. The volume of unprocessed files can be daunting. In an effort to start to get myself somewhat current I’ve been spending time purging some of my April files and processing a few images. It can be interesting what one finds when catching up in post.

NOTE: Click on images to enlarge.

Unless I’m focused on a particular photograph or image run I sometimes get a bit lax and it can take me a while to cycle back to my photographs to do some culling and processing. The swan image above was at the end of a run where one swan was chasing another one at LaSalle Park in Burlington Ontario.

Here are four images of the same merganser in flight.

These photographs were captured on the same day as the swan image above using ‘pulse shooting’, rather than capturing one long, continuous image run.

I find using ‘pulse shooting’ allows me to better manage my camera’s buffer.

This can be important when there are a number of potential image opportunities in the area.

Opportunities to photograph an osprey in flight don’t happen every day.

Depending on how much activity has been occurring, even a typical fly-by is welcomed.

Ospreys will sometimes hover over a potential target fish. The bird above is in a classic preparatory pose with its legs dropped down and its talons at the ready.

Capturing images of an osprey catching a fish is usually a highlight for the day. Sometimes the best that Mother Nature provides is an osprey flying by with a partially eaten fish.

Or, perhaps with a small snack in its talons. Capturing a selection of osprey images like the four above… all on the same day… is always a treat.

I always keep an eye open for small, active birds. Even very common birds can make interesting subjects when captured at the right moment.

Photographing birds interacting is often a challenge, but can yield some expressive images.

Challenges can also include trying to capture a small, distant bird taking flight. Technology like Pro Capture H  can really demonstrate its value with this type of opportunity as we can see in the four consecutive images that follow.

Getting a small, single AF point on a tiny bird like a kinglet as it darts from branch to branch presents its own, unique challenge. Especially when the subject bird is 17.4 metres (~57 feet) away. The four photographs above were captured at the Port Rowan Wetlands.

Spending some time catching up in post can rekindle some positive memories… and help us rediscover a few photographs that otherwise may slip through some cracks and be lost to time.

Technical Note

Photographs were captured handheld using camera gear as noted in the EXIF data. Pro Capture L was set to 18 frames-per-second using silent shutter, 10 Pre-Shutter Frames with Frame Limiter turned off, and Bird Detection AI Subject Tracking engaged with a single AF point.

My standard Pro Capture H settings were used with Pre-Shutter Frames and Frame Limiter both set to 15. I used a single, small AF point and shot at 60 frames-per-second.

All images were produced from RAW files using my standard process. This is the 1,281 article published on this website since its original inception in 2015.

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