This weekend I went out to LaSalle Park and captured some bird photography with the M.Zuiko 75-300 mm f/4.8-6.7 II zoom lens. I appreciate that some readers would like to see more samples of bird photography captured with affordable gear like the M.Zuiko 75-300 mm f/4.8-6.7 II zoom lens… so I made some time to do so on Saturday.
The weather was grey, dull and overcast. Far from the kind of conditions that I would typically favour… but ideal to do some camera and lens testing! So, I grabbed my wife’s E-M1 Mark III fitted it with the M.Zuiko 75-300 mm zoom… then headed off to LaSalle Park.
When it comes to our choice of camera equipment, the only thing that ultimately matters is ‘getting the shot’… regardless of the brand of gear used. Many internet chat rooms and YouTube channels still seem glutted with discussions/arguments about camera specifications and the relative advantages or disadvantages of various camera models. Some even tout ‘battles’ between brands/models. *sighs*Continue reading Getting The Shot→
Anticipating behaviour (an important component of knowing our photographic subjects) is one of the three most important factors that contributes to us being successful bird and nature photographers. In my view, it is the most important factor.
During a recent visit to Hendrie Valley I had the opportunity to capture some photographs of a Yellow-rumped Warbler. This is a very common bird found throughout much of North America. During breeding season their range extends into the far north reaching Alaska, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Labrador.
This short article features an egret simultaneously catching 2 fish and dropping 1 while fishing at Grindstone Creek in Hendrie Valley. All of the photographs were captured handheld using Pro Capture H technology.
Thinking like a bird isn’t being a bird brain… but rather attempting to put ourselves inside the thought process of an avian subject. Observing a bird in an openminded manner sometimes allows us to gain a deeper sense of what it is going to do. What is making it anxious. Or aggressive. Or feeling connected to a decision that it is pondering.
Depending on the camera gear a photographer owns, their choice for some additional stabilization or acquiring a difficult shooting angle, may come down to using a tripod or stool. It has been over three years since I began shooting with Olympus M4/3 camera gear and thus far I’ve not had any need to use any of my tripods or a monopod. This would change if I began to experiment with light painting using the Live Composite mode.
There are four bird photography fundamentals we can keep in mind that help add some interest, action, and drama to our images. Rather than camera gear based fundamentals, they relate to the kinds of behaviours that birds exhibit. To state these four bird photography fundamentals as politely as possible these include flying, feeding, fighting, and fornicating. I like to call these the “four F’s” of bird photography. Of course, this doesn’t mean that we should stop photographing perched birds.
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.
This article features twelve handheld photographs of a cardinal leaping… all of which were created with an E-M1X using Pro Capture H at 60 frames-per-second. Many of us who enjoy bird photography concentrate on birds-in-flight. We sometimes forget that small birds frequently leap between branches. These images can be interesting captures, especially if the bird’s wings are at least somewhat extended.
This website celebrates the joy of photography and features a wide range of photographic subject matter. The content is designed to appeal to a wide range of people interested in photography. The website also demonstrates the image capability of small sensor cameras including micro four thirds (18 x 13.5 mm), 1" (13.2 x 8.8 mm), and 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) cameras.
