There are a wide range of factors that can contribute to soft bird photographs. Some are equipment related, while others are associated with technique.
Category Archives: Birds in Flight
Gull Mid-Air Food Fights
Last week I had the opportunity to photograph some gull mid-air food fights during a visit to LaSalle Park in Burlington. Trying to pan with gulls chasing one another while fighting over food can be a challenging experience. One second they can be close together in mid-air, then a split second later far apart, as they dipsy-doodle while flying.
Quick Practise Session
After being cooped up for a while I took advantage of a small break in my schedule to fit in a quick practise session photographing birds-in-flight at our local harbour.
Swans with Bird AI
This article discusses photographing swans with Bird AI and shares a selection of photographs captured handheld at LaSalle Park in Burlington Ontario.
BIF Practise at 1120 mm
This article shares some new images that I captured yesterday while doing a BIF practise session at 1120 mm equivalent field-of-view. It also provides some details on the parameters that I used for this BIF practise session at 1120 mm efov.
Duck Landing on Snow
This article features 22 consecutive Bird Detection AI images of a duck landing on snow, captured using the M.Zuiko 100-400 mm zoom. All photographs were captured handheld using an OM-D E-M1X. The incoming duck was approximately 50 to 67 metres away.
Adjusting to Camera Gear
This article shares a selection of new images of various ducks and gulls in flight, and discusses the importance of adjusting to camera gear. Regardless of the camera format, brand and model that we use, these adjustments could involve a wide number of issues.
A few of them include physical layout and handling of our cameras. Learning and navigating menus. Understanding special features and how to best use them. And, working in post with different files than we’ve used in the past. It is also common that key functions like auto-focusing, metering, and white balance may perform differently between cameras.
Flying In To A Crowd
Attempting to photograph a bird that is flying in to a crowd of other birds can often be an auto-focus challenge for our camera gear. This article shares a selection of 15 consecutive photographs of a drake Black Duck flying in to a crowd of other ducks situated on a frozen harbour.
Reach and Buffer
This article discusses the importance of reach and buffer when photographing birds-in-flight, and features 24 consecutive handheld images. All photographs were captured using an E-M1X fitted with an M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS and M.Zuiko MC-14 teleconverter.
The photographs displayed in this article are a part of an AF-C +TR with Bird Detection AI run comprising a total of 33 images. The article begins at frame 9 of that run.
Bird Photography Settings
Over the past while I’ve had a number of emails from readers asking me to write an article on my bird photography settings. To be honest I’ve avoided writing this kind of article in the past simply because the choice of camera settings is a very personal decision.
The way that each of us set up and use our cameras can vary significantly, based on our personal shooting style, and the equipment that we happen to own. When it comes to bird photography settings, significant differences can exist between photographers even when using the exact same camera.