This article, Juggle Twice Swallow Once… shares a selection of 16 images of a Great Blue Heron juggling, then swallowing, a fish it caught. This series of images was captured hand-held using the Pro Capture mode of my Olympus OM-D E-M1X.

The E-M1X allows for some customization when using the Pro Capture mode. I had my camera set to 60 frames-per-second, with 20 frames captured pre-shutter release and 30 frames post shutter release. We’ll have a look at the action in the Juggle Twice Swallow Once series beginning at Frame 14.  This first portion of the Pro Capture run will take us to Frame 21.

NOTE: Click on images to enlarge.

When using the E-M1X’s Pro Capture mode in High, i.e. 60 frames-per-second, it is to be expected that some of the images will only show a tiny bit of subject movement. In the case of this Pro Capture run, the Great Blue Heron paused for a moment with the fish in its beak after catching it in mid-air the first time. I left these ‘heron pause’ frames out of this article.

Let’s rejoin the Juggle Twice Swallow Once action sequence at Frame 41.

After this point the fish quickly disappeared down the heron’s gullet.

A couple of other photographers were also capturing this same action sequence. As I heard their camera shutters clacking off frames, I knew that neither one of them had anywhere near the amount of detailed action sequencing that I was able to capture using the E-M1X’s Pro Capture mode.

Being able to capture action like this at 60 frames-per-second (including pre-shutter release frames) gives a photographer a leg up in terms of getting full resolution RAW files that many other folks miss.

If you’re interested in learning why renowned wildlife photographers like Andy Rouse, and Petr Bambousek are now using Olympus gear, you can use the links provided.

Technical Note:
Photographs were captured hand-held using camera gear as noted in the EXIF data. All images were produced from RAW files using my standard process, and are displayed as 100% captures without any cropping.

How you can help keep this site advertising free
My intent is to keep this photography blog advertising free. If you enjoyed this article and/or my website and would like to support my work, you can purchase an eBook, or make a modest $10 donation through PayPal. Both are most appreciated. You can use the Donate button below. Larger donations can be made to tom@tomstirr.com through PayPal.

Word of mouth is the best form of endorsement. If you like our website please let your friends and associates know about our work. Linking to this site or to specific articles is allowed with proper acknowledgement. Reproducing articles, or any of the images contained in them, on another website or in any social media posting is a Copyright infringement.

Article and images are Copyright 2019 Thomas Stirr. All rights reserved. No use, duplication or adaptation of any kind is allowed without written consent. If you see this article reproduced anywhere else it is an unauthorized and illegal use. Posting comments on offending websites and calling out individuals who steal intellectual property is always appreciated!