Small Birds at LaSalle - Small Sensor Photography by Thomas Stirr

This article features a selection of images of small birds at LaSalle Park in Burlington. Most are taking flight.

NOTE: Click on images to enlarge.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS @ 400 mm, efov 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/2500, ISO-1250, Pro Capture H, cropped to 3982 pixels on the width, subject distance 7.5 metres

I was hoping that our COVID-19 situation was improving. So, over the past month or two I’ve been renewing my annual passes at a number of regional venues with the intention of doing more indoor photography.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS @ 400 mm, efov 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/2500, ISO-2500, Pro Capture H, cropped to 3216 pixels on the width, subject distance 7.5 metres

During the past 18 months I haven’t spent much time at the Niagara Butterfly Conservatory, Bird Kingdom, Royal Botanical Gardens or the Floral Showhouse, I was looking forward to reconnecting with these venues.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS @ 236 mm, efov 472 mm, f/6.3, 1/3200, ISO-2500, Pro Capture H, cropped to 2796 pixels on the width, subject distance 4.9 metres

Unfortunately Ontario is entering into a severe increase in COVID-19 infections caused by the new variant. My wife and I will be getting our booster vaccines very soon, but it is still prudent for me to adjust my photographic plans from a safety standpoint. Yet again.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS @ 269 mm, efov 538 mm, f/6.3, 1/3200, ISO-2500, Pro Capture, 3022 pixels on the width, subject distance 4.9 metres

I will be going out in a safe manner to photograph small birds, ducks and other birds I can find locally. Additionally I’ll try my best to find a variety of outdoor subjects in an attempt to keep posting new articles for you.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS @ 321 mm, efov 642 mm, f/7.1, 1/4000, ISO-6400, Pro Capture H, cropped to 3501 pixels on the width, subject distance 4.7 metres

Recently one of our readers, Jack Pearson, suggested that some articles explaining the background behind some images in terms of choice of lens, camera settings, and composition could be of interest.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS @ 400 mm, efov 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/4000, ISO-6400, Pro Capture H, cropped to 3880 pixels on the width, subject distance 6.2 metres

I’ve decided that Jack’s suggestion makes sense so I will be creating some future postings using this approach. For as much as I enjoy photographing small birds, it is important to provide variety of subject matter.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS @ 400 mm, efov 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/1000, ISO-6400, Pro Capture H, cropped to 4516 pixels on the width, subject distance 4.7 metres

At this point it is far too early for provincial health officials to provide any date when they feel that this current surge will abate. Much of that depends on the public being responsible with their interpersonal behaviour. And, by keeping their vaccinations as up-to-date as possible.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS @ 261 mm, efov 522 mm, f/7.1, 1/4000, ISO-6400, Pro Capture H, cropped to 3627 pixels on the width, subject distance 4.7 metres

All of the images of small birds in this article were captured handheld using Pro Capture H with my standard settings (Pre-Shutter Frames and Frame Count Limiter both set to 15, frame rate set to 60 fps, single AF point).

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS @ 400 mm, efov 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/4000, ISO-6400, Pro Capture H, cropped to 3060 pixels on the width, subject distance 6.3 metres

It took just over 20 minutes to capture all of the photographs in this article. Even after two and a half years using Pro Capture H to photograph small birds, it still amazes me how easy this technology is to use, and the images that result.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS @ 236 mm, efov 472 mm, f/6.3, 1/3200, ISO-6400, Pro Capture H, cropped to 3207 pixels on the width, subject distance 4.8 metres

A plug-in update conflict has caused some issues with the website. I’ll be spending the next couple of days manually changing the parameters on thousands of images in previous articles so they will display properly. Please bear with us through this inconvenience.

Technical Note:

Photographs were captured handheld using camera gear as noted in the EXIF data. Images were produced from RAW files using my standard process. Crops are noted. This is the 1,104 article published on this website since its original inception.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS @ 261 mm, efov 522 mm, f/7.1, 1/4000, ISO-6400, Pro Capture H, cropped to 2648 pixels on the width, subject distance 4.8 metres

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Technical Note:

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