It certainly doesn’t look like it but this is actually an action shot.
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
I took this photo of a female Red-winged Blackbird perched on a phrag plume a little over two weeks ago at Bear River MBR. Even though it was a pretty cold morning she appears to have recently bathed so she’s fluffed up, still wet and I think her wetness makes her appear a little darker than usual. I like the simplicity of the photo with it’s good sharpness and detail.
Some, though not all, adult females of this species sport a pinkish orange throat and she’s one of them so I also like the way hers is color coordinated with the perch and even the background.
I’m sure this looks like an easy photo to take but getting it really challenged my skills. The wind was blowing and that phrag plume acted like a sail on the end of long, thin and flexible mast so she was dancing all over the place. As she did so she was going in and out of frame and in and out of focus and other vegetation kept appearing and disappearing in front of her and behind her – sometimes partially blocking her and other times changing the foreground and/or background.
I had two choices of technique to try to keep her in frame and in focus and get a background and setting I liked, neither of them even close to foolproof:
- I could try to to follow her with my lens and keep her in focus as she bounced back and forth but with everything moving, including bird, perch, other vegetation and my lens itself, getting even a single sharp shot I liked wouldn’t be easy. Talk about spray and pray…
- Or I could focus on the spot in the middle that the bouncing bird and perch kept returning to and fire off shots as she passed through that spot and hope for the best. Each time she passed through it she should be in focus or very close to it so I might have a chance if she cooperated with an acceptable pose.
In case you hadn’t noticed there’s an entire boatload of unpredictable variables here.
In the end I tried both techniques but with this shot that I liked best I’d used the second one. Nature photographers in particular often have to be creative in the field to find something that works, or can work, and thinking of it is often part of the problem. So I thought I’d share what worked for me that morning with other bird photographers who follow my blog.
For those readers who have little or no interest in photo technique, my apologies. But without technique that works, good photos don’t happen.
Ron
I am guessing that both methods returned some less than stellar shots and even some without the bird of the day – I am very grateful that you nailed this one.
Ha, no need to guess on that one, EC. In these conditions it’s a certainty.
Love the explanation Ron – your narrative brings us into the photo shoot experience which is quite fun! Getting these amazingly sharp shots, with great lighting and background is very difficult! You make it appear easy with your plethora of great shots. Good reminder for us to know just how difficult these shots can be.
Thanks very much, Kathleen.
Beautiful image. Yes I like the the info on techniques used. Nice to know others are using similar techniques to mine. I have had many similar challenges at the refuge. I have tried both techniques, but I tend to use and be more successful with the find a spot and focus, wait for the bird to return and fire a burst of shots.
“I tend to use and be more successful with the find a spot and focus, wait for the bird to return and fire a burst of shots.”
April, I have about equal success with both techniques. I think the difference is that with my lens I have a much shallower depth of field than you typically do so using technique #2 I probably get a higher percentage of soft shots.
She’s quite floooofy!
Yup.
Anytime I see a bird that just bathed I think there’s going to be a lot of preening happening. Lots of feathers to put back in place 😁
Following you and a couple other people on Facebook I appreciate wildlife pictures so much more. So thank you ❗️
Hoping today was a success 😁
Diana, I don’t believe she did any preening at all while I was with her. Surprised me.
The stillness implied in the shot definitely belies the degree of difficulty in getting it! As a true master of your craft, you make it look easy. 🙂
She is an attractive subject on an attractive perch (even though it’s an invasive phrag — p’tooi) and well worth the effort, in this appreciative viewer’s opinion.
Much appreciated, Marty. And I have mixed feelings about phrags just as you apparently do.
That is an excellent photo, and your detailed explanation is a good reminder to all of us of what often goes into making what looks like just a routine shot. If I am looking through a nature magazine such as our Arizona Wildlife Views and see a photo like this, I just think – that’s pretty, and continue on. Rarely do I stop to think what might have taken place to give us such a nice photo.
“Rarely do I stop to think what might have taken place to give us such a nice photo.”
I think that’s something we all do, Everett. And how are we to know any different?.
The flip side of that tendency is that folks who bait and set up their shots are hoping the viewer won’t get a little too curious about how the photo was taken.
NICE! I wouldn’t know it was an action shot without all the challenging details you provided! 😲 I wouldn’t have even tried that! 🙂 Challenge presented and met! 🙂 Her throat does blend in with the Phrag plume…….
“I wouldn’t know it was an action shot without all the challenging details you provided”
I don’t think anyone would, Judy. Just goes to show, there’s often more to a simple looking shot than first meets the eye.
Great idea for a challenging situation!
Thanks, Bruce.
I learned something about both the bird and photography today. And got to enjoy a very nice and sharp photo. Thank you.
Good to know, Lyle. Thanks.
Your explanations of how you prepare and get shots is educational for those of us who wrongly think a leisurely stroll with a “point and shoot” technique will get a great photo.
Good, I’m glad they’re helpful for you, Terri.