And acceleration.
1/5000, f/6.3, ISO 400, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Two days ago this Western Kingbird was hunting insects from barbed wire so I made multiple attempts at capturing his takeoffs when ‘he’ exploded from the wire after bugs. Usually I was either too slow or he took off toward me, which resulted in photos that were a little too soft. But this time I got lucky with both my timing and with his takeoff posture. Yes, I came close to clipping his right wing, but I didn’t.
For me this takeoff angle relative to the wire, in combination with his wing position, fairly screams speed. And acceleration.
This type of photo is one of the reasons I typically shoot at shutter speeds that some bird photographers consider excessive. I’d rather err on the side of too much SS than too little and with birds you never know when you’re going to need it.
After the shot is taken you can’t change its settings. So very often I’ve wished I could.
Ron
Note:
In the unprocessed photo I actually had more room above his right wingtip than we see here. But the wire wasn’t level and when I rotated the image so it was level I lost some room up top. I’d rather have a wingtip that’s a little too close to the frame edge than an image that looks like it isn’t level.
Excellent shot Ron!
Charlotte Norton
I’m really getting to admire all of the members of the flycatcher’s family. I never knew there was so many till I subscribed to your blog. I’ve always loved ornithology.
Yes, there’s a bunch of them Steve. And a lot of them (the Empids) are really hard to tell apart.
Neat photo. I had fun watching them along with the eastern kingbirds. I watched a few territory disputes too. Feisty little feather balls!
April, somehow I missed seeing the Eastern Kingbirds.
WOW. And rather a lot of exclamation points.
Thanks, EC.
I’m new to your blog, and I delight in birds. Your stories bring them to life. Thank you~Marcia K
Thanks, Marcia. And welcome to Feathered Photography.
Two days, two take off shots, two flycatchers. You’re on a roll. Looks like the Kingbird would win a speed contest over the Say’s Phoebe; maybe the Phoebe would excel in maneuvering.
“Two days, two take off shots, two flycatchers”
I wondered if anyone would notice that, Lyle. If anyone did I should have known it would be you.
Great shot! So long as this pretty boy zoomed right over that pointy barb, I’m happy … and once he cleared it and caught his bugs, I’m sure he was happy, too.
“So long as this pretty boy zoomed right over that pointy barb, I’m happy”
I noticed how close he probably came to that barb too, Chris. I don’t remember if he caught anything this time but at least I know he cleared the barb.
I can just hear the ZOOOOM of those wings. Love this!
And the tip that is just brushing the top? That’s amazing. It is as if the bird is stretching to fly right out of the shot. I really like that feeling.
Thank you, Arwen. This bird’s wingtip only had a very few pixels to spare at the top of the frame.
Watching a flycatcher spring from a perch in pursuit of breakfast is a fascinating experience! That burst of speed, even more acceleration, twisting and turning as they follow their quarry. Amazing!
Capturing that “sense” of speed in a photograph, for me, is just as amazing.
Thank you for continuing to share your work, Ron. Someone not familiar with photographing birds in action may view your images and think “point, shoot” – easy peasy.
Those of us who attempt it know better.
I enjoyed your comment very much, Wally. I think it takes a bird photographer to fully appreciate some of the things you mention.
You nailed it, and your editing choices are solid.
That splash of yellow on the bird helps accent the feeling of speed and acceleration.
Michael, I almost mentioned that splash of yellow as another plus of the image. I should have.
Love that last sentence Ron. The story of life – shoulda, woulda, coulda. And so true with bird and nature photography. So often I leave a situation cursing myself for what I didn’t do.
No regrets for this photos though – you got it all and it really does say speed.
Thanks, Everett. Yeah, that last sentence sort of sums up a significant part of the life of a bird photographer, doesn’t it.
It DOES scream “speed”! 🙂 Beautiful capture, Ron. We have no Western’s this year tho do have Eastern’s……
Judy, I haven’t seen a single Eastern this year. Usually I see a fair number of them.