Sometimes I get lucky with grab shots, which is why I take them.
When I find perched blackbirds (of either species) in my shooting range I usually try for takeoff/flight shots, but with little success. Too many things can, and usually do, go wrong – including getting an acceptable exposure on a photon-sucking black bird in flight. To compound the difficulty, all too often they’re grab shots where I don’t have time to make any exposure or other camera adjustments.
But if you try often enough, sometimes you get lucky.
1/8000, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Eight days ago at Bear River MBR this male Red-winged Blackbird took off from the phrags a split second before I locked focus on him, so this is the first shot I got of him. He’s ‘sharp enough’, I like his flight posture and I’m glad we can still see some of the phrags, which anchor him to the bottom of the frame and help to break up the monotonous blue sky.
For me, the most prominent fly in the ointment is the lack of detail in the shaded parts of his ventral surfaces. But with a black bird in flight, I guess I can live with that.
Ron
Wow! Amazing shot, Ron! If there was a way to teach how to pose a bird in flight this would be the example of how it is done.
Sensational shot!
Charlotte Norton
Thanks, Charlotte.
Well, if RWBB needed a new name (which, thankfully, he doesn’t) it *could* be Photon-sucking Blackbird (PSBB). Either way, he looks very smart with his pretty wing decorations and slight head turn in our direction, and you were very smart to grab the shot! 😎
Got a kick out of your first sentence, Chris. What a tempest in a teapot that naming issue has become.
The photography gods smiled on you — flying blackbirds are so hard to capture so sharply and also get nuances of their feathers – mine are generally just black and not nearly as crisp.
“mine are generally just black and not nearly as crisp.”
More often that not, mine are like that too, Kent. Thanks.
I am so glad that you are able to live with this shot. I suspect that I am not alone in thinking I would be over the moon if I could achieve it. And in my case luck would have an enormous amount to do with the achievement.
You have some pretty great photography skills, yourself, EC! 💜
EC, I actually like the shot and can more than live with it. I just wish I had more detail in the ventral blacks.
Ron, you got both epaulets and his dorsal surface has tons of detail. This skilled and talented shot is a definite win in my book! 😃
I’m glad you like it, Marty. Thanks.
I really like this shot–the phrags look like treetops that “super bird”
gos over in a single bound ! the open fan of the left wing is beautiful.
Thanks, Kris.
Excellent – bet that Blackbird is not aware he is sucking in photons. I have chatted with R5 users here and they say the camera has improved their chances with picking up in flight birds.
“they say the camera has improved their chances with picking up in flight birds.”
I don’t think any R5 user would argue with that, Everett. The R5 has its aggravating quirks but its strong points far outweigh them.
Beautiful capture including the fact they aren’t totally black/red. The females are more brown so……… Detail on the dorsal side is great! “Photon-sucking” fits! 🙂 My “on the fly” shots always look like they are! 😉
Thank you, Judy.
That’s a real nice photo! Kudos! I always try for the grab shots too but I have a much slower setup than you so I’m sure I miss way more often than you.
Thanks, Joanne. When it comes to grab shots, I “miss” most of the time.
Love the term “photon-sucking”. Gonna use that one.
Great photo. You got the catchlight and some pretty amazing detail where the photons were not sucked into the black.
Lucky, yes. But your skill set helped bring it on.
Thank you, Michael. “Photon-sucking” is a term I learned at Nature Photographer’s Network many years ago. I think it fits the situation.