2 Black-crowned Night Herons (and the volatility of shutter speed)
These two images demonstrate how dramatically shutter speed can change in different lighting conditions when you’re shooting in aperture priority.
Category: Bird Photography Methods
What A Difference A Camera Can Make – Canon 7D vs 7D Mark II
This is only a mediocre image at best and I’ll never use it for anything other than this post but I was impressed that I was able to get it at all.
Reflections – They’re Not Quite What They Appear To Be
I believe that many folks think that when there’s a reflection of a photo subject on the surface of water that reflection is an exact upside-down version of the subject itself (unless the reflection is disturbed by irregularities on the water surface). That’s really not the case.
Blurry Wing Tips – Is It Shutter Speed Or Depth Of Field?
Bird photographers like to know why certain elements of their images are soft (blurry) when others are not because it helps them to evaluate their settings and technique.
A Nostalgic Look At The Male Williamson’s Sapsucker
I sure do miss this woodpecker and its mate. I photographed them for parts of two breeding seasons in Clark County, Idaho but about a month ago some idiot chopped down their nest tree (the one in these images) and I haven’t seen the birds since.
Saturated Swainson’s Hawk Enduring A Downpour
Burrowing Owl Take-off Series And The Dangers Of Barbed Wire
Two events yesterday morning made yet another threat of barbed wire for wildlife painfully clear.
Kingbird In Flight With Horizontal Wings – And I Actually Like It
I don’t often keep an image where the wings of a songbird in flight are in a horizontal position.
Swainson’s Hawk In Flight (and an optical illusion involving the catch light)
Bear River Cliff Swallows
I don’t believe that I photograph any species more pugnacious than the Cliff Swallow. Their combative nature can lead to some interesting photo opportunities but they’re so darned quick that doing it well is very difficult.
Dark Morph Swainson’s Hawk In Flight
You have to get lucky to get good light on a raptor in flight when the sun’s high in the sky.
Mountain Bluebird – An Unusual Take-off From The Nest Hole
It’s surprisingly difficult to anticipate direction of take-off, even as birds leave the entrance to a nest cavity in a tree.
Willet – Allowing Enough Room For Wings At Take-off
Many things can go wrong when photographing birds at take-off and clipping wings is at or near the top of the list. The amount of room the photographer needs to allow for raised (or lowered) wings is hugely deceiving. Sure, you may catch the wings in a horizontal position without clipping them but that position is generally much less desirable.
Landing Black-billed Magpie (and a look at active focus points)
Wispy Willet (and the effects of bokeh on an image)
The background bokeh of an image can have a huge impact on the overall aesthetic quality of an image.
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What A Difference A Camera Can Make – Canon 7D vs 7D Mark II
This is only a mediocre image at best and I’ll never use it for anything other than this post but I was impressed that I was able to get it at all.
Reflections – They’re Not Quite What They Appear To Be
I believe that many folks think that when there’s a reflection of a photo subject on the surface of water that reflection is an exact upside-down version of the subject itself (unless the reflection is disturbed by irregularities on the water surface). That’s really not the case.
Blurry Wing Tips – Is It Shutter Speed Or Depth Of Field?
Bird photographers like to know why certain elements of their images are soft (blurry) when others are not because it helps them to evaluate their settings and technique.
A Nostalgic Look At The Male Williamson’s Sapsucker
I sure do miss this woodpecker and its mate. I photographed them for parts of two breeding seasons in Clark County, Idaho but about a month ago some idiot chopped down their nest tree (the one in these images) and I haven’t seen the birds since.
Saturated Swainson’s Hawk Enduring A Downpour
Burrowing Owl Take-off Series And The Dangers Of Barbed Wire
Two events yesterday morning made yet another threat of barbed wire for wildlife painfully clear.
Kingbird In Flight With Horizontal Wings – And I Actually Like It
I don’t often keep an image where the wings of a songbird in flight are in a horizontal position.
Swainson’s Hawk In Flight (and an optical illusion involving the catch light)
Bear River Cliff Swallows
I don’t believe that I photograph any species more pugnacious than the Cliff Swallow. Their combative nature can lead to some interesting photo opportunities but they’re so darned quick that doing it well is very difficult.
Dark Morph Swainson’s Hawk In Flight
You have to get lucky to get good light on a raptor in flight when the sun’s high in the sky.
Mountain Bluebird – An Unusual Take-off From The Nest Hole
It’s surprisingly difficult to anticipate direction of take-off, even as birds leave the entrance to a nest cavity in a tree.
Willet – Allowing Enough Room For Wings At Take-off
Many things can go wrong when photographing birds at take-off and clipping wings is at or near the top of the list. The amount of room the photographer needs to allow for raised (or lowered) wings is hugely deceiving. Sure, you may catch the wings in a horizontal position without clipping them but that position is generally much less desirable.
Landing Black-billed Magpie (and a look at active focus points)
Wispy Willet (and the effects of bokeh on an image)
The background bokeh of an image can have a huge impact on the overall aesthetic quality of an image.