![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/yellow-warbler-1974-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"yellow-warbler-1974-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nNot a great shot but for me the degree of difficulty makes it one I was happy to get. I’ve been trying for weeks to get a photo similar to this one, taken 6 days ago in the Wasatch Mountains.<\/p>\n
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1\/2500, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n I suppose it could be said that about the only thing going for\u00a0this image\u00a0is that it’s a takeoff shot (almost a flight shot) of a blistering-fast little warbler. After all, the setting is busy, there’s out of\u00a0 focus greenery in the foreground at lower left, the bird isn’t particularly large in the frame and it also isn’t quite tack sharp. I wouldn’t argue with any of that but\u00a0the image\u00a0also has some redeeming qualities and for me one of them is a\u00a0pretty\u00a0big deal.<\/p>\n I know of very few birds that are faster and quirkier in their movements than these little\u00a0warblers (there are a few, kinglets for example). Human reflexes just aren’t fast enough to keep them in the frame when they take off so you really have no chance\u00a0unless you’re already firing a burst when it happens. Even then they’re usually out of frame in the 1\/10 sec between shots in a burst with my camera. I’ve succeeded in keeping them in frame a few times but they’ve always been extremely soft, or they took off the wrong way, or they flew in front of a leaf or branch or\u00a0the wing position sucked or I\u00a0didn’t have a catch light in the eye or\u00a0…. ad infinitum. For me\u00a0with Yellow Warbler takeoff and flight\u00a0shots Murphy’s Law rules.<\/p>\n But this time the bird is reasonably sharp, he took off at a good angle giving me eye contact and nice light on the bird, our view of the entire bird is\u00a0unobstructed and the takeoff posture and wing positions are\u00a0good ones. And to top it all off he has prey in his bill.<\/p>\n And I got lucky with something else. The wings of this species move so quickly that normally\u00a0this shutter speed (1\/2500) wouldn’t be fast enough to get them this sharp. I suspect they’re as sharp as they are because I caught them at or near\u00a0their apex between going up and going down.<\/p>\n Yes, my Yellow Warbler flight\/takeoff shots are still\u00a0a work in progress but when I consider degree of difficulty I’ll celebrate this one as a minor victory.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Not a great shot but for me the degree of difficulty makes it one I was happy to get. I’ve been trying for weeks to get a photo similar to this one, taken 6 days ago in the Wasatch Mountains.<\/p>\n