Hummingbirds are one of my favourite birds to photograph. In Southern Ontario we are only treated to visits from these ‘pocket rockets’ for a few months of the year. While it is ideal to find and photograph hummingbirds around flowers, opportunities tend to be fairly rare – especially in my backyard. As the season is quickly drawing to a close, I thought it would be fun to post an article about photographing hummingbirds near feeders, as this is where the majority of images are captured by many photographers. Continue reading Photographing Hummingbirds Near Feeders
Category Archives: Animals
Using Slow Shutter Speeds to Photograph Wild Birds Handheld
Readers who enjoy bird photography can attest to the fact that many people go out early in the morning to capture their images. This can be a challenge, especially when using a camera with a smaller sensor, as higher ISO values are often used during this time of day. This article shares a few images and discusses using slow shutter speeds to photograph wild birds handheld. Continue reading Using Slow Shutter Speeds to Photograph Wild Birds Handheld
A Bit of Patience Can Pay Dividends
When we’re out photographing birds-in-flight it can sometimes be a challenge to decide when to press the shutter to activate an AF-C run. This is especially true if our camera has a limited buffer size. Having some self-discipline and a bit of patience can pay dividends. This article features an AF-C run of 22 consecutive images showing an egret landing on a branch. To put the images in context… Continue reading A Bit of Patience Can Pay Dividends
Egret Landing on Branch – Post Processing Considerations
Yesterday I was able to capture a nice AF-C run of an egret landing on a branch. This article shares some of the post processing considerations and approaches I used when working with this series of images. Continue reading Egret Landing on Branch – Post Processing Considerations
Great Blue Heron Interspecies Aggression
On Labour Day (Sept 3) I took some time out of my schedule to visit the Hendrie Valley Sanctuary to do some bird photography. As I studied various species of birds I decided to move closer to a great blue heron and a group of Canada geese. This short article shares some images of great blue heron interspecies aggression. Continue reading Great Blue Heron Interspecies Aggression
Wing Positions Can Add Drama
Bird photography can become somewhat of an addictive pastime for a number of reasons. One never knows what photographic opportunity Mother Nature will provide, and once presented, if we will be up to the task of capturing it. Many of us regularly go out to photograph birds even though we may already have thousands of images of a particular species. What keeps us coming back is the anticipation that our next image may capture something special, different, or better, than during our last outing. This short article shares some images that (hopefully) demonstrate that wing positions can add drama to our bird photographs. Continue reading Wing Positions Can Add Drama
Gull Swallowing a Fish at 15 FPS
When we are out with our cameras capturing nature photographs it is beneficial to notice small, commonplace events as they can still produce interesting images. This article features a selection of images of a gull swallowing a fish at 15 FPS (frames per second). Continue reading Gull Swallowing a Fish at 15 FPS
Sometimes Documenting Nature is Enough
When we’re out with our cameras around nature, none of us really ever knows what is going to happen. This article shares a series of images captured when almost everything about the shooting conditions were wrong – but pressing the shutter was the right thing to do. Sometimes documenting nature is enough. Continue reading Sometimes Documenting Nature is Enough
Great Blue Heron Appearing to Walk on Water
While at the Hendrie Valley Sanctuary yesterday, I had the opportunity to capture a continuous auto-focus (AF-C) run of a Great Blue Heron appearing to walk on water. This article shares a selection of 18 images and provides insights into the thought process that led to the creation of these photographs. Continue reading Great Blue Heron Appearing to Walk on Water
Hummingbird Images Captured at Various Shutter Speeds
Yesterday I went to the Urquhart Butterfly Garden with the hope of capturing some images of hummingbirds in flight. Mother Nature cooperated and I was treated to two brief hummingbird visits, each lasting for a minute or two as the hummingbird flitted from blossom to blossom. This article shares some hummingbird images captured at various shutter speeds. Continue reading Hummingbird Images Captured at Various Shutter Speeds