Mid-March birding can be a bit of a challenge in Southern Ontario since the spring bird migration is only in its earliest phase with robins and grackles starting to arrive. We are left with a limited number of species… many of which some folks do not find particularly exciting to photograph. Birds like Canada geese, gulls, fairly common ducks, swans, and small species like sparrows and chickadees.
Category Archives: Pro Capture
Intensive Practise Session
This article discusses a recent bird-in-flight, intensive practise session I did along the shoreline of Forty Mile Creek Park… and some of the planning that went into it.
In my mind, casually grabbing a camera and going out to create a few impromptu photographs does not constitute a practise session. There is no clear objective. There is no forethought or preparation. Nor is there any discipline involved with the activity.
Why I Prefer Practicing With Gulls
This article discusses why I prefer practicing with gulls, and shares an extensive selection of new images recently captured at 40 Mile Creek in Grimsby.
Some photographers seem to view gulls as nothing more than a nuisance… and they don’t bother trying to photograph them at all. From my perspective, of all of the bird species I could choose to photograph in-flight, it is difficult for me to identify better practice birds than gulls.
Kingfishers Taking Flight
This article features some handheld image runs of kingfishers taking flight near 40 Mile Creek in Grimsby Ontario. Over the years I’ve had precious few opportunities to photograph this kind of action with kingfishers. On this particular October afternoon I had four opportunities and was able to successfully photograph these kingfishers taking flight with all four of them.
Heron Landing at 1680mm EFOV
This article shares 14 consecutive test images of a heron landing at 1680mm EFOV. These were captured a couple of days ago at Hendrie Valley. The past few months have been a challenge for me in terms of getting out with my camera gear. So much so that I was sadly in need of some practice.
Monarchs in Flight Test with 150-600
This article features some monarchs in flight test images captured handheld with the M.Zuiko 150-600 mm f/5-6.3 IS zoom. All of the photographs were captured in my backyard at distances that varied from 3.7 to 8.4 metres (~12.1 to 27.6 feet).
Photographing Horse Jumping
This past weekend I had the opportunity to photograph some horse jumping at a local event in the Hamilton area. This was my first experience with this type of subject matter so some intensive, on-site planning was required.
Small Critters with M.Zuiko 150-600
This article shares a selection of photographs of small critters that were captured handheld with the M.Zuiko 150-600 mm f/5-6.3 IS zoom lens. This lens is not one that many folks would immediately think of using to photograph bees, wasps and other small critters… but it can be an effective choice.
All of the images featured in this article were captured during a short 1.5 hour visit to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington Ontario.
A Few Moments
For those of us who enjoy photographing birds, a few moments are often enough for us to feel that our time was well spent. This article shares a few moments with terns that I recently experienced during a visit to Hendrie Valley.
Flies in Flight Test
This article features some handheld images from a recent flies in flight test I conducted in my backyard, and provides some related commentary.
Like any test session, my objective was to push myself and my camera gear so I could better understand my current capabilities, as well as identify opportunities for improvement.