Snow Goose/Huge Sun, Bosque Del Apache NWR, NM

Canon EOS 1Ds digital camera with 600mm f/4 L IS lens & 1.4X II TC. 

ISO 50.  Manual Mode: 1/8000 sec. at f/64.

 

 If Bosque does not get your creative juices flowing, it might be time to consider knitting...  This image was made a full half hour after sunrise on a clear day...  Go figure.

To learn exactly how this image was created in- camera,  see "Was  It Real?" here: http://www.birdsasart.com/bn122.htm

 

BOSQUE SITE GUIDE EXCERPT

 

Here are the first four of nine basic flight photography tips from the Site Guide:

 

#1:  When photographing birds in flight, choose the autofocus mode that allows you to track the subject while maintaining sharp focus.  With Canon, this is called AI Servo autofocus.  The A.I. stands for artificial intelligence.  With Nikon, choose the “C” (continuous) autofocus setting to follow action.  These autofocus modes not only track the subject, but read its speed and direction as well.  It is necessary for a good predictive AF system to focus slightly ahead of moving subjects to compensate for shutter lag and ensure accurate focus at the exact moment that the shutter is opened. (The AF system needs to focus on the spot where the subject will be when the shutter opens, not on the place where it was when you depressed the shutter button!)   

 

 

 

Image copyright 2004 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Activating and using the central sensor only while working in AI Servo AF will always yield the sharpest images when the birds are flying  at you.  

 

 

#2:  Handholding an intermediate telephoto lens is a great way to capture images of birds in flight when they are flying relatively close to your position. When they are really close, a zoom lens can be quite effective as you are able to rack back (zoom out) as the bird gets larger and larger in the frame. 

 

#3:  When photographing birds in flight, pre-focus manually if your AF system allows you too. (Yes for Canon, no for Nikon…)  If not, you can try this trick:  pick a stationary object on the ground at roughly the same distance as the birds that are flying by and autofocus on it.  In both of the instances above, your AF system will be better able to “see” a subject that is approximately in focus when you raise your lens…

 

#4:  Most telephoto lenses have distance range switches.  For nearly all flight photography, it is best to choose the far limit range setting.  This will prevent the AF system from having to search through the entire range of focus and enable it to pick up the subject quickly and to focus more accurately. 

 

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