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Post by kenpossum on Jan 31, 2011 23:51:31 GMT -8
My previous experiences in nature photography centred on photographing scenics, flora and large animals. (Feel free to visit my web site at www.kenpugh.ca for examples of my nature work.) In those situations, almost every situation calls for a tripod if the goal is to obtain crisp, sharp images. Bird photography, I am quickly finding out, provides a number of exceptions. As mentioned in my earlier posts, there are times when hand holding is the only viable option to photograph birds. One must be flexible. A quick review - the insurmountable weight of a huge tripod heavy and sturdy enough for those large f/2.8 lenses, shooting from a canoe, boat or a car blind, the vibrating decks of a ferry, excessive wind and direct overhead shots. The image below (as are all the images in this post) was taken hand held for two reasons. First, the wind over Sumas Prairie was so strong that it caused too much vibration in the tripod legs causing unacceptable blur. Second, the Red-tailed Hawk was flying directly overhead, an impossible angle for the tripod. It was a sunny day so my ISO was set at 800 to get a shutter speed of 1/4000 sec. f/5.6 Overkill on the shutter speed? Your suggestions and guidance would be appreciated. The last shot (taken while waiting for the Harris Sparrow that didn't bother to show) was taken at ISO 400, f5.6, 1/2000 sec. I was using my car as a wind block and blind. All the shots are sharp, but there is still more experimentation to do. Your thoughts are welcome!
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Post by martin on Mar 18, 2011 21:39:47 GMT -8
Ken I've been shooting handhold most the time in film and now in digital.
I do find that the IS helps a bit now, steady hands and hold your breath. The high shutter speed helps, at least as high as your focal length.
You do need to be able to shoot quick some times.
I have just gotten a large glass and finding the tripod a bit awkward and foreign still, not to mention a little slower to set up.
Most the birds fly away or grow old waiting.
Cheers Martin
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