More birdies

Since I was asked to post more in another thread, All I can say is: You asked for it!

= Ed =

More Sandhill Cranes

WOW! Truly fantastic photos

I want to be Ed!!! Great stuff!

Maz
http://www.homesteadsf​orsale.com

Wow, stunning !

WOW that first hummingbird is wonderful

the second picture of the Sandhill Cranes is very nice with the sun shining on them.

i have to say that i'm a little jealous of your pictures

How to you, and others, manage to capture such random moving animals with such clarity? These photos are great. I have so many squirrels by my house, but they move to quickly to take a picture!

How do you do it?

-Chris

Chris,

There are a few things. First, on the technical side, keep your shutter speed as high as you can. Use a high ISO and open your lens up as much as wide as possible. This is where it pays to have good glass that stays sharp even wide open. The longer the lens the more shutter speed you need. Also, monopods and tripods can help, but without the right tripod head, they're not much use for birds in flight. You need to have high shutter speeds to avoid camera shake and to freeze action.

Secondly, know your subjects. Research them or just plan to watch them a lot before you try to photograph them. This is not always possible, sometimes you don't have that opportunity. However, whenever you can, the more you can learn about your subject's habits, the better chance you have to get great photos.

Thirdly, be patient. Be prepared to wait hours to get a single photo. The humming bird photos took me weeks to gt the setup right with enough light, and then hours waiting for the right shots (and a lot of wrong ones ) Sometimes there isn't much of a wait and you're shooting constantly. When you are stalking move very slowly - small steps. Avoid direct eye contact as much as possible. Crawling can get you close to other birds and animals that get intimidated by a human standing up - but only if you crawl very slowly and stop often. I crawled on my belly , very slowly to get close enough to take this full framed image of a Killdeer guarding an egg. There is no cropping here. (I actually have a whole sequence of the Killdeer feigning a broken wing to draw me away from the egg, and then shots as I got progressive closer. I stopped when she got to be full frame).

Just incredible. That hummingbird is simply beautiful.

As a fan of wildlife shots I have to say these are definitely inspiring!

Stunning - all of them.

I particularly like the 'expression' of the blue heron. Kinda like he's taking the kids to the park and is stood there watching them playing.

These shots are amazing. Thanks for the tips.

Can I ask what lenses you're using?

Dave,

Each and every shot on this page was taken with my 400mm f/5.6L. I use this lens for nearly 100% of my birds photography and a large percentage of other wildlife. The 70-200 f/2.8L IS also gets used for other wildlife. Someday I WILL get the 500mm f/4 IS. I will have it I tell you!!!

= Ed =

Simply breathtaking. The hummers are brilliant. I wished I had the patience to wait it out for shots like these.

HOLY COW these are beautifull shots.

Fantastic shots. You are definitely among the elite bird photographers, an inspiration to us all.

ABSOUTLY AWESOME PHOTOS. What Lenses were you using and what camera Thanks for the Treat. Tim