Falconry Shoot

A friend and I will be doing a Falconry shoot next month covering Eagles,owls ,hawks,kites etc, on the fly and perched, never shot birds before (not this type anyway!) would appreciate any tips from you specialists, Will be using 24-105,70-200 etc, (add on,) sorry forgot the 1.4x t/c.

Sounds like alot of fun but I would think you'd need a longer reach lens...

Keep the sun behind you. Use a tripod.

Which body do you have, you will need the fastest frame rate and autofocus you can get?

1D mk111,cant get much better than that.

rrdjserv@earthlink.net wrote in post #7319662
Keep the sun behind you. Use a tripod.

Why would I shoot into the sun and use a tripod for free flying birds?????

i'd rent something longer...i know they are captive birds...but you still won't be that close when they're flying...

You should be able to do some fairly good flight shots with the 70-200 and the 1.4x. Do you have two bodies? Maybe put the 70-200 on one and rent the 100-400 or 400 prime for the second body.

Merlyn wrote in post #7319806
Why would I shoot into the sun and use a tripod for free flying birds?????

Lol...because you asked for tips. As far as a tripod....it depends on the person. Some handhold, some use a tripod (like me)...it's whatever floats you boat when it comes to a tripod or not.

You never said how far you think you were going to be from them. 70-200 should do fine depending on the distance. Go out and practice on Gulls and get comfortable on panning...focus on the eye if possible. +EC if shooting against the sky.

I went on a similar shoot in North Yorkshire last year and had an excellent day. I'm not sure what you will be covering but we flew many eagles, owls, buzzards, hawks and more. We took a Harris Hawk out for a walk in the surrounding countryside. We learnt how to tether the birds properly. I shot with a 70-200 F4 L IS and it was more than adequate. I did use a 1.4x extender for many of the shots but often found I didn't need it.

I didn't need a tripod as the 70-200 is light enough to hold.

I think having a good understanding of the birds behaviour is vital so you can anticipate what they are going to do next. Hopefully you will pick this up as you work with the birds. I got to know some of them very well over the course of the day.

I took nearly 400 pics over the day. I've posted some samples:

http://www.robbrowett.​net …fault.aspx?acti​on=gallery

Hope you enjoy your day as much as I did. I am definitely planning on doing it again

rent the 500 f/4. You won't regret it!

When I went to the National Birds of Prey centre I found it was a lot more difficult to photograph moving birds when they are closer to you than they normally are in the wild, as the further away they are the less you have to move or pan to keep them in the frame. Expect a lot of rejects first time out.
http://www.moparuk.co.​uk …tographic/nbpc/​index.html

Thanks guys (and heather!) for your help,sounds like I am going to the same place as you Rob! I might be tempted to rent a longer lens but there are no rental shops near me,Manchester being the closest. I'll have to make do with my 70-200 2.8 is and TC.

As this is a fairly controlled sitituation I think the glass you have will be more than adequate, the body certainly will be. I though wouldn't be concerned where the Sun is is relationship to me but rather to the flight of bird.

Being able to light under the wing or be able to expose the bird against the sky is always the issue. A quartering or oblique light is usually more flattering and can offer some very good effects to the feather edges. As this is a controlled shoot I would consider using fill much more than I might in other situations, consider taking and using the flash if you have a Better Beamer all the better to get the light to the specific areas needed.

You can use my 500 if you want.