Eastern Kingbird Zipping Through
Small birds on the fly are always a challenge - they are so rapid.
Sometimes you do manage to get a good shot, but unfortunately either the framing is poor or the background ruins the image. So hey, see if you can salvage it! Why waste an otherwise good image?
Here, the bird is in the clear, but I had to crop the image lengthwise to work around distracting branches. Believe me, there is no law that says an image has to be in a standard format size, for example 8 x 10.
Framing vertically or horizontally is often quite pleasing. Also, people often have off-standard spaces on their walls which are suited to this type of framing/formatting.
Canon 40D with 400 5.6L lens @ 1/800, f5.6, ISO 400, + 1/3 exposure compensation.
Cheers,
Mike
Fantasia Blue Jay
Having a bit of fun here with some extreme light, my new 500 f4 lens and an old friend at the Marais du Nord nature trail north of Quebec City. The bird seems to be floating on the wooden hand rail.
Taken at almost last light with Canon 50D, 500 f4 lens @ 1/800, f8, ISO 200 with -2/3 exposure compensation. As per usual, no flash here, I'm not a big flash user although I do use it occasionally - I just love this lens.
This shot was taken horizontally - I just cropped it at full height vertically.
Cheers,
Mike
When Will I Be Able To Fly With These?
Here is a first effort with my new 500 f4 lens.
It was a good test because of the poor lighting presented before me at the end of the day and with light blocked by high trees. I would not have achieved this result with my beloved 400 5.6. The stabilized f4 made the difference.
I like the result, the image evokes a greater feeling for me than if it was taken in full direct sun light.
With ducklings and other water fowl, the trick is to get as low as you can so that you are at their level. Here, I was flat on my belly at the edge of the water, with the lens and camera hand-held and lens plate practically on the ground.
Canon 50D with 500 f4 lens @ 1/400, f4, ISO 400 cropped for composition.
Cheers,
Mike
Time To Face A New Dawn - Greater Snow Geese
I've fallen so far behind with the upkeep of my site that friends are beginning to ask me whether I have stopped taking photos of birds.
Quite the contrary, I'm still at it - and with the purchase of a new 500 f4 lens this week, there will be more to come.
However, time is short and I do find it difficult now to upkeep the site. By the time I get home filter my images and back them up, it's time for beddy-bye.
Anyway, here's one that I like, taken this spring at Cap Tourmente wildlife reserve during the annual migration. It was taken at the crack of dawn at a specific spot and time that I visit.
Here, I know that the light will give me this effect - especially when there is no wind to disturb the reflections in the water.
Canon 40D with 400L 5.6 lens @ 1/1000, f5.6, 400 ISO, cropped for composition. I didn't balance for whites because I wanted to preserve the warmer light on the goose on the right.
Cheers,
Mike
Eastern Kingbird On The Wing
This shot was taken at Les Marais du Nord, north of Quebec City.
The treatment of the photo is different from my others in that I heavily modified the background.
The shot is almost full-frame, but originally contained a variety of nagging branches in two uncomplementary layers in the foreground.
The upper half of the background remained as is, but I used it to clone the lower half.
I could have been a bit more agressive with my sharpening of the bird.
I'm not sure I like the image as is - the bird seems lost within the background. Perhaps I should have left in a bit of the branches to give the bird more depth.
Decisions, decisions.
Canon 40D with 400L 5.6 lens @ 1/1000, f 5.6, ISO 400, + 1/3 exposure compensation.
Cheers,
Mike
Call Of The Wild - Greater Snow Goose
The Greater Snow Geese of Cap Tourmente in the spring appear a little different than geese at other locations.
Because they delight in eating the roots of an aquatic plant, the Three-square Bulrush or Common Three-square, at low tide, their appearance is less than clean and white as they should be. Iron minerals tint their head feathers as the geese stick their heads deep into the mud to gain access to the roots. The plant is called Scirpe d'Amérique in French.
Canon 40D with 400L lens @ 1/1250, f11, ISO 400, - 1/3 exposure compensation so as not to blow out the whites. Slightly cropped for composition purposes.
Cheers,
Mike
Snow Goose On The Loose At Cap Tourmente
Canon 40D with 400L lens @ 1/1000, f10, ISO 400, -1/3 exposure compensation. Cropped for composition.
Thousands of Greater Snow Geese have arrived for their annual spring migration halt at the Cap Tourment national wildlife area - a sure sign of spring.
Cap Tourmente opens its 2009 season to the public as of tomorrow, April 25.
Cheers,
Mike
I Spy With My Little Eye . . . Curious Snowy Owl
Canon 40D with 100-400L lens @1/1250, f9, ISO 400. Cropped for compsition purposes.
Cheers,
Mike
Dynamic Backlit Snowy Owl
Backlit Snowy Owls can present a powerful visual experience to the observer and photographer. The effect of dynamic movement of the bird is accentuated in this example. Remember, Snowy Owls don't always have to be white.
Canon 40 D with 100-400L lens @ 1/1250, f11, + 1/3 exposure compensation.
Cropped for composition purposes.
Cheers,
Mike
This Is My Best Side - Snowy Owl
Canon 40D with 100-400L lens @ 1/1600, f14, ISO 400, slight crop for composition purposes.
Cheers,
MIke
Serious Skimming Snowy Owl
Canon 40D with 100-400L lens @ 1/1600, f14, ISO 400, - 1/3 exposure compensation, and yes, at 170mm lens focal length.
Cropped to a 1:2 frame format.
Cheers,
Mike
Get Off My Tail! Hawk Owl
Canon 40D with 100-400L lens @ 1/1250, f10, ISO 400, + 2/3 exposure compensation, 370 lens focal length.
Cropped for composition purposes.
I think every bird photographer in the Quebec City region has a pic of this bird.
Cheers,
Mike
Spring-Loaded Snowy Owl
Canon 40D with 100-400L lens @ 1/1600, f16, ISO 400, - 1/3 exposure compensation, 340mm lens focal length.
This horizontal pic was cropped vertically.
EXPOSITION: Exposium des arts - La Ruée vers l'art au carrefour, du 2 au 5 avril, 2009, au Carrefour Charlesbourg, 8500 Henri-Bourassa, Québec.
Cheers,
Mike
All-Embracing Snowy Owl
Canon 40D with 100-400L lens @ 1/1600, f16, ISO 400 at 210mm lens focal length.
Venez me voir:
EXPOSITION: Exposium des arts - La Ruée vers l'art au carrefour, du 2 au 5 avril, 2009, au Carrefour Charlesbourg, 8500 Henri-Bourassa, Québec.
Mike
Out Of The Blue - Snowy Owl
Canon 40D with 100-400L lens @ 1/1600, f16.0, ISO 400 at 105mm lens focal length.
Slightly cropped for composition purposes, reflective snow specks cloned away.
Cheers,
Mike
My Eyes Adore You - Snowy Owl
You've just got to melt at the sight of those eyes.
Canon 40D with 100-400L lens @ 1/1600, f5.6, 200 ISO, -1/3 exposure compensation, 400mm lens focal distance.
Cropped for composition purposes, and a ton of reflective white specks clonned out.
Cheers,
Mike
I'm The King Here - Male Snowy Owl
While the female Snowy Owls are white with dark markings, the males lose these darker markings with each moult and replace these feathers with whiter ones.
In other words, the older the male, the whiter they generally are.
Cheers,
Mike
Against The Elements - Snowy Owl
For the bird photographer purists and those who sell images commercially, this shot breaks a few rules, especially the sight of those corn stalks in the right lower foreground.
But with that blowing snow in the background, it’s all worth it.
For artists, there are no rules – as I’ve said before, there is the emotion that an image evokes for the photographer, which of course may not be shared by all. In a quest to sanitize an image, some people may forget that in nature there are actually trees, horizons, fence posts and vegetation – yes, really! :-)
Canon 40D with 400 f5.6L lens, @ 1/1250, f8, ISO 200, -1/3 exposure compensation, cropped slightly for composition purposes, post behind the owl slightly blurred to break the lines.
Cheers,
Mike
Bitter Cold Morning Glory - Snowy Owl
Canon 40D @ 400 f5.6L lens @ 1/1250, f5.6, ISO 400, +2/3 exposure compensation, horizon straightened and slightly cropped for composition.
Further proof that a Snowy Owl doesn't always have to be colour-balanced to pure white.
Cheers,
Mike
I'm All Fired Up - Snowy Owl
Everyone who has shot Snowys has the shot of the owl in broad daylight; many shoot with hard noon light and maybe even using full flash and formatted with the whites balanced to pure white.
But it’s nice to get off the beaten track and try some extreme stuff, like this Snowy Owl shot..
By the way, the –2/3 compensation may look like a little unusual for a shot in extreme low light, but remember that there is a huge setting sun to the left and my goal here was not to blow out the image as the owl flew in front of the setting sun.
Canon 40D with 400 f5.6L lens, @ 1/640, f9, ISO 400, - 2/3 exposure compensation, cropped for composition purposes.
And yes, despite being all fired-up, it was still cold as hell!
Cheers,
Mike
Don't Move That Post!
Action and that decisive moment are important elements for the keeper shot.
Canon 40D with 100-400L lens @ 1/1250, f11, ISO 400, + 1/3 exposure compensation.
Slight crop for composition purposes. A telephone pole in the left background cloned out as well as a couple of corn twigs in the foreground. Otherwise, the usual digital image processing.
If I was to reformet the image, I would probably tilt it to level the horizon.
Cheers,
Mike
Fast As A Hawk - Northern Hawk Owl
Canon 40D with 100-400L lens @ 1/1250, f13, ISO 400, +1 exposure compensation.
Cropped for composition purposes – white balance corrected.
The light conditions were not that great, with a very cloudy sky – the shot almost gives you the feeling of a black and white image.
Cheers,
Mike
Northern Hawk Owl On The Move
Canon 40D with 400 f5.6 lens @1/1250, f7.1, ISO 200.
Slightly cropped for composition purposes.
Cheers,
Mike
Young Snowy Owl Amusing Himself In Blowing Snow
Canon 40D with 400mm f5.6 USM lens @ 1/1250, f13, ISO 400
Snowy Owl Dusk Patrol
As they say, it's all in the light!
Canon 40 D with 400L 5.6 lens @ 1/1250 f5.6, 400 ISO
Cheers,
Mike
Friendly Dispute - Snow Buntings
Two joys of winter for me are the arrival of Snowy Owls and the amusing animations of Snow Buntings.
Canon 40D with 400mm f5.6L lens, @ 1/1250, f11, ISO 400, + 1/3 exposure compensation
Cheers,
Mike
Joyeux Noël - Merry Christmas - Xrystos Narodyvsija
Wannabe Snowy Owl Opera Singer
Snow Duck
A heavy snow fall is no excuse for bird photographers to hibernate at home.
There are lots of opportunities out there, and today’s modern digital cameras can handle the most difficult of light conditions. Get out there and enjoy!
Canon 40D with 70-200 f2.8L lens, @ 1/800, f4, ISO 640, +2/3 exposure compensation at 185mm lens focal distance. Cropped vertically.
Cheers,
Mike
Free As A Bird - Snowy Owl
The beauty and variety of flight shots of Snowy Owls never cease to amaze and captivate me.
Canon 40D with 100-400L lens @ 1/1600, f10, ISO 200, + 1/3 exposure compensation, AI Servo AF, and 105mm lens focal distance.
Here I had to rotate the image because the horizon was at a very bad tilt - yes, we do get a little too excited when in the presence of the Prince of Snow!
Cheers,
Mike
First Snowy Owl Of The Season. Where Is The Snow?
Snowy Owls have begun to arrive in southern Quebec in great numbers and very, very early this season.
These, of a young Snowy, are my first of this season taken yesterday.
This is the second of three pics that I'm posting of yesterday's encounter.
Canon 40D with 100-400L lens @1/1000 @ f5.6, ISO 640, +1 exposure compensation at 400mm lens focal distance.
Cropped for composition.
The light was terrible, with a late afternoon grey skies, and it was a challenge trying to photograph with a camera and a camcorder/monopod. The camera took priority with the owl in fligt, with the camcorder and monopod hanging from my wrist.
Regradless, there is a beautful aspect of having the Snowy photographed without the usual snow.
Cheers,
Mike
Where Is The Snow? First Snowy Owl Of The Season
Snowy Owls have begun to arrive in southern Quebec in great numbers and very, very early this season.
These, of a young Snowy, are my first of this season taken yesterday.
This is the first of three pics that I'm posting of yesterday's encounter.
Canon 40D with 100-400L lens @1/1000 @ f5.6, ISO 640, +1 exposure compensation at 400mm lens focal distance.
Cropped for compostion.
The light was terrible, with a late afternoon grey skies, and it was a challenge trying to photograph with a camera and a camcorder/monopod. The camera took priority with the owl in fligt, with the camcorder and monopod hanging from my wrist.
Regradless, there is a beautful aspect of having the Snowy photographed without the usual snow.
Cheers,
Mike
First Snowy Owl Of The Season. Where Is The Snow?
Snowy Owls have begun to arrive in southern Quebec in great numbers and very, very early this season.
These, of a young Snowy, are my first of this season taken yesterday.
This is the third of three pics that I'm posting of yesterday's encounter.
Canon 40D with 100-400L lens @1/1000 @ f5.6, ISO 640, +1 exposure compensation at 400mm lens focal distance.
Cropped for compostion.
The light was terrible, with a late afternoon grey skies, and it was a challenge trying to photograph with a camera and a camcorder/monopod. The camera took priority with the owl in fligt, with the camcorder and monopod hanging from my wrist.
Regradless, there is a beautful aspect of having the Snowy photographed without the usual snow.
Cheers,
Mike
Friends Of Autumn
The Greater Snow Geese have arrived in force at the reservoir at Victoriaville.
Canon 40D with the 400 f5.6L lens @ 1/1250 sec., f16, -1/2 exposure compensation, ISO400.
Cheers,
Mike
Cleared For Takeoff - Greater Snow Geese
Life is unfolding as it should with the autumn return of migrating Greater Snow Geese.
Here, they were disturbed by a passer-by and are preparing to takeoff.
Canon 40D with the 100-400 f4.5-5.6 lens @ 1/1000, f14, ISO 200, @ 400mm lens focal distance.
I threw in a –2 exposure compensation so as not to blow out the white of the geese in the low contrasting light.
Some photogs would probably blur the background leaves a bit, which is fine, but today I left them as they were.
Cheers,
Mike
Red-Tailed Hawk
There is nothing better than being with good friends when photographing birds, especially when trying out something new.
Thanks to Robert Houde and his wife France for sharing his secrets and knowledge on where and how to photograph these beautiful birds.
It was great having another good birding photographer, Dom Cantin, who was also initiated, with us too.
Canon 40D with the 400 5.6L lens @ 1/800, f6.3, ISO 500, + 1 1/3 exposure compensation, fill-flash, at 400mm lens focal distance.
The usual image processing/treatment. Cropped for composition vertically. I decided to leave the cloud in the lower left corner.
I forget to mention - a good book to help observers and photographers identify birds of prey in flight is: Hawks - From Every Angle -
How to identify raptors in flight
By Jerry Ligouori
With forward by David A. Sibly
Mike