Hi Matt
In terms of birds in flight photos, I’ve literally just dipped my toe in the water, so its early days for me yet! The success that I’ve enjoyed so far can more or less be attributed to modern DSLR technology and excellent Canon L series lenses.
In terms of what part the photographer plays, I guess that being in the right place, at the right time, where there are birds to photograph along with having an understanding of their behaviour, are some of the skills I am now developing.
For example, the Port of Brisbane Visitor Centre’s bird hide is an excellent place and if you arrive at low tide, then as the tide comes in, the waders are forced up onto higher ground, offering more opportunities for photography.
I’ve also noted that (wild) birds are more active in the early morning (breakfast time for them) and late afternoon (snacks before bedtime) whereas around mid day, they seem to rest up.
So, I’ll observe a bird’s behaviour and then try to get a bead on it and let auto focus and continuous shooting do their work, hopefully ending up with something that CS3 can then work with.
I’ve often gone out with pre-conceived ideas of what I want to shoot and how to shoot it, only to come away with something quite different, so you also have to be quick and flexible to respond to any opportunity.
As I said, its early days for me and I’ve dialled the following settings into a Custom User setting so at the twist of a dial, I’m ready to go:
- Canon 40D + Canon 400mm F5.6L lens
- 1/1600 sec exposure
- F5.6 aperture
- ISO400
- Low speed continuous shooting (3.5 frames per second)
- The Lord’s Prayer!
Understanding bird habitats, their behaviour, the lighting, your equipment and optimal settings are very important, but being out for a few hours at a time and having some good fortune are also just as important.
Cheers
Dennis