Cedar Waxwing
This photo was taken at the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary in Ladner, British Columbia. The sanctuary is one of the best places to see birds in the a...
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This photo was taken at the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary in Ladner, British Columbia. The sanctuary is one of the best places to see birds in the area. We usually spend the day here a couple of times a month (or once a week, if we are lucky).
The photo was taken late in the afternoon and is the photo that kick-started our interest in birding and bird photography. We were walking along the west dyke and had just turned a corner when we noticed a photographer with a very large lens pointed towards us. It turns out he was photographing a Cedar Waxwing that was sitting on a branch about 5 feet to our left. I slowly raised my camera and rattled off a few shots.
This is definitely a happy accident. I did not have time to check my camera settings or consider where the sun was. I knew I had only a few seconds to take the shot before the bird flew away. Luckily, the lighting was perfect and the camera settings were close enough to capture a decent range of light. Even the polarizer I had on the lens was set to the correct angle.
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The photo was taken late in the afternoon and is the photo that kick-started our interest in birding and bird photography. We were walking along the west dyke and had just turned a corner when we noticed a photographer with a very large lens pointed towards us. It turns out he was photographing a Cedar Waxwing that was sitting on a branch about 5 feet to our left. I slowly raised my camera and rattled off a few shots.
This is definitely a happy accident. I did not have time to check my camera settings or consider where the sun was. I knew I had only a few seconds to take the shot before the bird flew away. Luckily, the lighting was perfect and the camera settings were close enough to capture a decent range of light. Even the polarizer I had on the lens was set to the correct angle.
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May, 2012Views
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Awards
Member Selection Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Peer Award
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Jaw Dropping
Exceptional Contrast
Magnificent Capture
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary in Ladner, British Columbia. The sanctuary is one of the best places to see birds in the area. We usually spend the day here a couple of times a month (or once a week, if we are lucky).Time
The photo was taken late in the afternoon and is the photo that kick-started our interest in birding and bird photography. We were walking along the west dyke and had just turned a corner when we noticed a photographer with a very large lens pointed towards us. It turns out he was photographing a Cedar Waxwing that was sitting on a branch about 5 feet to our left. I slowly raised my camera and rattled off a few shots.Lighting
This is definitely a happy accident. I did not have time to check my camera settings or consider where the sun was. I knew I had only a few seconds to take the shot before the bird flew away. Luckily, the lighting was perfect and the camera settings were close enough to capture a decent range of light. Even the polarizer I had on the lens was set to the correct angle.Equipment
I had purchased the Canon 5D Mark II about a year earlier and had taken a great many shots while we were on vacation in Europe a few months earlier. But, this was one of the first times I had taken it with me to the bird sanctuary to photograph birds and wildlife. I knew I was going to need the zoom lens, so I had my 70-200 f4L lens attached along with a circular polarizer to help with contrast and colour.Inspiration
I really enjoy photography but I was struggling to find an interesting subject to shoot since our trip. I decided that I would take the camera everywhere and take photos of everything and see if something catches on. As you can imagine, bird photography caught on.Editing
This photo was pretty good straight out of the RAW file, but I made a few adjustments in Aperture. The exposure and white balance were tweaked slightly and I enhanced the colour to match the amazing colour of the Cedar Waxwing. I also dodged the black mask a bit to keep some of the detail in that area, and cropped in a bit to remove a distracting branch on the left side of the photo.In my camera bag
Since then, I have upgraded my camera to the Canon 5D Mark III and the lens to the Canon EF 300mm f4L IS which I use most of the time while photographing wildlife. I have also added the 1.4x and 2x teleconverters to extend the lens when needed, and an Induro CF tripod to try to keep it all steady.Feedback
I think the best advice I got while starting out with bird photography was to know your subject. To be able to anticipate when a bird is going to take off, fly toward you, or land in a specific spot is very important to getting the shot. That knowledge will help you position yourself and the camera for the best lighting conditions and framing which are essential for a good photo. Since this photo was taken, we have purchased a bunch of apps for birding and joined some of the local birding societies and groups in an effort to learn as much about birds as we can. Some important birding areas have tours for new birders which is a great way to learn how find and identify birds. I have even tasked myself with tagging each and every photo with the common and scientific name of the birds in the photo in an effort to learn more about them. In the last four years we have seen and photographed over 240 species of birds, most of which are right here in our local area.
