IMG_7655sqcrop
Sep, 2015Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at Taronga Zoo in Sydney (Australia) during one of their "Free Flight Bird Shows". Part of the Sydney skyline is in the background.Time
They run two shows a day, at 12 noon and 3 pm. This photo was taken during the 12 noon show.Lighting
Obviously, the lighting was "natural", the sky was mainly clear with just a few soft clouds about.Equipment
I used my Canon10D camera with the following settings; 1/400 sec, f18, 800 ISO with my Sigma 18 - 200 mm lens @ 88 mm. The camera was hand-held.Inspiration
It was just amazing to watch these birds in free flight and yet respond instantly to their keeper's signals. Their power and agility to, almost instantly, turn, swoop and dive was amazing. Their flight was so graceful.Editing
The only post-processing was a bit of cropping and a slight increase in the contrast. This was done in Photoshop CS6.In my camera bag
My main camera is a Canon 760D with three Canon, two Tamron and two Sigma lens of various sizes. The Canon 60D and 10D are among my other cameras. I have the usual array of filters, close-up lenses and a Canon Speedlite Electronic flash in my bag at all times. I use a Manfrotto tripod and head whenever I can.Feedback
I find that, by using a tripod, I am not rushed into taking the shot and it allows me to look more critically at the image I want to capture. I think that this is good practice and probably a hang over from my early film days when I tried to do most of the processing of the image in the camera. Film and processing were relatively expensive in those days and I couldn't afford to waste too many frames. If the subject does not lend itself to the use of a tripod then learning to take a picture whilst panning the camera is something that needs to be practised to better capture fast-moving subjects. It will allow you to use a wider aperture and a faster shutter speed. This will help in "freezing" to subject and also help in blurring the background which adds to the impression of movement of the subject.
