DSC_0067
Mar, 2016Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on the beach of the Gold Coast approximately opposite "Ripley's" permanent exhibition.Time
The sun had already begun its descent behind the tall buildings along the coast casting shadows over most of the beach area, reminding one that the last five minutes at the beach had arrived.Lighting
Late afternoon lighting with high rise buildings on the coast provides the typical bright light as well as shadowy areas to most scenes. This is a challenge if one wishes to share detail in both areas. Camera was set on "program" fixing speed at useful 1/400 of a second and ISO 400 leaving the camera to determine a workable aperture, in this case f10 providing good depth of field to achieve sharp focus on most birds and softer focus on the background. The lens was zoomed at 45 mm to accommodate most of the scene. A softer focused background can of course be achieved with a wider aperture but the camera settings were chosen for practical purposes.Equipment
The picture was exposed with a Nikon 3200 using a Nikon 18-140 mm , f3.5-5.6 lens. No other equipment was used, Pictures were taken in RAW.Inspiration
Sitting on the beach, I was aware of most human beach activities but also noticed that a flock of sea gulls would rise in unison when startled and then land soon after on the same spot - this seemed to be repeated fairly regularly. Could it be that these birds were trying to sleep on a beach full of people? Never the less, the precision flying while the whole flock were up in the air was stunning and worth a picture.Editing
While converting from RAW to jpeg in Photoshop, I usually take the opportunity to tweek here and there to improve the picture. In this case the well exposed and less exposed areas were balanced, a few human heads were removed and some fragments of birds were removed from the edges of the picture.In my camera bag
Modern cameras with fine zoom lenses, some of which also provide macro facilities, tend to encourage one to leave the bag at home. I find however that the protection afforded the equipment is most important. Basics like a spare battery, data storage cards, a filter, lens cleaner etc. have a place in the camera bag. I often leave the bag in the boot of the car and travel light where this is an option.Feedback
When trying to capture birds in flight, the speed of the camera should match that of the birds. A limited depth of field is often desired to dissolve the background - widest aperture. Bear in mind that the wide aperture may make focusing more critical depending on the type of bird you wish to photograph in flight. Modern digital cameras provide wonderful opportunities for experimentation and practice even on location to find workable camera settings when taking pictures of our feathered friends in flight.
