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Sep, 2017Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at a nature park called Lazo Marsh. it is located near the end of to Comox Peninsula on Vancouver Island, British ColumbiaTime
It was early afternoon on a sunny day.Lighting
The foliage on the tree blocked the direct sunlight, which provided nice even lighting with no harsh shadows.Equipment
I used a Nikon D7200 camera with a Nikkor 28-300mm lens. The camera was set in the Scene mode to the "Sport" setting. This setting keeps the shutter speed at a reasonably high rate and allows you to easily select the point of focus. It can be very handy when trying to shoot a subject with a lot of foreground clutter.Inspiration
This photo was one of those opportunities that just presents itself. I had gone for a walk with a friend in the nature park. He had his two greyhound dogs on leash. We got to the end of the path where a lookout platform is located overlooking the marsh. The squirrel had been on the handrail, but moved into a tree when it saw us coming. It was only about 2 meters from my shoulder and didn't seem bothered by my presence. I lined up the camera for some pictures. At that moment, it spotted the dogs, dropped to the position you see in the photo, and froze. I quickly shot off 18 photos then we moved on to give it back its space. The dogs had that "What is your problem" look.Editing
The only post-processing was a bit of cropping. The lighting was left as it was recorded.In my camera bag
This question is best answered by what equipment is normally in my vehicle. I have the Nikon D7200 with the 28-300mm lens. A D7100 with a Sigma 150-600mm lens, and a D7100 that swaps between my 10-24mm and 40mm macro lens. My polarizing filter fits both the 300 and wide angle lenses. I also carry a fairly heavy video style tripod and a very lightweight one that fits easily into a daypack. My monopod gets more use than both tripods combined though. The remote control for the shutter release works on all three cameras. For good measure, I also carry a Sony TX-30 pocket camera. This camera is proven to be water resistant, so I have no hesitation pulling it out even in the worst weather.Feedback
I always have the camera set to the high speed continuous mode, except when using the remote control. This provides up to 6 FPS. Even with landscape shots, I usually shoot 3 or more photos in a bust. In a low light situation, it will probably be one of the middle photos that turns out the best. I have enough wildlife shots of birds and animals just sitting there that I now concentrate of getting photos of them in action.... doing something. I've learned to never activate the vibration resistance setting on the lens when shooting something that will start moving. Regardless of what the lens manual says, I have too may photos with a ghostly fringe or birds with two eyes on the same side of their head to trust this setting. I find that a high shutter speed and good tracking of the subject works best.
