A Scavenger, Waiting for the Virus
Mar, 2020Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo on a rural road outside the town of Carleton Place, Ontario, which is a short drive from my home city of Ottawa. I happened to notice two turkey vultures hanging out in a field as I passed, so I pulled my car over and slowly backed up until I had a decent angle. Fortunately, it didn't spook them, and I got some shots of this one on a fencepost.Time
This was taken late on a Saturday morning, at about 10:30 am. This was in March of 2020, so we were at the beginning of the pandemic. I was given the opportunity to sneak out of the house for a while to go hiking, which was one of the only options for doing anything available at the time. (Thinking back after nearly a year, I can only laugh at myself for thinking I felt a little stir-crazy then.)Lighting
This was taken in natural light on an overcast day: dull, but even. A touch of snow is visible on the ground, still, and the spring rain was just coming in. This wasn't the most inspiring day for lighting or comfort, but I was just happy to be out in the world.Equipment
I made this capture handheld using my Canon EOS M50 camera, using an EF-S 55-250mm lens on an adapter for the EF-M mount. I leaned on the door of my car for support and shot it through the open window.Inspiration
Turkey vultures are relatively common around here, but typically migrate further south during the winter. I hadn't yet gotten a good photo of one. I can often see them circling in the air or diving in forests and fields, but I had not seen one for months, and never as close to the road before. Happening upon these ones was an opportunity I had to take.Editing
The image was shot in Canon's raw format, and the original white balance from the camera was off. I had barely time to change any settings, as I was planning to do this before I set out hiking. I warmed up the light in post-production. Some of my other shots of this bird had a greater depth of field; in this one, the closest feathers of its wing are a little soft. It was still my favourite composition of the bunch and gave a better view of the tiny icicle on the vulture's beak. I did a little work to sharpen up the details, but ultimately I didn't change much, other than tweaking the colours and a crop.In my camera bag
This is hard to answer, because I experiment a lot and do a variety of different things. For wildlife and nature, I currently carry a Canon 6D Mark II body and three main lenses: a 17-40mm f/4 wide zoom, and two primes at 300mm f/4 and 50mm f/1.4. My bag has a monopod strapped to the side, backup batteries and memory cards, and a few survival items in case I get lost in the wilderness or startle a bear. I am also an active street photographer, but I currently use a separate Fujifilm kit for that. That one isn't even in a bag; just a camera with a 35mm f/1.4 prime. (A 50mm equivalent field of view works these days, since I can't get too close to people). I also occasionally set out with an analog camera instead, in which case my camera, lens and film is chosen almost at random from a pile of collected trinkets.Feedback
Get out and wander, and when you find a good subject, remember to be mindful of composition. This was a chance encounter that worked out nicely, but my first few images were kind of thoughtless. I was just scared they would leave. Fortunately, the birds hung around long enough that I could slow down and think about what I was doing, but I have countless shots of animals that are mostly just a blur or have terrible exposure because I was too quick to start shooting. At this time of year, I'm dying to see the local species that will be migrating back or coming out of hibernation as the season changes. It's easy to get excited when they show up, but for any wildlife, calm and collected is the way to be.
