Robin showing off his Choanal Slit :)
May, 2020Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
In Swanwick Nature Reserve which is a short walk from my home near Southampton in the UKTime
It was around 10am when my wife and I were on our daily walk/exercise, allowed under Covid 19 rules in UKLighting
The Robin was in the shade but with good diffused light reflected back up from the path. This gave a nice even light without any hard shadows or highlights, showing up a lot of detail. You can even see the reflection of the surroundings in the Robins eyesEquipment
Canon 77D with Tamron 150-600 G2 Zoom. I took a burst of shots at 600mm hoping to get one with his mouth wide open.Inspiration
The Robin was singing its heart out at the side of the path which drew our attention. With the zoom lens I was able to crop in tightly on the Robin.I like doing this with animal and bird shots so that the viewer gets to see much more detail than they normally would - to try and create a Wow factor.Editing
When I saw that I had indeed captured a shot with the Robins mouth open and the light had lit up the inside of his mouth I lightened that area a little more using Photoshop to show up the Choanal slit - which is the passageway between the birds mouth and nostrils. This closes when the bird is eating to direct food down the throat.In my camera bag
I normally go out with the 150-600 zoom only as its great for capturing bird and insect close ups - focussing down to 2m at 600mm, as well as being good for birds in the distance and in flight (see my recent Barn Owl shots)Feedback
Always have your camera set up ready to go (on standby) with mid range settings so you can point and shoot quickly to capture a 'Moment In Time' which may only last a few seconds. I normally set my camera to IS0 800, F7.1, Aperture Priority (on a bright day shutter speed will then be around 1/1500sec) and optical stabilisation switched on (helps remove camera shake if the shutter speed drops) . Once I have fired a bust of shots I will then quickly make any needed adjustments assuming the animal is still there, which often it isn't.
