| March 2010 Newsletter This newsletter includes information on shooting artistic blur images and images that contain both sharp and blurred subjects within the same image. Many of the photos are from Bosque del Apache, NM |
MARBLED GODWITS photographed March 2006, Tokeland, Willapa Bay, WA. Canon 20D
500mmF4, 1/125 at F16, iso 400, evaluative metering at -0.3 580ex fill flash at -2.0, Gitzo tripod. I
used a large depth of field on this shot because I wanted to get as many of the godwits heads in
focus as possible. The relatively slow shutter speed meant that the wings of the godwits that
were taking off would be blurred. If you are trying to create an image like this with the
stationary birds sharp and the moving birds blurred, it's important to have the lens fixed on one
spot and not panning, so a tripod is essential. This image was selected as a Showcase image
in the 2009 NANPA (North American Nature Photography Association) photo contest.
500mmF4, 1/125 at F16, iso 400, evaluative metering at -0.3 580ex fill flash at -2.0, Gitzo tripod. I
used a large depth of field on this shot because I wanted to get as many of the godwits heads in
focus as possible. The relatively slow shutter speed meant that the wings of the godwits that
were taking off would be blurred. If you are trying to create an image like this with the
stationary birds sharp and the moving birds blurred, it's important to have the lens fixed on one
spot and not panning, so a tripod is essential. This image was selected as a Showcase image
in the 2009 NANPA (North American Nature Photography Association) photo contest.
SANDHILL CRANES photographed at Bosque del Apache NWR, NM, November 2009. Canon
1DMarkIII 70-200/2.8 lens, 1.4 teleconverter at 280mm. 1/80 at F14, iso 640, evaluative metering
+0.7, Gitzo tripod, AF mode - one shot. In this image my goal was to capture both the cranes
on the ground sharply and capture the motion of birds taking off that were flying past them.
The wide depth of field helped to get a lot of the cranes in focus and the slow shutter speed
provided the blur for the birds flying past. Note that I increased my evaluative metering
exposure mostly because it was quite cloudy and dull at the time this was taken.
1DMarkIII 70-200/2.8 lens, 1.4 teleconverter at 280mm. 1/80 at F14, iso 640, evaluative metering
+0.7, Gitzo tripod, AF mode - one shot. In this image my goal was to capture both the cranes
on the ground sharply and capture the motion of birds taking off that were flying past them.
The wide depth of field helped to get a lot of the cranes in focus and the slow shutter speed
provided the blur for the birds flying past. Note that I increased my evaluative metering
exposure mostly because it was quite cloudy and dull at the time this was taken.
Learning how to use blur to impart the feeling of motion can add an artistic touch to photos
and allow the photographer more options when they are out shooting. On our last workshop
at Bosque del Apache for example, I took a lot of pan blur images when we had a cloudy
morning at the crane ponds. There wasn't enough light to produce high quality sharp images
and I already had many sharp flight crane shots. You typically want to shoot at a low shutter
speed, anywhere from 1/4 of a second to 1/200 or so depending on the lighting condition and
what you are trying to achieve with the photo. One nice thing about having to use a slow
shutter speed is that to get down to that low shutter speed you will often be shooting at a low
iso which will improve image quality.
and allow the photographer more options when they are out shooting. On our last workshop
at Bosque del Apache for example, I took a lot of pan blur images when we had a cloudy
morning at the crane ponds. There wasn't enough light to produce high quality sharp images
and I already had many sharp flight crane shots. You typically want to shoot at a low shutter
speed, anywhere from 1/4 of a second to 1/200 or so depending on the lighting condition and
what you are trying to achieve with the photo. One nice thing about having to use a slow
shutter speed is that to get down to that low shutter speed you will often be shooting at a low
iso which will improve image quality.
SANDHILL CRANE photographed at Bosque del Apache NWR, NM, November 2009. Canon
1DMarkIII 500mmF4 lens 1/50 at F11, iso 250, one shot AF, tripod. The technique for this shot
was different than the previous 2 shots on this page in that I panned (that is moved the lens
with the bird as it flew) while I was taking the shot. When you use this technique you will have
blur throughout the whole image. In this image I like the result and the shot feels more like a
painting than a photograph to me.
1DMarkIII 500mmF4 lens 1/50 at F11, iso 250, one shot AF, tripod. The technique for this shot
was different than the previous 2 shots on this page in that I panned (that is moved the lens
with the bird as it flew) while I was taking the shot. When you use this technique you will have
blur throughout the whole image. In this image I like the result and the shot feels more like a
painting than a photograph to me.
SNOW AND ROSS'S GEESE photographed November 2009 at Bosque del Apache NWR, NM.
Canon 1DMarkIII 500mmF4 lens, 1.4x teleconverter, 1/40 at F7.1, iso 1250, evaluative metering
+1.3, one shot AF, Gitzo tripod. This image was taken just after dawn on a cloudy day from the
flight deck. This was taken with the tripod fixed, not panning. I cropped some from both the
top and the bottom to make this a panoramic composition and I left the colors quite cool to
match the cold feeling of that morning.
Canon 1DMarkIII 500mmF4 lens, 1.4x teleconverter, 1/40 at F7.1, iso 1250, evaluative metering
+1.3, one shot AF, Gitzo tripod. This image was taken just after dawn on a cloudy day from the
flight deck. This was taken with the tripod fixed, not panning. I cropped some from both the
top and the bottom to make this a panoramic composition and I left the colors quite cool to
match the cold feeling of that morning.
SNOW GEESE photographed November 2009 at Bosque del Apache NWR, NM. Canon
1DMarkIII 500mmF4 lens, 1/25 at F4.5, iso 100, evaluative metering +0.3, AI Servo autofocus,
handheld. This was taken right around dusk on the farm loop. There wasn't enough light to
make a sharp image of these birds even with quite a bit higher iso so I chose to shoot it with
intentional blur at a low shutter speed and iso. I was panning with the birds and I wanted the
heads reasonably sharp with the wings blurred. To achieve this I needed to use AI Servo
(AF-C for Nikon shooters) as opposed to one shot autofocus.
Bosque del Apache is a great place to work on these various shots because you get some
really beautiful lighting and the cranes and geese are always plentiful in the winter. We have
another workshop there this December. If you are interested in more info click on the Bosque
link in the upper right hand corner of this screen.
1DMarkIII 500mmF4 lens, 1/25 at F4.5, iso 100, evaluative metering +0.3, AI Servo autofocus,
handheld. This was taken right around dusk on the farm loop. There wasn't enough light to
make a sharp image of these birds even with quite a bit higher iso so I chose to shoot it with
intentional blur at a low shutter speed and iso. I was panning with the birds and I wanted the
heads reasonably sharp with the wings blurred. To achieve this I needed to use AI Servo
(AF-C for Nikon shooters) as opposed to one shot autofocus.
Bosque del Apache is a great place to work on these various shots because you get some
really beautiful lighting and the cranes and geese are always plentiful in the winter. We have
another workshop there this December. If you are interested in more info click on the Bosque
link in the upper right hand corner of this screen.
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