Red-naped Sapsucker – Sometimes Inappropriate Camera Settings Can’t Be Helped

When you’re shooting in aperture priority, birds flitting into and out of shade can present an exposure problem.

Each photographer has their own shooting styles and habits and for me that includes shooting in aperture priority which I always do.  Each method has its own set of advantages and disadvantages and since I know aperture priority best that’s what I stick with but in certain situations it doesn’t serve me particularly well.

 

red-naped sapsucker 2643 ron dudley

1/8000, f/5, ISO 800, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in

This past July I photographed this Red-naped Sapsucker as it was delivering ants to chicks in its nest hole (similar to what I’d done with the Williamson’s Sapsuckers on the same camping trip).  It was midday and I only got a few shots of this bird as it flitted from deep shade to harsh light in the trees.  When I’d set exposure properly for the bird in shade and it then popped into direct sunlight my settings became ridiculous but it would all happen so fast that I didn’t have time to make adjustments.  My choice was to take the shot as is or to miss it altogether.

So that’s why the techs of this image include a shutter speed of 1/8000 second and ISO 800 at f/5 for a static bird in bright light.  Sometimes you take what you can get and hope for the best.

And yes, I still like the shot.

Ron

Note:  I’m on the road again and likely will be for much of the week.  As usual for these camping/photo trips I’ve prepared posts to be published in my absence but I’ll mostly be without internet access so I won’t be very active here while I’m gone.  I do enjoy reading any comments you may make on my phone, though.

9 Comments

  1. Such a pretty redhead! 😀

  2. No danger of motion blur at 1/8000!

  3. I love the sharp detail of the feathers, the tree – I think it’s a wonderful shot. Stop being such a perfectionist!

  4. Another shot that you like? Wonders will never cease.
    Me? I love it. And am still smiling in agreement at Patty’s comment about the frazzled parent. A parent’s work is never, ever done.

  5. Hi Ron,

    Would you care to share what size exposure area you use?

  6. Great shot of a frazzled parent making one more delivery of ants to his insatiable brood. It’s a wonder they have enough energy to migrate at the end of the child rearing season!

  7. I agree with Charlotte – it’s a sensational shot! I’m assuming you shoot raw files, Ron. Do you ever create 2 jpgs from one raw file, each with its own exposure modifications and then combine the 2? That may not be the kind of work you want to present, but if you had no objection, that might help ameliorate situations like this that don’t meet your high standards.

  8. It’s a sensational shot Ron, thanks for sharing!
    Charlotte

Comments are closed