By summer of 2009 I’d only been seriously photographing birds for about a year and I was still a novice to technique. Someone had told me that f/8 was the “sweet spot” for my particular lens and I’d learned to keep my ISO’s relatively low to avoid digital noise which meant that I often had shutter speeds below 1/1000 sec and with stationery birds those settings usually served me well.
Being the extreme creature of habit that I am they became my default settings in the field.
1/800, f/8, ISO 400, Canon 40D, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM + EF 1.4 Extender, not baited, set up or called in
But on July 7 of that summer this newly fledged Burrowing Owl along the Antelope Island causeway finally made me realize that I should rethink my strategy. This bird and a few others nearby were some of my first opportunities with owls of any species and my excitement with them was palpable. Over about a week I was able to get many thousands of nice photos of them while they were stationary or moving slowly and I thought my “go to” settings were about perfect for the situation. I was in bird photographer heaven!
But this particular image strongly suggested differently. The right foot of the clumsy young bird slipped on the perch which caused the owl to use its wings to gain balance again and when I looked at this photo on my screen at home I was hugely disappointed by the extreme softness of the right wing. It was at that point that my ignorant self finally figured out that 1/800 sec SS just wasn’t fast enough to freeze moving wings and motion blur was the result (the photo was taken just after dawn when the light was low which really affected my SS.) Some folks don’t mind a little wing motion blur as long as the rest of the bird is sharp (and sometimes I don’t either) because it suggests the natural motion of the wings but this was way too much softness for me.
So from this day forward I started experimenting with faster shutter speeds (and the other settings necessary to achieve them) even with stationery birds because you just never know when your subject will do something interesting (included taking off) and birds are fast! The price to be paid (a slight increase in digital noise and/or reduced depth of field) is usually very small and I’ll gladly pay it when the alternative is soft images that otherwise might be very interesting or even spectacular. As I often say, I’d much rather have too much SS than too little.
So last night when I stumbled across this ancient image it reminded me of how much I owe to this owl. Today I have many thousands of nice action images in my portfolio that without the lesson first learned from this bird I’d have deleted because of excessive motion blur.
It could be argued that I owe this cute little guy a huge debt of gratitude.
Ron
I’m still very much a beginner especially with birds, but man, figuring out what kind of shutter speed to use really made such a difference. There’s a fellow from Idaho named Christopher Balmer who comes down here and teaches photography classes once or twice a year, and also frequently offers a free class of a couple hours on wildlife photography, and it’s made a huge difference in how I’m shooting just some of the tips he gives out. I think it can be hard to figure out whose advice to trust when you’re learning, but you really can’t argue with results. 😀 I still deal with a lot of noise and usually way too much distance just because my equipment’s not the best, but I’ve definitely gotten to a point where an awful lot more of my shots are sharp and useable, even if they’re only quality enough to share on Instagram. 😀
Very interesting post–and one that all of us photographers can relate to. Since I started photographing birds, I almost always go for the fastest shutter speed my camera will manage. My challenge is backing up in the opposite direction so that I get greater depth of field. Thanks for sharing!
I love your tutorials, they have helped me greatly on my way to bird photography. I had difficult conditions photographing the sandhills. They fly in and out of the Platte River before the sun rises or sets, it was overcast too. I had my ISO cranked all the way up, my aperture at is’s most open F8 with the teleconverter and adjusted my EV. The highest shutter speed I could get was 125, not enough to stop wing blur. I still like some of my photos for the behavior aspect. Any suggestions for such lighting conditions?
April, Sometimes in situations like that I’ve been known to deliberately underexpose a bit. That gives me a little more SS to freeze motion and then I can increase exposure during processing. Don’t overdo it though, increasing exposure too much during processing has its own problems.
I’ve used that technique with Sage Grouse on a lek before the sun came up and sometimes I was pretty pleased with the results.
Yet another reason to be hugely appreciative of Burrowing Owls. A bird which always melts my stony heart.
“Stony heart”? I don’t think so, EC. No stone I know of is soft…
This is another reason why I love and follow your blog. You are like un explorer leading the way and showing us through your example the mistakes we should not do.
And you do it in such a way that our difficulties become easier to overcome.
Thank you Ron.
“You are like un explorer leading the way and showing us through your example the mistakes we should not do.”
Ha, follow me, Jorge. I sure make more than my share of mistakes! 🙂 Thanks very much.
I am greatly enjoying your recent posts, which are more reflective of your photogrsphic journey, and also more information about your subjects. Thanks.
Thanks very much, Sallie.
He has such a determined look on his little face! 🙂 I’m glad that 2009 you didn’t hit the delete button. We would have missed an excellent visual aid to your lesson about shutter speeds. Even though I’m not photographer, I greatly enjoy your tutorials on the subject.
I especially like being able to see the variety of feathers on his chest and the little peek into his axilla — it almost looks like there are a couple of pin feathers hiding away in there.
“Even though I’m not photographer, I greatly enjoy your tutorials on the subject”
That’s a very good thing to know, Marty. I realize that many of my blog readers aren’t photographers so I worry that I’ll bore them to tears with posts like this one.
Your posts boring? Not so but far otherwise. Queue hysterical laughter at the thought.
Definitely NOT boring! 🙂
What a difference a stop can make! Appreciate your sharing your evolution. I rarely shoot at f/8 unless I’m looking for additional DOF if the subject is close. F/5.6 with a 1.4X(840mm) seems sufficient for most subjects and as you note, the additional stop of SS can make a huge difference.
“What a difference a stop can make”
Ha, that’s absolutely right, Frank. Whether you’re about to run a red light or trying to photograph birds a stop can be a lifesaver! 🙂
Interesting….love these funny birds…especially their expressions and what they do with their heads….
Me too, Patty.
I have been trying to capture birds doing something rather than just taking portraits of birds that stay still for a moment. I love your action shots and your ability to capture birds doing what they do rather than the rest of us just watching them do it.
Thank you, Lisa.
Intriguing, Ron. Love you sharing your thought processes and personal growth in your sport. This change or evolution in your processes has benefited us all greatly. And many of my personal habits and equipment are modeled after what I have learned from you. Thanks! and thanks! burrowing owl.
Ha, don’t model after me too much, Art. I still have some bad habits… 🙂 But what a nice thing to say.
Interesting how we “think” we know what settings “should be” relying on others for that information when we’re new and trying to figure things out. What you did that others don’t always is figure out that wasn’t working for you and adjust until things DID work for you! 🙂 Thx for sharing! Cute little owl even with the blurred wing!
Thanks, Judy. I was very disappointed in myself that it took me so damned long to figure it out!
Nice stuff! I could (should) try something similar to improve my images as well. Loving your work, this whole blog is so nice to read!
Good! Thanks very much, Xavier.
I have to say that we (your blog readers) also owe this cute little guy a debt of gratitude….:)….and a Thanks to you for the thousands of images you’ve shared with us..
I appreciate that sentiment, Steve. Thanks.