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Swans
in ight
1
Use shutter priority to
select a speed of at least
1/1000sec in order to freeze
the motion of a bird in ight.2
Adjust your ISO setting
according to the amount of
available light. Don’t be afraid
of increasing the ISO if light
levels are low, as noise can
always be reduced at the
post-processing stage.3
Expand the focus area to
give you more margin for
error when tracking a moving
subject. When shooting against
the sky, the active point may
prove more effective.4
Switch to high-speed
drive continuous shooting.
This will allow you to re off
a burst of frames at one time,
giving you a greater chance
of success.5
Take a test shot and
check the histogram. Look
carefully at the right-hand side
of the graph. If there is a gap,
you will need to increase
your exposure.6
When shooting birds
against the sky, it’s
likely you will need to add
some positive exposure
compensation. Increase
exposure until the histogram
is nudging the right-hand side.7
When tracking your subject,
try to pan as smoothly as
possible and match the speed
of the bird.8
Always be ready to re
and try to anticipate the
movements of the birds. The
more time you spend observing
your subjects the easier this
will become.9
Try backlighting your
subject to create a bold
silhouette. Colourful, winter
skies offer the perfect
background.10
Experiment with motion.
Switch to a slow shutter
speed and pan with the birds to
create a feeling of movementA layer of cloud diffused the sun, allowing me to include it in the frame Canon EOS-1D X, 500mm, 1/8000sec at f/5, ISO 1000 and energy.
I shot towards an
area of shadow to
highlight the breath
against the light
Canon EOS-1D X Mark II, 500mm,
1/1250sec, at f/5.6, ISO 800