WelovetherangeofbirdpicturesinPaul’sportfolioasitshowshe’s
alwaysupfortryingnewthings.Ourminorcriticismwiththebluetit
imageisthatthebackgroundisalittlelacklustre,soit’dbeworth
movingaroundandgettingadifferentangle,orplacingthebranch
infrontofsomevibrantgreenerysoyouendupwithamuchmore
vibrantwashofgreenoryellowbehindthebird.Overallit’salovely
collectionofimagesthatshowoffthebestofPaul’stalent.
Feedback
(^01) HOmEwaRd wITH luncH
The moment a kingfisher bursts out of the water with its haul
Lens Canon ef 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L iS ii uSM Exposure 1/3200 sec, f/10, iSo2500
(^02) mORnIng glOR y
A pheasant bathed in sunlight on a frosty morning
Lens Canon ef 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L iS ii uSM Exposure 1/800 sec, f/7.1, iSo800
(^03) BluE TIT
Paul catches a blue tit on a mossy branch at his local park
Lens Canon ef 100-400mm & extender ef 1.4x iii Exposure 1/250 sec, f/8, iSo2000
(^04) nuTHaTcH
Brash lighting makes Paul’s stark shot a winner
Lens Canon ef 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L iS ii uSM Exposure 1/250 sec, f/11, iSo1000
The Canon Magazine 75
03
YOUR PHOTO STORIES
04
The nuthatch was taken on
a separate occasion at a park.
I was watching it from a
distance and set up my camera
in anticipation. I wanted to
use the dense woodland
behind as a dark background
to make the bird stand out.
Soon enough, it came down
searching for some sunflower
hearts, and the sunlight hit
it just right, illuminating it,
but importantly leaving the
background in shade.
When I tried my hand at
shooting kingfishers I quickly
realized that I was going to
need to master the exposure
triangle; shutter speed,
aperture and ISO, because
they move so rapidly. I
patiently watched the area
where the birds were diving
for fish, which it was looking
to catch to feed its young – I
wasn’t sure where it would
dive so I dialled in an aperture
of f/10 to give me a forgiving
depth of field, should it dive a
bit closer or further away than
expected. Next up was using a
fast shutter speed to remove
any chance of subject blur, so
I settled on 1/3200 sec. The
camera gave me a high ISO
of 2500, which meant the
image would come out a bit
grainy, but it’s vital to freeze
the bird mid-air and have an
acceptable zone of sharpness.
I’m happy with the work
I’ve done to date, not just in
producing the images, but
in learning new things and
generally expanding my
knowledge. The biggest joy is
combining the research and
understanding with results.
I would like to visit a location
to see ospreys; that’s the great
thing about our passion – our
best ever image taken could be
on our next adventure – and
that’s why I keep going.
The Pheasant is a truly resplendent
bird and the sun’s rays caught its lush
plumage as he entered the field