 |
| What settings do you work with to achieve this result? |
Snowy Egret (SNEG)
Salt Marsh in Rye Harbor State Park
Rye, NH 04-09-17
Canon EOS 7D Mark II, EF500mm f/4L IS USM
ISO 400, f/6.3, 1/5000th Sec., (EFL) 800mm
Hand Held, braced on truck roof, Cropped for Composition.
Manual Mode, Partial Metering, Auto White Balance
Edited in Photoshop
Hand Held, braced on truck roof, Cropped for Composition.
Manual Mode, Partial Metering, Auto White Balance
Edited in Photoshop
How can you photograph a white bird in full sun without it being blown out? That was a question I posed to myself this past April (2017).
The image above was shot with what I consider my 'sweet spot' settings for this particular camera/lens combination.
I took some images then looked at the LCD to see how things were coming out. Even if I hadn't had 'the blinkies' on (See Manual Mode Part 1, Dated 10-14-17) I could see that the bird was blown out. Not terribly so, but when I zoomed in on the bird, I could not see the feather definition I wanted.
As you have seen from my discussion on shooting in Manual (Parts 1 & 2), there were a few things I could have done to rectify the situation.
I like to keep my ISO at 400 as I find that gives me the best color in full light. I decided my first move would be to raise my shutter speed. Less light hitting the sensor due to a shorter time the aperture stays open will cause the image to darken. I brought it up to 1/4000th Sec. As you can see by the image below, my bird was still blown out. I love the waters reflection on the underside, but I was still overexposed.
Canon EOS 7D Mark II, EF500mm f/4L IS USM
ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/4000th Sec., (EFL) 800mm
Hand Held, braced on truck roof, Cropped for Composition.
Manual Mode, Partial Metering, Auto White Balance
Edited in Photoshop
I then tried widening my DOF (depth of field) by changing the aperture to f/10. While this does widen my DOF, it also closes down the blades in my lens, which lets in less light. I took a few images; upon checking the LCD, I still had a small area where the blinkies indicated I was close, not yet there.
I didn't want to widen my DOF anymore, so I cranked up the speed again, this time to 1/5000th Sec.
That did the trick. I got the feather definition I wanted and could still see the environment the bird was in.
Canon EOS 7D Mark II, EF500mm f/4L IS USM
ISO 400, f/10, 1/5000th Sec., (EFL) 800mm
Hand Held, braced on truck roof, Cropped for Composition.
Manual Mode, Partial Metering, Auto White Balance
Edited in Photoshop
Salt Marsh in Rye Harbor State Park
Rye, NH 04-09-17
Canon EOS 7D Mark II, EF500mm f/4L IS USM
ISO 400, f/6.3, 1/5000th Sec., (EFL) 800mm
Hand Held, braced on truck roof, Cropped for Composition.
Manual Mode, Partial Metering, Auto White Balance
Edited in Photoshop
--------------------------
 |
| Whites are blown out in this image |
Canon EOS 7D Mark II, EF500mm f/4L IS USM
ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/2500th Sec., (EFL) 800mmHand Held, braced on truck roof, Cropped for Composition.
Manual Mode, Partial Metering, Auto White Balance
Edited in Photoshop
How can you photograph a white bird in full sun without it being blown out? That was a question I posed to myself this past April (2017).
The image above was shot with what I consider my 'sweet spot' settings for this particular camera/lens combination.
I took some images then looked at the LCD to see how things were coming out. Even if I hadn't had 'the blinkies' on (See Manual Mode Part 1, Dated 10-14-17) I could see that the bird was blown out. Not terribly so, but when I zoomed in on the bird, I could not see the feather definition I wanted.
As you have seen from my discussion on shooting in Manual (Parts 1 & 2), there were a few things I could have done to rectify the situation.
I like to keep my ISO at 400 as I find that gives me the best color in full light. I decided my first move would be to raise my shutter speed. Less light hitting the sensor due to a shorter time the aperture stays open will cause the image to darken. I brought it up to 1/4000th Sec. As you can see by the image below, my bird was still blown out. I love the waters reflection on the underside, but I was still overexposed.
 |
| Whites are still blown out |
ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/4000th Sec., (EFL) 800mm
Hand Held, braced on truck roof, Cropped for Composition.
Manual Mode, Partial Metering, Auto White Balance
Edited in Photoshop
I then tried widening my DOF (depth of field) by changing the aperture to f/10. While this does widen my DOF, it also closes down the blades in my lens, which lets in less light. I took a few images; upon checking the LCD, I still had a small area where the blinkies indicated I was close, not yet there.
I didn't want to widen my DOF anymore, so I cranked up the speed again, this time to 1/5000th Sec.
That did the trick. I got the feather definition I wanted and could still see the environment the bird was in.
 |
| 'Tiptoe Across The Marsh' |
ISO 400, f/10, 1/5000th Sec., (EFL) 800mm
Hand Held, braced on truck roof, Cropped for Composition.
Manual Mode, Partial Metering, Auto White Balance
Edited in Photoshop
I was lucky I was photographing birds that did not spook easily. I was shooting from the roof, accessed thru the sunroof. If they had flushed before I was 'dialed in', it would have been an opportunity lost. Thankfully Snowy Egrets are almost always on the move, scaring up their meal by running around in the marsh so they are less apt to flush.
No comments:
Post a Comment