Terns are a challenging and rewarding bird to shoot. Around here we have mostly Forster's Terns (see the photo). Find a deep enough body of water with fish, and you'll see these guys dive-bombing the water, then emerging with a fish in their beaks.Getting a good photo of these guys takes some work. They're fast - really fast. And they don't fly in paths easily tracked by your camera (remember, you want it in focus, not just in the frame).My solution is to catch them hovering over a target (shown), or emerging from the water. Or if you're really lucky, you may find one feeding its chick. This should get you a nice shot.If you want a really good shot, the shutter needs to be fast enough to freeze the motion. This shot was taken at 1/1000" but I recommend a speed of 1/2000 or faster. So raise the ISO as necessary and shoot in Tv.The reward is the wonderful detail on the wing and tail feathers as well as the beak and talons. For extra credit, try to get a reflection off the eye. Good luck!
You can find product designs based on Terns and other birds in my zazzle store. If you have a product in mind but don't see it, just hit the Contact Me! link on the front page and maybe I'll design it for you!
This is an image from my first attempt at setting up my own lighting, and doing a planned shoot ( instead of just going out and shooting birds :) ). It appears to be suspended in mid-air because it is.
In fact, I shot this wooden knife image before I even had a proper horizontal surface available. Instead, this was supported by a wire attached to a horizontal beam. The wire and supporting tape on the knife were then removed in the GIMP.
This was a crude effort; I don't think I even used a tripod; but I got some decent results just by starting with a 3 point lighting setup, experimenting with the lights, and paying attention to the results.
You can find product designs based on my wooden knife shots and other object photos in my zazzle store. If you have a product in mind but don't see it, just leave a message on the store wall or product page and maybe I'll design it for you!
I loathe Geese, or at least the species commonly found in this area, Canadian Goose, Branta canadensis. With no local natural predators, they multiply like, ummm, geese I guess. The local parks are thick with them, and therefore even thicker with their droppings.
That said (and it needed to be said), geese can under the right circumstances provide some great shooting opportunities. You can do better than a shot of geese walking around on the grass.
The first, and my favorite, is just after the young hatch and the geese travel around as families. Not sure when that is, but I took the first picture last April. The yellow in those little poopers really looks great against the brown and white of the adults.
The other shooting situation, which you can get year round is a shot of geese in flight. The best times of day are of course during the "golden hours" after sunrise and before sunset, but far enough away from either to get sufficient light for sharp in-flight shots.
In conclusion, even vermin like canadian geese can provide some nice shooting opportunities. Make the best of what you've got.
You can find product designs based on yucky geese and other birds in my zazzle store. If you have a product in mind but don't see it, just hit the Contact Me! link on the front page and maybe I'll design it for you!
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