Instead, I set off to the river with a selection of lenses to see if anything suggested itself as a subject. I stopped at a pond that I used a year ago to take images of leaves, and made a number of exposures before deciding to move on and try my luck further upstream.
As I'm riding towards a local weir on the Dorset Stour I am inspired by an idea that comes out of nowhere; to photograph a heron with a long exposure. It had not, for one second, ever occurred to me that a strong ND filter would be of any use for wildlife shooting, but the possibilities of how it could be achieved soon became all to obvious to me. All I needed was the subject.
I am gladdened by the sight of said heron as I approach my chosen spot that runs adjacent to a golf course, and hope that it doesn't fly off the moment I arrive. It doesn't, but merely stands patiently awaiting its next meal. I have time to set up my tripod; frame; focus; note the exposure value and apply the filter factor to compensate for the loss of light; screw the filter on to the front of the lens and fire the shutter. Frankly, I can't believe my luck with it all; being able to get the images I had in mind within five minutes of my arrival.
The bird does move position several times, but I am able to reframe and shoot as it feeds, making a good many exposures to be sure I get what I'm after. The fact that a heron will stay motionless for long periods of time whilst it eyes-up its prey is the key factor for getting shots like these, as the slightest movement ruins the image. I am more than pleased with the purchase of the filter, and wish I had bought one a year ago when I first thought about it. So many missed photographs; so many to come.
300mm f/4D AF-S Nikkor. 2 seconds at f/8. ND 1000 filter. Tripod and remote release. Mirror lock up. ISO 400
© 2013
4 comments:
I'm sitting here this early Saturday morning, looking at your great blue heron. We also have these birds here - they must be wide spread. Anyway, I'm sort of oohhing and awwing about it and my wife wanders past and looks over my shoulder. Now THAT'S one I could have hanging in the living room.
Brilliant work. We were both amateurs in 35 mm days. Still have our old Cannon with many lenses and extensions and filters. Now we are embarrasingly point-and-shoot. Your work is inspiring. You are so thoughtful about your choices and your post production applications.
Thank you, Tim.
Email me using the contact address in my profile and I will see what I can do. :-)
Hey Richard,
I am not usually a big fan of silky smooth flowing water falls. However, I certainly feel that in this photo it is very appropriate. Outstanding lighting, composition and bokeh! Great stuff sir! Dave
It does work for this type of shot, doesn't it, Dave? I agree with your sentiments about blurred water, but sometimes it works. :-)
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