Blackbird Helps Me Learn

Red-winged Blackbird Male

I walk through the territory of this male red-winged blackbird daily.  I really don't look for the nest in question and have not found it.  The bird, however; presents a photographic opportunity for me because he flies around my head and lands on bushes closer than he would if there were no nest.  That provides me with practice with my long lens, auto focus and choice of mode on the camera.  

Red-winged Blackbird Male

I had to send a camera body back to Canon for repair recently.  When it returned, I wanted to check it out as much as I could so see that it was working properly.  (Incidentally, my last hiatus from writing here was due to my having no camera for a while.)  As a result of this camera check, I have learned more about the menus and settings in the camera.  I have been practicing the action photography aspects.  

Red-winged Blackbird Male

I have become acquainted with Shutter Priority mode.  I have learned about what shutter speed I will need to obtain sharpness in the bird's eye and still show some movement at the wing tips.  (More about that in a later blog.)

I have noted the ISO settings that the camera chooses for all this.  I can be using 1/500 or even 1/1000 in bright light and the ISO can be 100.  That is the one at which I would like to shoot all the time because of low noise.  I am learning to judge the light and whether it is even useful to setup for action photography or not.  My long lens is not fast.  I need more light than a person using an f/4 or f/2.8, fast, long lens.  I have learned to trust f/5.6 with my slow lens to provide enough DOF (depth-of-field).  If auto focus gets the eye sharp, I am good to go on DOF.  Previously, I used f/11 for action photography hoping that it would provide me with enough DOF to hit the focus manually.  I used Aperture Priority Mode and controlled the shutter speed with ISO settings.  I think that I may be finished using Aperture Priority in this application.  

Red-winged Blackbird Male

All these benefits compliments of the above bird.  Thank you Mr. Red-winged Blackbird.  Thanks for helping me learn.

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