Gossamer Grace
Uploaded: June 06, 2003 23:39:35
Arctic Terns are beautiful birds in flight and this one was backlit by the bright overcast sky as it hovered for a moment over my head.
William C. Raco
May 26, 2019
bill #110553
Gary H. Minish
May 26, 2019
I wish that I could take credit for a calibrated eye, split second reactions and precision settings....but unfortunately it was a much messier process than that. These birds were upset that I was too near their nesting area so they were making passes at me at high speed and occasionally hovering for a split second. I tried to track them in the viewfinder and with the LCD display but both were impossible and all I ended up with was bits of tail & wing or blank sky. What I did get was blurry because the camera couldn't focus fast enough. I finally ended up setting the aperature at 8.0 to get as much depth as I could and spot metered on the sky to set the aperature. Then I pre-focused on the ground because that's about how close they were coming, and just lined them up over the top of the barrel like skeet shooting when they dive bombed me. I ended up getting quite a few in focus and in frame this way. This is the one I liked best and the composition took place during the crop from a slightly larger frame than what you see here. #110889
Gary H. Minish
May 26, 2019
I also just noticed that I made a typo in my explanation: I set the aperature at 8.0 then spot metered on the sky to set the 'shutter speed'.
Thanks Murry! It's something I learned from my homesteading childhood. If you don't have the right tool or skills you simply figure out a way to do it with what you have :-)
Leanne; Thank you very much! Between the picture itself and all these great comments on it, the rewards are well worth the struggle!
#111210
Gary H. Minish
May 26, 2019
Gary H. Minish
May 26, 2019
Mette Vendelboe Allison
July 07, 2003
LJ Corliss
July 07, 2003
Gary H. Minish
July 10, 2003
Gary H. Minish
August 15, 2003
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