Least Bittern

[Ronald Zigler]

I had never heard of this bird before, much less seen one. But, after reading about it, I appear to have gotten lucky to see one and get a photograph. Two photographers already had their long lenses on this bird when I happened to be walking toward them at the Heinz NWR in Philadelphia; however the bird was hidden among the plants, periodically calling out. After awhile, I suggested I try a recorded call from the Audubon Bird App to see if it would prompt the bird to show himself. I played a recording of the call and as you can see below it worked.
114072
Canon 60D + 300mm f4L + 1.4x, @ 1/1000, f7, ISO 100, HH.

[P-A. Fortin]

This bird is listed as vulnerable here. Seeing one is newsworthy. Seeing one this close and clear would just be amazing luck.

The pose of the bird in its habitat is very interesting. I like the clear view of the feet.

The tip of the bill looks a bit out of focus which leads me to believe that the AF point was on the bird's body (near the shoulder) rather than on the eye. I do not know if this was on purpose, or if you just aimed for "what you could get" if the bird was moving fast. If it is the first option, in the future, aim for the eye :S3: Sharp eye contact with the bird has a strong impact on an image.

I would suggest that you use higher ISO, which would allow you to use faster shutter speeds, especially when hand holding (although 1/1000 seems enough). On sunny days, I set my ISO at 400 and never touch it again unless I go into deep woods. That's one parameter less to worry about, and I have never been in a situation with my 60D where I was able to notice a difference between ISO 100 and 400, so noise is not an issue here.

Thanks for sharing. I'm definitely jealous of this encounter.

[Ian Cassell]

Wow, Ron, what great luck! Beautiful bird and wonderful pose! The focus looks pretty sharp to me, but I'm working on a laptop at the moment, so best leave that to others. This is a bird I'd love to see -- will need to go to Heinz next time I'm in Philly.

[Ronald Zigler]

Thanks P-A & Ian. I was fortunate that those two other photographers had already heard of the bird's location and had found it. I just showed up at the right time (and added a little incentive). I really do try to focus on the bird's eye. I was so concerned about blowing highlights or improper exposure with this opportunity that I did not get the depth of field I would have liked. I have some other shots where the eye is sharp, but the long beak is a bit soft a the end. But, I still have quite a few images that I have yet to examine very closely. I was just excited about this find and wanted to share it. Thanks for the comments.

[Bob Miller]

Ron...This is quite a capture! I love the pose and the attitude of this bird. It looks sharp on my monitor

[Kerry Perkins]

Hi Ron, nice job on this one! Congrats on the capture and the quick thinking to use the audio. Birds like this are tough to photograph, and you are fortunate to have an opportunity. Even better that you capitalized on the opportunity and got a nice image. I totally agree with P-A. on the ISO issue. My cameras seldom see any ISO under 400, as for me it is all about shutter speed. I would go so far as to say "never use ISO 100, it is like wearing sunglasses indoors". :c3:

[Ronald Zigler]

Thanks Kerry. I am still learning about lighting and ISO in bird photography. This is another instance of inexperience. I knew I had good morning light, yet I never took the ISO off the "Auto" setting. Would it have been better to shoot on shutter priority at 1/1000 with the ISO at 400, and then let the camera set the f stop? As it stands, P-A is right, the beak on this particular image is just a tiny bit soft. I have some other images with yet sharper beaks and eyes (I posted a few in an album), but on these other images the feet and claws are not as sharp. The DOF is so darn narrow, but I still wonder how much more can you get with my lens and extender? Is it realistic to try for greater DOF in these situations, or should I just make sure the bird's eye is sharp?

[Kerry Perkins]

Ron, why not take complete control of your camera and use manual mode? Many people think that it's too hard or they have to think too much or something, but the fact is that manual mode is the easiest way to use your camera. Set your ISO to 400 and forget about it for most situations. Set your aperture to f/8 for good DOF if that is what you need. Use shutter speed to set your exposure and you don't have to think about anything else. More light, higher shutter speed. Less light, lower shutter speed. This is how I work. I seldom change ISO unless it is dawn or dusk or I am shooting little birds in the shade, and then I set it higher and leave it. I shoot the 400mm almost always wide open (f/5.6) or stopped down a third to a full stop. Again, I'm not constantly changing this, just setting it wide open for most situations and maybe f/8 for bright sun and white birds. All that I adjust as I'm shooting is the shutter speed. If I see that I am needing a shutter speed below 1/1000 for flight or 1/400 for static subjects I will up the ISO and keep shooting. It really isn't complicated and the more you shoot like this the more control you will have over your images. Instead of trying predict what error you automatic setting is going to induce, just set everything the way you want it and use your eyes to tell you what you need.

[P-A. Fortin]

I'm shooting manual only since December, and Kerry is mostly to be blamed for this :bg3:

I would add that "thinking" in manual is much easier than thinking with priority modes (at least to me). I prefer to think "white bird, less light. black bird, more light" than having to "analyze the scene" to figure out how the metering system will interpret it and add compensation accordingly. There are very good chapters about metering modes and compensation in priority modes in The Art of Bird Photography 1 and 2.

The "drawback" of manual is that then, if you go from "white bird in harsh light" to "dark bird in dark light" you have to dial more than just shutter speed. But how often do you need to do that?

This thread here (http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php/82981-Manual-vs-Av-and-Other-Modes?highlight=manual+mode) caused a riot on that topic. If you can dig in a bit and forget about ego fights, there is some good stuff to read about there.

[Ronald Zigler]

Kerry, I have no problems using the manual mode for almost every other photographic situation. But birds? I am not yet confident about reading lighting conditions and setting my camera quick enough before the photographic opportunity literally flies away to rely on the manual mode. I do regret that I did not try a few manual mode settings while photographing the Bittern. I would have liked to close down the f stop to increase my depth of field and yet maintain a high shutter speed. Birds are so unpredictable that I am not confident I would have been able to make the most of that opportunity. However, there is a lot to be said for getting fewer images of higher quality, rather than many images that don't measure up to what you have in mind. Again, many thanks for your feedback!

[Ian Cassell]

Good discussion here! It's funny that I've been shooting 100% manual for some time, but recently have been experimenting with my 7D auto exposure modes to see what they can do for me (if anything). Oh, and as for your comment that "birds are unpredictable" ... I find quite the opposite ... I can predict that the bird will fly away just before I'm set up for the shot :p

[Kerry Perkins]

Ron, the shutter speed dial is right next to the shutter button. You don't even have to take your eye away from the viewfinder. The fact is, unless the light on the subject changes, not the background or the sky or anything else, your exposure will not change at all. Meanwhile, in those situations, the camera will be struggling to figure out what the scene is telling it about exposure, which will be wrong most of the time for the subject. That is why there is exposure compensation. With manual mode and constant light level on the subject there is nothing to compensate for.

[Ronald Zigler]

Thanks Kerry. I'll give it a try. Especially if I ever have an encounter like I did last weekend with the Least Bittern. The secretive nature of this bird contributed to the fact that it stayed put for some time. I got lots of shots, but only checked the histogram to make sure I was not blowing highlights. I should have tried the manual mode with the ISO at 400. Then I could have taken a few images that increased the depth of field.

[Dawn Weber]

I'm new to the forum and fairly new to photography with a DSLR, and have been using mostly aperture mode. Kerry, your tips above will have me trying manual mode tonight :)

Dawn

[Kerry Perkins]

Ron, try it on everything - don't wait for an easy situation. You have to trust me here. The light on the subject is the only thing you have to consider! The camera is constantly trying to determine the right exposure based on the meter reading and the meter is constantly fooled by the background. Your own eyes and brain are a far more complex and adaptable system!

Dawn, welcome to BPN and I hope you try this soon. :c3: