I'm King of the World! The goose that is!

[Warren Spreng]

With mating season comes lots of preening and displays and this couple was no exception after the male had handedly defeated other males for the females adoration! The orientation of the pair just happened to be serendipitous to catch him full on after bathing himself!
Canon 7D II, Tamron 150- 600mm at 600mm, f/6.3, 1/1000, ISO 800, HH. A minor crop from the top and right side, toned down the brightest highlights in the water. This was mid afternoon on a sunny day but a cloud was just passing over at this moment.

I was actually at this nearby park practicing my tracking of flying birds when a huge squabble got my attention. Good thing too because my tracking and shooting of flying birds still needs a lot of practice!!

[Diane Miller]

Excellent fast thinking to catch the action at its peak. Very nice sharpness and detail, and tonalities (don't you love clouds). I might be tempted to try a bit more mid-tone contrast. At this size they both look sharp although the female looks to have been a bit closer.

The rocks in the BG are a bit less than ideal, with the water line cutting through the wings, but of course you didn't have time to change your position or move in anticipation the action.

[Warren Spreng]

Thanks Diane! As I was shooting (love that 10 frames/second on this camera!) I was thinking the same thing about the rocks! I was surprised that both were as sharp as they were but looking closer it looks like his breast is almost above her back. I just love the definition in his feathers and how it shows the layering of the primaries.

[Andrew Harrell]

Warren, nice pic!! Wanted to ask you why you chose the aperture/speed/ISO combination that you did for this photo? Wanting to learn how/when to change things up from my regular 100/200 ISO, f8 or so, 1/1000 etc. that I have been using.

Also wanted to ask what you thought of this particular lens (the Tamron 150-600) and anything you have to say about using it.

Thanks!! Again, great pic!!


AP

[Warren Spreng]

Warren, nice pic!! Wanted to ask you why you chose the aperture/speed/ISO combination that you did for this photo? Wanting to learn how/when to change things up from my regular 100/200 ISO, f8 or so, 1/1000 etc. that I have been using.

Also wanted to ask what you thought of this particular lens (the Tamron 150-600) and anything you have to say about using it.

Thanks!! Again, great pic!!


AP

Thanks Andrew, glad you like it! As to choosing the aperture/speed/ISO, I typically start at ISO 800 unless it is extremely bright out, and then I use live view to set my speed that looks decent in the display. That at least gives me an idea of where I need to be so if it gets darker or brighter I will increase or decrease my SS if I think I have some time to bracket the shots with a variety of exposures. That is OK for a stationary bird but of course you are at the mercy of what you set things at if you are trying to capture one in flight! I typically shoot at what I guess gives me the narrowest FOV so the subject is the one in best focus as to the f speed, but I play with that as well if the subject is cooperative (which they rarely are!) of if the perch is an area that birds frequent. Like you I am pretty new at this, particularly with this camera, so I am shooting as much as I can to get a feel for what works best in different situations. I have not tried much higher ISO but will be experimenting with that as I continue to practice catching birds in flight.

As to the Tamron lens, I really like it, but then I don't really have anything to compare it to. My son got me a gift certificate where I can rent a lens for a week and I plan to do that soon so I can try a high end Canon lens just to compare the sharpness, AF, etc. I will say from my experience it focuses very quickly, is not too heavy for the size that it is, and I have been very pleased with the details I get even at 600mm, as I think this shot demonstrates.

I love this site as people are not shy at giving you constructive criticism and Diane is great at giving suggestions!

[Diane Miller]

Andrew, it's late at Warren's place so I'll butt in, but look forward to his reply in the morning. (I'll be out shooting from sunrise on the west coast for a few hours.)

You want a high SS and depending on the lens and the magnification, may want to shut down the aperture a little. The more magnification, such as a small bird full frame, the smaller aperture you want for more depth of field. It's a small sweet spot at the best, so you generally want the highest ISO that will give you decent quality. I usually have 800 for the 7D2, and 1600 if the light is low, but I'm not going to be happy with the quality there. For birds that are further away, as the geese here, you can generally go wide open, but want a high SS, Warren's specs here are what I would have gone for -- maybe f/4 if I had the 600mm lens on.

[Glennie Passier]

Warren, Well seen and captured! Elegance and strength all in one. The detail in the feathers is great. Enough said about the rocks.

[Warren Spreng]

Warren, Well seen and captured! Elegance and strength all in one. The detail in the feathers is great. Enough said about the rocks.

Thanks Glennie!

[Sandy Witvoet]

GREAT timing on this awesome wing-flap, Warren! Love the spray and beautiful wing detail. Also like how "the little woman" seems to be thinking... "Yeah, whatever!" I rather like the OOF rocks in the BG.

[Warren Spreng]

Thanks Sandy! I just saw your capture of the goose in flight which was also great! I thought the same thing about the female and I just looked closer at the males face and he really has an, "I'm really special!" look to it! I have had some others that mentioned they like the rocks as well, I'm liking them more the more I look at this as well.