Sylvia Bacon
For Sylvia it’s about respecting the birds.
She recommends standing or sitting
quietly to allow your subjects to drink
or feed without distraction and believes
in the use of a tripod where possible.
Most importantly, she suggests taking
several shots to be sure the exposure
is set correctly and that your use of
aperture or shutter speed mode
is appropriate.
Jack Kotz
Jack suggests that one of the most important elements
of capturing birds is making sure the eye is in focus. For
stationary birds he suggests Aperture settings of f/5.6 or
f/8 depending on the available light. He feels a zoom lens is
very helpful but reminds us that longer length means higher
apertures. For flying birds he suggests considering shutter
SUMMER/FALL 2017 • VOLUME 38
priority. Typically large or slower birds like pelicans and
herons can be shot at 1/1000 +, but for smaller, faster birds
such as terms, skimmers, or red knots, 1/2000 or more may
be necessary. Finally, he recommends you try moving your
camera along with the bird and shooting in burst mode if
possible.
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