Birdie

I have no experience whatsoever with decent bird photography. I have read about it and enjoyed many great shots by the pros, and I realize how difficult this discipline really is.

So when this weekend, out on a group shooting day at a 'safari park' in the south of the Netherlands, we decided to give it a try during a public show featuring various birds of prey, I had little hope to hit a keeper. I guess I got very very lucky...

This bald eagle youngster came rushing by, only a few meters away, over the heads of the audience. If you (rightfully) doubt about my knowledge of species, know that these eagles don't get their typical white feathers until they reach adulthood.

I stand quite impressed by the focus tracking performance of my camera! As for getting detail into the bird's body against a solid overcast sky: another testimonial to the virtues of shooting RAW.

I brought back more than enough absolute missers to keep my expectations down where they belong. But I do know that I will challenge my (beginner's?) luck again at the next opportunity!

Gear notes: D700, 70-200/2.8VR with TC-14EII

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Holy fish!

Did I ever tell you that I like playing with my fish-eye lens? Not all the time, of course, but once in a while it helps me to look at the world around me in a different, more creative way.

I was lucky to have this lens in my bag when recently I strolled by St. Charles Borromeo’s church in downtown Antwerp. A textbook example of ecclesiastical baroque architecture, this famous Jesuit church hosts a number of paintings by Rubens , who also designed many of the sculptural decorations.


It does take an extreme wide angle lens to convey the overwhelming feeling of space inside this marble temple. The next challenge is to capture the extreme dynamic range of the scene.

Planning from the start to take the HDR route, I shot five consecutive frames from the back of the church at 1EV exposure increments (handheld, as I did not bring a tripod, the "middle" one at 1/30s f/4) and combined them later using Photomatix Pro's exposure blend mode. Another quick 5-frame burst to cover the grandiose main altar, and I got back on my way...

Gear notes: D300, 10.5/2.8 fish-eye

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Cosy

Sometimes all you need is just keeping your eyes open...

Walking the Brussels streets on a Saturday afternoon, I came by this public transportation shelter, and I saw this couple patiently waiting for their connection.

The soft light played so well with the frosted glass, creating a kind of halo around the people. The seam between the glass panels and a few cobblestones below anchor the picture into the real world.

This picture made itself before my eyes!

Gear notes: D700, AF-S 24-70/2.8

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