A slightly more abstract take on safari for you today. I can’t remember for the life of me what type of birds these are because I learnt about so many different types, but that hasn’t stopped me from sharing them with you! I saw a photo of some birds in this high-contrast, monochrome style in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition a few years back and have wanted to emulate it for a while, so it was nice to finally have the chance to do so.
Two images for you today as I took both shots within milliseconds of each other and can’t decide which I prefer! Given the light available, the chance of a clear, sharp shot of the local birds seemed unlikely, so I decided to play around a bit with shutter speeds and movement. It’s not something I’ve tried before but I’m actually really pleased with the outcome!
I’d love to know if you like them too and, if so, which is your favourite? Let me know in the comments!
Given that so many of these birds fly past my window every day, I thought it would make sense to tray and make the most of the situation and use them to hone my ability to catch birds in flight. As somebody who is a complete beginner when it comes to this, I thought I’d share my first remotely successful shot – I’ll admit it’s not the most inspiring shot you’ve ever seen, but I was pleased that I was finally able to get a shot where everything was in focus!
I’ll no doubt be continuing to practice the art, so I’ll post any success I have – if you have any tips that work particularly well for you, I would love to hear them!
Another photo from the RSPB Lochwinnoch reserve, this time of a male chaffinch that seemed to be eyeing me up as he approached the feeders. I spent a fair while waiting with my lens focused on this spot, so I was relieved that someone finally decided to pose for me! This was my first time waiting in a hide for wildlife to reach the right spot and face the right direction and I think that patience is still a virtue that I need to work on! Thankfully, I have plenty of time this summer to do so.
I’ve been admiring the birds that fly outside my window for a long time now and yesterday I finally decided to go and take some pictures of them! Whilst my initial aim was to capture them in flight (an art I’m very much still mastering), my best shot turned out to be of this black-headed gull standing slightly downwind from his friends.
I promised myself that I would shoot more wildlife this year, so this is me trying to stick to that promise – I don’t think it’s gone too badly! I would love to know what you think of this image and whether you would like to see more like it, as it’s not the usual type of image I post.
Alex Elliott Photography 