Trogon Photo Tours

September 2013 Newsletter - This newsletter includes information on how to make artistic images using slow shutter speeds to show motion and blur.  It has info on various types of slow shutter speed images including info on using second curtain synch flash.  

MARBLED GODWITS  photographed March 2006, Tokeland, Willapa Bay, WA.  Canon 20D 500mmF4, 1/125 at F16, iso 400, evaluative metering at -0.3  580ex fill flash at -2.0, Gitzo tripod.   I used a large depth of field on this shot because I wanted to get as many of the godwits heads in focus as possible.  The relatively slow shutter speed meant that the wings of the godwits that were taking off would be blurred.  If you are trying to create an image like this with the stationary birds sharp and the moving birds blurred, it's important to have the lens fixed on one spot and not panning, so a tripod is essential.  This image was selected as a Showcase image in the 2009 NANPA (North American Nature Photography Association) photo contest and made it to the final round of judging in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest.

SANDHILL CRANE photographed at Bosque del Apache NWR, NM, November 2009.  Canon 1DMarkIII 500mmF4 lens 1/50 at F11, iso 250, one shot AF, tripod.  The technique for this shot was different than the previous 2 shots on this page in that I panned (that is moved the lens with the bird as it flew) while I was taking the shot.  When you use this technique you will have blur throughout the whole image.  In this image I like the result and the shot feels more like a painting than a photograph to me.  On this workshop at Bosque del Apache, I took a lot of pan blur images when we had a cloudy morning at the crane ponds.  There wasn't enough light to produce high quality sharp images and I already had many sharp flight crane shots.  To produce nice blur images you typically want to shoot at a low shutter speed, anywhere from 1/4 of a second to 1/200 or so depending on the lighting condition and what you are trying to achieve with the photo.  One nice thing about having to use a slow shutter speed is that to get down to that low shutter speed you will often be shooting at a low iso which will improve image quality. 

SNOW GEESE photographed November 2009 at Bosque del Apache NWR, NM.  Canon 1DMarkIII 500mmF4 lens, 1/25 at F4.5, iso 100, evaluative metering +0.3, AI Servo autofocus, handheld.  This was taken right around dusk on the farm loop.  There wasn't enough light to make a sharp image of these birds even with quite a bit higher iso so I chose to shoot it with intentional blur at a low shutter speed and iso.  I was panning with the birds and I wanted the heads reasonably sharp with the wings blurred.  To achieve this I needed to use AI Servo (AF-C for Nikon shooters) as opposed to one shot autofocus and I think I was somewhat lucky to have the birds heads come out as sharp as they did.  Evenings and early morning when you have very little light and skies which are lit with brilliant colors by the sunrises and sunsets are great times to do blur photography.  Without using a very high iso it would be almost impossible to get the wings sharp, so work with what you are given and take some nice blur images. 

Glaucous-winged Gull photographed December 2010 at Fort Steilacoom County Park, Lakewood, WA.  Canon 1D Mark III, 70-200/2.8 lens 1/10 at F6.3, iso 500, 580ex fill flash at -1.0, second curtain sync on the flash.  Using second curtain synch gives you another creative tool to use when creating blur shots.  You need to set it inside your camera menu as well as on your flash.  Using second curtain synch at a low shutter speed (1/50 of a second or less) with an image where there is movement such as a bird in flight typically gives you a sharp image with a ghosting blurred image overlayed on top of the sharp image. The ghosting is the result of the slow shutter speed and the sharp part of the image the result of the flash "stopping" the subject, when it fires at the end of the exposure.  This (slow shutter speed blur shots) is the only time I use second curtain sync, 95% of the time the flash is set to first curtain. 

Herring Gull photographed by Jan van der Greef - Flatanger, Norway.  Canon 1D Mark IV, 70-200/2.8 1.4x at 115mm 1/6 at F14, iso 200.  This image by my friend Jan van der Greef finished second in the bird behavior category of the 2011 BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards.  This is what Jan said about the image  'The sublime, soft lighting,' says Jan, 'the gull's wonderful wing motion and the shimmering stream of water from its legs - for me, symbolizing the transition from floating on water to the freedom of the moment in the air - combined to create the ethereal image I had hoped for.'  Jan is a wonderful photographer and person who has come to Ecuador to photograph hummingbirds with me.  I also recently planned a one month trip for him and his family in Argentina.  To see more of his work see www.insightintonature.com

Blue-winged Teal photographed at Falcon Point Ranch, Texas, April 2013.  Canon 5D Mark III, 500F4 lens, 1/5 at F8, iso 100.  One of the things I learned from Jan van der Greef's work is that at even lower shutter speeds (less than 1/10 of a second) even without flash it's possible to get images that have a ghosting quality. 

To review if you want an image with the stationary birds sharp and the moving birds blurred use a slower shutter speed and have your camera fixed in one spot with a tripod.  To have blur on all the birds in the shot pan with the moving birds at a slow shutter speed.   To have a somewhat sharp moving bird overlayed with a ghosting blurred image use second curtain sync on your flash. This type of bird photography isn't for everyone but if you haven't tried it the next time you find yourself with flocks of flying birds and not much light to work with, give it a try, it may grow on you.  As you can see from Jan's work and my own you can create some beautiful images and maybe even win an award.