20110917

Woodpigeon (abstract)

Sitting in the garden enjoying brief glimpses of warm September sunshine, I followed the activities of this Woodpigeon as it and a mate gathered twigs from the ground to build or shore up a nest in a nearby tree. The colours in the low sun were magnificent and it struck me that the myriad hues in the foliage behind the bird might make an interesting backdrop for a more abstract shot. I really like the result. For the technically minded, the shot is made possible by two key factors. The first is to close the aperture quite a bit (in this case all the way up to f/18) and bring the shutter speed way down, in no way attempting to freeze any of the action. In this example, the speed was reduced to just 1/30th of a second. The result – when one pans with the bird – is the streaming lines of the foliage behind the blurred movement of the subject. Anyone still awake?

Canon 1Ds MkII, Canon 100-400mm IS USM lens, 1/30th sec, f/18, 400mm at ISO 400

6 comments:

  1. I'm awake and listening Tim :-) Nice artwork!

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  2. Like the effect Tim, and like the explanation of how this was accomplished. Must try something different like this myself.

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  3. What a brilliant image Tim, thanks for the advice on how to achieve such a masterpiece.

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  4. Thanks all for your very kind comments.

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  5. I say, that's very abstract - good too.

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  6. Very much still awake Tim - I really like this! You have created a stunning image, well done indeed.

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