Okay, can you stand some more talk about the Roseate Spoonbills? I feel like I have touched on them several times the past couple of weeks, but I think I’ve finally hit perfection this morning, so maybe no more after this. They are so new to me, since I had never seen one before. I have been struck by their beauty.
The following two pictures were shot in the RAW format, then edited and converted to JPEGs in Photoshop Elements. For you that are interested with such information, I photographed these images with my Canon EOS 7D, with a Canon f4-5.6 100-400 IS zoom lens. The ISO was 800, shutter speed 1/4000, aperture f8 with an EV adjustment of minus .03. That adjustment was for the bright whites that were caused by the early morning sun. I hope you enjoy the images. Click on either one to see an enlargement.
Roseate Spoonbill in flight
Roseate Spoonbills
Texas Tweeties by Bob Zeller 
Impressive photos… I need to save up for one of those big fast lenses 🙂
going to 1/4000th of a second was excellent for getting that flight! Always loving your shots Bob.
Thanks, Michael,
I neglected to mention in my post that I hand-held that camera and lens. The 100-400mm lens that I have really isn’t that hard to handle, and to catch the bird in flight, I like to pan across following the birds flight. I set the shutter for high-speed multiple shooting at 8.5 fps. But that lens is usually on my camera most of the time. I keep the 500mm on my other 7D.
Thanks for commenting.
Bob
Beautiful birds and very impressive images! May I ask a technical question? I have only been using a DSLR for less than a year and still trying to learn the ins and outs of manual shooting, and I have no experience with long lenses at all so it’s probably very naive to ask…but…I understand that the high ISO and fast shutter speed are to catch movement in possibly low light, but how do you decide what f-stop you are going to use? I do know that it’s to determine the depth of field, but when objects are moving, wouldn’t a smaller aperture give you more chance of getting more in focus?
Hi Cindy
Okay, let me see if I can explain this. ISO is like the old fashioned film speed. The higher film speed, the more the sensitive to light the film was. ISO is the same to these digital cameras. The higher the ISO, the smaller the f/stop you need. But you can then use a larger f/stop (smaller number) to creat a faster shutter speed. However there is a trade-off. The higher ISO cause a little more noise in your images. In film there would be more grain.
Of course there are a lot of factors that you must consider. How low is the light you mentioned?? How fast is your subject moving?? Do you want a lot of depth of field, or is it okay to blur the background?? I guess since your objective is to try to stop the action, I would recommend the highest possible shutter speed that you think you will need, then go from there. If the corresponding f/stop isn’t large enough, then move the ISO up higher.
I would experiment with different exposures if you can. It is all very confusing, I know. However, I think that if I were you, in this situation, I would shoot in TV or shutter-priority. You pick the shutter speed you want to be able to stop the action. The camera will automatically pick the corresponding f/stop. If it indicates an under-exposure because of the low light. then bump the ISO up a little higher.
I hope that I have been a help. Check with me again, if you have some more questions.
P.S. I forgot to answer your main question at the end. Yes, the smaller the f/stop, you will get more depth of field, and therefore a better chance of getting more in focus. Sorry.
Thank you so much for your wonderfully detailed answer (and P.S.). I’m taking it all in. ISO is one thing I always forget that I can change. One step at a time… 🙂
Thanks, Toby, you are great for my ego. 🙂
Outstanding, Bob!
Toby