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Posted by Trey on 13:12:10 12/24/05
In Reply to: Photos, St. Marks and Merritt Island posted by Milo Holmes
Milo,
Thanks, I use a Canon Digital Rebel and a Sigma 80-400mm lens with optical stabilization.
It is a new lens. Up until this trip I used a Sigma 135-400mm lens and loved it. I purchased the new lens with hopes of increasing the clarity of my photos.
I'm a birder first and most of the photos I take are probably best appreciated by other birders.
I generally use AV priority and manual focus since most of my subjects are not out in the open. This allows me to control the focus of the subject better and get quicker shots. Using AV priority allows me to set the aperture about .5 to 1 stop smaller which increases the sharpness and depth of field a bit. The camera automatically sets the shutter speed and I monitor that. If it falls below an acceptable level I change the ISO setting. All of this gives me the optimal settings for the available light. I seldom use the built in flash.
I also use a mono pod to help stabilize the camera. Even if hand holding the camera to take flight shots it acts as a counter balance and stabilizes my shot.
Other than that, I take tons of photos. In 2005 I took over 15000 shots. This has also helped me anticipate issues like when taking flight shots I increase the exposure by 1.5 stops. This allows the image of the bird in flight to be exposed properly against a bright sky.
Most of the images you see online are digi-cropped anywhere from 25-75% of the original size.
I know this is more than you asked for, but I hope it will help you.
Trey Mitchell
trey@awm3.com
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