I consider myself lucky as I live within walking distance of the Brisbane River which winds through the suburb.Usually when I just have an hour or so at my disposal, I head to the river.
There is a decent path that runs parallel to the bank. If one leaves the track and wanders down to bank through the vegetation there is a good chance to see some water birds though you have to be on the look out for snakes. It is warm now and the snakes are out and about and there are some venomous ones. Usually I try to keep my weekend mornings reserved for outdoor photography. Summer is just round the corner and the days are mostly fine with clear blue skies and sometimes small patches of wispy white clouds.These days the sun rises around 4.45am and there is enough light at 5.00 am. Last weekend some urgent work took up the early part of the morning so I only arrived by the river around 8.30am. The sky was cloudless and blue but the sun was high up in the sky [we have no daylight savings here] and the light was not ideal. I headed for my favourite spot - a bit of a clearing grass and rocks. Slowly I made my way through the vegetation keeping a sharp look out for snakes and made myself comfortable under a small tree. With my back against the tree trunk and knee high grass in front of me, I knew I would not be noticeable if I kept my movements to a minimum. As usual the camera & Canon 200- 400 f4 was on a monopod at its minimum height. As always, I checked the settings on the camera and the lens, (there are quite a few settings on the Canon 200-400 f4 lens itself like the stabiliser mode, shooting distance etc. It was a matter of waiting for something to turn up. In the past I had shot, Royal Spoonbills, egrets, darters and cormorants on the rocks. I didn’t have to wait too long, a big black and white bird glided in and landed on the bank. It was a straw necked Ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis). These birds are similar in size to the more common Sacred or White Ibis with a naked featherless head, a long curved bill and black wings and back. The legs are red turning dark gray towards the feet. They get their name from the yellow straw like feathers on the neck.The thing I like most are the iridescent feathers on the bird’s back, wings and collar. These really shine and glow when the sunlight strikes them and if the angle is right it is a joy to behold. The Ibis stood still for a while looking around [probably making sure it did not have company] and then started to preen itself moving constantly. At certain angles the feathers would shine metallic green, purple, and even little yellow, as can be seen in the photos below. I started shooting in silent mode. Whenever I found the colours catching my eye I would press the shutter. I could clearly see all the details through the lens. I was making sure that I got the eyes open. Lots of birds are prone to shut or half close their eyes while preening. I am not a fan of transplanting eyes in Photoshop. I love minimum processing of the raw file. All was going well and I was thoroughly enjoying the dance of colours through the lens. Alas good things do not last forever. As I mentioned earlier the river winds through the suburb and the houses are close by. I heard some kids coming along the walking track talking loudly. They were having having a friendly match of who could hurl a rock the furthest and into the water. They were just having fun. A few rocks landed in the shrubs close to the Ibis [ the river/water was too far from the track for the little kids rocks to reach. That was enough for the Ibis and it decided to leave and so did I. I had a fruitful morning & could not wait to get home and see the results on the screen. I will be travelling interstate and surely take the lens along with me. More when I get back.
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The days are getting longer. It is spring here in the southern hemisphere. I had been waiting to go out and use the Canon 200-400 again now that I had everything set up.
The Canon 200-400 f4 fits in the bag that I had ordered with the 7D gripped body attached. I had also ordered the harness system & the waist belt along with it. Once all is in place you can use it like a back pack and walk /hike comfortably for a few kilometres without any discomfort. I had been watching the light for the last few days and had made a mental note of the right time & light. One fine afternoon I got home early and the time being right got the gear together quickly with the Canon 200-400 along with the 7D safely in the bag I headed for the local water body just a short hike from home. I had scouted the place before and knew there would be a few water birds around. Breeding season was over for some of the birds and the chicks were growing up fast.One could still find the juveniles with the adults. Getting close to the water body I stopped behind some trees and removed the camera and the lens from the bag, Put the empty bag back on my back. I the mounted the Canon 200-400 on the monopod which was also attached to the bag & made sure I had the right settings dialled in. I had got the timing right, the sun was low in the sky and at the right angle. Now it was a matter of finding some birds and getting close to them. The sun was low in the sky casting a beautiful warm glow. One thing was sure, the sun being low the golden glow was not going to last long and I would have to quickly grab some shots. This water body is not much frequented by people and making the birds are a bit shy and additionally with chicks still accompanying the adults, the birds were more cautious. I spied some Purple Swamphens [ Porphyrio porphyrio], also known as the Purple Moorhen, through the bushes a little distance away and made my way slowly towards them. I was close enough but the birds were partly obscured by the bushes. Had it not been for the intervening bushes I could have shot them from where I was but I had to get a clear shot. I had to creep up slowly. Finally I was in position. The birds were not aware of my presence and went about their business. One was preening and the other one was with a grown up chick. I had a few minutes of proper light left and I started shooting. I did note that the backgrounds were not exactly as I wanted the and could have been better but with the time at my disposal I had to keep shooting. I did manage to get a few decent shots not the very best but good enough to show the potential of the Canon 200-400 f4 lens I am pleased with the colours and the sharpness and I am looking forward to a proper outing with the Canon 200-400 f4 lens. I should be getting more shots next week. Watch this space. I took the delivery of my Canon 200-400 f4 L lens a while ago but didn't really get a chance to try it out. It was winter in Brisbane and I also wanted to get all the accessories for the 200-400 lens before venturing out in the field. Till date my biggest lens was Canon 300 f4 is. Most of the photos in the birds gallery have been taken with the Canon 300 f4 on a monopod and sometimes handheld.
I ordered a bag for the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L along with a replacement foot and a monopod head for the New Canon 200-400 F4 lens. The monopod head I was using earlier with my Canon 300 f4 lens with great success was not rated for the weight of my new Canon 200-400 f4 L lens. All the accessories I had ordered including a flash extender arrived slowly from overseas and finally I was good to go. This lens is heavy but not too much. One spring afternoon I ventured out to a local reserve in Brisbane QLD and found this particular tree in fruit. It was a big tree and could see a lot of activity amongst the branches. Careful scrutiny revealed a number of birds feeding voraciously on the fruit. There were a few fig birds [Australasian Figbird - Sphecotheres vieilloti ] trying to feed on the fruit only to be chased away by the noisy miners (Manorina melanocephala). Whenever the Fig birds got a chance they would start eating in a hurry and gobble as many fruit as they could till the noisy miners arrived on the scene. I was using the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L for the first time. The birds were high up - not an ideal situation. A monopod with a tilt head did help. Only if the noisy miners had left the fig birds alone I would not have to take the shots in a hurry, by the time the fig birds had plucked a fruit or two the noisy miners would be attacking them. Still got a few shots. Well this Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS will take some getting used to. I use it it with a 7D. I know a lot of people prefer using it with a 1DX, but I like the extra reach of a crop body [ Waiting for a 7D mk ii]. This was my first time out with the Canon 200-400F4 lens and I not get to try it under ideal conditions and am still getting used to it. When I & the 7D did everything right the images were very sharp. Could not help the backgrounds. Basically was just trying it out to get a hang of it. Very happy with the IQ. The built in converter is very convenient. I will be adding more images / field results as and when I get a chance to go afield. Milind. |
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