FROZEN

With fast moving subjects like birds in flight, you need fast shutter speeds of around 1/2000 of a second to capture the subject sharp and freeze the moment. I do this either with manual settings or on aperture priority. I pick my aperture value according to the depth of field that I require and then adjust my ISO value until it renders the desired shutter speed. I used this train of thought when photographing this red-billed teal. I followed the bird through my viewfinder as it was coming in to land, and as it dropped below the horizon I started pressing the shutter. Afterwards I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had captured a frame at the exactly moment where he had touched down onto the water, right before any ripples were visible in the water.

Frozen

Marievale Bird Sanctuary, South Africa

Canon 1D Mark III | 600mmf/4 + 1.4tc | 1/2500sec at f/8, ISO 800

This photograph was one of six I was fortunate enough to get placed as highly commended in the 2009 Fuji Getaway Wildlife Awards.