Over the years we developed our own way of photographing birds using exclusively affordable lightweight equipment of Nikon, Panasonic, Sigma, Tamron and Swarovski and our own specialised “APERTURE mode Birds” and matching camera settings. Our camera’s are always ready to go and don’t need significant resetting during actual photography.
Our focus has always been on bird behaviour: bathing, mating, feeding, fighting. In rain, snow, storm and all other kinds of wheater and light. In Fuerteventura,Greece, Holland, Hungary, Israel,Morocco,Poland, Portugal andSpain. Some example pictures:
Holland May 2023 sun Common Tern (Visdief) size 35cmattacking Black-headed Gull (Kokmeeuw) distance 35m equivalent 1050mmD500 Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF VR, APERTURE mode Birds. Standard camouflage.
Holland sun Great White Heron (Grote Zilverreiger) size 95cm distance 75m equivalent 1050mm Z50 Nikkor 500mm f/56E PF VR APERTURE Mode Birds 1/2000 f/8 ISO 100 -1.0EV standard camouflage. Crop 3300 x 2200.
Speedy Great Spotted Woodpecker (Grote Bonte Specht) cloudy D500 Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF VR 12m APERTURE mode Birds total camouflage.
Holland may 2023 sun Kingfisher (IJsvogel) size 17cm distance 30m equivalent 1500 mm Z50 Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF VR substantial camouflage. APERTURE mode Birds 1/1000 f/11 ISO 400 -1.5EV. This picture also shows these different blue tints of Kingfisher.
Holland Great Spotted Woodpecker (Grote Bonte Specht) rain juvenile size 22cm distance 10m equivalent 1050mm D500 Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF VR APERTURE mode Birds. Crop 2400 x 1600 pixels.
Holland sun Kestrel (Torenvalk) size 35cm distance 35m uexperienced juvenile trying to hold on branch in storm APERTURE mode Birdsequivalent 1500mm Z50 Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF VR substantial camouflage.
Holland cloudy snowField Fare (Kramsvogel) (winter guest in Holland) size 26cm distance 10m equivalent 630mm D300 Nikkor 300mm f/4.0E PF VR APERTURE mode Birds total camouflage.
Holland Kingfisher (IJsvogel) behind branches size 16cm distance 15m, equialent 630mm, hazardous ice at feathers (!), D300 Nikkor 300mm f/4D equivalent 630mm f/5.6 1/800 second +1.0 EV (backlight) total camouflage. Crop 1000 x 667. Incredible detail produced by oldtimer Nikkor 300mm f/4D!
Incredibly fast starting Woodpecker. Holland sun (Grote Bonte Specht) size 25cm distance 12m equivalent 450mm D500 Nikkor 300mm f/4E PF VR770 gram total camouflage APERTURE mode Birds 1/2000 f/4 ISO ISO 560 -2.0EV, AF-CGroup Mode. Crop 3600 x 2400. Typical example of handheldultralight tracking combination.
Holland cloudy 2023 Cormorant (Aalscholver) size 90cm distance 55m equivalent 1050mm Nikon Z50 Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF VR standard camouflage 1/1600 f/5.6 ISO 280 -1.0EV. Only incidentally reset camera during photography. Camera is handling everyting in APERTURE mode Birds, works fantastic!
Picture1/2: Spring2008South coast Atlantic Ocean Portugalheavy overcast stormPeregrine female near nest distance about 90m digicompact Fujifilm Finepix 100FS 1/1100 second f/5.3 ISO 800.
Picture2/2: Spring2008South coast Atlantic Ocean heavy overcast storm Peregrine couple near nest distance 90mNikon ED82 FieldscopeHigh quality Coolpix P5100 (Raw format) standard camouflage, 1/125 second f/5.3 ISO 400 0EV. After male’s arrival we had but few seconds to get our scope manually focussed and shoot a few pictures …
Holland june 2021 sun Kingfisher (IJsvogel) size 17cm distance 20m equivalent 2000mm Swarovski STM80HD50X telescope & high quality digicompact & lens Panasonic G3 20mm f/1.7 total camouflage.
Holland 2014 Little Owl juvenile (Steenuil) size 25cm distance 25m equivalent 1135mm Nikon V3 ZTF adapterNikkor 300mm PF VR f/4E 1/500 sec f/8 ISO 800 -0.7EV standard camouflage. Crop 1200 x 800.
Holland sun snow Whooper Swan (Wilde Zwaan) size 150cm distance 50m taking off … Equivalent 1135 mm Nikon V3 Nikkor 300mm f/4E PF VR total camouflage.
