Photographing Birds in Flight Part 1

Before Photoshop

After Photoshop

Before Photoshop

After Photoshop

When photographing birds in flight it is so much easier now that we have quick focussing autofocus digital cameras.
But is amazing what can happen if you don't have that luxury on the spur of the moment.I was using my pentax *istD on this particular day on the Murray River and using an old favourite manual focus lens.The Kiron 28-210mm manual focus.
I heard a commotion off to my right and saw a male and female Noisy Miner chasing a Laughing Kookaburra.
The Kookaburra wasn't laughing however.
I swung my camera around quickly and panned the scene as if I was shooting birds with a shotgun.
I had no time to focus but I quite like the blurred effect I got and a little bit of Photoshop improved the overall look of the pictures.
Once again this proved to me "any photo taken is better than one not taken."
Birds in flight photographs can be at their most pleasing when blurred.
Arthur Morris the famous American Bird Photographer has perfected this.
I stumbled on the idea by accident and then realised you can do it deliberately with little effort.
Of course there are some occasions when you shouldn't take a photograph at all.
A good topic for a later blog.