We're spending most of the winter on the Carolina coast again this year. Thus far the weather has been rather poor. So much so that I'm having trouble getting out to test equipment and practice shooting BIF prior to heading to Ontario to shoot snowy owls. But I have managed a couple of outings.
We arrived down here from Alaska just in time to experience the southern version of snow and ice. Life down here virtually came to a halt for a couple of days as people aren't prepared to deal with it. It did make for a unique walk on the beach.
1) Smart phone shot
2) Grace is always up for a bit of practice.
3) It's always advisable to test equipment on static subjects first so when it did clear up I went and found some.
4) I'm always advising people to practice shooting BIF on seagulls. Just to show that I practice what I preach. I need to get my hit ratio up a bit before the upcoming shoot but the equipment seems to be doing its part.
5) In the latest gen of Nikon cameras they've come out with what they term as "group focus" mode. It's the first multi-point focus that I've been able to use for BIF with reliable/predictable results. There is no secret interpretive algorithm like the other multi-point modes. The camera simply locks on to the closest object that falls under the group of active focus points. One downside is that when a bird flies close to the ground/water one has to be careful that the lower focus points in the group don't lock on to the ground/water in front of the bird. Pelicans often fly low to the water so provide good practice in that regard. Just need more days of reasonable shooting weather this coming week.