The natural wonders of Tropical North Queensland, Australia that photographer Jürgen Freund has a emotional bond with was the location chosen for the photo shoot. Let's see how he takes photos of birds flying around this splendid field.
I think what is most important in taking shots of birds is to know more about the birds. Knowing better about the subject may be a routine matter in any aspect of shooting, but in the wild birds' case, because their behavior and appearance vary depending on the bird type or the season, knowing better about them requires a long steady effort. That applies to us too. Living in this Tropical North Queensland located in the northeast of Australia, we have investigated where peculiar birds live over a long period of time. What kinds of birds live here and when their breeding seasons starts, and what species of migratory birds are there and what seasonal migration patterns they have (where they come from and where they go to) ... Anyway, we have thoroughly investigated the habit of the birds living around here. Of course, deepening our knowledge of not only wild birds but also the season and climate of this land, we tried to listen attentively to local experts in the field of wild life. Also, we often visited the places where beautiful birds were considered to be present. Sometimes it is necessary to set up a place to hide, so that birds will not be the alert on us. There were cases where, in order to let birds get used to a hiding place, we left the hiding place intact for several weeks before using, which helped us to position close to them. Thus, taking photos of wild birds is knowing about what kinds of birds there are, and where and how they live. It is also useful to hear from local guides when you look for locations for photo shoots. First, try to be an observer of nature, and then build a plan for photo shooting.
HD PENTAX-D FA150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW with four AF switches laid out every 90 degrees on it. The assignment of the AF cancel feature that allows the focus position to be fixed forcibly during the focus preset mode or continuous AF is one of those innovations provided to make it easier to follow your subjects even during taking photos of wild birds. Mr. Freund says that he also makes effective use of this AF / MF switching feature as well during photo shooting.
When I want to change composition for my object, I often switch from AF to MF as the situation demands. In the case when I have a restricted range of movement in my hand put on the lens, for example, to adjust the lens focus, I make heavy use of the thumb-operated AF button located at the back of the camera body. The auto focus is effective in using for small, fast moving birds. In the situation that requires the use of the manual focus, I often use it to take scenic photos of large, relatively slow-moving birds.
From extensive steppe regions to deep woods. Key factors involved in the photographing of wild birds that requires the repeated process of waiting and relocating include the optical performance and appropriate toughness of lenses, and the balance of the lenses when used in combination with cameras.
In photographing wild birds, high ISO sensitivity is required for cameras, and even in dark tropical forests, the lens used is required to bring images into sharp focus. It is also very important that the portion around the lens has a robust structure. I am very satisfied with the PENTAX lenses in such regard, too. For example, a tripod socket that is attached to a gimbal-type tripod platform is so robustly constructed that the angle of view can be securely fixed. To quickly capture an object, the auto focus needs to operate at high speed, but I have never been dissatisfied in this regard, too. When PENTAX K-3 is used in combination with a 150 to 450mm lens, a perfect balance is achieved between them in terms of weight. It is not too heavy for prolonged trekking, nor is it too lightweight to be swung around or become unstable. By using an APS-C format camera, I could not only take closeup shots, but also properly capture birds in the distance.
There are a variety of wild birds living in the woods and dry areas here. The birds are so colorful that they are fun to watch. Unlike silence in water, here I hear sound when observing or taking photos of wild birds. The songs of birds are music to my ears, and the colors of their feathers look so beautiful that it must be literally a naturally-created palette. It is fun to photograph birds, but first, go into nature and experience the beauty of nature as many times as possible. We are all living in a lucky age. It is because we are easily accessible to beautiful places and also modern cameras and lenses are fast-evolving. So, anyone can capture and keep a natural scenery as it is. You may find wildlife in your backyard. It is important to become aware of various products of nature and pay respect to them. The beauty of nature is present anywhere.