Mastering Bird Photography

Chapter 13

SHOOTING OUTSIDE THE BOX

Bathed by the warm evening sun and transfixed by the seabirds flying to and fro across the ever-moving ocean, I can feel myself drifting into a trance. Gazing west, I become mesmerized by a shimmering pattern of reflected sky and clouds, and I frame the abstract scene through my viewfinder. While the scene is beautiful in its own right, I need a bird to fly into the frame for the finishing touch. Puffins and murres seem too insignificant in the design, but a much larger cormorant and its reflection are perfect.

Figure 13.1: Backlighting provides a golden outline to a singing Red-winged Blackbird.

Canon EOS ...