I do not bait my BIF much. And if I do use bait, it is only seed and whole wheat bread.
For example, I'd use baiting in order to have birds fly towards me. Obviously, on their own (i.e., unsolicited), wild birds generally do not fly into our cameras. :
I have also used baiting to help direct their flight path in front of a background which can yield interesting bokeh......that is obviously more helpful in winter than in summer or fall.
Since we are talking about fly-by shots here, an assistant is needed who will dispense the bait in a strategically chosen location a fair distance away from me, so that a bird may be captured in full flight, as opposed to coasting/braking/landing.
Here is one very recent shot using the above described baiting method. The bokeh is hardly uniform, and it is made of a crazy blend of man-made as well as natural objects and materials. I like that as an alternative to uniform green or brown-yellow background bokeh which is commonly seen. However, if that background wasn't blurred, one wouldn't wanna look at it.
I may also use a 400 f/2.8 lens for a better subject isolation and background diffusion.
Shot with 1DMkIIN + 400 f/5.6.
Edit. This thread is closed now so that I may open another one.
I was reading this with bated breath Peter until I realized that it was not only the birds which get baited and then that you also use words and pics as well as organic stuff like seeds and whole wheat bread
A good read and a great pic!
Martin
Feb 07, 2012 at 04:35 PM
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Since we are talking about fly-by shots here, an assistant is needed who will dispense the bait in a strategically chosen location a fair distance away from me, so that a bird may be captured in full flight, as opposed to coasting/braking/landing.
It is very difficult to toss the bait AND track a BIF isn't it Peter?
I'm quite disappointed if I get to the park and there's no one there feeding the birds.
Nice shot BTW!
Martin Good wrote:
I was reading this with bated breath Peter until I realized that it was not only the birds which get baited and then that you also use words and pics as well as organic stuff like seeds and whole wheat bread
A good read and a great pic!
Martin
Thank you, Martin, I feel flattered that you have read my intro.
mike717 wrote:
It is very difficult to toss the bait AND track a BIF isn't it Peter?
I'm quite disappointed if I get to the park and there's no one there feeding the birds.
Nice shot BTW!
Mike
Mike, believe you me, I have done baiting and IF shooting at the same time using 15mm FE lens. However, you are right, doing it while hand-held tracking a bird in flight with 500 f/4 would be awkward.
surfnron wrote:
Well done again Peter ~ Ron ( I'm glad I got here before you deleted the photos for a change...
Thank you, Ron.....your feedback is appreciated.
Great info Peter. I often wondered how you were able to get the birds to cooperate so well. I see you used my favorite Canon lens in this shot, I just love the detail and how the background turned out.
Out of curiosity how many feet away would you estimate that the bird was from the camera.
I too have been know to throw bread in order to get flight shots, love the bokeh and the duck is just superb. Alluding to my last comment on your previous post, just what is a decent price on a 1Dmk11N body these days,,, curiosity has me by the short and curlies.....
And if I do use bait, it is only seed and whole wheat bread.
