HarveyG

Every time I shoot my brain is in overdrive. A bad thing probably because it should be in auto, not manual. Exactly the opposite of how I shoot. I never use the little green (AA-Amateur) Auto button on my DSLR. It’s either on [A]perture or [S]hutter Priority (yes, I suppose that’s semi-auto) and sometimes on [M]anual especially if I use that Vivitar 500mm f/6.3 Series 1 mirror of mine. I still often manual focus, a legacy of 25+ years using Manual Focus Minolta 35mm SLR’s.

The sun had set when I spied this little Natal Francolin (now called a Spurwing…) hop onto a rock about 10m away, I grabbed the D90 and clicked it onto my 190XPROB using the QRP, zoomed to 500mm, and checked the s/s. It was dark already. 1/30s! Perfect for that blurred motion shot, wait, wait, there’s the typical feather ruffle, shoot! I only got one shot of him ruffling, and this was it. NGM here I come ETA: This shot flies in the face of so many who abhor motion blur in wildlife shots. Not everything has to be pin sharp with catch-lights in the eyes. Nature doesn’t pitch up to a studio with hair made, a make-up artist on call and a lighting technician with all the gear!

Shot with a (1997) Sigma 170-500mm f/5-6.3 APO AF-D Aspherical for Nikon.

"Brrrr!" - Natal Spurfowl - Pternistus natalensis (c) HarveyG Photography 2010

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(ETA 22 04 2011: For years I read my Father’s monthly Nat Geo magazine that arrived in the mail and it had a profound (subliminal?) effect on my photography (especially wildlife). I found this sub-page regarding Motion Blur Photography on their web site today.