Spectacular Midway Silhouette

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This image was created at Rusty Bucket on Sand Island, Midway with the Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens and the
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 200. Evaluative metering -1/3 stop: 1/2000 sec. at f/8 in Av Mode.

Spectacular Midway Silhouette

On my two-week Midway visit in 2010 I visited Rusty Bucket many times but the sunset possibilities there never struck me. This year the light bulb came on in my head early in the visit and we visited almost daily as long as there was a hint of color in the western sky. Bird photography is most often about recognizing a potentially good situation. (See the Rusty Bucket silhouetted head portrait here.)

To see a somewhat darker version and what the folks on BPN had to say about this image, click here.

To create the strongest silhouettes place the subject right in front of the most brightly colored patch of sky. This can be a challenge with a large group especially when you have taught them too well 🙂

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This is the properly exposed original image. I moved the BLACK Slider well to the right for the RAW conversion as I like my silhouettes blacker than black.

Note the big dust spot in near the top of the image above the center of the bird’s back; I made the Midway trip without my Delkin Sensor Scope and my Lens Pen to save weight and paid the price… To learn how I keep my sensor clean click here. And for additional tips on making your silhouettes pop in post processing, see my Enhancing Silhouettes blog post.

Stay tuned for the Silhouette Flash Lessons post tomorrow.

Shopper’s Guide

Below is a list of the gear that I used to create the images above. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.

Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens. Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera body. The very best professional digital camera body that I have ever used.

And from the BAA On-line Store:

Gitzo GT3530LS Tripod. This one will last you a lifetime.
Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head. Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head.
Sensor cleaning supplies. I spent way too much time on Midway cleaning dust bunnies because I did not have my sensor cleaning kit with me. Never again. 🙂

Delkin 32gb e-Film Pro Compact Flash Card. These high capacity cards are fast and dependable.

I pack my 800 and tons of other gear in my ThinkTank Airport SecurityTM V2.0 rolling bag for all of my air travel and recommend the slightly smaller Airport InternationalTM V2.0 for most folks. These high capacity bags are well constructed and protect my gear when I have to gate check it on short-hops and puddle jumpers. Each will protect your gear just as well. By clicking on either link or the logo below, you will receive a free gear bag with each order over $50.