Photographing Flying Swifts in Lesvos Using the Sony A1

Рет қаралды 1,833

Жыл бұрын

In this video I present some hints and tips on photographing Swifts in flight with the Sony A1. I also show you some of the Swift flight shots I took on a recent bird photography trip to Lesvos

Пікірлер: 24

@mikemcgovern9463 7 ай бұрын

I asked about this a month ago.... here it is! Inspirational... a home run!

@philgowerbirdphotography 7 ай бұрын

I did see your request Mike, and I see if I can put together something more technical, with more hints and tips. Thanks for watching!

@scdawes 8 ай бұрын

Outstanding BIF photography Phil with some simply stunning Swift images.

@philgowerbirdphotography 8 ай бұрын

Thanks Steve! Appreciated!

@juhonkanava2068 Жыл бұрын

very nice

@stevedavis2050 Жыл бұрын

Cracking images, Phil - good to see you at various points in Lesvos 😊

@philgowerbirdphotography Жыл бұрын

Hi Steve, thank you and it was great to catch up with you again.

@wildaboutbirds71 Жыл бұрын

Brilliant mate! Love the Greek music and the pictures 👌🏻I’ve been practicing a lot using the same techniques. Practice does make perfect and it’s so much fun especially when you capture the shots you imagined when planning ahead. All the best mate 👊🏻

@ThePhantomVlogger10 Жыл бұрын

Job done, awesome

@philgowerbirdphotography Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@michaeljohannsen4872 Жыл бұрын

Congrats! 🎈

@philgowerbirdphotography Жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching!

@robbrackimp Жыл бұрын

Practiice certainly does make perfect, you have captured some superb shots Phil, the reflection shots of the swifts are outstanding!

@philgowerbirdphotography Жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching and for the positive feedback

@CamillaI Жыл бұрын

Good technique tips Phil great to have the number of birds in Lesvos, but you can get it with one bird here in the UK, you just need one to oblige 👌Great photos

@philgowerbirdphotography Жыл бұрын

Thanks Mark. Yes plenty of Swifts in the UK. There are other Western Palearctic birds in Lesvos that don’t venture to the UK and I hope to include them in future videos. Well worth a trip during the migration periods.

@sin.wildlife4979 7 ай бұрын

This surely is as challenging as it is fun! Nice results, Phil! I was lucky to find a similar setting this year. But I only posted the shots on Instagram though. Have fun with this awesome setup ;)

@philgowerbirdphotography 7 ай бұрын

Thank you for your comment! I’ll certainly be giving the flying Swift another go this year.

@jamesclifford3401 Жыл бұрын

Fantastic photos phil. With a bit of luck, I hope to get some good photos of swallows and swifts tomorrow providing the lights good.

@philgowerbirdphotography Жыл бұрын

Thanks James and good luck!

@V8AM Жыл бұрын

Some cracking shots there Phil. Having spent some time at Minsmere recently trying to get some Sand Martins inflight I can totally relate to the challenge. Have to say my success rate was probably somewhat lower than yours although I did manage a few keepers out of the many I took 😂

@philgowerbirdphotography Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching! My success rates continues to improve…just gotta keep going 😄😃

@michaelhawkins1173 7 ай бұрын

Amazing photographs, sir, and thank you for sharing them and the means you take to get them. As a hobbiest having a go at swifts I managed ( my successful shots that is ), out of focus tails leaving the frame at best. There's not much to show the wife on my return. With my 150 mm, the bird filled about 15 to 20% of the view finder, so the birds in flight, from memory, were about 25 /30mtr away. With your F.L, I am interested in what distance you would ideally chosen to put between you and your target ? Your images were so clean, I dare say you cropped very little . I also couldn't tell if you panned or not. Nailing an 1.5" swift at 600mm with perfect focus, I wonder how many cards and batteries were needed with your Sony kit compared to your first attemps when starting out working up to the A1. I said I was a hobbiest, with limited returns to be fair but a bit better than phone. Thanks again for your beautiful images. The bird skimming and cutting the water for me is especially lovely.

@philgowerbirdphotography 7 ай бұрын

Hi Michael, thank you for watching and making a comment. I took up the hobby 10 years ago and have put in plenty of panning practice during this time. I was at this spot for around an hour with many swifts flying around so plenty of photo opportunities. The sun was low and behind me, so I was well set up. I could see the swifts coming in from some distance away, which allowed me to lock-on and pan as they shot past. Of course the Sony A1 AF helped! Keep practicing and put yourself in the best position for success would be my advice. Keep shooting and good luck!