BIRD Photography | Stunning Cedar Waxwings | a1 + 200-600

Getting eye-level with birds can be one of the more challenging aspects of bird photography. Today, I used a ladder to get higher up to photography one of the prettiest birds in North America. I used the Sony a1 and the Sony 200-600G lens in this video. Hope you enjoy, and happy birding!
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[@StefanoIaniro]

"Easier than shooting waxwings in a cherry tree" 😎

[@titosirj6262]

Do you sell your pictures? If yes, how much do you sell them?

[@muhammadmalikali1241]

Your photos are very nice and awesome. Do you have an account in iNaturalist?

[@k.pacificnw02134]

As a lifelong birder, I laughed a little too long at that joke! Also, did you start out as a birdwatcher and get into photographing them, or the other way around? That was impressive when you were identifying the birds by their calls. I can do that, too, for a lot of birds, but I'm west of the Rockies, so my birds are different. : )

[@rockfishmiller]

And happy birding to you too. I am at a loss for word to express my delight/gratitude for what you have posted here. You found the tree, you carried the ladder, your work, your commitment, payed off and i thank you.Cheers!

[@StefanoIaniro]

Thanks so much! 😀

[@gardenofpraise567]

What a happy birdsday!

[@StefanoIaniro]

😀🙂

[@chrisbgifford7387]

They look so well groomed, just for the photo shoot!

[@StefanoIaniro]

Haha, they're one of the most presentable birds!

[@amyk6403]

My favorite bird. We have a flock that visits my Mulberry tree every year.

[@fpsonsight]

I just lost my baby Wawing today :(, your video just brightened up my whole mood...You have no idea. How much this video means to me watching it thank you for sharing this. Thank you.

[@CrazyBlueMood]

There are becoming my fav birds to watch on you channel Stefano. Awesome shots.

[@CrazyBlueMood]

@Text me on Telegram👉@StefanoIaniro sorry wasn't able to find that is on telegram

[@totsie24]

I Love Cedar Waxwings...They Are Sooo Cute. Sometimes If The Weather Is Bad, They Would Stay In Our Cedar Trees In The Yard...I Tried To Put Food On The Porch For Them But They Won't Come Down And Eat. Early In The Morning, He Would Go To The Top Of The Tree To Look Around, Then Fly Around The Tree And Leave...I Took Pictures But Would Love To See Them Upclose...Your Captures Are Awesome...!!!

[@kudakwasherolandkandai9430]

Love your videos, bro. Great work, there's something just so fascinating watching someone do stuff they really love with passion. I can tell from your expressions and how much time you put in.

[@StefanoIaniro]

Thanks so much for watching! 🙂

[@adayinlife-lookprey7460]

perfect shoot your images are clear details very nice focus lens fresh green trees with red berry, naturally! 😍

[@shibashispalei5702]

wow so dreamy .

[@CamillaI]

Awesome bird great to be in there with them ! Close accessible wildlife just the way I like it ! Great video 👍😍

[@StefanoIaniro]

Thanks so much!

[@joefranklin82]

Simply beautiful

[@StefanoIaniro]

Thank you!!

[@markheatherington8367]

So glad you pointed out the strap for your camera, I was indeed worrying about it :)) Cool effort and idea to capture what I think is N. Americas prettiest bird

[@StefanoIaniro]

They're definitely up there! Hard to pass up a chance to photograph them 🙂

[@karstenschafer9312]

What a simple yet great idea - and these waxwings are incredible beautiful birds, as always great work Stefano! 😊

[@StefanoIaniro]

Thanks so much! They really are!

[@WalksOnTheWildSide]

Fantastic idea and some lovely images.

[@StefanoIaniro]

Thank you! 🙂

[@kevincarolan7146]

Fantastic video Stefano great birds.

[@bhatkarki]

Love all your videos

[@VioletGOKU]

Incredible shots and footage!

[@MikeRigney]

Great video as always! Beautiful shots

[@_Creaux]

waxwings are my ultimate favorite. thanks for the great vid again, Stefano.

[@StefanoIaniro]

Glad you enjoyed. I understand why, such beauties!

[@davidburchettephotography6513]

Beautiful birds and so much fun to watch them. I love how some will help others and show them how it’s done. Very nice 👍.

[@StefanoIaniro]

Thanks! Yes, really neat to see them work together!

[@iastorgaphotos]

I had never seen a waxwing till last year. Gorgeous shots you got there! 👍🏼✨😊

[@StefanoIaniro]

Thanks so much!

[@HabeebRWildlifePhotography]

The cherry must be very sweet. Awesome 💓

[@StefanoIaniro]

Yes, they were delicious!

[@andresbaervoets6528]

You have so good quality videos! Your so underrated

[@StefanoIaniro]

Thanks so much!

[@outdoorztime2923]

Those were awesome shots you got, Stefano. I will have to say the Cedar Waxwings are my favorite birds. Hopefully, they'll be attracted to my yard one of these days. Each year I try to add plants to the yard that will attract these beautiful birds. Just today I ordered a Gin Fizz tree from Proven Winners. I learned of this berry-producing evergreen from Garden Answer KZbin Channel. Laura had a video called "11 Berry-Filled Plants for a Beautiful Winter Landscape". I'd recommend everyone to check it out. By the looks of your video, I need to get a nice Cherry Tree as well. Take care!

[@jennelson5712]

So beautiful!

[@StefanoIaniro]

Thank you!

[@prod75]

Awesome, as always Stefano ! :-)

[@glenellynrunner]

Love your work!

[@StefanoIaniro]

Thanks so much!!

[@rango1584]

Amazing photos... Great idea to photograph up to their eye level. Cheers!!

[@StefanoIaniro]

Thank you!!

[@ungavaproductions]

Beautiful

[@Knight_Wolf69]

Love your videos buddy..

[@johnnyc613]

Good thinking! Awesome shots too 👍🏻

[@StefanoIaniro]

So glad you enjoyed, thank you!

[@paulbugnacki7107]

Great shots.

[@StefanoIaniro]

Thank you!

[@gregorytortissier5518]

Super nice video, butter smooth transition, nice music fitting perfectly with the rising sun mood and beautiful images as a result, wow that’s a good day. Cheers Stefano

[@StefanoIaniro]

So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!

[@CindyM2261]

Beautiful Stefano I love Cedar waxwings and they are right outside my second floor deck. I have a huge pine tree and they love the berries. I’m glad I don’t have to climb a ladder. Cheers

[@chantaljacques7664]

Great work Stefano! Nice to see the grosbeak and love the waxwings and chipmunk footage!

[@StefanoIaniro]

Thank you! I was kinda hoping the adult male Grosbeak would show up, but no luck!

[@peterviragphoto]

That is extreme bird photography for sure! Body control level 100😀. Nice shots, love the look of that species, I had never seen it before! Cheers

[@StefanoIaniro]

Haha thank you! This wasn't too bad, especially with how stable these ladders are. Glad you enjoyed the photos!

[@peterviragphoto]

@@StefanoIaniro still, a valiant effort haha! Great stuff😉👍

[@StefanoIaniro]

@@peterviragphoto Thanks!!

[@cobythebirdnerd3790]

Another amazing video Stefano! I saw a few juvenile Cedar Waxwings the other day

[@StefanoIaniro]

Thanks for watching!!

[@abelfernandez5648]

Buen vídeo y buena técnica para estar a la altura de las circunstancias. Cuidado con las alturas y espero que la ola de calor y los incendios que tenéis en el país no te afecten mucho. Saludos

[@StefanoIaniro]

Thanks so much! No, luckily none in the area. I believe the majority of those fires are across the country in B.C!

[@JeffWeymier]

Great content. I envy your location.

[@pranithemanth]

Great video!!!

[@StefanoIaniro]

Thank you!

[@justingates1122]

Awesome job bud

[@StefanoIaniro]

Thank you!

[@jostincruz2829]

Buen video. Espero ver algún día esa especie. El año pasado estuvo por acá durante la migración 🇵🇦. Algunos le tomaron fotos.

[@StefanoIaniro]

Hope you get to see one too! Such awesome birds 🙂

[@jostincruz2829]

@@StefanoIaniro 🙌🏻🐦

[@BenjiSun]

love seeing how their heads twist to tear the flesh off the cherries.

[@StefanoIaniro]

Same! They really put some effort into it haha

[@keshav4778]

Nice one bro i am always waiting for your videos everyday 😄😄

[@StefanoIaniro]

So glad you enjoyed! Thanks for watching!

[@gojoe36]

Great video, beautiful shots. I have done the same thing with harsh light and it creates some of the most stunning shots you will ever see. I did mine with Raptors in the woods where it was dark in the AM and some sun would poke through and hit their face and it was some of my best photos doing that.

[@StefanoIaniro]

That sounds incredible, and definitely a good location to use that technique. It's not always intuitive but I'm going to try forcing myself to use it more!

[@wildlifevolendamparaguay9567]

Nice!!👍 Greetings from Paraguay!

[@StefanoIaniro]

Thanks so much!

[@muhammadmalikali1241]

Very good and educational video, I learned a lot from here. It's just that I use a smartphone as a mainstay tool 😂

[@e-mar3]

Now I gotta find a bag big enough for my ladder! Lol

[@StefanoIaniro]

Hahah, the worse case scenario is duct taping it to your bag 😅

[@ppoletto]

great video and great photos. one simple question: how did you manage to get such stable films being handheld? Any tips? greetings from Brazil

[@ArnoldBerger49]

Great video!! Now you will need to figure how to pack the ladder.

[@StefanoIaniro]

Thanks! I might need a new camera bag to fit it 😂

[@grega9220]

I see you just moved to a1 from a7riv. I love my a7riv but... you finding the a1 so much better for your style of photog? Seems the a7riv is/was great. Are you finding the low light (iso) much better?

[@tobiasyoder]

oh fun, I have always thought of using ladders for bird photography and finally bit the bullet to buy a telescoping extension ladder I can keep in my car. Hopefully it's not too sketchy... . Enjoyed the vid :)

[@StefanoIaniro]

They'll work, but definitely be careful! Especially with wind and always be cautious with what you're leaning it against/what you're resting the legs on. I used a ladder like that quite a bit this spring to set up high nest boxes. I'd suggest having some type of ratchet or strap system to secure the ladder, just to be safe!

[@mlevesque33]

Salut. C'est cool d'enfin pouvoir voir des vidéos d'un photographe animalier du Québec. Quel sorte de cerisier est-ce? Parce que je savais pas qu'on pouvais en avoir de cette grosseur. J'ai planter 5 cerisiers de virginie sur mon terrain pour les oiseaux (je sais pas quelle sera la grosseur des fruits).

[@bc9am]

I notice you use the ROLANPRO lens sleeve for your 200-600. Do you have any thoughts on it vs the LensCoat one that seems popular with others?

[@joepiekl]

Another great video. Stefano, do you use any particular software to reduce noise in your shots? Or is it just good technique? I'm a beginner and I'm still struggling with noisy shots.

[@StefanoIaniro]

Thanks! A bit of both. In terms of software, I use Topaz Denoise, there's a few other softwares that do the same thing. If I use it in my photos, you'll see it in the metadata of the photos in my video. In terms of technique, when I'm pushing higher ISO's, I'll try to find the brightest background possible. For example, the second photo I showed in this video was ISO 4000, but the background was getting hit with light which made it bright enough that the noise wasn't as apparent. If I took the same shot against a dark background, I would have likely needed to do some type of noise reduction in post. Also, lowering my shutter speed as much as possible helps keep my ISO at manageable levels.

[@razainthenature]

Good

[@StefanoIaniro]

Thanks!

[@KevinNordstrom]

Hey man quick question do you use a 1.4x ? I understand the 1 stop of light but are they worth it

[@TimSiggs]

Hey Stefano, I'm LOVING your channel. I've been using Video for Birds in Australia for 20 years and am thinking of the switch to Sony. I was thinking the A7iii but would like to know your thoughts on which one to go for in the range for Video. Focus seems to be the issue with Video but I'd appreciate your thoughts. Greetings from Australia.

[@StefanoIaniro]

Happy to hear you’re enjoying it! If you’re looking at video specifically, in terms of AF, no body I’ve used has been 100% reliable in terms of video AF. Whether I’m using the a7iii or the a1, it’s still way safer to be using manual focus. I’m sure eventually they’ll implement some type of bird eye AF in video mode, but at the moment, most of their cameras are on a level playing field in that regard. The biggest difference is in the quality and video specs. Having 4K 120fps is my favourite feature in the newer cameras. Such good quality footage. But if you’re doing a lot of video in real-time, like 24/25/30 FPS, the a7iii will be just fine. I’d suggest renting one to see if it meets your needs 🙂

[@TimSiggs]

@@StefanoIaniro Thanks so much for your reply Stefano. There is a big price difference between the bodies and I'm not ready to shell out for the A1 or even the 9. If there is not much difference on the focus side of things, I think the 7III will be fine. I do love your slow mo footage though and also have noted your advice about the clear image zoom which seems awesome. I imagine the 7iii is not that great for still photography but I shoot 99% Video.

[@KurtisPape]

Hey, I love how you get great shots at low shutter speeds hand held! What would be your hit rate for still birds at 1/250sec, is every shot sharp? (not including bird movement blur) ive been trying 1/250sec and with my A7R IV get maybe 1 in 5 sharp shots, sometimes no even.

[@StefanoIaniro]

It really varies depending on what I'm shooting. If a bird is perched and there's not much movement, I'm probably hitting closer to the 80-90% mark. If it's like in this video where there's a decent amount of wind and the branch is swaying, I was more around 1/3 - 1/2

[@KurtisPape]

@@StefanoIaniro cheers! Yes this explains my problem, just because the bird is still, doesn't mean the perch isn't moving!...

[@levibraun4799]

Hi Stefano, beautiful videos. You mentioned Belize! Be sure to come back and get those shots! If you're interested we could do some bird photography together.

[@MSD_Explorar]

Hi Stefano... Hope you are doing great.. Can you suggest any software to repair memory card.. My SDHC memory card is not working in DSLR but working on windows laptop.... DSLR can not read or format the card.. Thanks in advance...

[@filipposg]

But how did you manage such steady videos handheld??

[@StefanoIaniro]

A few ways! The lens/camera stabilization, in addition to the 120fps I'm shooting at (slowing it down makes shake/movement less apparent), and sometimes I'd brace my elbows against my leg or the top rung of the ladder to add some stability.

[@Old_Smuggler]

Awesome, whatever works 😄👍🏼 Not sure why you got so excited for the catbird though. Once they arrive, the rest of the birds are doomed 😬

[@StefanoIaniro]

I love catbirds, beautiful mimicry in their songs. Why are birds doomed with Catbirds?

[@Old_Smuggler]

@@StefanoIaniro oh I have observed that other birds (same size or smaller) mostly fly off when there are a bunch of catbirds feeding on the same stuff, be it a bird feeder or fruit trees. And they are difficult to get rid off too.

[@StudioLD]

birb

[@bretagnefrancoise]

bonjour stefano très joli les jaseurs dommage qu'ils ne soit pas dans ma région merci pou ce beau partage , je me suis abonnée bienvenue sur ma chaine nature de France amicalement à bientôt françoise

[@saeedhossain7899]

Which binocular you used? 0:06

[@StefanoIaniro]

Those are the Nikon Monarch 5's. Not my favorite binnies.

[@saeedhossain7899]

Oh, so which is your fav one?

[@StefanoIaniro]

My favorite one i've used recently is the Zeiss Terra ED (8x42). Super clear and can hold up to the elements better than the Monarch 5's, IMO.

[@seidmadur]

Hi Stefano, how do you like your A1? Do you feel eye autofocus makes it too easy? 😜

[@StefanoIaniro]

Haha loving it so far, especially for video. The eye AF is certainly a nice little feature to have

[@racbaard]

wow! great video! please check your mail Stefano.

[@n-rajesh]

The amount of detail visible in the feathers when you shared the underexposed image was brilliant 🪶 I am not into bird photography (yet), but shots like those make it look like such a love affair for you! Simple trick with the ladder but very effective indeed 👊🏽

[@StefanoIaniro]

Really glad you enjoyed those! Thanks so much for watching 🙂

[@WaynesAdventure]

Beautiful

[@StefanoIaniro]

Thank you!