Osprey - Tales of the Wild

[@martinsarre]

Great story telling, glad you saw an osprey. Nice to see the other birds too.

[@RussandLoz]

@@martinsarre Thanks Martin, I need to get closer! But still made a good story

[@Kinedamusic]

Brought a tear to my eye when all your patience paid off and the big bird appeared. All credit to you for showing all that naked emotion and making us all feel better about our own missed shots - showing that even the top photographers (you) beat themselves up! I would have been made up to get even half of what you did

[@RussandLoz]

Thanks so much, yeah I guess a lot of youtube wildlife people don't show the misses, but its a big part of it really. In a way, i prefer the experience is better than the result, what do I do with the photos!

[@WIDGI]

What a great way to spend a few hours. Good job 👍

[@RussandLoz]

3 days in the hide! But sure is, in way the experience is better than the photos

[@BernardFreeman-r4w]

Beautiful work. I had an Osprey pair trying to nest in a soccer field. Got some photos before the maintenance department knocked the nest down.

[@RussandLoz]

@@BernardFreeman-r4w That wouldn’t have been a good place but good opportunity, thanks

[@Ryanswildlifephotography]

Oh wow great video mate and some fantastic footage, really enjoyed watching this !!!

[@RussandLoz]

@@Ryanswildlifephotography Thanks, especially from a fellow vlogger 😊

[@steveboys5369]

Another good effort Russ, you mightn't have got the "golden shot", but there's some pretty respectable images there to be fair. It also proves ( if ever it were needed ) that there's an element of luck capturing the best images even if you have some cracking gear ... but to be fair the more you stick at it, the luckier you get ;-)

[@RussandLoz]

Yes I agree. capturing something new is always great. Then I try to get better versions of that so maybe next year with the Osprey. Shame I didn’t get better water breaking shots in focus more. Thanks

[@ianslingsby3415]

Really enjoyed this vlog it's a great advert for patience and perseverance.

[@RussandLoz]

@@ianslingsby3415 Thanks, it is and a good way to escape for a while 😊

[@_benjimouse_]

This is a fairly accurate portrayal of an average day for me. I'd be happy if I got that kingfisher hovering footage thou.

[@RussandLoz]

@@_benjimouse_ Yeah there was plenty of times I lost it. Though if I was taking photos instead of footage, I would have got it flying my direction. Choices hey

[@bobmorse5896]

Super! I'm accustomed to seeing osprey on Martha's Vineyard, off the south coast of Massachusetts, USA. Your images of the kingfisher were wonderful! Did you identify the large flocks of birds toward the end of your video? You are a patient man.

[@RussandLoz]

Starling murmuration at the end, but yeah it's a nice experience to be there and chatting to other photographers so i'd gladly do it every day if i could!

[@Mr1Spring]

It is refreshing to see that you also struggle as I am (sometimes). Other YT channels never show these struggles - they only say its hard. Duhh.

[@RussandLoz]

@@Mr1Spring They often only show the winning shots, but how do they get there is interesting to me. Even editing such difficult photos is tricky. But all fun and hence I like to document the journey 😊

[@ianwilson784]

Nice video, there's a harsh lesson in not chasing your subject, let it come to you. There's a setting on the z8 which will show the focus point on the screen on playback, doesn't help with missed focusing but it will give an idea of where it has focused. Can recommend Horn Mill Trout Farm near Rutland Water if you're serious about photographing Ospreys, great low level hide, well worth the expense. Keep up the good work with the videos, great to see some local content

[@RussandLoz]

@@ianwilson784 Thanks, yeah it was also as I wanted a walk after being there for so long lol. I’ll look into that 😊

[@racy1977]

If I shoot birds towards the sky I always go fully manual to avoid the metering issues. Just set shutter speed to 1/2000 or shorter and dial in iso so that nothing is overexposed. Unless the conditions change significantly I never have to touch it and everything is consistent in the view finder as well, no sudden changes in brightness. If the sun suddenly comes out or something like that I just change the iso a little.

[@RussandLoz]

@@racy1977 The conditions were changing too much, disappointed that the camera didn’t deal with it. I think I was 2+ on the sky then -2 near the water.

[@mstorey83]

Really enjoy your videos and I too have a lot of fun shooting bird photos here in NE Texas. I am sure it takes a lot of effort to put together a video like this but I certainly appreciate your effort to show your success and those less than stellar shots and moments because we all have them. Cheers my friend

[@RussandLoz]

@@mstorey83 Thanks, yeah I think it’s important to show the misses and hits as that’s part of the journey. 3 days in the hide and 3 days sorting the photos and editing the video. All good fun and it’s the fruit of working event photography

[@Mr1Spring]

A few tips: In order of importance: Use a higher shutterspeed when photographing flying birds, shoot fully wide open, frame the subject to be large in the frame and do not restrict iso to a low value. A bit of elaboration. You get blurry shots if you shoot below 1/4000s. If that happens you will toss the image anyway. So really use a fast shutterspeed. Everything else is secondary. Fully open: Autofocus works the best and you get all the light on the sensor. Toss the 2x TC. It is really that bad using the older F-lenses. And you will lose a lot of light. Get closer - and if you cannot bad luck (happens to all of us more than you think). About this iso, well if you manage to get the subject large in the frame, you can get away with (for me with a Z8) iso upto 4000. If the bird is as large as small stamp, use the overall surrounding to show the area the bird is in - forget portraits. Have a great weekend!

[@RussandLoz]

@@Mr1Spring Shutter speed is an interesting one, Steve Perry has sometimes suggested lower speed and if any you get one, it’ll be a good one. One of my examples was it 640th. But sure, 3000th is a safe bet. All the issues was due to being too far away, maybe next time it’ll drop closer. Thanks 😊

[@300ShadesofGreen]

@@RussandLozSteve recommends a slower shutter speed for birds in flight, or do you mean perched? Or is he working off the theory that at 20fps one of them will be sharp? Remember, Steve is excellent at tracking, despite being a bit shakier….. that comes to us all over 50. :-)

[@C0ZNyZmxp5]

Agreed but don't toss the 2x TC yet. I've had some decent shots using it on a Z8 with an AF-S Nikkor 600mm 1:4 D II (that's at least 20 years old and too heavy to hand hold). As you suggested, use a very fast shutter speed. I'd attach the image but I'm clueless in that regard.

[@RussandLoz]

@ Yeah the tc has never had issues before. I should have tried dx mode more but it’s hard to find the subject in the frame then

[@RussandLoz]

@ Yeah for birds in flight at fast fps there is a good chance one will be in focus and better quality in poor light conditions. Which mostly seems to be the case here

[@marcomillo49]

With Z 8 or Z 6III 😮

[@marcomillo49]

Beautiful work 👌

[@RussandLoz]

@@marcomillo49 thanks, z8 does the wildlife work, my ZF does the blogging