This was CRAZY - Sharing Camera Settings to photograph Birds in Flight - Nikon Z9

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Do you use VR when shooting at a high shutter speed (ex. 1/2500)? Join me on a Landscape and/or Wildlife Photography Workshops: www.mattshannon.ca/workshops.html

[@MattShannonPhoto]

I mentioned I keep VR on Sport or at least on during my shoot. Two reason....first I would forget that I turned it off when I need it later on in the shoot. Second, I want the viewfinder to be stable during my shoot. BUT does it soften my images leaving it on? Steve Perry does a great job at explaining this and something I am going to think about in the future. When it doubt, I think it is best to turn it off after 1/500th of a shutter. Here is Steve Perry's youtube video regarding this: (start around min 3) kzbin.info/www/bejne/h529e6uij894qrM

[@frankhaugwitz8178]

I always use VR but hardly ever SPT, even when on a small boat. I can‘t tell whether I noticed a difference btw these two modes or is a mental game?

[@hotchord]

If you are stopping all motion at 1/2500, why would you even need VR on?

[@MattShannonPhoto]

@@frankhaugwitz8178 I can’t tell the difference either. Looks good for marketing, gotta love options 😄

[@MattShannonPhoto]

@@hotchord VR stabilizes the viewfinder which is helpful when I’m trying to spot the action and isolate my compositions. Especially during this shoot shown in the video. I also forget that I’ve turned VR off when I later need it during a slower shutter speed, so I often just leave it on. This is not the best practice if in fact the VR causes your fast shutter speed images to go a little soft.

[@keithmacdonald4805]

Outstanding video Matt, a trip that I plan on making next year. The images and video footage is second to none!! Thanks for sharing.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

You won't regret going to see this! Thank you Keith for watching and sharing your positive vibes, cheers!

[@undeaddave]

Outstanding photography Matt. I'm just blown away with the quality of the images you take with your Z9. 👍👍

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you very much! The action was on another level out there. I was very thankful to get as many shots as I did. Thanks for watching, always a pleasure! Cheers

[@Trish12303]

Oh my gosh Matt, what an amazing experience to be able to witness all of those eagles in one place. You captured a lot of superb images! Thanks for sharing your camera settings as well. Really awesome video!

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you so much! It was an incredible experience to see all those eagles in one place. I’m glad you enjoyed the images and found the camera settings helpful. thanks for watching and being a part of the journey!

[@chipsrafferty8362]

Most videos of this nature are shot in slow motion,which is okay,so glad you showed a portion in real time to give a sense just how fast these magnificent raptors are.

[@bradbarlow8744]

I had the opportunity to experience this last week and it is mind blowing!! What a natural phenomenon that is hard to put into words!! Is exciting to see from a different perspective.

[@MattHalpain]

Thank you, for this abundance of eagle photography. Your wild life photography is superb.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you very much! You can't have too much eagle photography and video can you?....I tried testing the boundaries and so far it was an ok amount :) Thanks for watching! Cheers

[@bryanashford5118]

blown away great video top photography cant wait for more

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thanks for the feedback! It felt like this video took months so that is great to hear! Hope to see you on the next video, cheers!

[@njrmax72]

When referring to making the AF more "sticky" on the Z9/Z8 , we are setting positive "delay". More delay means stay with the subject longer before considering a switch to another subject. Less Delay means switch faster which is no good with multiple birds in the frame. That is also when you can use a button programmed as an AF "override" allowing you to hand off AF from say , Auto Area to C-Wide. Steve Perry touches in this in his Z8/Z9 camera setuo guide. Highly recommended

[@pathfindercod4638]

Stunning, thank you. My favorite bird of all time.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you! They are soo cool to watch and photograph!

[@mariannejohnson5357]

The eagles, OMG, how incredibly amazing to experience this many eagles! Not to mention photograph them!

[@MattShannonPhoto]

It blew my mind! Hence the reason why I had to put a workshop together 😄. Thanks for watching!

[@annxiety918]

I am in awe about the beauty of these photos! I just started learning photography and watching videos like this are so inspiring. I hope someday I can get to this level, because my dream is to photograph wildlife at a professional level.

[@tp7710]

Outstanding video Matt !! Great photos and videos- amazed how steady the videos look.. the boat was rocking constantly ! Great work mate ! Looking forward to see more of your photo tours!

[@benwilliams7502]

Thank you for this video Matt. It was absolutely amazing and I can't wait to attend one of your workshops.

[@TheWildlifeGallery388]

excellent as always - one of my favorite subjects to photograph

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you! I have a new appreciation for the power and size of these raptors. I can understand why they are one of your favourite subjects to photograph.

[@blamon01]

Outstanding photography and videography. I’m in awe. The detail in your photos is amazing.

[@randyschwager84]

What a fantastic experience filled with great advice! Thanks for taking me along!

[@chadkinsley542]

Amazing footage and hopefully I will one day be able to photograph at a location like this!

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you! It is worth the trip if the conditions are right. Be sure to sign up to my newsletter for dates and deals on workshops photographing at locations like this. signup.mattshannonphotography.com/newsletter

[@mikestarkwind]

Great footage and images! And we learned about fish, too... 😎

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Glad you liked it! I wanted to share some cool diagrams of the swim bladder on a fish but I didn't want to get a copy write flag on my video. Pretty neat tho. Thanks for watching!

[@siegfriedgrupp6238]

Great photos, great video, impressive shots of the sea eagle👍👍👍

[@prandg0]

Great video Matt, just like always!! Got some real portfolio shots!!

[@folkartandcamera]

Thanks for posting this well-shot video, looking forward to the next one!

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching

[@waynearchibald3920]

Oufff, amazing eagle shots Matt! And what a great spot for eagles, crazy man!

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Huge thank you! Wild eh, every time I went out to shoot it was awesome. Even when the eagles weren't flying. Thanks for watching!

[@markmay8942]

Your photography and adventures are really amazing. I live in a metropolitan area of five million people and your videos just pull at me.

[@MrTmiket0007]

Thanks so much for sharing another wonderful video like always, is so wonderful to watch your videos and adventures

[@mere_mort4l]

Great photo and cinematography and a wealth of useful information

[@qaydarali1539]

Great work Matt!! Amazing photos 👍👍👍

[@kartikeydwivedi4774]

Truly magical experience seeing this video, indeed it was just like a NAT geo video.

[@robertlawrence7958]

We don't have eagles here in Wales (maybe an occasional individual) but what we do have as a similar experience are Red Kites. There are several places where food is put out on a regular basis and this brings in many birds. In the most established place where they started feeding to assist in rescuing these magnificent birds from going extinct in Wales, there can be several hundred birds in the air at one time. Whilst many people believe this makes for easy photography the opposite is actually more accurate. It is unbelievably difficult to isolate individual birds. I have found that waiting for the main feeding frenzy to dissipate and a lot of the birds drift away gives far better opportunities to capture good images. Great video, very useful info and superb images Best wishes.

[@ambrosechiu2338]

absolutely stunning😍

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@blisteringbooks2428]

When you have a natural event, like an upwelling, or migration route you can be spoilt for choice. Wonderful images.

[@michelletoth9125]

Love hearing those Swainson's thrushes in the background audio. Hello from the Bulkley Valley!

[@starrbaby66]

Such an Awesome video. Thanks for sharing ❤🦅

[@MattShannonPhoto]

My pleasure! 😊. Thanks for watching

[@juanitakelly3082]

Amazing stills and video and excellent lesson!

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you, and thanks for watching! Happy to hear about the lesson being helpful too :)

[@guymatson7731]

Amazing video Matt

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you and thanks for watching! I appreciate the compliment, cheers!

[@frankhaugwitz8178]

Great footage and explanation ! Thx !

[@MattShannonPhoto]

You are most welcome, thank is for watching! Cheers

[@AlexMcDougallPhotography]

After 2 weeks in canada and 4 days in Alaska finally got to see some eagles at ketchichan and icy strait. Really struggled to see any smaller birds theoughout the trip. Thanks for your awesome video.

[@Joya5545]

Great shots Matt. I've done this several times and it's always a thrill. If you had to choose only one (money being the limiter) Would you go Zodiac or Cabin Cruiser?

[@capturingnaturewithsandip]

Amazing & so lovely film.

[@Schoolofrockfan172]

awesome!!!

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Love the response to this!! Huge thank you.

[@the_creative_frontier]

This was an awesome set of tips Matt, was wondering with the latest firmware update on Z9, how about choosing Pre-release burst and setting the amount of time you want to record images before pressing the shutter. This will get you some moments to capture which you would have probably missed out

[@Rockyframes]

OMG, that’s the wildlife photography paradise! Where is this place?

[@matusmisik_photography]

Well done

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you, and thanks for watching! Cheers

[@SteveAshPhotos]

Very nice work. As a nature photographer, I am particularly interested in using my Z9 for video - which is new to me. I would love to see you put together a few videos about how to use the Z9 top capture wildlife video.

[@PhotographybyTimWMoore]

It rains on the BC coast??? Amazing! Beautiful photography Matt!

[@MattShannonPhoto]

haha yes, it rains a lot 😄. I'm picking up a bit of sarcasm 😆. I'm not sure why I state the obvious. Perhaps it's because visitors come here expecting beautiful conditions and wildlife at everyone turn of the lens. The summers can be really dry and sunny, but that isn't always a good thing for wildlife photography. Thanks for watching and the kind compliments to my photography! Cheers.

[@PhotographybyTimWMoore]

@@MattShannonPhoto keep up with the great videos Matt. I love photographing wildlife, and you help to provide inspiration for me to take my 74 year old body out on hikes here in NW Oregon.

[@aaronm5149]

This looks like it was quite an experience.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

It was epic! Thanks for watching

[@markshen3280]

The Bald Eagles 🦅 grab the fish with such precision, like any other birds of prey 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@arjitagarwal1964]

amazing video!! do you know exactly where in British Columbia this is? I'm not sure if I missed it in the video or not but I'd love to visit

[@ChristianPfeil-Schneider]

Matt, thank you very much for sharing so many “secrets” and tips. It’s an amazing video. Just one question that popped into my mind while watching the video, do you “take stills from video” and turn them into photos? Or do you shoot for photos only and then video only? Have fun and thank you and congratulations!!!

[@rivieramacro5240]

Beautiful images, discovered your channel and enjoying the images and the tech feedback. How do you manage smooth footage from a boat ? tripod, monopod or just handheld + slow-mo ??? Do you stabilize in post ? Cheers from France

[@anthonyhurren5613]

Hey Scott nice video 👍 how reliable was the auto focus in 4K 120p in terms of tracking in bird eye detect in this situation on a scale of 1-10 is there a few few clips spoilt by any focus pulsing etc? Kind regards Anthony

[@ramkumarpun2829]

good job sir..

[@MattShannonPhoto]

I appreciate it, thank you very much!

[@yhhh4596]

看到这么多的鹰真的很震撼，漂亮的画面。👍

[@twk0500]

that has to be the ultimate eagle experience, at least top 3 . Location ? Is it only available to reach by boat and/ or with a guide service ?

[@longingbydesign]

Absolutely amazing spot and video, great photos as well. Though some of them are horribly overly-sharpened to a degree they are almost unusable.

[@Andy_Thomas]

I was there earlier this year. Apparently at this spot the sea bed rises steeply. The hake are several hundred feet deep, but the rushing tide forces them up to near the surface. It is the sudden change in depth (and hence pressure) that causes their air bladders to expand fatally. Unfortunately, when I was there, there were no hake - just several dozen bored-looking eagles.

[@nubin.stanley]

Where is this ? And which month of the year is best for eagle sightings ? :)

[@jvicks22]

Curious what you use to store you footage. I’m currently looking over options. Do you use a NAS?

[@robertallan21]

Wow so beautiful pictures and videos. Thank you for tips. What place is that? 🤩

[@mikelitecky1549]

Fantastic video. I’m not sure if I missed it. Are you shooting the eagle video on your Z9 and hand held or are you using your Sony? At the end when you mention you are switching between stills and video you must be using the Z9, Really enjoy your photography.

[@rmkunihiro]

Hey Matt, what month is it the best time to see these eagles at this location ? And where is this ?

[@RichardUpstanding]

I get that folks are trying to make money but there are now a number of “influencers” offering many trips to places that used to be undisturbed. Unfortunately many of them are now flooded with photographers in groups. Too many people are now being taken to these places in the name of making money, soon the wildlife won’t have and sanctuary.

[@rubenmontero4813]

I imagine that the %of BC or Alaskan wilderness visited by photographers is tiny, there are much greater threats to wildlife than photographers. In fact I think photographers have a very positive overall impact by bringing nature to those of us who can’t get there to experience the majesty of nature.

[@RichardUpstanding]

@@rubenmontero4813 I agree that photographers have a positive roll to play, and your point about BC may well be valid. However some places are being completely disturbed to the point that it’s disturbing the wildlife, changing their behaviour and negatively impacting their breeding, and these group activities are growing in number.

[@rsfox79]

Hi, it's because of photographers in general that lots of places have got recognised as potential habitat and in turn have ended getting saved or notified. If photographers won't bring remote places like these to general folks, u won't even know what place/s get logged down or worst got opened for mining or industrial development. Don't think only in terms of BC, think places in general all over the world.

[@RichardUpstanding]

@@rsfox79 make no mistake, photographers have a positive roll to play here, but as with most things balance is key. Some photo tourism is good but too much is bad.

[@StevenDavisPhoto]

Can you please tell me what area this is? I was just in Alaska, and while I got some great eagle shots on a beach, I didn't know where to shoot eagles diving on water like this.

[@nubin.stanley]

Hey, where in BC is this ? And which month of the year ? :)

[@lukeiamyourfather7736]

Natures water bomber.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

haha yes, I'm curious how much concentration it took to do that during flight.

@Matt, or anyone: how do you protect your gear from salt spray in an environment like this?

[@hopa650]

please what is the name of the place to see sea eagle 😊

[@SundayRacers]

Interesting you use VR at 1/2500. On F mount, they used to recommend turning off VR at high shutter speeds. I'm still a bit old school and tend to turn off VR anything over 1/500

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you for mentioning this because this has been a topic of discussion for some time and I use to turn mine off, but not with the Z9 and mirrorless lenses like the 400 I have in the video. Main reason why I keep it on is so that I can see what is going on through the viewfinder. It keeps things stable while shooting. I think the issue was that the VR would effect focusing and sharpness in the image. I haven't seen much evidence in this but I may be completely wrong about this. My second reason for keeping it on is that I would forget to turn it back on if it was turned off lol. Thanks again for bringing this up....I'm not questioning my decisions again :)

[@MattShannonPhoto]

I updated my pinned comment to ask others this question. Thanks for sharing your settings/thoughts!

[@SundayRacers]

@@MattShannonPhoto I shoot with a lot of the same kit you do - Z9 and 400mm f/4.5 (and 500mm f/4G) and I've recently been looking for info online about this topic. I couldn't find anything specific. At the end of the day, you'd not keep it turned on if the images weren't sharp and you know a sharp image when you see one, so guess this is a non-issue. I still prefer it off at high shutter speeds, but that's just an old habit and I guess it probably helps with battery life too

[@MattShannonPhoto]

@@SundayRacers When in doubt, best to turn it off. Hopefully others will share their thoughts and feedback on this topic. KZbinr Steve Perry talked about this in one of his videos. I will try and find it again and listen to what his thoughts were and see his test results. I'll report back if I find anything interesting.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Here is the video from Steve Perry, he does a great job explaining VR settings over 1/500th of a shutter: At minute 4 he starts talking about it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/h529e6uij894qrM

[@RG-rm9jt]

All I can hear is the theme song to America: World Police.

[@adinew8920]

Thanks....

[@michaell5038]

Can’t believe how many eagles

[@yuqin405]

Get two Z9s, 😂

[@xavierm.4658]

'MERICA

[@georgioantoine4194]

spit out the boogers😂

[@paul-webster]

Made it out with Mark Smith?! You could have used the 180-600 or the 100-400 as well.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

I did not. He was on another boat, but I would have loved to have met him. You are correct. The 100-400 would have been nice. 600mm is a lot of reach but it all depends on where the action is and if you can get to it. Thanks for watching!

[@ChristianPfeil-Schneider]

Matt, thank you very much for sharing so many “secrets” and tips. It’s an amazing video. Just one question that popped into my mind while watching the video, do you “take stills from video” and turn them into photos? Or do you shoot for photos only and then video only? Have fun and thank you and congratulations!!!

[@ChristianPfeil-Schneider]

Matt, thank you very much for sharing so many “secrets” and tips. It’s an amazing video. Just one question that popped into my mind while watching the video, do you “take stills from video” and turn them into photos? Or do you shoot for photos only and then video only? Have fun and thank you and congratulations!!!