About This Work

‘Great Horned Owl’ by Mike Grandmaison Bents, Saskatchewan. Canada Photographing birds is very challenging. They are often distant and move quickly. They also tend to be very skittish. Generally when I spot an owl or a hawk resting on a fence post or similar perch, the chances are that it will flight away by the time I am ready to photograph it. Because I have lost so many excellent opportunities to photograph wildlife over the years, I decided to be more proactive and prepared for the situation. Below is my technique for approaching and capturing the first few photos of wildlife from my vehicle. I generally travel with a ‘wildlife camera’ ready to shoot. That means that a proper camera and telephoto lens combination is sitting besides me ready to pick up and fire whenever the opportunity presents itself. I usually mount my 300mm VR (with vibration reduction capability on), coupled with the finest 1.4 tele-converter onto a DX format camera which, in my situation, multiplies the lens in front of the camera by a factor of 1.5 times resulting in the equivalent of a 630mm lens. The camera settings are preset to a ‘wildlife setting’ which means that, on auto exposure mode, I choose an ISO of 800, the widest aperture possible (f2.8 to f5.6) and the fastest shutter speed possible for the light conditions. I also learned that a vehicle can also act as an excellent ‘bird blind’ so I can shoot from inside the vehicle. Usually, once I spot an owl or a hawk, I drive past them at least one kilometer or a half mile (birds of prey have excellent vision). Then I turn around and drive towards the bird and, lower the window down and, at the last minute, stop on the shoulder of the road and click the shutter. Often, I still will only get one exposure but sometimes the bird will stay around a little longer. I always keep an eye on traffic and I proceed only if it is safe and if there is not another vehicle around. I only do this on gravel roads where there is minimal traffic. I may have to repeat this a number of times. This is how I captured the photo of this great horned owl perched on the window ledge of an old homestead. Giclé photographic print Printed on Hahnemühle William Turner fine art archival paper Laminated Signed & numbered, limited to 100 Certificate of Authenticity included All materials are archival Prints are securely packed and rolled into a wide tube for safe shipping. They can also be shipped flat. Insured courier service is included for all patrons.