March 2023 Viewfinder
The mirrorless camera makes an impression in this month’s Opposite View Wildlife Photography newsletter.
Mirror, mirror in the camera - hang on, what mirror?
As I mentioned in last month’s newsletter, after a lot of time spent saving up and researching my options, I have taken the plunge and moved to a mirrorless system. After 12 years of photographing wildlife using Nikon DSLRs, I held my new OM-1 in my sweaty palms to capture my first mirrorless images earlier this month. I’m not going to lie; looking through an electronic viewfinder and pressing the shutter button without hearing the reassuring clunk of the mirror moving takes some getting used to. I have a lot to learn before I can use this amazing bit of kit to its full potential but I’m already loving it. And, as predicted, carrying around a considerably lighter setup without compromising on the reach of the lens is a joy.
Over the coming months, I’ll share my tips as I learn how to get the best from the OM-1. I guess this is the point where I tell you to watch this space (and hope you don’t unsubscribe).
The new camera also went on its first jaunt to the Lake District earlier this month. Handily, the place where we stayed had a bird feeder, which allowed me to sit and photograph the local birdlife. Or, more accurately, it allowed me to perch uncomfortably on the window sill while the birds were treated to a variety of swear words that emanated from the open window as I grappled with my camera settings. After some persistence and much more cursing under my breath, I got the hang of capturing the long-tailed tits, blue tits and blackbirds that frequented the garden. Just as I was getting my photography groove on, a hush fell over the hills, the sky darkened and huge snowflakes drifted down. This provided ideal conditions for a trip to the standing stones at Castlerigg the following day, where an obliging carrion crow enabled me to capture my first decent images with the OM-1 (which you can see in this month’s Species Spotlight blog).
Apart from the crows and the garden birdlife, wildlife opportunities were scarce in the Lakes. There was a brief sighting of a weasel/stoat in the garden, but I missed it. Like the Murphys, I wasn’t bitter, just grateful for some quality time away with my family and the opportunity to read my book.
Once I got back on my home turf, I was keen to get up to speed with the camera. My partner helpfully suggested visiting one place guaranteed to provide opportunities for photographing birds in flight. Largs is a seaside town with more than its fair share of stunning herring gulls patrolling the promenade. However, when looking for a bird flying past to point my lens at, I didn’t expect my partner (yes, he takes full credit for the success of this trip) to excitedly point out a lone gannet cruising ridiculously close to the shore. While it hunted, I fired off plenty of shots and was delighted to discover that most were in focus. Just as I got the hang of it, the gannet vanished back up the Firth of Clyde towards the open sea. As it glided past for the final time, I like to think that through its steely gaze it was trying to tell me: “you’ve got this whole mirrorless thing sorted, so I’ll be heading off now”. And because this is my newsletter and I have the artistic license, you can’t, dear reader, tell me it didn’t happen like that!
And as if the gannet encounter wasn’t enough, I also got to spend some time with a male common eider duck who I was able to photograph from the beach. Although I’ve written a highly complimentary blog post about them, I haven’t had the best luck photographing eiders as they’ve often been distant dots. I’ll leave you with an image of the male that broke this particular duck. I captured this shot as he powered away from the ferry that had begun its journey to Millport. While the boat churned up the water, this duck created a little bow wave of his own.
Best wishes,
Rhiannon
Opposite View Wildlife Photography
Through my lens
Putting the seal on a future in the wild
The air was completely still at Portencross harbour. It was as though the Firth of Clyde was holding its breath in anticipation, reflecting my excitement. The water was perfectly still. A millpond. The glassy surface a wide window into the underwater world below. I stood on the harbour wall, peered down and resisted the urge to lean forward to get a better view. I was impatient and strangely nervous. As usual, when I head to a location to photograph something specific, I put pressure on myself in advance to capture decent images. I felt it necessary to remind myself there was something more important at stake.
In this blog, I share images from this recent encounter with a pair of rescued grey seals as they swam to freedom.
Species Spotlight
Carrion crow - the controversial corvid that refuses to conform
Ravens are the largest corvids and tend to live in inhospitable places. Red-billed choughs are found on cliffs. Jays are the colourful nut cachers. Rooks are found rooting around in fields with their distinctive beaks and roost in huge numbers with the cocky silver-headed jackdaws. Carrion crows are the ones that you will spot in the city … but also in the countryside ... and only hang out in pairs … except when they are in large groups … and, as their name suggests, they eat carrion … and pretty much anything else besides. Ok, carrion crows are all black … well, sort of.
In this blog, I explain why the abundant carrion crow never fails to surprise - making it the perfect subject for wildlife photography.
And finally…
If you love photographing deer - or just seeing photos of them - as much as I do, you should follow Mark Nicolaides’ new Facebook page. Not only does he share his top tips for deer photography and post his stunning images, but his page is also the first place to hear the latest news about the inaugural Deer Photographer of the Year Awards, which Mark has set up. I’m looking forward to the challenge of capturing some images worthy of this competition.
Also, while you’re looking at Mark’s content, I highly recommend his book A Year in the Life of a Roe Deer, which has become a constant source of reference for my deer photography (as has his informative website).
Oh, and I couldn’t sign off without a shameless plug for my own website, where you can find some of my roe deer fieldcraft tips and my latest deer images.
Keep in touch
Thanks for reading this! If you have any comments or questions, opportunities for photography or if you would like to use any of my images, please leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you.
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Great newsletter Rhiannon, people I know are saying you should write a book, now there’s a challenge!