(Eng) Balcony photography
As I’ve mentioned in my profil, I take most of my photos locally, and I derive great joy from it. I have absolutely nothing against photographic expeditions - in fact, I went on one in March this year, flying to the Varanger Peninsula in Norway (with famous Hornøya Island, of course, as the main destination). However, photographs taken close to home often bring me even greater satisfaction. Especially if they do well in competitions - as was the case with several insect shots I captured literally 500m from my home - but competition success is not necessary for me to feel great satisfaction.
I don't know if you feel the same way, or if it's just me who's obsessed with nature photography, but wherever I am, I'm constantly looking around and thinking about what - or who -could be photographed in a given place.
In the spring of this year, I’ve moved to Warsaw's Tarchomin district, into an apartment on the 7th floor. At the new place, my attention was instantly drawn to the swallows and swifts flying outside the windows. I grabbed my camera thinking "Let's give it a try, maybe something interesting will come out of it".
At first, I thought that I would quickly run out of subjects and ideas. I mean, how many times and in how many ways can you photograph swifts or martins from a balcony? Let's have some dignity ;) However time has shown me how wrong I was.
While sitting on the balcony, I managed to photograph the wonderful flight of a starling family - you could clearly see how the adult pair is guiding their five young.
ISO 1000 ; 400 mm ; f/5.6 ; 1/3200s
Another day, I heard a distinctive flapping of wings (although it was more of a majestic wave-like motion) – a group of eight swans flew by, their silhouettes beautiful against the evening clouds.
ISO 800 ; 500 mm ; f/4 ; 1/3200s
One evening, a crow was having a fierce argument on the roof top, making repeated flights and slight hovering in the air (as much as a crow can hover, after all, it is not a hummingbird or a hawk moth). This gave me an interesting opportunity to have some fun with slower shutter shots.
Lately, a kestrel has been flying by in in the evenings. Once, I’ve observed it unceremoniously flying up to the house martins’ nest and taking one of it’s chicks “ for dinner”.I know… brutal, yet kestrel has to eat too, and that’s how nature works. Unfortunately, my eye was faster than my camera at that time, so (with absolutely no ill will towards the house martins) maybe next time I’ll get the shot
When it comes to photography techniques, my first thought was of course high key,:overexposing everything except the main subject (or exposing everything to the right, since not everyone overexposes their photos using this technique). The result is highly aesthetic, even painterly and graphic, as you can create the impression that the main subject is set against a clean, white canvas. We get plenty of cloudy days in Poland, and those conditions are ideal for this technique. If you want to freeze a bird in flight, you often have to combine a very short shutter speed with a fairly high ISO. Alternatively, you can wait for days when the clouds are not too thick and let through a strong sunlight - those dazzling days when the clouds are so bright they make you squint.
On days with heavy cloud cover, I recommend playing with longer shutter speeds. Sure, you can take classic photos with blue skies and sun, but personally, a bird against blue background is a hard no for me... The exception is the attached magpie photo, that works for me as it includes highlights from a multiple exposure.
ISO 800 ; 500 mm ; f/7.1 ; 1/8000s
Just to be clear, I am not laying down any kind of commandment for a nature photography., I”m the last person who would impose any rules about how photos “should” be taken. It’s all matter of taste and individual preferences.
Over the last few months, the scenes outside my window haven't let me rest – the breathtaking sunset skies, the darts of swifts in formation, or an almost full moon - all of this has “forced” me to pick up my camera again and again.
The constantly changing weather and wildlife activity have even inspired photos that so far exist only in my head. I am hunting for a shot of a swift flying against a rainbow. I dream of capturing images with a storm and lightning in the background. The moon theme still has potential to grow.
Speaking of the moon theme, moon shots are incredibly demanding for both the equipment and the photographer. To capture photo of a swallow in a flight, you need a fairly short exposure time, so it may be tempting to leave your aperture as wide open as possible, however if you do this the moon on your phot will look like some white blob. Therefore, I recommend you close the aperture, ideally to F11 or F13, and then we greet ISO 12800 or even higher ;) Fortunately, there are days when the moon rises, while it is still relatively bright outside, yet it can't be too bright, and ideally a full moon... lots of variables and a lots of planning, but I believe that one day it’ll all line up for a perfect shot.
And just like that, spontaneously and somewhat unintentionally my "balcony photography" project was born, and it keeps growing week by week.
Each observation arouses my curiosity, and I can't wait to see what happens next in the bird world over the course of the whole year, and what I will be able to capture in my photographs. And all of this happening right under/in front of/above my own balcony, literally right under my nose. I don't even have to leave the house :D
I have included EXIF data under all photos, so if you have any questions about a specific shot, what equipment was used to take it, etc., feel free to ask. I shoot with Canon gear– currently R5mkII. Regarding the lenses, I mainly used EF500mm IS USM II and RF100-400MM, I’ve used the latter even more - it’s a very nice and compact lens. I will definitely write a review of it one day, because I have had it for a few years now and it never ceases to amaze me.
