Picture Of The Week 05-28-07

American Robin
(Turdus migratorius)

American Robin's nest with the typical blue color and average four eggs.

Where: Glen Allen, VA • Shady Ridge Notes: Little brings me more joy this time of year than the opportunity to photograph nesting bird activity. Even common suburban species, such as this American Robin, can make a pleasing image as it presents food to this next generation of worm harvesters. Trying to photograph such behaviors has inspired me to develop practices that have the least disturbance possible to the subject, which in turn results in a more natural behaviors to capture. One of my favorite set-ups includes the use of a long remote control extension cable that allows me to place the camera relatively close to the nest on a tripod (ten feet or farther), while I trigger the shutter from much farther away (thirty or sixty feet). I often use a blind in unison with this technique because the sooner the birds feel relaxed, the sooner they return to feeding their chicks. However this practice can often bring in poor results because all of the camera settings (focus and ISO settings) are made at set-up and can not be adjusted remotely. So it is an all or none venture, but when everything is set right, it works well.

Equipment: Canon EOS D20 • Canon 100-400mm Zoom L Series Lens • Manfroto Tripod • 3' Shutter Release Cable and 33" Extension Cable • Vehicle use as Blind

Exposure: Shutter Speed = 1/250 second • Aperture = f 8.0 • Exposure Mode = Aperture Priority • Lens (Focal) Length = 275 mm • ISO = 400 • Aprox. Camera Distance = ~12 Feet • Date Shot: 05-17-06

©2007 Robert W. Schamerhorn. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.

To Order Prints

This photograph is available on archival premium luster photopaper. Quality prints come signed by the artist, matted (white) with backing board and clear protective polypak. Satisfaction Guaranteed or Full Refund. A portion of the proceeds goes to support avian habitat conservation efforts.

Larger sizes can be custom ordered and printed using a high resolution seven color ink process on matte finished photo stock: 12" x 18", 16" x 20", 18" x 24" and 20" x 24' See ADDITIONAL PRINT SIZES for more information.

American Robin (No. 9176) - Size: 8" x 10" • Signed Print with 11" x 14" White Matte • S&H Included
Item: AMRO(_MG_9176)8X10 . . . $39.95

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