Presenter: Simon Runting ❖ Trip Leader & Report Author: Robyn Owen
Simon presented a 2-hour workshop on bird photography at the Christchurch Botanical gardens kiosk. As I walked closer to the Kiosk before the start time, I could see Simon crouching low taking photos of back-lit Canada geese. The message was: Don’t forget what is at our back door, morning light and get low. Simon talked about how to improve bird photography as he worked through his
presentation of beautiful emotive bird images. The big messages that I got from this session follows
▪ Know your camera well, be prepared to make quick setting changes “an emergency set up”
▪ Work in Manual and adjust ISO to get preferred exposure
▪ Start with a minimum shutter speed 1/2000
▪ Number one priority the bird’s eye must be sharp
▪ Look for feather detail
▪ Treat the bird like a supermodel- show the bird’s best position and action, position yourself at the level of the bird, “lie in the mud”!!
▪ Know the bird’s behaviour and anticipate its next moves
▪ Prefocus on a determined spot
▪ Plan- know tides, wind directions, light, locations.
I’m sure that the other 28 members who attended this workshop all went away with something new to try and were very appreciative of the time Simon gave to our members.
