If I Had it All to Do Again

 

I took today's images in 2009, just about this same time of year. I have been waiting for similar conditions and a similar subject ever since.  Don't get me wrong.  I love the images. But I also know there is a lot wrong with them and they could be a lot better.

I love the painterly look of the Autumn background in all the images. Not blazing Fall colors so as to distract from the Canada Geese, but enough to let you know without doubt what time of year it is.  The main thing I don't like about this image is the geese are not close enough to the camera.  On the upside, it is a nice environmental photo.

In this image, the geese are closer, but the amount of light available was not enough to freeze the movement of their wings. That is the one thing that bothers me every time I look at this image.  The shutter speed was only 1/90th second, so there was no way there wasn't going to be blur in the image.  It also means it was much darker than the morning appears in this photo.  I had done everything I could to camera settings, which tells me the only options left is to invest in a newer version of the camera (which would allow an increase in ISO) or an investment in a faster lens.  The lens I have has a maximum aperture of f/5.6.  The fastest 400 mm lens Canon makes is f/2.8, but I would have to mortgage my house to upgrade to this lens.

Here again, the main complaint is the subject isn't close enough.

The shutter speed on this image was also a slow 1/180 sec.  The reason there is less blurring in the image is because the geese were gliding in and were not moving their wings.  Again, they are too far away.

By the time I took this image, I was able to increase the shutter speed to 1/125 sec. which came closer to freezing the wing movement.  I can tell I was panning with the geese because of the blur in the grass on the left. A shutter speed of 1/350 - 1/500 would have allowed me to freeze all movement. An aperture of even f/8 would have probably rendered everything in focus.

And so, I return to the same place hoping for the same conditions and another chance to "recreate" something similar.  I can hope for more light or I can crank up the ISO - which is what I would undoubtedly do.  There might be some loss of detail, but the images would probably still be a little better.