26 Jul
2011

Posted in: Chesapeake Bay
By Ian Plant    3 Comments

Royal Terns, Smith Island, Chesapeake Bay

I just got back from leading my annual Smith Island Chesapeake Bay photo workshop. Despite the sweltering 100°F heat, we had a great time photographing birds, old boats and crab shacks, and the classic low country landscapes of Smith Island. Here’s one photo I took from the weekend, a picture of a pair of royal terns atop the remnants of an old dock. I think they had their beaks parted in an effort to cool down, which seems a bit more elegant than sweating profusely, which is what I was doing! In order to ensure that both birds were in focus, I stopped down to f/11 for extra depth-of-field. Since we were on a boat, I had to hand hold my camera and lens. I made sure to turn on my lens’ image stabilization and use a fast shutter speed in order to render the terns sharp.

Royal Terns - Smith Island, Chesapeake Bay, Maryland

Technical details: Canon 1D Mark III camera, 100-400mm lens (@400mm), aperture priority mode, ISO 400, f/11, 1/640 second.

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About Ian Plant  (275 Posts)

Ian Plant's photographs and instructional articles have appeared in a number of books, calendars, and magazines, including Outdoor Photographer and Popular Photography. Ian writes a regular blog column for Outdoor Photographer online, and he is the author of numerous instructional eBooks and digital processing tutorials. Ian leads several photo tours each year.