Post Your Best Nature Shots!

[Andy Stringer]

I sure hope someone else was holding the frog while you took the shot and you weren't actually able to hold it and fire one-handed & be this steady! I can't take that steady a shot with both hands sometimes!

Denise, I was on my own so that's my left hand you see. I had a tripod on my backpack, but couldn't set it up without putting the frog down, and if I did that I would never find it again, so I had to risk it handheld.

So how did I get it so steady? It was a bright day, so I could use a fast shutter speed even at f/9. I was able to sit against a rock with one knee tucked into my chest so I could rest the lens barrel on my knee, like an improvised monopod. I used the Canon Angle Finder C to magnify the viewfinder image to get sharp focus by moving the subject (I'd just been usingthe angle finder for shots of a larger frog with the camera close to the ground). I used a 2 second delay on the shutter release to avoid vibration. Finally, the golden rule with wildlife, I took as many pictures as I could before it jumped out of my hand, to improve my chances of a sharp capture. I can confirm that I'm not a secret Canon insider testing the IS version of the 24-70mm!

By the way, the reason for the hike was to capture this shot of one of the most remote parts of Britain. It's a view of the Knoydart peninsula across Loch Nevis. The settlement on the opposite shore is accessible only by boat or a very long hike.


5D Mark II, EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM @ f/7.1, 1/500s, ISO 100, uncropped.

This one was on a tripod, which might seem unnecessary but the wind on top was so strong I could hardly stand up. I really love this lens, but it's a challenge to compose shots without including my feet!