But both my cycling and bird photography have been limited by the remoteness of the cabin and the incredibly steep mountain trails. It’s hard to lug camera gear while trying to push your way up a hill on a heavy bike.

I’ve worked with the bike company Tern for a long time. They’ve sponsored bike events I’ve run, and I’ve reviewed the Tern Orox e-bike for my bike lifestyle site, bikehugger.com.

At some point, I realized I could combine the motor power of an e-bike to get me and my camera gear deeper into the woods without spooking the wildlife too much.

When it comes to photographing birds and other wildlife, there’s no such thing as being too quiet.

Normally, if I go birding while hiking, I bring my Sony a7R V and the Sony 400-800 f/6.3-f/8 G OSS lens, and also a large water bottle, binoculars, and a backpack with things like a first aid kit and a guidebook to birds.

LensRentals was nice enough to supply the gear for this article. 

Read our Review of the Sony a7R V

Nestled in the eastern foothills of the North Cascades, the Methow Valley shows in the foreground stretches from Mazama through Twisp, Winthrop, and onward to Pateros, Washington.

Even though I try to pack light, it’s still heavy enough gear for a day’s hike in the woods, so I often drive to a spot and hike in as far as I can without getting exhausted.

But with an ebike, I can get deep into the same woods, without damaging the trails and without breaking my back carrying a camera, gear, and a relatively long lens. I can even bring a folding chair if I want, so I can sit all day while I wait for the perfect shot.

Quiet Access to Habitat

The Tern Orox e-bike’s electric assist let me  move quietly along trails, backroads, and nature preserves without the noise of a car. This helps avoid startling birds before you see them.

When you’re on a bike, I feel like part of the woods. I hear the sounds of the forest, notice the breeze, and can stop quickly if I see something I want to photograph. I’m not just searching for birds, I’m getting exercise while I enjoy the sounds and sights of the woods. Even if I don’t see birds or animals, it’s a lot more fun to explore by bike then to see the same stretch of trail over and over.

The bike isn’t perfectly silent, though; there’s still a slight whine of the electric motor and crunching on the trails. It’s a bit more noise than I’d make hiking to a spot, so when I get where I want to shoot, I’ll often get off the bike a good distance away from where I’m headed and walk the last little bit.

Eco-Friendly

Being a birder goes hand-in-hand with conservation. Riding an ebike doesn’t damage trails the way that a four-wheeler would, or even a horse would.

There are no emissions when riding the Orox or any other ebike, and the carbon cost of using electricity is way lower than using a gas-powered vehicle of any kind. It helps lower your carbon footprint, especially if you often visit remote spots that would normally require driving.

Go Further, Explore More

Most ebikes you see on the streets aren’t meant to be ridden off-road. At most, they’re designed to handle packed gravel trails, and they struggle on dirt and when riding over roots. Bikes like the Orox are intended to be used off-road and off-trail.

For birding, you want a bike with a battery with a great range (because nothing’s worse than pushing an e-bike for miles). They need wide tires and a good cargo setup that can hold your gear. You’ll want some bungee cords, too, to help keep things secure when riding over the bumps.

I went birding by bike in the Methow Valley, exploring the Big Buck Recreation area. Big Buck is a nature reserve, and I had the place to myself because I rode in on the bike.

It felt great to get the shot and then ride home after a day of solitude in the woods, and some lunch by a stream.

Hauling Your Gear the ebike way

Tern set out to build the Orox as an electric cargo bike that works just as well on mountain trails and sandy paths as it does for daily errands. They succeeded, creating a bike that feels like a new standard for multi-terrain riding. See our section on buying bikes below for tips for ebike shopping.

See our Gear List below for the camera and lens I used. 

I brought my usual Sony kit, keeping the Sony a7R IV and 400–800mm lens in a Pelican case that fit perfectly in the panniers. The rear frame gave me a solid spot to organize gear or get ready for a shot. When I stopped riding, I used the rear stowage area as a workbench to put together the camera and lens.

LensRentals was nice enough to loan me the Pelican case, but I like it so much I’ll be picking one up.

The Sony a7R IV and the new 400-800mm lens make a perfect combination for bird photography.

The a7R IV’s 61MP sensor is high resolution, which means you can crop without losing detail. With the sensor resolution, I can easily crop an 800mm shot and still have 20 or 30 megapixel images. That’s like having a 1000mm lens.

That means you can crop into distant subjects without losing clarity. The a7R V has Sony’s AI autofocus, which includes both bird and animal eye AF. That gave me the ability to capture things from small songbirds to flying hawks while the camera tracked their tiny eyes.

Even with an 800mm reach, the setup remains easy to handle and lighter than things like the Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports, which we reviewed.

This combination gives bird and wildlife photographers the image quality, portability, and shooting options they need.

Not Just Birds

With my kit, I was able to photograph a chipmunk, a horse, and a turtle. You don’t have to worry about sneaking up on a turtle, but this one was laying eggs, so I gave it a lot of space. But this shows how versatile the kit is for all kinds of wildlife, not just birds.

How to Pick the Right ebike

If you’re looking to get into birding by bike, the best place to start is your local bike dealer. There are many brands online selling poorly made bikes that look good online but fall apart.

A local shop can help if you have mainteannce problems with the bike, and will help you get any spare parts should you need them. A shop may be more expensive than buying online, but you get the peace of mind of knowing someone will be able to fix the bike if you need.

Local bike shops are also struggling in the online economy, and any purchases help keep family-owned businesses alive.

I’ve been riding Tern for years, so I know their quality, but there are other great ebikes. Be sure to get a bike that’s designed to be a cargo bike. These bikes have paniers, very wide tires, racks to mount things to, and long-lasting batteries.

If you want to check out a Tern in person, you can find one of the local bike stories that carries them.

To be safe, you should half the distance the manufacturer claims when planning your rides. The listed miles per charge are often measured with a completely unloaded bike, and adding gear will reduce your range. Halving the distance gives you a nice buffer so you don’t get stuck in the woods.

If you want to take your ebike with you on a trip, be sure to get a good hitch-mounted rack. Your car will need the larger two-inch hitch mount to handle the weight of the bike. If you don’t have a hitch, your dealer can usually install one, but strangely, U-Haul can install hitches on most cars.

Sony A7R V

What We Think

This is the camera I use for my YouTube video studio work, and I use it to test most of the Sony-format lenses we review.

The a7R V has the best of Sony’s high-resolution technology, combining a 61-megapixel sensor with AI subject detection. The camera delivers exceptional image quality with improved noise performance over its predecessor, while the dedicated AI processing unit provides subject recognition that rivals Sony’s flagship sports cameras. I took this camera to shoot wildlife before the a9 III was launched, since the a7R V had better subject detection.

The enhanced 8-axis in-body stabilization system (most of Sony’s cameras have five stops of stabilization) compensates for the challenges of shooting with such high resolution. The camera also offers comprehensive video capabilities, including 8K recording and 4K oversampling, making it surprisingly versatile for my hybrid work despite its resolution focus.

Reasons to Buy

• The massive 61MP resolution provides unmatched detail and cropping flexibility for demanding applications
• The AI-powered subject recognition delivers flagship-level autofocus performance for wildlife and sports
• The 8-axis stabilization system is the most advanced available, crucial for handheld high-resolution work

Reasons to Avoid

• The enormous file sizes require substantial storage space and powerful processing hardware
• The premium pricing exceeds $3,500, making it accessible only to serious professionals
• The battery life decreases significantly when using full resolution with all stabilization features active

Specifications

• Sensor: 61MP full-frame Exmor R BSI CMOS
• Processor: BIONZ XR with dedicated AI processing unit
• Autofocus: 693-point phase detection with AI subject recognition
• Video: 8K 24p, 4K 60p, 10-bit 4:2:2 internal recording

• Image Stabilization: 8-axis in-body stabilization (8 stops)
• Viewfinder: 0.90” OLED EVF (9.44M dots, 120fps)
• LCD: 3.2” 4-axis multi-angle touchscreen (2.10M dots)
• Battery: NP-FZ100 (530 shots)
• Burst Rate: 10fps continuous with AF/AE
• Dynamic Range: ~15 stops
• Dimensions: 5.2 x 3.9 x 3.2″ (131 x 97 x 82mm)
• Weight: 1.6 lb (723g) with battery

Show more

• Shop at Amazon

The post Birding by Bike – An eBike, the Right Camera Gear, and Plenty of Quiet appeared first on Imaging Resource.

The Sigma 200mm lens is one of the recent Sigma releases that made me think “This is a lens Sony should have made.” It’s durable, fast, has amazing bokeh, and has every control a photographer or videographer could want.

Find out all of my thoughts in our review and YouTube video, below.

Read our Review

Watch our Review Video

Sigma 200mm DG OS | Sport – At a Glance

The post Sigma 200mm f/2 DG OS | Sport Hands-Read our Review in our Hands On appeared first on Imaging Resource.

The Sigma 300-600mm f/4 DG OS | Sports is a lens that Sony should have made.

This is an audacious lens, even for Sigma, which is one of the most innovative lens manufacturers. A fixed-aperture zoom lens is rare enough, but a super-telephoto zoom lens with a fixed aperture is unique. It’s a niche lens for a very specific type of user; for that user, it is an exceptional choice.

A super-telephoto lens with a prime-like constant aperture is the type of out-of-the-box thinking I’d love to see come from Sony. The focal ranges are great, the fixed aperture is even better, and using the lens is a joy. Sigma makes variable aperture super-telephoto lenses and also the highly regarded ART series of primes. The Sigma 300-600mm f/4 DG OS | Sports combines both into one lens, something unprecedented.

But it’s not without its compromises.

© Dean Azulay – @deanazulay.official

Watch Our 300-600mm F/4 DG OS Review Video

Editor’s Note: The image compression here at Imaging-Resource is heavy-handed. For a better look at the test images, please check out our hands-on review video.

Sigma 300-600mm f/4 DG OS and the Competitive Landscape

There is no perfect lens. Every choice in optical design is a balancing act. A wider aperture means a bigger body, which requires more powerful motors. Combatting chromatic aberration requires specialized internal corrective lenses, which add weight and complexity. Optical image stabilization means the lens gets bigger still thanks to the internal gimbals that control shake.

These are all engineering contraints, and they can be solved, though the solutions are not without tradeoffs.

The Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS costs nearly $13,000 because it solves these problems with costly engineering choices. Sony designed a lens with practically no optical aberations, and powerful image stabilization. You just have to be willing to spend as much on the lens as you would on a used car.

On the other end of the price spectrum, Sony’s 200-600mm and 400-800mm lenses are designed to provide incredible reach while keeping the price and weight down. The lenses succeed but with the tradeoff of variable aperture.

Sigma 300-600mm f/4 DG OS | Sports – Build Quality

The Sigma 300-600 is built like a tank. It’s a massive lens that is a far cry from the “kit lens” models Sigma specialized in decades ago. it’s even a massive step up from Sigma’s prevoius sport lens, the 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports, which I have used extensively. That lens had great image quality, though the external-zoom design made it cumbersome to shoot and the variable aperture reduced its performance in low light conditions.

The Sigma 300-600mm is impressive just based on how far Sigma has come since that earlier Sport lens. It looks and feels like the pro sports lens it is. At a distance, it would be indistinguishable from a Canon or Sony Pro lens, and when using it it is nearly indistringuisable from one of those lenses as well.

The controls are easy to access. The focus and zoom rings are massive and easy to grab with gloves, and a rotating barrel switch allows quick settings changes. This rotating dial can be used to control several focus modes and makes it easy to pull focus when using the lens for video.

© Dean Azulay – @deanazulay.official

Four AF Lock buttons are arrayed around the lens, allowing quick focus setting without having to reach around the barrel to find a button whether you’re shooting horizontally or vertically.

The lens offers two different stabilization modes: one for typical photo shooting conditions and a second for better stabilization when panning. A dedicated processor controls stabilization onboard the lens, and dedicated motors move the lens elements. Sigma claims a 5.5-stop shake reduction, which I was unable to verify, but the stabilization is good enough to allow me to handhold without worrying about image shake.

The body is magnesium, which helps keep the weight down to just under four pounds (1.87 pounds, 3.87 kilograms), and it measures 18.5 inches (469.9 millimeters) without the lens hood. The massive lens hood adds around six more inches to the overall length. While I use some telephoto lenses without the hood, it’s a must with the Sigma 300-600mm because of the size of the front element.

Since the front lens element is so large, Sigma designed the lens with drop-in filters at the lens mount end, something I wish more telephoto lenses included. This lens has both a circular polarizer and a variable neutral density filter, and I’d recommend the variable ND filter to get the best image quality when shooting fully open on bright days.

There’s a massive Arca-Swiss-compatible tripod mounting foot (why aren’t all tripod feet Arca-Swiss?) that doubles as a reasonable place to grab the lens when using it handheld.

I’ve used the lens extensively in wet conditions that ranged from drizzle and mist to steady light rain. It shrugs off moisture. I wouldn’t shoot this lens in a downpour without a plastic cover, but for most wet and rainy conditions I have no concerns about the weather resistance.

While the lens is very heavy, it’s handholdable-at least for some photographers. A prime zoom with a fixed aperture, excellent image quality, amazing image stabilization, and the ability to handhold it for short periods is a winning combination.

But there are a few drawbacks. This lens is so good that it’s easiest to talk about these limitations so that I can focus on what I love about it-which is almost everything. To reiterate, I would still buy this lens despite the few drawbacks, and I will recommend it to people despite the limitations.

What the Sigma 300-600mm Can’t Do

The version of the lens we tested was the Sony E-Mount version. Panasonic is one of the manufacturers behind the L-Mount Alliance, and the lens performs differently on the L-Mount platform. Since we couldn’t test the lens on that mount, these comments are centered on the Sony shooter.

When Sony first started making cameras, it shared the specs for its E-Mount with third-party companies. This was necessary because when the full-frame Alpha 7 (a7) started shipping, there were only a few lenses to accompany it. Sony’s cameras would never have taken off if it hadn’t been for Tamron and Sigma.

© Dean Azulay – @deanazulay.official

Sony shared the physical mount’s details but never shared how the camera processors talk to the lenses. In other words, Sony gave manufacturers the specs for the physical connection and for the signals coming from the electrical contacts but it doesn’t share things like the way Sony processors interact with the lens to boost performance.

Sony engineers for cameras and lenses work together to develop products for each other’s timelines. When Sony began development of the global shutter used in the Alpha 9 III (a9 III) it worked with the lens team so that Sony’s lenses would provide support for that high-performance sensor.

Until recently, that wasn’t an issue, but lens manufacturers are facing issues with the advent of Sony’s super-fast-capturing cameras like the Alpha 9 III (a9 III) becasue they’re not part of the design process for Sony’s processors.

The biggest limitation is that using the Sigma 300-600 f/4, DG OS caps the frame rate at 15 frames per second. Many of the sports and wildlife shooters I know rarely shoot at 30 frames per second, and even more rarely shoot at 60 fps or above, but they switch to these speeds when necessary. It’s one thing to have a lens that can shoot at 30fps or higher and not need it then to have a lens that cannot.

The 15 fps limit will be a deal breaker for some customers, though the lens price makes this limitation reasonable. The Sony 600mm f/4 OSS GM can shoot at the full frame rate of the a7S III, but it’s also almost $13,000.

More problematic to me than the frame rate limit is that the lens can’t focus while zooming. As a wildlife, sports, and aviation photographer, being able to zoom and focus is critical. Trying to keep an F-18 jet centered in the frame during an airshow requires constant zooming. I can work around this with planning and post-capture cropping, but my muscle memory says that zooming and focusing are possible, and it’s hard to remember that shots while zooming will possibly be out of focus.

The Sigma 300-600mm f/4 DG OS also cannot use Sony’s teleconverters, which limits the lens compared to the Sony 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 although the resulting aperture when shooting at f/6.3 combined with a 1.4x teleconverter gives you an f/9 aperture. That’s a lot less light than f/4.

Personally, I’d rather shoot a high-resolution camera like the Sony Alpha 1 II and crop than use a 1.4x teleconverter anyhow. Some photographers will balk at the lack of teleconverter as it would be great to have an 860mm focal length at f/5.6.

The last drawback is hard to test. The Sigma 300-600mm f/4 probably focuses less adroitly than Sony’s sports-capable lenses. Like all lenses, there were times when the focus didn’t lock. It feels like the same average of missed shots as the Sony 200-600mm I most recently shot, but only for shots where I was not zooming. It’s hard to tell how many shots are lost to the lack of focusing during zooming.

This is one of my meanings when I said that Sony should have created this lens. It’s not just that Sony should be making niche products like this, it’s that if Sony did make a lens like this it probably wouldn’t have these limitations.

After weeks of using the Sigma 300-600 f/4 DG OS | Sports, I’m blown away. I mentioned I’ve used the Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS | Sports quite a bit. I spent two weeks in Brazil on a photo safari with it, and while the image quality was excellent, it was a very difficult lens to use.

The external zoom of 150-600mm made the lens increasingly front-heavy when zooming, throwing me off balance when standing on the prow of our small boats. While the 150-600mm lens is only four pounds (1.83 kilograms), the 150-600mm felt more uncomfortable and awkward than the heavier 300-600mm.

The 150-600 mm black finish made the lens very hot in Brazil’s harsh sun, sometimes making it uncomfortable to hold. I had coupled the Sigma lens with the pre-release Sony a7CR camera and the heat of the lens was enough to crash the camera on more than one occasion.

Video Use With the Sigma 300-600mm f/4 DG OS | Sports

We didn’t have enough time with the lens for extensive video testing, but the footage we captured looks excellent.

Video capture with a 600mm focal length has its challenges and really requires a specialized video tripod. When set up properly, this lens is exceptional for video capture of wildlife, thanks to the fixed f/4 aperture.

I did notice some focus breathing issues when zooming, but that’s not surprising, especially with such an extreme focal length range.

The Arca-Swiss compatible tripod foot is a welcome addition. One of my pet peeves is long lenses that can’t connect to an Arca Swiss mount because adding an additional plate to a lens like this increases the risk of shake or stability issues.

The lack of ability to focus while zooming is especially limiting to wildlife videographers and aviation photographers like myself. Even with their variable f/stop, I’d suggest Sony’s 200-600mm or 400-800mm lens for video-specific creators.

Should you buy the Sigma 300-600mm f/4 DG OS | Sports

The Sigma 300-600mm f/4 DG OS | Sports is a fantastic lens, perhaps the best example of performance-to-price I’ve ever seen. At nearly $6000, it bridges the gap in both price and quality between Sony’s FE 200-600 f/5.6-6.3 OSS lens and the roughly $13,000 Sony FE 600 f/4 OSS GM.

The variable aperture on Sony’s 200-600mm zoom makes that lens a massive compromise in low light, and the stratispheric price tag of the 600mm prime puts it out of the reach of almost all photographers. It is impressive that the Sigma lens has the bright aperture of Sony’s prime tele and nearly the whole zoom range of Sony’s 200-600mm.

Image quality is exceptional, and sharpness is maintained at the edges of the frame. I saw virtually no chormatic aberation or other artifacts in my test images. I can’t directly compare the image quality to the Sony 200-600mm or the Sony 400-800mm but it felt like the Sigma had sharper images. Image quality from those Sony lenses is good, but the Sigma 300-600mm quality feels more comparable to Sony’s G Master lenses than it does to the G lens series.

The wide f/4 aperture resulted in images with much softer backgrounds than either the Sony 200-600mm f/5/6-6.3 OSS G or Sony 400-800mm f/6.3-8 OSS G we’ve tested recently. The background defocus might not make much difference when photographing animals at a distance, but when I shot softball with it, the defocus was enough to separate the subject from the background and create a more pleasing (to me) image.

Sigma hit a home run with this lens in nearly every way. It’s disappointing that the frame rate is limited to 15 frames per second and likewise frustrating that it can’t focus while zooming. These limitations are at least partially imposed by the way that Sony shares (or, in this case, doesn’t share) the full specs of the E mount.

Build quality is likewise superb. Neither of Sony’s lenses feels as solid or reliable as this lens does. (Whether the Sigma is more durable is yet to be seen.)

The Sigma 300-600mm f/4 DG OS | Sport performs at about eighty percent the level of Sony’s 600mm f/4 GM OSS and gives a 300mm focal length range while costing less than half as much as that prime lens.

If you need the pinnacle of optical quality and the frame rate to keep up with Sony’s top-end sports and wildlife cameras, the 600mm is your only choice. If you can work around the limitations, the Sigma 300mm-600mm f/4 DG OS is one of the best values in the history of photographic lenses.

Where To Buy The Sigma 300mm-600mm f/4 DG OS | Sport lens

The Sigma 300mm-600mm f/4 DG OS | Sport lens is available for preorder now from retaillers like B&H and Adorama.

Affiliate links may earn Imaging Resource a commission on qualifying purchases

It’s a heavy lens, but this handheld shot shows the image stabilization helps tremendously.

The post Sigma 300-600mm F/4 DG OS | Sports Hands-on Review – a Groundbreaking Lens, With Limitations appeared first on Imaging Resource.

The 2022 Environmental Photographer of the Year competition winners have been announced. The competition is in its 15th year, and its focus is to “tell stories of the climate and ecological emergencies the world is facing, and of the people rising to the challenge.” This year’s contest received more than 3,000 photos entered from over 115 countries. Entrants included amateur and professional photographers from ages 7 to 90 years old.

The Environmental Photographer of the Year competition is partnered with CIWEM (a water and environmental management charity), WaterBear (free streaming platform dedicated to the future of Earth), Arup (sustainable development professional services firm), and Nikon. The panel of judges includes award-winning photographers and photo editors Matilde Gattoni, Daisy Gilardini, Victor Moriyama, Wacera Njagi, and Roie Galitz.

Without further ado, let’s check out the primary award winners, including the overall Environmental Photographer of the Year. Taking home the top honors is photographer Mehdi Mohebi Pour for a distressing photo titled “The Bitter Death of Birds.” The image shows three of the many birds that died due to habitat contamination and a lack of clean water, along with workers who needed to collect the dead birds to prevent the spread of disease.

“The Bitter Death of Birds” by Mehdi Mohebi Pour, 2021 – Environmental Photographer of the Year Overall Winner / Environmental Photographer of the Year 2022

Of the winning image, Mehdi Mohebi Pour said, “I was born in a very green and beautiful province in Iran and photographing nature and wildlife has been something I have loved ever since I picked up the camera. For several years now, I have been photographing and researching the Miankaleh Wetland Project and photographing all the good and bad events that occur in the Wetland.”

“The Miankaleh wetland is being destroyed by changes in the climate and it is my duty as a photographer to highlight these problems and create a record for history. I want to prevent the complete destruction of the wetland and the potential environmental disaster by showing the issues and threats to these beautiful natural places. The death of the wetland is equal to the death of the earth and the death of humans.”

“I believe ‘The Bitter Death of Birds’ was noticed by the judges because the image shows a scary perspective and the possibility of this happening all over the world. The photo highlights the danger to the planet.”

Judge and photojournalist Victor Moriyama commented, “This is the image that most connects me with my training base, which is photojournalism. It shows a very impactful and shocking situation. I believe in the power of sensitizing global society through the images made by journalists and this image brings together all the elements for that.”

16-year-old photographer Fayz Khan received the Nikon Award, awarded to the Young Environmental Photographer of the Year. Khan’s image, “Beautiful but Hostile Colors on Earth,” depicts Lesser flamingoes over Lake Magadi and Lake Natron in Kenya. The two lakes were once a single freshwater lake but have become two separate, alkaline, and highly toxic bodies of water. Lesser flamingoes are among the few species that aren’t harmed by the lakes, instead safely feeding on the algae that live on the water’s surface. While the colors are interesting and visually stunning, they belie the changing and hazardous makeup of the lakes.

“Beautiful but Hostile Colors on Earth” by Fayz Khan, 2022 – Nikon Award for Young Environmental Photographer of the Year / Environmental Photographer of the Year 2022

Stefan Maier, General Manager Marketing, Nikon Europe, said of Khan’s winning image, “We are thrilled that Fayz Khan has been selected as the recipient of the 2022 Young Environmental Winner of the Year award. Nikon has been behind some of the most important stories told through photography over the last century, and we’re delighted to support such a young talent as he contributes to the impact photography will continue to have in the future and hones his photography skills.”

The remaining winners are showcased below. To see the full details for each image, visit the Environmental Photographer of the Year website. You can also view the many excellent shortlisted photos here.

“Chemical Explosion” by Subrata Dey, 2022 – Winner of Keeping 1.5 Alive category / Environmental Photographer of the Year 2022

“New Ways to the Future (III)” by Simone Tramonte, 2021 – Winner of Adapting for Tomorrow category / Environmental Photographer of the Year 2022

“Vertical Farming” by Arie Basuki, 2022 – Winner of Vision of the Future category / Environmental Photographer of the Year 2022

“Naturalia: Chronicle of Contemporary Ruins” by Jonathan ‘Jonk’ Jimenez, 2021 / Winner of Recovering Nature category / Environmental Photographer of the Year 2022

Image credits: Photos are credited to the photographers and courtesy of the Environmental Photographer of the Year competition

The post Environmental Photographer of the Year 2022 winners announced appeared first on Imaging Resource.

Sony Artisan of Imagery photographer Colby Brown spent extended time at the Napo Wildlife Center in Ecuador filming a wildlife and landscape photography video series for B&H. Throughout the seven-part video series, plus a bonus Q&A episode, Brown extensively covered a wide range of photography topics, including researching and planning a trip, must-have wildlife and landscape photography gear, advanced shooting tips and an in-depth editing tutorial.

In the first full episode, Brown focused on research and planning. Research is critical to improving your odds of capturing beautiful photographs. When photographing wildlife, it’s important to understand your prospective subject. Knowing as much as possible about the animals you want to photograph will make it easier to find your subject and provide the intel you need to be ready for the perfect shot. As for landscape photography, knowing the best locations is a great place to start. Still, you can improve your photography by researching lighting and weather conditions, and performing scouting trips.

Even with perfect preparation, you still need the right gear to take the best shots. That doesn’t mean you need the most expensive top-of-the-line cameras and lenses, but you must have gear equipped to capture the images you want. For wildlife photography, autofocus accuracy and speed matter a lot, as does image quality across a wide range of ISO settings. You’ll also often want long telephoto lenses. Regarding landscape photography, speed matters less, but you’ll often want a high-resolution image sensor paired with wide-angle and standard-length lenses. In the video below, Colby Brown shares what’s in his camera bag, including his Sony A1 camera and various G and G Master Sony lenses. Don’t worry if you aren’t a Sony shooter, as other manufacturers, like Canon and Nikon, offer many similar lenses in their mirrorless lineups.

The next two episodes are excellent in-the-field videos with Brown as he does landscape photography in Cotopaxi, Ecuador, and wildlife photography in an Ecuadorian rainforest. During each video below, Brown shares his various landscape and wildlife photography techniques, including using various lenses, creating panoramas, shooting time-lapses, adjusting camera and autofocus settings, composing wildlife shots with beautiful backgrounds and much more.

In the penultimate episode, Brown gets up close and personal with the Amazon rainforest’s diverse range of small creatures, including insects, arachnids, amphibians and reptiles. Macro photography is a specialized niche, whether it’s macro wildlife photography or shooting up-close photos of still-life subjects. Strong technical skills are very important when doing macro wildlife photography, as you’re working with a razor-thin depth of field and very little room for error. Watch Brown’s macro wildlife video below to learn some awesome techniques you can use to improve your macro photography.

Finishing Colby Brown’s video series with B&H is an hour-long tutorial for editing wildlife and landscape photos using Adobe Lightroom Classic and Adobe Photoshop. Alongside these popular photo editing apps, Brown also uses Topaz DeNoise AI specifically for noise reduction. Throughout the in-depth tutorial below, Brown works on some of the images he captured during his Ecuador adventure, and performs various editing tasks like cropping, masking, basic adjustments, and much more.

If you enjoyed Colby Brown’s video series, be sure to visit B&H on YouTube and check out Colby Brown’s website and Instagram.

(Via B&H Photo Video)

The post Video: Wildlife and landscape photography tips and techniques with Sony Artisan of Imagery Colby Brown appeared first on Imaging Resource.

The Nature Conservancy has announced the winners of its 2022 Photo Contest. The 2022 edition of the contest had its largest global participation ever, with entries from 196 different countries and territories across the contest’s six categories.

The winning images were selected by a panel of judges, including renowned conservation photographer Ami Vitale and the host of YouTube’s Brave Wilderness, Coyote Peterson. From the more than 100,000 entries, the judges selected the grand prize-winning photo by photographer Li Ping in China. Ping’s image shows a drone’s eye view of a highway in Tibet, bordered by gullies that extend on either side of the road in the shape of a tree. Ping slept overnight in a roadside parking lot to get the image in the early morning light.

Grand Prize – Li Ping, China

For the Grand Prize, Ping wins the chance to attend an Extreme E race in Punta del Este, Uruguay. Extreme E brings attention to climate change and all its cars are 100% electric. Additionally, 1st place winners get $750 gift cards and 2nd place awards include a $500 gift card.

Judge Ami Vitale said, “The diversity of images from around the world gave a glimpse into our fragile planet and all the life that inhabits it. The contest itself was a mesmerizing odyssey and we are left with a profound message of how interconnected all of us are and what it means to our own survival to intermingle with wildness.”

Guest Judge Choice Award – Shafeeq Mulla, Zambia

In addition to the Grand Prize, the contest also featured a Celebrity Judge Award, chosen by Peterson, and a Guest Judge Choice Award, selected by Vitale. “It was an honor getting to judge the work of so many wonderfully talented photographers,” said judge Coyote Peterson. “To witness, let alone capture such stunning images in nature, is a feat more difficult to achieve than most will ever understand. A round of applause for all those who braved the wilderness to capture their images and a standing ovation to all whose work made it into the final selections round!”

Celebrity Judge Choice – Florian Ledoux, Norway

This year’s contest added a new Climate category. This provided photographers an opportunity to show how climate change affects different ecosystems worldwide. The winning Climate photo shows a fan-throated lizard (Sarada superba) at a wind farm in the Satara district of India. Researchers believe that the wind farms have reduced the predators for the lizard, which has impacted the lizard’s behavior and morphology. The image was captured by Sandesh Kadur of India.

Climate – 1st Place – Sandesh Kadur, India

“The Photo Contest is an annual highlight at TNC. These incredible images from talented photographers all over the world remind us how connected we are to each other and to this beautiful planet, and at the same time of the challenges we face,” said Meg Goldthwaite, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for The Nature Conservancy. “It energizes us as we work to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends, so that future generations can enjoy the same natural wonders depicted in these amazing photos.”

Below, we are featuring the winners of the other five categories. If you’d like to see the runners-ups and honorable mention winners, head to The Nature Conservancy. There are so many beautiful images captured by many extremely talented photographers.

People & Nature – 1st Place – Janusz Jurek, Poland

Landscape – 1st Place – Francisco Javier Munuera González, Mexico

Water – 1st Place – Kristin Wright, United States

Wildlife – 1st Place – Anup Shah, United Kingdom

Plants & Fungi – 1st Place – Callie Chee, Australia

All images courtesy of The Nature Conservancy and the respective photographers

The post The Nature Conservancy announces the winners of its 2022 Photo Contest appeared first on Imaging Resource.

For wildlife photographers, few new lenses are as exciting or highly anticipated as Fujifilm’s XF 150-600mm F5.6-8 R LM OIS WR. It checks nearly every box you could think of. Extremely long focal length? Check. Fast autofocus? Check. Optical image stabilization and a lightweight design? Check and check. We’ve been looking forward to getting our hands on the new super-telephoto zoom lens since it was announced at the end of May, and we’ve had the chance to put the lens through its paces alongside the equally exciting X-H2S flagship camera. Not to bury the lede, but the XF 150-600mm was well worth the wait.

Let’s start with the lens’s design. The internally-zooming lens weighs just over 1,600 grams (about 3.5 pounds) and is just over 314 millimeters (12.4 inches) long. It’s not a small lens, but it is surprisingly lightweight. It also balances very well, which makes it feel lighter in use. With the inclusion of OIS, it’s an easy lens to shoot handheld. It’s also weather-sealed, which is a must-have feature for outdoor photographers.

Fujifilm XF 150-600mm F5.6-8 R LM OIS WR

Inside the lens are 24 elements organized across 17 groups. It has many elements, including 4 Super ED and 3 ED elements. The resulting image quality ranges from good to excellent. Sharpness is generally great throughout the zoom range, even when shooting wide open. The lens is slightly softer at 600mm, but it’s only noticeable if you’re pixel-peeping. There’s some minor vignette, but it’s easy to correct. I had no issues with chromatic aberrations. You can check out my full selection of sharpness test shots in the Gallery.

Fujifilm X-H2S with XF 150-600mm F5.6-8 R LM OIS WR lens at 265mm (397mm equiv.), F6.4, 1/800s, ISO 1000. This image has been edited.

In real-world situations, the image quality impresses. Images look detailed and deliver nice color and contrast. If I had to ding the lens for anything, it’d be the aperture, which is relatively slow, especially at 600mm. F8 is okay, but it’s not fast enough to deliver a shallow depth of field and soft, blurred backgrounds in many situations. The lack of brightness can also limit shutter speed and ISO selection, particularly in early morning or evening light.

Fujifilm X-H2S with XF 150-600mm F5.6-8 R LM OIS WR lens at 238mm (357mm equiv.), F8, 27s, ISO 160. This image has been edited.

Ultimately, that’s the tradeoff you must make to achieve a 150-600mm focal length (229-914mm equivalent) in a handholdable design. There’s no doubt Fujifilm has achieved something special with the new XF 150-600mm lens. No, it’s not perfect for every situation, but it works extremely well in most cases and delivers great images. Further, it offers something new within Fujifilm’s X Series lineup, something that has been sorely needed for a long time.

Fujifilm X-H2S with XF 150-600mm F5.6-8 R LM OIS WR lens at 340mm (509mm equiv.), F7.1, 1/50s, ISO 2500. This image has been edited.
‚

Fujifilm X-H2S with XF 150-600mm F5.6-8 R LM OIS WR lens at 600mm (900mm equiv.), F8, 1/2000s, ISO 3200. This image has been edited.

– Fujifilm XF 150-600mm F5.6-8 R LM OIS WR Hands-on Review – Gallery –

The post Fujifilm XF 150-600mm F5.6-8 R LM OIS WR Hands-on Review: A dream lens for wildlife photographers appeared first on Imaging Resource.

Alongside the Fujifilm X-H2S, Fujifilm announced a couple of new lenses, including the XF 150-600mm F5.6-8 R LM OIS WR. We’ve gone hands-on with the X-H2S and the XF 150-600mm telephoto zoom lens for the last few weeks, and the new Fuji zoom lens has proven very impressive.

One of the most impressive aspects of the new lens is its relatively compact size and lightweight design. Despite its 35mm equivalent focal length range of 229-914mm, the lens weighs just 1,605 grams (3.5 pounds). The lens is 314.5mm (12.4 inches) long, which isn’t especially short, but the lens is an internal zoom, meaning it doesn’t change length as you zoom. Speaking of zooming, the rotation required to go from 150mm to 600mm is quite short.

Fujifilm X-H2S with Fujifilm XF 150-600mm F5.6-8 R LM WR OIS lens at 539mm (809mm equiv.), F8, 1/1000s, ISO 3200. This image has been edited.

The lens’ image quality is impressive, too. With 24 elements across 17 groups, the lens delivers great image quality. Images are sharp, and aberrations are well-controlled. We’ll dig further into image quality in our full review, but so far, so good.

Fujifilm X-H2S with Fujifilm XF 150-600mm F5.6-8 R LM WR OIS lens at 274mm (411mm equiv.), F6.4, 1/2500s, ISO 5000. This image has been edited.

So far, the only real downside of the lens is that it’s an F8 zoom at 600mm. To ensure an internal zoom design that is reasonably lightweight and easy to handhold, the lens is only an F5.6 at its shortest focal length. Just shy of 200mm, the lens slows down to F6.4. Around 300mm, it’s an F7.1 lens. Finally, it becomes F8 a bit beyond 500mm. At F8, you need a lot of light to shoot at fast shutter speeds. Fortunately, the OIS is pretty effective, so I have been able to shoot handheld at 600mm at shutter speeds slower than 1/100s, which helps keep ISO lower.

Fujifilm X-H2S with Fujifilm XF 150-600mm F5.6-8 R LM WR OIS lens at 377mm (567mm equiv.), F7.1, 1/50s, ISO 2500. This image has been edited.

Overall, my first impressions of the XF 150-600mm F5.6-8 R LM OIS WR are positive. If you want to download full-res images from the field, head to our Gallery.

Fujifilm X-H2S with Fujifilm XF 150-600mm F5.6-8 R LM WR OIS lens at 150mm (225mm equiv.), F8, 2s, ISO 1600. This image has been edited.

– Fujifilm XF 150-600mm F5.6-8 R LM OIS WR Gallery –

The post Fujifilm XF 150-600mm F5.6-8 R LM OIS WR Gallery: See our first shots from Fuji’s impressive new telephoto zoom appeared first on Imaging Resource.

The Bird Photographer of the Year 2022 winners have been unveiled. Norwegian photographer Erlend Haarberg won this year’s grand prize for his stunning image of a rock ptarmigan in its winter plumage taking flight above snowy mountains in Tysfjord, Norway.

“High up in the mountains, the wind, snow and cold maintain the iron grip of winter for many months on end. This is where rock ptarmigan thrive in an endless white landscape,” said Haarberg. “On this particular winter’s day, I was on my way to a mountain top. I had almost reached the summit when I spotted some ptarmigan tracks in the snow. Soon a bird took flight, with the dramatic backdrop showing what a harsh environment this bird calls home.”

Rock Ptarmigan Flight – Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) – Tysfjord, Norway. Image by Erlend Haarberg, Norway.

Category: Overall Winner and Birds in the Environment. Gold Award Winner and Bird Photographer of the Year.

“High above the tree-line, the wind, snow and cold maintain the iron grip of winter for months on end. This is where Rock Ptarmigan thrive, small white feather-balls in an endless white landscape. On this particular winter day, I was on my way to a mountain top by Tysfjorden to photograph landscapes. I had almost reached the summit when I spotted some ptarmigan tracks criss-crossing between the rocks, where the wind had uncovered some sparse vegetation. From behind a rock, a small head appeared, and seconds later it took to the wing with the mountains and fjord landscape in the background, setting the scene perfectly.”

Shot with a Nikon D850 with Nikon 70-200mm F2.8 lens at 95mm, F10, 1/2500s, ISO 800.

17-year-old Swiss photographer Levi Fitze won the Young Bird Photographer of the Year 2022 title for his image of a dunlin struggling against a sandstorm.

Facing the Storm – Dunlin (Calidris alpina) – Heligoland, Germany. Image by Levi Fitze, Switzerland.

Category: 14-17 years. Gold Award Winner and Young Bird Photographer of the Year.

“Last autumn I spent a week on the tiny North Sea island of Heligoland. The weather was quite bad and I didn’t see a single nice sunrise. However, the opportunity to observe all kind of shorebirds made up for the conditions. When I saw a group of Dunlin struggling with a small sandstorm, I decided to risk my equipment and attempt to photograph them. I could really see on their faces how annoyed they were by the wind and sand flying everywhere. I sympathised with them.”

Shot with a Sony A7R IV with Sony 400mm F2.8 GM lens at F2.8, 1/1250s, ISO 125.

“Once again our talented photographers have cast a light on the incredible diversity of bird life that we share our planet with,” says Will Nicholls, Director of Bird Photographer of the Year. “But it is also a stark reminder of what we stand to lose if we don’t continue to look after the natural world and fight for its protection from the many threats that exist today.”

Conservation is at the heart of the Bird Photographer of the Year competition. This year’s contest donated more than £5,000 to its partner charity, Birds on the Brink. The organization provides vital funding to grassroots bird conservation projects around the world.

Entrants competed across eight categories in the adult competition: Best Portrait, Birds in the Environment, Attention to Detail, Bird Behavior, Birds in Flight, Black and White, Urban Birds, and Creative Imagery. There was also a Conservation Award, Portfolio Award and Video Award. All the awarded images are featured in a hardcover book published by William Collins. The 256-page book is available to order now for £25.00, which is just under $30. The book features more than 200 beautiful photos from this year’s competition.

You can see some of the awarded images below, but to see the full group of winners, head to the Bird Photographer of the Year website. If you’d like to enter the 2023 contest, it’s now open for entries.

Sleeping Beauty – King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) – Volunteer Point, Falkland Islands. Image by Andy Pollard, Falkland Islands.

Category: Attention to Detail. Gold Award Winner.

“While most images of King Penguins seem to be of striking adult birds, there is a definite cuteness to the chicks in their brown ‘teddy bear’ plumage. This chick was asleep at Volunteer Point in the Falkland Islands, and I took the opportunity to capture the details around the beak, eye and ear, the latter seldom seen.”

Shot with a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with Canon 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 II lens at 300mm, F8, 1/160s, ISO 500.

Strut Performer – Sage Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) – Colorado, United States. Image by Ly Dang, United States of America.

Category: Best Portrait. Gold Award Winner.

“You know that springtime has arrived on the prairies of the Great Basin of the American West when the Sage Grouse gather at their leks. On these traditional display grounds, males of this Near Threatened species perform their strutting displays in the hope of winning the right to mate. This behavior is for the benefit of the females, which judge the talent show and select the best genes to pass on to the next generation. I arrived at the lek more than an hour before the birds so I could set up my hide without causing disturbance. Similarly, with the best interests of the birds at heart, I packed up the hide only when the last bird had left the area. In previous years I had tried to capture this type of portrait shot but had been unsuccessful. However, on this particular morning my luck changed when this bird wandered close to my hide in full display. The photograph was taken without using baiting, calls, lures or unethical practices of any kind.”

Shot with a Sony A1 with Sony 600mm F4 GM lens and 1.4x teleconverter.

Dueling on the Lek – Sage Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) – Colorado, United States of America. Image by Peter Ismert, United States of America.

Category: Bird Behavior. Gold Award Winner.

“During the spring breeding season, male Sage Grouse gather on traditional lekking sites and often engage in short but violent fights. They have an elaborate display designed to attract and impress females and show their superiority; inevitably this leads to rivalry between males and challenges on the lek. I set up my ground hide a safe distance from the lek a couple of days before the photo shoot. I entered my hide in the middle of the night, trying to sleep as best I could before the early morning hours. At first light I awoke to booming sounds made by the male grouse, and the sight of their unusual display and this particular battle. No bait or calls were used.”

Shot with a Nikon D850 with Sigma 500mm F4 lens at F4, 1/2500s, ISO 1250.

Guillemot Swimmers – Common Guillemot (uria aalge) – Berwickshire Marine Reserve, Scotland. Image by Henley Spiers, United Kingdom.

Category: Bird Behavior. Silver Award Winner.

“Common Guillemots (Common Murres) are incredible freedivers – so good, in fact, that studies have shown that of all flying birds, this humble species is the most efficient swimmer. It is bested in the water only by penguins, with which it shares similar stylistic traits. The difference, of course, is that penguins – perhaps descended from the same auk family as Common Guillemots – sacrificed their ability to fly as they adapted to an aquatic existence.”

Shot with a Nikon D850 with Nikon 28-75mm F3.5-4.5 lens at 28mm, F13, 1/250s, ISO 200.

Silo Mural – Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla) – Yelarbon, Queensland, Australia. Image by Raoul Slater, Australia.

Category: Birds in Flight. Gold Award Winner.

“Large areas of Australia are flat, dry and given over to wheat farming. Towns can consist of as little as a truck stop and a collection of grain silos. In some locations, these silos have become popular palettes for enormous murals, drawing tourists into otherwise desolate areas. I passed through Yelarbon and stopped for two hours to photograph the Galahs that are attracted to spilt grain. The results were so pleasing and surreal that I made the seven-hour trip on a subsequent weekend to have another go, only to find that a mouse plague had moved in and the silos were being fumigated – no Galahs. (Mural: Brightsiders.)”

Shot with a Canon EOS R5 with Canon 300mm F2.8 lens at F3.5, 1/8000s, ISO 1600.

Starling at Night – Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) – Solihull, West Midlands, United Kingdom. Image by Mark Williams, United Kingdom.

Category: Birds in Flight. Silver Award Winner.

“This image was taken using flash, with the camera in rear curtain synch mode. To attract the Common Starling, I placed some sunflower seeds in a feeder, and as the bird came towards the feeder, I timed the shot to capture its descent. Timing was critical, as was the need to balance the flash with the ambient light so you could see the trail of the starling while the flash ‘froze’ the bird in flight. The colored gels on the flash heads add to the image, giving it a feeling that the bird is lurking in the shadow of the night.”

Shot with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III with Canon 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 lens and flash at 200mm, F16, 1/15s, ISO 200.

Kaleidoscope – Lesser Flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor) and Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) – Lake Logipi, Kenya. Image by Paul Mckenzie, Ireland.

Category: Birds in the Environment. Silver Award Winner.

“This image shows a small flock of Lesser and Greater flamingos as they fly over Lake Logipi in northern Kenya. Recent rains had covered the previously empty lake with a shallow depth of water. This had awakened dormant microscopic algae in the lake bed, which caused the red coloration in the image and mixed with yellow and brown sediment washed into the lake from the Suguta River. High rates of evaporation resulting from searing air temperatures had begun to produce soda salt floes on the lake surface. Huge numbers of flamingos regularly gather on this remote lake to feed on the specialist brine invertebrates here, which themselves feed on the algae. I took this image from a light aircraft with the doors removed on one side.”

Shot with a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with Canon 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 II lens at 164mm, F8, 1/4000s, ISO 1250.

Between Two Worlds – Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auratus) – Espiritu Santo, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Image by Henley Spiers, United Kingdom.

Category: Black and White. Gold Award Winner.

“Ten meters down, I found myself hovering between two worlds. Below, an enormous school of fish covered the bottom as far as I could see. Above, a single Double-crested Cormorant patrolled the surface, catching its breath and peering down at a potential underwater feast. The cormorant, better designed for swimming than flying, would dive down at speed, aggressively pursuing the fish. The school would move in unison to escape the bird’s sharp beak, making it difficult to isolate a single target. More often than not, the bird returned to the surface empty-billed, and peace would momentarily be restored. I would squint up at the sunny surface, trying to keep track of the predator and anticipate its next underwater raid. This image captures the hostile black silhouette of the cormorant as it dives down onto its prey, which for a brief moment remain unaware of the danger above.”

Shot with a Nikon D850 with Nikon 28-70mm F3.5-4.5 lens at 28mm, F8, 1/500s, ISO 500.

Van Gogh’s Storks – White Stork (Ciconia Ciconia) – Ukraine. Image by Petro Katerynych, Ukraine.

Category: Creative Imagery. Gold Award Winner.

“In Ukrainian mythology White Storks symbolise faithfulness and strength of spirit. It is hard to imagine a Ukrainian village without a stork’s nest. Everywhere, from Polesia to Slobozhanshchyna, White Storks are seen as a symbol of love for their motherland. When spring arrives and storks return home, Ukrainians young and old go out into the streets, greet the birds’ arrival and sing traditional songs called Vesnyanki in celebration. Ukrainians cherish spring, which brings prosperity and hope, and we feel that happiness will undoubtedly bless any house where a stork settles and decides to nest. Storks also set a good example and serve to remind Ukrainians how important it is to love our homeland. They fly thousands of kilometers to warmer lands when there is a bitter winter. But they always come back, overcoming all the hardships that beset them on their journey. We believe that love for their native land gives the storks the strength to survive and return home. Ukrainians don’t traditionally give birds and animals human names. However, an exception is made with White Storks, which are addressed as if they were people. My fellow Ukrainians are facing a similarly challenging task right now – once again they must defend their native nests, while some are forced to rush like storks in the direction of the sun. Many of us will fall, but I hope that spring is ahead of us. I believe that most of us will live to see the return of White Storks circling overhead in the peaceful skies of a free Ukraine. Then we will all rally together, and sing Vesnyanki once more.”

Shot with a Nikon D5100 with Nikon 18-105mm F3.5-5.6 lens at 105mm, F9, 1/320s, ISO 100.

Over the City – Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) – Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Image by Ammar Alsayed Ahmed, United Arab Emirates.

Category: Urban Birds. Gold Award Winner.

“This image was taken from the rooftop of one of the towering skyscraper buildings that dominate the skyline of Abu Dhabi. It shows a line of Greater Flamingos flying on a morning when fog covered the city and the only signs of the urban landscape were the tops of the buildings emerging from the blanket of mist. At the time it seemed a bit like a fantasy, a fleeting moment made surreal as the birds unexpectedly flew past. Fortunately, I was prepared for action and my zoom lens allowed me to frame the birds and capture the moment.”

Shot with a Nikon Z6 II with Nikon 70-200mm F2.8 lens at 71mm, F7.1, 1/500s, ISO 100.

Pied Avocet Chick – Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta) – Kinskunság National Park, Hungary. Image by Tamás Koncz-Bisztricz, Hungary.

Category: 14-17 years. Silver Award Winner.

“This photograph was taken in an area I have known for a long time – it is a soda lake called Nagyszéksós-tó, near the town of Mórahalom. Kinskunság National Park introduced Water Buffalos (Bubalus bubalis) at least ten years ago, and the beneficial outcome has been that the birdlife has become very rich and diverse. Until now, I have photographed only adult birds at this location, but I managed to observe and photograph Pied Avocet chicks in early summer. After prolonged observation, I edged my way closer to the birds. The parent birds soon overcame any nervousness and soon got used to my presence; I was an insignificant addition to the nearby Water Buffalos, which dwarfed me. The chicks went about their business a few meters away from me, and fed and preened quite happily. I was lucky enough to be able to photograph this chick backlit, and as a result I took some really special images.”

Shot with a Canon EOS-1D X with Canon 400mm F4 III lens and 1.4x teleconverter at F5.6, 1/3200s, ISO 100.

Droplets – Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna) – Fremont, California, United States of America. Image by Parham Pourahmad, United States of America.

Category: 9-13 years. Gold Award Winner.

“In Fremont there is a water fountain that is a hotspot for hummingbirds. The birds like to bathe in the water, or in this case catch and sip the droplets. When the birds fly around among the droplets, it provides great opportunities for photography. I had to use a very fast shutter speed to freeze the water droplets and the wings of this Anna’s Hummingbird.”

Shot with a Nikon D3500 with Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 lens at 600mm, F6.3, 1/4000s, ISO 2800.

Hoot Are You? – Barred Owl (Strix varia) – Acadia National Park, Maine, United States of America. Image by Arjun Jenigiri, United States of America.

Category: 8 and under. Gold Award Winner.

“One of my parents’ friends, who lives nearby, took us on a hike to a location where she had seen Barred Owl chicks earlier in the week. Amazingly, we were just a few minutes into the hike when we heard them calling. Eventually we got to see four owlets, which was amazing. One landed close by and peered at me from behind a tree trunk in a way that seemed to express curiosity. I was thrilled to be able to capture the moment and pleased that the judges appreciated the photo.”

Shot with a Canon EOS 700D with Canon 55-250mm F4-5.6 lens at 250mm, F7.1, 1/30s, ISO 1600.

Bird Photographer of the Year 2022 Winners

The post Bird Photographer of the Year 2022 winners announced appeared first on Imaging Resource.

Professional wildlife photographer Donal Boyd‚ has teamed up with Adorama for an excellent video series, “In the Field with Donal Boyd.” In the latest episode, Boyd traveled to the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve in remote Iceland to photograph the native arctic foxes. No humans inhabit the area year-round, and the foxes roam freely in the protected region.

The video below is an incredible look at the foxes in their native habitat, exploring and foraging for food. Boyd captured many amazing images and incredible footage using Sony A1 and A7R IV cameras, plus Sony G Master lenses like the 400mm F2.8 GM OSS.

Boyd, who lives in Iceland, photographed the iconic Icelandic horse in an earlier episode of “In the Field with Donal Boyd.” You can check that episode out below.

To see the rest of Boyd’s episodes for Adorama, click here. To see more of his work and learn about how wildlife conservation efforts, visit his website and follow him on Instagram.

(Via Adorama)

The post Video: Wildlife photographer Donal Boyd captures stunning portraits of arctic foxes in Iceland appeared first on Imaging Resource.