With small birds in flight, like this male cardinal I captured in south Texas, I raise the shutter speed to 1/4000th of a second. The wings of small birds flap much faster than larger birds, and this increased speed is necessary to freeze their movement. Some photographers tell me they actually like some blur in a bird's wings because that implies motion. Well, yes and no. We never see blur with our eyes. We know a bird is flying because it's suspended in the air. Long shutter speeds cause blur, and this is a man-made construct. It has nothing to do with reality, with what we see. Admittedly, there is an artistic element to streaked and blurred color, but in my opinion that takes away from the beauty and the artistry of the avian subjects. My settings were 1/4000, f/11, and 5000 ISO. My next workshop for south Texas birds (and Texas bluebonnets) starts April 8.
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