Comments on: Blasting Sunrise Highlights: Why hand hold and focus manually at 1000mm? https://www.birdsasart-blog.com/baa/2017/09/27/blasting-sunrise-highlights-why-hand-hold-and-focus-manually-at-1000mm/ The blog of bird photographer Arthur Morris Tue, 03 Oct 2017 12:47:16 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 By: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART https://www.birdsasart-blog.com/baa/2017/09/27/blasting-sunrise-highlights-why-hand-hold-and-focus-manually-at-1000mm/comment-page-1/#comment-1751631 Tue, 03 Oct 2017 12:47:16 +0000 http://www.birdsasart-blog.com/?p=50453#comment-1751631 In reply to Glenn.

Hi Glenn, Thanks for commenting.

1-If you move slightly to one side the image is gone … No color, no specular highlights. I have been photographing into blasting, blinding highlights for decades with both film and digital cameras and have never incurred any damage … Also, focusing on the subject with AF in these situations if pretty much impossible … Do see the follow-up post coming soon 🙂

2-Once you move anywhere anyhow sharp focus will be thrown off at 1200mm … That is why I knee-podded it and focused manually. Even then some images were a bit sharper than others due to my movements …

3-Good on this one 🙂

with love, artie

]]> By: Glenn https://www.birdsasart-blog.com/baa/2017/09/27/blasting-sunrise-highlights-why-hand-hold-and-focus-manually-at-1000mm/comment-page-1/#comment-1751609 Tue, 03 Oct 2017 02:25:18 +0000 http://www.birdsasart-blog.com/?p=50453#comment-1751609 Well I think the answer to a couple of these relates to not destroying your camera:

1. I’d move off to one side slightly so the ‘blasting highlights’ weren’t in my frame and therefore not potentially frying my AF sensor or viewfinder internals. I’d focus on the bird/subject, switch to manual once focus was locked then move back in line with the highlights for a shot or three. Provided I was careful about not moving out of the same plane where I locked focus and I was stopped down a little to get a reasonable DOF, I should be able to keep good focus. Anyway, I can always try a quick shot and see what it looks like. So when I’m ready to get some shots, I’d point the camera into the ‘danger zone’, quickly compose and fire off some frame then point the camera away quickly. Having pre-focussed, I won’t be wasting another second or so trying to lock focus and risk potential damage to the camera. And I do think the camera might also lock on the background highlights as the AF sensor works on contrast. Another reason not to muck around in the danger zone trying to lock focus.
2. Handholding: yes fast SS should remove need for tripod but with handholding, I can point to the subject and point away really quickly and thereby reduce risk of damage to camera. As I’m prefocussed, I can concentrate on composition an fire off without delay.
3. We all want to be in the same vertical plane to get the ‘blasting highlights’ so need to stand in formation like that. If someone is off to one side, they won’t have the highlights behind the bird.
*** Fingers crossed and hope the bird doesn’t move out of the pre-focussed plane otherwise I’d need to start again.

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