A (near) perfect moment
Sometimes, just sometimes, it all perfectly comes together. This was such a moment. For now, ignore the ‘near’ in the title of this blog post, which I will address later.
Wildlife photography is rewarding but can also be frustrating. There are so many variables at play, and just one of those can ruin the opportunity to capture a great image. It all has to come together at the right moment: The animals need to appear and pose or do something interesting, the light and background is equally important, the composition and the technical settings need to be spot on, the right gear and lens are at hand, and quick reactions and ability to put it all together in a pleasing composition is required … what could possibly go wrong 😉
Well, frequently one of those variables affects the images captured in a sub-optimal way. Sometimes, this can be recovered in post-processing, but most often not. Treks into wilderness or a local nature area, with hours spent seeking great photo opportunities, can often result in disappointment.
A beautiful male Bearded Tit. Shot at 800mm @ f/6.3, 1/2500s, ISO 4000
But, that is what makes it so rewarding when it all comes together for a magical moment. And I experienced one of those moments a few weeks back in Norfolk, England. I have been in pursuit of the Bearded Tit for a few years, but up until that moment with no luck. I had seen these beautiful birds fleetingly, but never got a shot, not even a mediocre image. Not even a sniff.
The Bearded Tit, in my view, is one of the most beautiful birds in the UK. Your milage may vary, but I have always loved this little bird. Maybe because they are so difficult to spot as they reside deep in reeds by the water, rarely to come up into the open. The plumage is colourful with cinnamon brown, orange, blue, grey and white. And the male has a majestic black moustache which is an impressive feature.
Shot at 800mm @ f/6.3, 1/2500s, ISO 4000
Bearded Tits, also called Bearded Reedling, is a resident UK breeder found in a few wetland pockets. Their territory is large reedbeds, where they reside throughout the year, feeding on insects and seeds. There are only around 600-700 pairs in the UK due to their restricted habitat. They are quite noisy with a distinct ping sound which is a sure sign of their presence.
In Norfolk, over three days, we searched several places known to be good spots for the Bearded Tit. Day one yielded a fleeting glimpse of one darting away into the reeds. Day two ditto – nothing much. I got a shot of a female between dense reed stalks. The auto focus caught the stalks and not the bird. On the sixth and last reedbed location searching for this elusive bird we got lucky. And truly lucky!
Shot at 800mm @ f/6.3, 1/2500s, ISO 4000
A male Bearded Tit popped briefly out to the edge of the reeds by the open water. And that was all we needed. He performed beautifully for us for a mere 9 seconds before disappearing deep into the reeds. I quickly scanned the images in camera and smiled as it seemed I’d caught a couple of good ones. A closer look had to wait until I could get back to my computer and download the images on the big screen.
And sure enough, after all the effort to photograph this little bird, this was it. For me, this was a perfect moment when it all came together. The images of this Bearded Tit looking at me stretched between two reed stalks is hard to beat. Bingo! What a beautiful bird in a perfect pose. A few moments like that makes it all worthwhile … all the missed opportunities, endless waiting, bad weather, animal no-shows and disappointments are instantly forgotten.
Near perfect pose! Shot at 800mm @ f/6.3, 1/2500s, ISO 4000
So, why did I put ‘near’ in the title? Was or wasn’t this a ‘perfect moment’? Well, yes, for me it was a great moment resulting in images I had only before dreamt about capturing. But here is the thing with wildlife photography … there is always an even better image out there. That is what keeps it going, the quest for ever better images. In a way that is the fun part and the frustrating part in equal measure. After admiring and polishing my Bearded Tit images on the computer, I stood back and became a tad more critical. It would have been great if the winter evening sun had warmed up the image a tad more … and. I could possibly have used a slower shutter speed which would have reduced the noise in the image a little… and. what about that one straw to the right partially covering the tit’s foot ..? You see, there is always a better image out there. 😉
9 seconds … and then it was gone. Shot at 800mm @ f/6.3, 1/2500s, ISO 4000