Bird Portraits

Lately, I've been going to the Columbus Zoo for the cheetah runs. Full sun is good for them because I can use a fast shutter to freeze the action. (Except that I've been using a slower shutter, which I'll post about eventually.) One day was cloudy but bright, and cloudy means defuse light, and defuse light is good light for portraits. A few birds in the North America aviary were kind enough to pose for me.

North American robin

American goldfinch, male, in breeding plumage

American goldfinch, male

white-faced ibis, male, in breeding plumage

I usually use aperture priority--I set the aperture and ISO (light sensitivity) and let the camera choose the shutter speed. All three can be set manually, but I appreciate partial automation. (Looking at some older posts, I see that I have "graduated" from full automatic through program mode to aperture or shutter priority.) For the ibis shots, the bright background would have led to an underexposed bird, so I added 1.5 stops of exposure compensation. That told the camera to let in more light, and it probably used a slower shutter than it otherwise would have.