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.

Polar Ballplayer

The Toledo Zoo's polar bear twins, Kallu and Kallik were born in November, 2022. Molly Merrow, over at Polar Bear Friends, reported that Kallik loves the water and Kallu often stays dry. On that basis, I'll say Kallik is the ballplayer in these photos from February, 2024. Flipbook action is available: Click one of the photos and then cycle through them.