# Mass of BIFs at sunset how to photograph tips needed



## sanjosedave (Nov 7, 2014)

Any tips for photographing sky-filling BIFs at sunset?

Birds, ducks, geese etc are arriving around the Sacramento National Wildlife Reserve. At around sunset they take off en mass for the surrounding rice fields for some munchies.

Should I focus close to the ground as they take off? All the BIF at sunset pics I've seen are silhouette of birds against either a dark sky, or, if lucky, the sun as it sets

I will be using 60D, 70-200 with 2x III teleconverter


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## jrista (Nov 7, 2014)

The first thing to do is prefocus. You want to be generally focused in the area where the birds are when they are going to take off. If you don't prefocus, then your camera is going to have to hunt a lot more, and that could cost you the shot. 


You should also account for the AF behavior of the camera and lens you are using. I think for the most part, Canon lenses and AF system hunt towards the camera first, then hunt out. In other words, it automatically looks for the closest subject to lock onto if it does not yet have a lock. So, when you prefocus, you should try to focus out just a bit behind your future subject, so when you activate AF, it'll lock as quickly as possible. (Caveat: If you know that the particular lens/body combo you are using hunts out first, then obviously change this tactic.)


You should also stop the lens down. AF will be performed at max aperture, but stopping the lens down will increase DOF, thereby increasing the chance that even if the camera doesn't exactly lock focus on the birds, you'll at least get them as sharp as possible. 


Leading on from that...use a full frame camera if you have the option. You said 60D, so that's not really going to be an option. You also mentioned the 2x III TC. If your shooting into the post-sunset light, leave that at home. It'll decimate your AF performance, and you'll be lucky to lock on at all. If you have the f/4 version of the lens, you will also lose all but the center AF point, which will make it even harder to get a lock (even with prefocus.) Use the bare lens, and get as close as you can without scaring off your subjects. You want at least f/4, better if you have the f/2.8 version. 


Finally, don't attempt to lock focus until there is good contrast to lock onto. That would be when the birds are actually in the air, silhouetted against the sky. That should give you some solid contrast, which should help the lens lock on. The f/2.8 70-200 should lock pretty solidly, the f/4...it might be tough, but as long as you prefocus to account for the behavior of Canon's AF system such that it hunts into your subject, rather than away from your subject, you should be fine.


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## sanjosedave (Nov 18, 2014)

This is what I came home with. For this image used a 6D instead of a 60D. Some LR and Nik

1/2500 sec; f/5.6; ISO 1000
EF70-200mm f/2.8L USM +2x III 

Sacramento National Wildlife Reserve near Willows, CA


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