Edited image in Power Point. Source
I'm an early riser, and how I wake up much earlier than the rest of my family, I usually make coffee and drink it outside to breathe the morning air. And since I live near the sea, it is common that at very early hours, when the sun begins to rise, you see some birds known in my region as earwigs of the sea (or specifically Fregata magnificens); these birds fly by at high altitude, usually passing in a row or in pairs.
Own image. | 1/3500 | F5.9 | ISO 400 | without tripod.
On several occasions I have captured them in photos when they fly over my house. Capturing an image of a bird in flight is a difficult thing to do, especially when you are an amateur photographer. In the next couple of photos I show you some captures made with my Fujifilm camera model finepix 4500S, it´s not a high-end camera but it has very good performance, including a nice 30X zoom.
Fujifilm fine pix 4500S | 1/1500 | F5.9 | ISO 400 | without tripod.
The male is completely black, while the female has white spots on her chest. They are large birds, with a wing span of almost two meters. They pass at a high altitude so you have to demand a lot from your hands to focus with all the zoom, but they plan for some times, leaving a brief moment to hold my breath and take the shot.
Fujifilm fine pix 4500S | 1/280 | F5.9 | ISO 400 | without tripod.
One morning as I went out into the courtyard I noticed something particular in the sky, it had something different, it was one of those mornings when the moon can be observed even after the sun rises; but that day it looked particularly big.
Fujifilm fine pix 4500S | 1/680 | F5.9 | ISO 400 | without tripod.
As I look at the moon and take a sip of my coffee, I notice the approach of the earwigs in the direction of the moon, I instantly thought "capturing an image of someone crossing in front of the moon would be a great photo" and leaving my coffee I ran for my camera. It was so spontaneous, without any preparation, I just prayed to have enough battery to capture the moment.
Fujifilm fine pix 4500S | 1/600 | F5.9 | ISO 400 | without tripod.
I had to wait for the right moment, but in the meantime I was taking a few shots and adjusting the sensitivity and shutter speed. And when I got a good focus, the birds would change course or drift slightly to one side or the other without passing in front of the moon. Sometimes it was frustrating, because I didn't know how long the moon would be visible or when the opportunity would come again.
Fujifilm fine pix 4500S | 1/550 | F5.9 | ISO 400 | without tripod.
Fujifilm fine pix 4500S | 1/550 | F5.9 | ISO 400 | without tripod.
Until finally, after several tries, I got the image I wanted, one of the birds crossing in front of the moon.
Fujifilm fine pix 4500S | 1/600 | F5.9 | ISO 400 | without tripod.
Excited that the bird and the moon lined up for this photo oportunity, I entered the house and went to heat my coffee again to see the results on the computer. These images were not treated with filters or retouched with any software.
I bring this story because I think that inspiration comes to us like that, suddenly, and it is better to take advantage of it, even if I have to drop the coffee. I forward to trying again with more and better equipment.
Photos taken by me, @emiliomoron.
This has been my entry for the contest "Behind The Photo" edition #9 made by @nelyp and sponsored by @appreciator.
Thanks for looking and enjoy your day!
These photographs are great, Emilio. You look like a professional because of the complexity of capturing the right focus where the bird seems to pass close to the moon
Thank you Carlos, I am honored by the comment, I am an amateur photographer but sometimes things line up as in this case and a great picture comes out