Sat here reflecting on the past 18 months or so of us all living with the Covid 19 Pandemic and subsequent restrictions.
Hard to fathom that its been so long since I’ve been able to continue with my 3945 Portraits Project, photographing World War 2 Veterans with the sole purpose of…
Over the past 12 months since the Covid-19 Pandemic emerged and restrictions were placed on our daily lives, I’ve mentioned in my recent videos how not being able to take portraits has made me play with other genres of photography with a view to keeping creative, and keeping the ‘tools in my hands’.
I’m throughly enjoying my landscape photography project; not just for the photography side of things but also, and most importantly, it means I’m outside in the fresh air…plus many other benefits.
I’ve also been enjoying getting out with a 600mm lens and photographing Bird Life; be it in my back garden or on the nearby coast.
Photographing something different like this has been not only been great escapism and source of enjoyment but has also been great for diving into camera settings I ordinarily wouldn’t have / didn’t, with my portrait work…
Focus Tracking, Back Button Focusing, Crop Sensor Mode and so it goes on; I’m genuinely having so much fun with this.
Anyway, I thought I’d share some of this info just in case you too were thinking of giving it a try…
I’ll be experimenting more and more with these, but for now, here’s what my basic settings are:
Mode: Aperture Priority
Aperture: f/5.6 to f/6.3, which is as wide open as possible on the 600mm lens I’m using
ISO: Auto
The focus tracking has blown me away.
I’ve set my camera up so that I can very quickly jump from a Wide Focus Tracking Area to a Flexible Spot (small) and a Flexible Spot (medium) Tracking Area; all I have to do is press the AEL button on the back of the camera to jump from one to the other.
Generally when a bird is in flight I’m using the Wide Focus Area (Tracking) which means that as soon as anything is within that area, the camera locks on and the focus is bang on as it adjusts whilst the bird is moving. Incredible.
I use the Flexible Spot (Tracking) every other time. Simply position the focus area over the bird, press the Back Button Focus to lock on and that’s it. Wherever the bird moves (or I move the lens to change the composition) the focus is locked onto the bird.
Never had any cause to use this until now but wow…this makes a HUGE difference in your success rate!
Aim lens at Birds
Hold down assigned button to activate Back Button Focus (I have assigned the AF-ON button)
Keep tapping the shutter button to immediately take in-focus images because the camera is locked on. No delay whatsoever in taking pictures because the camera is already focused! Brilliant!
A great function built into my Sony A7RIV is the Crop Sensor (APS-C) mode which in simple terms extends the reach of the lenses I use. The 600mm becomes a 900mm (thereabouts) which means I can get in closer and get pinpoint focus and sharpness. The resolution goes from 61 Mega-Pixels to 26 Mega-Pixels which still produces a fantastic, detailed and sharp image.
You might question doing this and consider cropping in post afterwards rather than doing it in-camera. This would still give a great result because of the 61 Mega Pixels you have to play with (in a Sony A7RIV) but I prefer to do this in-camera. There are beneficial differences to doing in-camera so at some point I’ll do a side-by-side comparison and share the results.
As a side note, it’s also easier to pan when you can see the bird / subject closer in at the time of shooting.
I have the C4 / Trash button assigned to activate the APS-C Crop Sensor mode simply by pressing it and then pressing again to return to full frame.
I’ve mentioned that I’m using my workhorse Sony A7RIV but thought I’d show what I’m using with it when doing this stuff.
Lens: Sony 200mm – 600mm FE f/5.6 – f/6.3 G (LINK)
Despite the size of this lens it’s actually not that heavy so could be used handheld…for a while.
That said, I’m using it with the Gimbal below…
Gimbal: Neewar Carbon Fibre 360 Degree Panoramic Gimbal (LINK)
This is a total game-changer making it so easy to move quickly and effortlessly in all directions.
Love it!
One thing is for sure, and that’s when restrictions ease and we can all go back to living some kind of a normal life Post-Covid, even though my main photography work is taking portraits, I’ll be carrying on with my landscape project and photographing wildlife such as this.
This period of time where we’ve all had to adapt to restrictions has literally opened my eyes. Whereas before, I guess I was blinkered in that I shoot portraits and absolutely love it, and when there were days with no portraits to shoot my camera stayed in the bag, this won’t ever be the case again.
It’s so good to keep the tools in your hands and actually I think being out doing what I have been doing this past 12 months has had a huge mental and physical benefit.
Photography is so much more than pixels and kit; the escapism and sheer joy of photographing what makes YOU happy is immeasureable!
Catch you next time,
Glyn
Bullies!
Spending time in the local wood this morning to take some photographs, I was drawn to an area where this little tree was amongst the much larger pine trees towering above it. On a summers day the scene would have have felt different, but this morning with the mist, it felt kind of sinister, like the small tree was being bullied.
I hate bullies. When I was much younger in middle school there was an older, much bigger boy called Smudge who used me as his target.
Years later I was back in my home town entering a Bodybuilding Competition. The week before the competiton I stayed at my Mom’s and trained at the local gym. I’d changed quite a bit since middle school. Now I was a lot bigger from training and was just under 19st (266lbs). One afternoon I was in the gym training when in walked Smudge. Hadn’t changed much. Just looked older. Clearly didn’t know who I was and asked me to help him on the bench press. “No problem mate”
He lay on the bench and took hold of the bar. I lifted the bar off the racks and supported it before letting go for him to press. Before letting go I couldn’t help myself…”Smudge…you don’t remember me do you? … I’m Glyn Dewis. You used to bully me at school”. At which point I let go and walked away leaving him to fend for himself.
Damn it felt good!
Oh and I went on to win the Competition. Good times!
Yesterday we said a final farwell to Squadron Leader Allan Scott DFM who sadly and unexpectedly passed away a short time ago; a truly wonderful man for so many reasons and someone I am truly honoured to have been able to call a friend.
Due to current restrictions numbers of those attending the South Oxfordshire Crematorium were limited to 30; without such restrictions there would have been literally hundreds in attendance such was the respect and high regard for Allan amongst his many friends in both civilian life and the Royal Air Force.
However, the limited numbers did bring a different dimension to the service making it feel incredibly intimate and personal.
Immediately prior to the service it was both incredibly emotional and spectacular to watch as a Spitfire appeared overhead for over 5 minutes performing Victory Rolls in his honour…
As the service, held at the South Oxfordshire Crematorium, commenced Allan’s casket adorned in a Union Flag was carried by RAF personnel in Number 1s along with Standard-Bearers ahead.
The service conducted by The Reverend Matthew Stevens (Padre, RAF Benson) was so incredibly fitting and with utmost respect.
The eulogy read by RAF Gulf War Veteran, Presenter and Author John Nichol was wonderfully uplifiting as he recounted Allan’s Military endeavours and personal experiences on time spent in his company; that both Anne and myself along with Andrew and Sue Perkins were mentioned as dear friends to Allan was so incredibly thoughtful of Allan’s son Murray.
Can’t begin to say how much it meant to me that the portrait I took of Allan for the 3945 Portraits Project was on the Order of Service.
The night before I stayed up until the early hours because of an overwhelming need to create another of my model Aircraft pictures but this one solely with Allan in my mind. The Spitifre used here was a gift from my Mom for my recent 49th Birthday…
The final edit I have this morning printed along with Allan’s portrait and taken to a friend of mine who owns a picture framing shop so that I can have both side by side, framed and hang on a wall in our new home.
If you missed it, here’s Allan’s last television appearance which aired on the BBC One Show on Monday 7th September 2020; the evening before he passed.
Per Ardua Ad Astra
Blue Skies Dear Friend x
© Glyn Dewis 2025
