Chipmunk Makes  a Meal

Happy Sunday!

I first saw this little guy when I was already too close…for his comfort that is…just the right distance for digiscoping. He sat pretty much frozen in place while I shot way too many exposures. The light was not good. The camera was working at ISO 800. Eventually, though, he relaxed enough to get on with his business despite me. He had apparently been about to dine when I stumbled on him, and he made a meal of whatever small berry or seed he had found. Even at ISO 800 the shutter speed was a bit slow to catch him in motion as he ate. I took a lot of exposures! If you have a moment, watch the video below…it captures the full effect.

It is moments like this that keep me digiscoping. No other camera system would allow such intimacy without the use of a blind and many hours in the field…a lot more planning and preparation than life currently allows me. With my digiscoping rig, though the animal has to be cooperative enough to wait for me to get set up…tripod down, camera swung out so I can focus, camera swung back in and turned on…before I can take my first shot, I am able, quite often, to capture these walk up, unplanned encounters. That is what I like about it.

You do have to open and receptive…no that is not putting it strongly enough. You have to be actively looking for opportunities for intimacy and well practiced in your chosen method of capturing them, so that you don’t miss too many when you do walk up on them.

And there is of course, being Sunday, a spiritual lesson there too. After all, my moments of intimacy are not with the creature alone. Someday I hope to well practiced enough in methods of love to capture every possible moment of intimacy when I walk up on them…as I am sure I do unthinking, a thousand times a day.

How much harder than digiscoping could that be ?

Canon SD4000IS behind the eyepiece of a ZEISS DiaScope 65FL for the equivalent field of view of a 2600mm lens on a full frame DSLR @ 1/40th sec @ ISO 800. Effective f-stop, f7.

Fill Light in Lightroom and Blackpoint pretty far right. Auto White Balance. Added Clarity and Vibrance. Sharpen narrow edges preset.

And now the video.