One of the joys, and challenges, of working the St. Augustine Alligator Farm, is the number of birds in flight during your average hour. That would be lots! The superzoom Point and Shoots which I favor are not the ideal camera for flight shots, but with patience, persistence, the right settings, and the right expectations, in a place like the Alligator Farm you can come away with some stunning images.

The key is managing your expectations. You are going to miss more shots than you get by a very large factor. It is essential that you just keep shooting, and not stress out over the shots you are not getting. That is why I do most of my flight shots at places like the Alligator Farm or Bosque del Apache where there will always, if you just wait a moment, be another bird in the air. And even when you think you got a shot, 2 out of 3 hopefuls will not be sharp when you get them on the computer. Just the way it is. Shoot a lot.

As for settings, I had success this last visit with the Tracking Auto Focus setting on the Canon SX40HS. This setting puts a target frame in the center of the view. You put the target frame on what you want to track and hold the shutter button down half way to keep your subject in focus. That combined with Continous Shooting Mode (3+ fps) allows for some DSLR-like shooting of birds in flight.

(So okay, lets face the issue head on. Why am I not using a DSLR and tel-lens for flight shots? 1) expense. My SX40HS is a very cost effective shooter. 2) Flexibility. To match the range of situations the superzoom P&S handles would require a DSLR body and at least 3 lenses…and then it could not reach the extreme telephoto ranges. 3) Portability. No contest, the superzoom P&S is all I am willing to carry at the moment.)

And sometimes persistence pays of better than you have any right to hope. This shot of a Roseate Spoonbill gliding pretty much right over head surprised me when I got to processing the day’s take. I cropped out some empty pace on the left, and I like the resulting tension in the frame. It really deserves a larger view: here.

Canon SX40HS. Program with iContrast and –1/3EV exposure compensation.  f5 @ 1/1000th @ ISO 125. 400mm equivalent field of view.

Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.