Sandhill Crane in flight, Bosque del Apache NWR, Socorro NM

One of the delights of Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge and the Festival of the Cranes is to be by one of the ponds where the Sandhill Cranes spend the night, and to see them fly out just before and just after dawn. The light in the Rio Grande Valley of central New Mexico is unique in November, and the way it highlights the Cranes against the mountains makes for memorable sights and memorable shots.

As a photographer, it is a challenge to balance the existing light with shutter speeds that will stop (or at least “slow”) the Cranes in flight. This shot was taken in Shutter Preferred, with the shutter set to 1/400th, in the earliest sun. That pushed the ISO to and acceptable 400. Before dawn I was shooting at 1/250th and ISO 800-1000. Also acceptable for the light conditions, though 1/250th leaves the wing tips blurred. It full daylight I push the speed up to 1/640th with gives me ISO 100, and excellent detail. Still, the atmosphere of this shot, with the glowing light of dawn on both the cranes and the mountains behind, has an attraction that many full daylight shots miss.

Nikon P900 at about 1600mm equivalent field of view. f6.3. Processed in Lightroom.