Birds in Nature - images of wild birds by Richard Ditch

Subject: Palm Warbler (Dendroica palmarum)
Place: Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, VA, USA
Date: October 1991
Equipment: Nikon 8008, Nikkor EDIF 400/5.6, no tripod
Film: Fujichrome 100 exposed normally
Exposure: Aperture priority matrix metered, natural light, no fill
Scan: Minolta Dimage, 100% of frame

Commentary: I'm showing this image full frame to prove that decent images of small birds can indeed be taken with modest focal length lenses by mobile photographers, a position I've argued a few times before.

This is very typical of my personal style of bird photography: minimize the gear; take it with me while I'm engaged in general birding; and take photos of any bird I encounter that I can get. My preference has always been for a bit more room around a bird than many people, and I have nothing against showing habitat and natural light. I have no misconceptions that this is a wonderful photo. I'm showing it mainly to support my claim that such images are possible with modest lenses as an alternative to large lenses, multiple converters, massive tripods and heads, and projection flash systems.