Sunday, November 18, 2007

Northern Harrier, Perched



This shot as well as the photograph in the preceding post were both shot from the car window. With a little care; road hunting wildlife can provide photographs that otherwise are exceeding difficult to obtain. Most wildlife is accustomed to vehicles and may only flee when a person emerges from it.

First and foremost if one wishes to attempt this type of photography safety must be the first consideration with consideration of other drivers the next highest priority.

It is always best to turn off the ignition before shooting as engine vibrations will frequently blur the image. Another concern when shooting in cold weather is image distortion from heat waves escaping from the window. It is best to keep the automobile interior somewhat on the cold side and try to ensure the end of the lens is well outside of the window when shooting.

Wildlife’s vulnerability to hunters in vehicles has resulted in many states passing regulations prohibiting people from killing wildlife in this way and imposing heavy penalties for doing so. Fines not withstanding, many “sportsmen” in our area regularly engage in this illegal and unethical activity during our Pennsylvania deer season.

Fortunately there are no such restrictions on photographers that I am aware of.

12 comments:

DeeMom said...

Poor bird looks like he needs a warm meal and lodging,
Seriously great shot

Lynette said...

What a wonderful photo and fact-filled post. Thanks.

I hate it that humans think it's OK to kill animals from vehicles--it's stupid beyond belief.

lv2scpbk said...

You're getting some great shots of wildlife.

Anonymous said...

Sometimes the car is the safest place to take pictures from. This is a nice photo.

photowannabe said...

Its hard to believe that "hunters" would be that cowardly in their pursuit of game.
What a wonderful picture of the Hawk and the flurries. It should be in a wildlife calendar.

Tom said...

When I'm driving of road in my landrover I have seen lots of sights I could only wish for with my camera. It's something I've been thinking of doing for a while now. Seeing shot as given me the urge to try it.

Kerri Farley said...

Wonderful shot! What an adventure you must have had photographing all of these beautiful creatures!

Catherine said...

Two excellent shots of the Hawk!! Love the one in earlier post where you captured it in flight..beautiful!! Thanks for the tips on shooting from the car..shooting with the camera that is..:D My hubby has gotten used to me yelling for him to stop, I have had some blurry photo's from the vibration of the vehicle..Next time I will be shouting stop, & turn the ignition off please hubby! :)
Enjoyed your Beautiful Country Captures as always!!
Cat

smilnsigh said...

Beautiful! Beautiful! Beautiful!

Mari-Nanci

david mcmahon said...

Beautiful work. Came here from Old Man Lincoln's blog, a favourite haunt of mine .....

dot said...

Wow, I love your pictures! I can't imagine getting a picture like that from a car window. Thanks for all the tips.

Chad Oneil Myers said...

Wow!