Last Tuesday I did a day's workshop at a small lake near Uttoxeter with a couple of other Olympus E-M1ii/300mm f4.0 owners and the the Olympus wildlife photographer, Tesni Ward.
It rained steadily during the morning, but improved later in the day and the low contrast conditions and added interest of the raindrops made for interesting images. Full waterproofs kept me dry, while the water resistance of the equipment proved satisfactory - the only unexpected problem I encountered was from raindrops falling on the rear screen triggering the shutter! Tesni gave us masses of guidance on camera settings, composition and techniques for capturing good images of birds on the water and in flight.
The lake is stocked with an amazing range of common and rare species, including examples from Asia and North America (such as Spotted Whistling Ducks, no less). It's possible to get right down to water level while resting the lens tripod foot on a firm base, and the lake banks give attractive backgrounds. I found panning to follow the birds at water level takes a lot of practice, but I had improved a lot by the end of the afternoon and I'd also greatly increased my speed at moving focus points and switching exposure settings.
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