Vernon Chalmers Photography

Birds in Flight Photography Training Cape Town Mastering Birds in Flight Photography 2026 with Vernon Chalmers, featuring Canon autofocus techniques, tracking, exposure and field skills. Yellow-Billed Duck : Copyright Vernon Chalmers Photography " Bird in flight photography offers an exhilarating blend of artistic appeal and immense technical challenge " "Birds in flight (BIF) photography demands exceptional precision, reflexes, and mastery of photographic tools. Among these tools, Canon’s EOS ecosystem — encompassing both DSLR and mirrorless platforms — provides a comprehensive combination of autofocus performance, lens compatibility, and configurable controls that make photographing fast-moving avian subjects possible. This essay offers a systematic exploration of BIF photography techniques specifically tailored to Canon EOS systems. Topics include autofocus configuration, shutter speed selection, exposure control, lens choices, and workflow strategies that are critica...

Canon Birds in Flight Photography Setup Guide Setup and tips for Canon birds in flight photography, covering autofocus settings, exposure control, lens choices, and tracking techniques for sharp, consistent results. Birds in Flight at Intaka Island | Woodbridge Island, Cape Town Yellow-Billed Duck in Flight - Canon EOS 7D Mark II / EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens As a keen Birds in Flight photographer and photography trainer I spend a fair amount of time photographing and researching birds in flight around Intaka Island / Woodbridge Island, Cape Town. Mastering Canon Birds in Flight Photography Although this article is not a step-by-step guide for becoming more proficient in the photographing birds in flight it offers my own links to in-site resources that should assist the new / developing photographer. Its really up to the individual photographer to take time for researching and learning about the various settings, skills and applications to master birds in flight photography. Also Read: ...

Garden Photography at Kirstenbosch Flower Photography at Kirstenbosch Garden offers photographers the opportunity to capture vibrant botanical diversity, natural light, and seasonal blooms within one of the world’s most beautiful botanical gardens. King Protea Kirstenbosch Garden, Cape Town Experiential Training Session at Kirstenbosch Garden A few images while experimenting with a different camera / lens set-up during our Saturday visit to Kirstenbosch. I generally use the Canon EOS 70D / EOS 7D Mark II APS-C / crop bodies paired with the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens. For this outing I used the Canon EOS 6D (which I almost exclusive use landscape photography) pared with the same lens, The crop factor of the APS-C bodies provides an additional 1.6x magnification (compared to a Canon Full Frame body) when using the same lens. Both body setups will have their advantages and disadvantages in terms of reach to subject (due to sensor size), autofocus tracking capability, burst ...

Birds in Flight / Perched Bird Photography at Woodbridge Island Mainly birding with the ever-green Canon EOS 7D Mark II / EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens Yellow-Billed Duck in Flight : Above Woodbridge Island Shooting at 400mm with the Canon EOS 7D Mark II (APS-C) body Some blue sky and a moderate south-easterly wind with rain forecasted for later - that was my conditional challenge, but I knew from experience that this pairing would deliver even with full cloud cover. Again, I went for my regular photography hike, down the Diep River, Woodbridge Island, right up to the edge of the  Table Bay Nature Reserve . I just feel so confident with this body and lens in my hands - this is what I wrote on my profile on Birdlife South Africa's Facebook Group about using the Canon EF 400mm f/5/6L USM lens:  Along the way I had the usual birds and was very exiting to see the terns back - that could potentially mean they are here after spotting some fish - or perhaps they just came around investiga...

Birds / Birds in Flight Photography at Woodbridge Island Capture birds and butterflies with the Canon EOS 6D Mark II—exploring autofocus precision, full-frame image quality, and field techniques for detailed wildlife photography. Experimenting with the Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM prime lens paired with the Canon EOS 6D Mark II. Purple Heron in Flight : Above Woodbridge Island Shooting at 400mm with the Canon EOS 6D Mark II (Full Frame) body Looking out the window this morning I viewed a relatively cloudless blue sky and a moderate south-easterly wind. For my regular photography hike, down the Diep River, Woodbridge Island, right up to the edge of the  Table Bay Nature Reserve  I decided to pair the Canon EOS 6D Mark II with the Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens. With the objective to experience the focal range a little different than with the effective crop-factor of the Canon EOS 7D Mark II  paired with the same lens. I decided that the 6.5fps, 26 megapixel sensor (for impro...

Learn autofocus and field techniques for capturing birds in flight Afternoon Birds in Flight photography training at Intaka Island with Canon autofocus techniques, tracking skills, exposure control, and wetland bird observation. Bird photography training at Intaka Island with Vernon Chalmers. Learn autofocus, exposure, and field techniques for capturing birds in flight and wildlife behaviour. African Sacred Ibis in Flight Intaka Island, Cape Town Canon Camera Birds in Flight Photography Practical Training Intaka Island Why Intaka Island is Ideal for Birds in Flight Photography Intaka Island provides an accessible and highly effective environment for developing Birds in Flight (BIF) photography skills with Canon camera systems. The protected urban wetland ecosystem offers open flight paths, predictable bird movement, and varied lighting conditions that support practical autofocus and exposure training. The island’s network of pathways, water edges, reed beds, and observation areas cre...