Hey guys, sorry about the RE upload... The 4K version wasn't working with the last one but is now! Hope you enjoy the video and as always if you've got any questions about wildlife photography, I'll be down here in the comments to answer them!
Fantastic episode. It gives me ideas about some hide work. We have sub zero winter weather right now. Bald Eagles are migrating along the river. Your video has given me more motivation to go out this weekend and shoot.
Hi Tom, welcome back! It’s always such a pleasure and inspiring to watch your videos, so I was happy to see it pop up this morning. This one was no exception. Wow, those kites! I live in the US Pacific NW, westside - and it’s a great time to photograph hawks and bald eagles in action. “Buzzards” are common with a variety of colors. This year we’ve been treated to a red-shouldered hawk that I’ve been able to observe and photograph. Your lessons showing setup, patience, and how to stay hidden are spot on. Thank you, I look forward to your next one!
Thank you so much and I'm glad you enjoyed the video! It certainly is a good time to photograph birds of prey here too, the colder weather means they can often be better tempted down onto some extra food! I'll certainly have some more video shortly, thanks for watching!
@@TomMasonPhoto Hi Tom new subscriber from the US. I have a Nikon D3500 with a Nikon AF-P Nikkor 70-300mm. I have taken some good beginner pictures of birds. But i think i can do a lot better i terms of picture quality. What Ken's can you suggest to to with the D3500? Thank you and keep on educating your watchers.🙏🏾👌🏾
@@obsidian00 It is a sad day, My D850 has the battle scars of years of field use and has been in my hand and shot some of my favourite images. He has been a trusty workhorse!
Hey dave, yes the hide is certainly worth a look and is very well priced, I had a great few days, it was just a little bit of a shame we didn't get many breaks in the weather!
Wonderful location and video! Because of Covid I set up a feeding station on my 10 acres with three hides (actually one is an old tractor shed). Nothing nearly as cool as your video's location. Appreciate your recommendations on prep and equipment layout to manage noise and frustration when you critically need something. You did overlook two very important things... 1. Coffee 2. empty jar for when your body is done with the coffee :)) Thanks for sharing Tom
Hi Tom, It has been for a while since your last video and at the end you came back with such a great work. It was pretty amazing work plus such beautiful captures. My favourite is 13:04 the buzzard with kite behind. This has been a master piece of all times. 11:20 buzzard landing is supperb as well. Once again thank you and don't make it so long please. We are missing. All our love from a snowy istanbul.
Thank you so much 😀 It certainly has been a while but I promise in 2022 I'll be keeping the videos more consistent! It was great fun working with the kites and buzzards. I do also really like the shot with the blurred kites behind...that one took a while to get right! I hope you are doing well and getting out for some great images? All the best, Tom
Great vid, I’ve just ordered the d850 I can’t wait to get out with it. I went to virgin for the first time last year loved it , I was in the tower hide and enjoyed it took far to many pics 😂
Great to see you back Tom with this excellent video. I have been to Gigrin once and it was great but you have inspired me to return and try out this low level hide.
Tom thanks for this Vid you made my mind up of going to Gigrin as soon as Wales opens up for business I'm on a four hour road trip to get some lovely red kite photos and I love the idea of using two cameras so we'll have to invest in buying an extra lens or do you think a little 70mm to 200mm would do as a back up
What do you think of the 500mm f4E in 2023? I am looking for a super telephoto and I think it’ll be a very long time before the Z series ones make it onto the used market at a fair price
Oh yes for sure, Its odd, I was thinking of making a short video of why right now his SUCH a good time to be picking up used gear in the F mount range, especially the latest E mount stuff like the 500 f4, I mean just spotted this one for £4000, crazy stuff for such a impressive lens! tidd.ly/3ug6lzj I think if you font have the fund for the brand new Z mount the F mount E series glass is a superb option
That's basically wildlife photography with bait. Great photos but knowing the set up that's way less interesting. That's great that Red Kites were re-introduced but I don't see how feeding them will be sustainable in the long run to keep an healthy population.
The kites have been fed at Gigrin for nearly 20 years now, it was started as a way to ensure the fledgling Kite population after reintroduction had some reliable food. The birds have been fed as far as I know, with out fail every day since that has certainly helped them to establish and flourish. These days with the birds having moved throughout much of the south of England, they are maintaining their population without any dependance on feeding locations like these! Totally understand baiting can be a tricky subject in wildlife photography, but this site has been a real conservation success story! Thanks for watching, Tom
It was a busy end of the year in terms of my client work so I just couldn’t also commit to the channel as much as I wanted too on top! However this year I really want to do more videos and am planning to make them as regular as possible!
Hello Tom, I currently shoot wildlife and landscapes on a D3200 and I’m looking to upgrade. Do you think I should go for one of the Z series or is the D850 still a good choice despite the rise of mirrorless cameras? It’s a lot of money to spend and I’m struggling to come to a decision, so any advice would be appreciated. I don’t want to buy a D850 and then get left behind…many thanks and keep up the good work. great/useful video as always.
Hello I have a D850 and Z7II and I prefer the D850. You will never be left behind with a D850. The Z7 maybe better for static birds but even fir that I prefer my D850.
@@tcwhite0104 hi mate, really appreciate that response thank you. I’m coming round to the idea of getting a D850 again. I could even get a D850 and entry level mirrorless for landscape stuff to have the best of both worlds. Mirrorless camera would be good weight wise for hiking up mountains.
@@jamamafegan4 you’re most welcome and yes the Z7II is awesome to take into the woods or Lind trail exploring. Whenever I go hiking and such I remove the battery grip on the D850 and it isn’t to heavy.
Those are some really nice shots! Glad you got to go and that the light was good. I'm building a pond and including a below ground hide to get shots at water level. What sort of material were these hides built of to keep the damp ground from ruining the walls?
Hey so the hide is built with drainage around the outside the take away any water from the underground structure. The lower section is brick with the dam-proofing and drainage, with the upper wooden. Good luck with the pond hide! Should be ideal for some reflection work. Cheers, Tom
Great video as ever. Just come back from Harewood House trying to get kites in flight. Struggling with the exposure bird comes out very dark, recovered in Lightroom. Just wondered if you have any tips you wouldn’t mind sharing. Thanks in advance.
Hey Mick, one of the things you have to do when working with birds in flight is making sure to over expose slightly. The light meter can be easily tricked as the background is so much brighter than the bird, so often you'll need to dial in +2/3 or 1 stop of over exposure to ensure you get some detail in the underside! If however your shooting as the sun rises or sets thus giving you some underside illumination, you wont need to over expose as much if at all depending on the light situation! Good Luck, Tom
Although I enjoyed this video, it was spoilt by RU-vid adverts. Anyone thinking of using RU-vid should aware that over time more and more adverts will appear. Then RU-vid will introduce TWO adverts at a time and, finally, they will deliberately jump from the video you are watching to another unrelated video. Then they will constantly try to persuade you to pay a fee for advert free videos. Be very aware of the dirty tricks employed by RU-vid.
For myself it’s very simple. The video capabilities are what I wanted as a pro. For the shoots I’ve been doing and clients, they want more video stuff. But having had the camera in my hands for a week, it’s a big step up in almost every aspect bar MP. If you were a landscape photographer it’s not a game changer. Action and sports, it’s a different story!
I am probably going to get a Z9 also, my first full frame pro camera, for me advantages are: autofocus speed and accuracy, silent shutter, better image stabilisation, faster frame rate, no shutter blackout. So, generally significant improvement for wildlife photography. Is it worth £5300?? Probably not, but that's how much it is....☹
