Lockdown Practice

In a normal year I am predominantly a sports photographer who also dabbles in various other genres.  However, in 2020, most of the events I normally cover (motorsport, tennis, obstacle course racing etc.) either came to a halt or ran with extremely limited attendance by photographers.  Street photography was also limited as I tried to ensure I had minimal to no contact with others.

Male House Finch
Nikon D750, Nikon 70-200 | F3.2, 1/250, ISO500 +1 2/3EV

So, what is a photographer to do.  Initially, after giving all my gear a thorough cleaning – I had the time – I put it away.  I put up a bird feeder, something I have wanted for quite a while, and sat back and relaxed.

Watching the many varieties of birds visiting resulted in a return of the photographer’s itch.  I would whip out my cell phone and start taking photos, posting them to my personal social media pages for fun.  Being a photographer, I did not want people to think that the quality of these photographs was reflective of my work, so I would jokingly caption them as being from my “crappy phone camera”.   Seeing what I could produce with a cell phone camera, I decided to take my DSLR out of hibernation,

Male House Finch
Nikon D750, Nikon 200-500 | F9, 1/320, ISO1600 +5EV

With the adage about practice makes perfect ringing in my head, I started photographing my very capable models…the wildlife that would show up at the feeder.  Photographing birds and squirrels is fabulous practice for shooting natural light portraits and for panning shots.  Additionally, their movements also help in practicing posing for portraits.

The photographs here were taken from inside my living room looking out.  As the background is not the most interesting, a regular suburban neighbourhood, I knew I needed good bokeh for my shots, i.e. a fast aperture lens.

Red Squirrel
Nikon D750, Nikon 200-500 | F8, 1/250, ISO2000 +5EV

I initially shot with my 70-200 f2.8 lens but this meant a fair bit of cropping as the birds and squirrels are so small given the distance I needed to maintain so as not to spook them.  I then switched to the 200-500 for its reach and lovely bokeh.  EV adjustments were made to accommodate for the brightness of the snowy background. 

Being a sports photographer where for most events tripods are not allowed, this type of shooting has also helped maintain my ability to use heavy equipment handheld.  Great exercise for your arms!

Female House Finch
Nikon D750, Nikon 200-500 | F5.6, 1/500, ISO1250 +5EV

About the author: Neena Channan is a free-lance photographer based in Toronto, Ontario who has contributed to and been published in various publications locally and internationally.  She is the official photographer for Match Point Canada the official podcast for Tennis Canada and for the 2021 season, Neena will be the Official Photographer of the Canadian Motorsport Response Team (CMRT).