I spent the past couple mornings sitting out by our pond hoping to get some photos of some of the ducks that have been stopping in. Each time, there was very little action and I only got a couple fleeting photos and nothing very good due to poor light conditions and distance. I did come away with these two though...

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D Mark II, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM at 400mm, 1/250 sec at f/5.6. ISO 10000. IS Mode 1. RAW processing and cropped in Adobe Camera Raw.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D Mark II, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM at 400mm, 1/160 sec at f/8. ISO 1250. IS Mode 1. RAW processing and cropped in Adobe Camera Raw.

The first is a pair of Hooded Mergansers and the second is a male Wood Duck.

This last one is an absolutely horrible photo due to the high ISO needed and the long distance it was taken (and then heavily cropped), but I wanted to at least get a single shot of this white deer. I've been throwing out corn, so hopefully they'll come in closer some time when there is slightly better light. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for it to come around again.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D Mark II, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM at 400mm, 1/13 sec at f/5.6. ISO 16000. IS Mode 1. RAW processing and cropped in Adobe Camera Raw.

Let's hope I can get some more good opportunities with these elusive subjects.

- Bill

Ok - I know... no one wants to look at snow for a while - especially with the nice weather we've been having (which incidentally is why I haven't been posting as much because I started some yard work projects). Here's a couple more from visit we got from this deer last week.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D Mark II, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM at 400mm, 1/1000 sec at f/8. ISO 200. IS Mode 1. RAW processing and cropped in Adobe Camera Raw.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D Mark II, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM at 321mm with Canon Extender EF 1.4x III, 1/500 sec at f/11. ISO 400. IS Mode 1. RAW processing and cropped in Adobe Camera Raw.

I'm playing hooky from work tomorrow in the hopes of getting out and getting some photos, so hopefully I come back with something good to share.

- Bill

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D Mark II, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM at 560mm with Canon Extender EF 1.4x III, 1/320 sec at f/1. ISO 400. IS Mode 1. RAW processing and cropped in Adobe Camera Raw.

So it looks like, given the right conditions, I can indeed get some good results with the 1.4x teleconverter. I do have a bit more of a challenge with composition, but more on that later.

- Bill

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM at 400mm, 1/160 sec at f/8. ISO 800. IS Mode 1. RAW processing and cropped in Adobe Camera Raw.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM at 400mm, 1/100 sec at f/8. ISO 800. IS Mode 1. RAW processing and cropped in Adobe Camera Raw.

- Bill

Just stopping by to share a shot of some deer...

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM (borrowed) at 380mm, 1/500th sec at f/8. ISO 320. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw.

- Bill