By Shannine O’Neill
**EXCLUSIVE**
ACTION SHOTS of a blue tits taken on Sunday 19th March shows the majestic bird looking like a ghostly apparition while mid-flight.
One shot showcases the colourful mix of blue, yellow, white and green that makes-up the beautiful feathers adorning the tiny 11-gram bird.
Although tiny, the blue tit’s splendour is not lost in the shots that show the 18-centimeter wingspan in full mid-action flurry.
Photographer Martin Goff (47) from Rossendale, Lancashire, UK captured these spectacular shots of blue tits using a Olympus E-M5iii and 100-400mm lens while photographing different species of birds at a feeder on a farm in Lancashire.
Martin used flash combined with natural light and a slow shutter speed in order to capture the movement of the flight path of the birds and compared them against a black backdrop to show the sharp contrast of the little creature.
“I was photographing a variety of garden birds coming to the feeders,” he said.
“I love watching animal behaviour and interactions and trying to capture those moments and show the beauty and wonder of the natural world around us.
“I love just sitting and watching wild animal behaviour whether rare or common like these blue tits, just so relaxing.
“Using flash combined with natural light shows a sharp image of the bird along with some blur showing its beating wings and flight path.”
Martin was amazed at how contrasting and sharp his images showed the small-but-mighty bird.
“When you photograph fast moving action like this it is not a view that people normally see so I think people are intrigued when they see ‘frozen’ action like this even if it is of a very common species,” he said.
“The blur gives the images an arty feel but is also really interesting that it shows the birds movement in flight in a way we don’t see with the naked eye.
“These are taken using a combination of ambient light and also flash in the same exposure. Using a slow Shutter speed to capture the movement of the wings and flight path and then flash at the end of this exposure, called second curtain sync, to fully illuminate and freeze the subject.
“I then use a black background by the bird feeders where the birds fly in to feed.
“It can be very hit and miss and requires much trial and error to balance the various elements and most go straight in the bin.”
ENDS
