Last winter was bitterly cold in the Netherlands, and after a heavy snowfall a lot of blackbirds visited the fat feeders in Jef's garden in Oisterwijk. Setting up his hide, Jef started to try to photograph the birds flying in to feed. But the light was poor and it was tricky following them in flight. 'To compensate for the low light, I then concentrated on taking images using a slow shutter speed,' he says. After many attempts, he finally got his action shot, of a female blackbird. 'I was so engrossed getting her head sharp,' he adds, 'I didn't realise how cold I was.' A dynamic image bathed in soft low light was the reward for his pain and patience.
Canon EOS 7D + 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 lens; 1/60 sec at f6.3 (+1 e/v); ISO 500; Gitzo GT 3541LS tripod.
Oisterwijk, The Netherlands