PHOTOGRAPHING GREAT CRESTED GREBES IN DENMARK - BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS (2021)
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- Опубліковано 11 лют 2025
- Join me for a sunset session where I’m out photographing Great Crested Grebes in Denmark. These birds are incredibly beautiful and have quickly become one of my favourite species after moving back to Europe from Canada. In the video you’ll see how I approach photographing Grebes in the evening when I don’t have the cover of darkness to get into position unseen by the birds. I’ll also show you some of the photos I got and do a walkthrough of the gear and setup I used during this outing.
Here are a few parts of the video you might want to jump to:
03:34 - Video of grebes on the water
04:35 - Examples of photos I took during this session
06:30 - Walkthrough of gear and setup used in the video.
Thanks for watching and as always feel free to drop me a comment or ask a question - I’d be happy to respond!
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Loving the wooden camera mount. Great video & some beautiful images too.
Hi Micheal . I have just found 2 GCG’s at a lovely spot and I can get down low so hoping for a great photography experience . Love your video and the info is very useful . What aperture and minimum shutter speed do you normally use when photographing the grebes please?
Hi Jason - congrats that sounds like a great opportunity to get some nice shots of the Grebes! I usually shoot wide open (for me that is f/4 or f/2.8 depending on the lens). Shutter speed mainly depends on the lighting conditions. I usually photograph them at sunrise or sunset. I'm mainly trying to keep ISO and noise to a minimum (under 1000 preferably under 500). So that dictates the shutter speed and I adjust as needed along with how the light changes. Hope that helps and good luck with the Grebes!
Awesome man loved it very cool
Very interesting and informative video. I was using landscape fabric when I had to lie prone on the ground, now I'll use a yoga mat instead. Mange tak.
Thanks a lot! Glad I could help - cheap yoga mats are great for making stealthy shoots a bit more comfortable :)
What a calming and beautiful way to start my day to see this video. Love it! ❤️
(And that went out from Liv’s account. I’m sure she’ll love the video too -Jens)
@@livrochaschriver5586 Ha ha ha! Thanks a lot Jens! At first I was like "holy moly is this Liv writing me? That's so cool!!!" : )
Great love the Great crested grebe probably my favourite bird for photography they do so much all year ! I would love to do a floating hide shoot freezing but very rewarding !😍👍
Thanks a lot! I totally agree these birds are absolutely awesome :) I just built a flooring hide myself, but I need to test it in a controlled environment before I dare take it out on the water :)
Lovely video Michael. Really great to find a place where you can get low to the water. I always find that to be a problem in the UK as most reserves have hides set up for bird watching that are far to high for photography and they discourage you getting close to the water level, which I love as it makes a much more intimate shot. Great shots in wonderful light👍
Thanks a lot Scott! Yeah bird watching hides are rarely any good for photography. I try to mainly stick to places that are off the beaten track and don't attract a lot of birders/photographers. This spot is great except for the fact that it gets overrun with trigger happy hunters during the buck hunting season that goes from mid May to Mid July here in Denmark. So for the next few months I'll have to stay away just to avoid conflicts :)
Great video Michael, well done, congratulations!
1000 tak Søren!!!
Awesome images and video Michael, stunning colours and environment. Although I don't use Nikon it was interesting to hear about the kit you use. View finder for video is fantastic isn't it, now there is so much IS too.
Thanks a lot Caroline! Oh yes, being able to do video through the viewfinder is such a game changer!
Great video and awesome images as always. Loved seeing your camo set up. Simple and inexpensive. I bought the nikon z6ii over the d780 on your recommendation a few weeks ago. A bit of a learning curve but I love it so far and I look forward to seeing how you set it up for wildlife photography. Your videos and images inspire amateur wildlife photographers like me, thank you.
Thanks so much Chad - means a lot! Awesome to hear that you are happy with your Z6II! There definitely is a learning curve when transitioning from DSLR. But it is totally worth it in my opinion :)
Really great video and photos! =)
Thanks a lot Axel!
Hi Michael, thanks for the video.I do wildlife painting and photography. I am going to move to Denmark this year. I live in tropics. How is the Denmark's bird and other animal abundance . How easy we can see them?
Great video, nice colours and light with some stunning shots. I’ve hardly picked up my D500 since I bought the Z6 ii so I’ll be interested to see your set up. Updated my firmware yesterday and took it out with a view to seeing how the tracking performed but although I saw plenty of Red Kites in flight (in Yorkshire) they were way off the the distance so difficult to compare. D500 is one thing I miss but with a little extra work have found the large area auto focus to be very reliable for large birds in flight, including in woodland conditions with lots of distractions.
Thanks a lot Paul! Yeah I sold my D500 too and I might sell the D850 as well. I'm pretty happy with the AF performance on the Z6II - especially with the last few updates. To me it does a fine job of tracking moving subjects now. The D500 is definitely faster at acquiring focus, but I find that the Z6 II gives me so many other advantages that it fully weighs up for any shortcomings in AF. I've also found the at the wide AF area is quite good for tracking birds in flight.
Gorgeous images! And well put together video.
I love my Z6 and Z6ii. I just sold my last DSLR 😁
Do you use a Z body for your vlog camera as well?
Thanks a lot Joe! Good for you selling you last DSLR :) I'm so happy with my Z6II - probably going to sell my D850 as well. I actually use the DJI OSMO Pocket for my vlogging. It is such a practical little camera - and both image and audio quality is very impressive! I highly recommend it.
Hi mate. Great photos and great video. Just wondering what video head that is? the movements during the video were super smooth. I have been struggling with that recently trying to film wildlife (I only have my tripod ball head). I just set up my camera and hope the animal stays in shot haha. Also, for other wildlife video/ photo what is your normal tripod and tripod head set up? Looking at purchasing a new set up. Cheers mate
Thanks a lot Graham! The video head is a Manfrotto MVH500AH Fluid Head. Quite affordable but works very well. I don't use the video head that much, I normally use a Jobu Jr. 3 Gimbal with either a monopod or tripod. I use the Feisol CT-3372 M2 Rapid tripod. Let me know if you have any other questions :)
Nice work, Michael is it legal to use a floating hide in the water where you shoot ??
Thanks Stan! I didn't use a floating hide in this video, I was lying on the ground. I shoot in many, many different locations. Whether it is legal to use a floating hide, depends on the rules governing the specific location. I always make sure to understand what is legal and not, before I go to a new location. Michael
What camo sheet or whatever its called?
Hi Altima - towards the end of the video I do a full walkthrough of the gear I used including the camo.
@@michaelaagaardphoto i saw that but couldnt hear what u saud thats why
@@alpinist3178 Ah sorry. It is super simple, just a piece of burlap with camo print. You should be able to get it in a hunting store :)
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