We went hawk chasing in the Texas Panhandle last week. Hawks come down to north Texas in the winter to feed on prairie dogs, rabbits, and other small rodents. It's a photographer's paradise.Photo technique? Drive the dirt or gravel roads looking for hawks on fence posts or power poles. Set the camera on AV and f/5.6 or 6.3. (That gives you the fastest shutter speed for the lighting conditions.) Raise the ISO to 400 or so if needed to get more shutter speed. Set the Drive to high speed. Set the Auto Focus to AI-Serve or Continuous in Nikon.
When you spot a hawk, get ready, roll down the window, and drive up to it. Most will flush off the pole but some will stay or fly once you stop the car and get out. It's something you have to repeat over and over again to get a successful shot. We did this for four days and had a blast.
We do the same thing in autumn west of Houston where we've counted over 90 hawks in one afternoon. Driving slowly, we've witnessed some awesome behavior and gotten some good shots. Thanks, Kathy.
ReplyDeleteExactly the same strategy in west Harris County. The species are different in the Panhandle and that makes things a lot more fun.
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