I recently photographed this barred owl at sunset in Algonquin Park, Ontario.
It was a gorgeous spring night. I was using the Nikon Z 7II with 500mmPF. We were losing the light fast. The owl was pretty content on the tree and after I got a few nice shots from this scene, I decided to take the camera to the ultimate test I put on the 2x extender, making my minimum aperture F11. I went up to 4000 ISO leaving me with a 1/160 second shutter. This image was taken hand-held at 1000mm – with the help from the 5-stop in-camera stabilization. I never ever imagined photographing with these settings. We can now achieve these unimaginable results compared to in the past when we would have walked away with these impossible settings.
It was a reminder to push past the barriers and try shooting no matter what. Really get to know your camera and how far you can go.
About the Author
Michelle Valberg is an award-winning Canadian Nikon Ambassador and Canadian Geographic Photographer-in-Residence. She has been a visual story teller for over 30 years capturing wild creatures, stunning landscapes and compelling portraits around the world. She has also published 5 books and is a member of the Explorer’s Club.
Visit michellevalberg.com or follow on Instagram – @michellevalbergphotography
