Welcome to the Photography section – this section is all about showing you just how the amazing photographers at Cromwell Bottom do it! Which cameras and lenses do they use and what are the camera settings needed to get pictures like this? Is the time of day important ? You will see that the early morning for the ‘North Loop at Dawn’ picture (the yellow one on the homepage, and below) is vital to get a shot like this. All our photographers featured on this website are Trustees of Cromwell Bottom Wildlife Group and can be contacted on a Thursday morning, or all day Sundays, down at the Cabin. They would be delighted to help you in any way they can. Or you can email the group for information at cromwellbottom@gmail.com for the attention of Mike Henshaw. Mike records for the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and if you scroll down this page you will see the last recorded picture of a Cuckoo at Cromwell Bottom!
ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT CBWG – thank you for respecting this.
MIKE HENSHAW – Mike is the bird recorder and a Trustee of Cromwell Bottom Wildlife Group and he sends us a selection of his instructional photographs.
Mike says this about North Loop at Dawn – taken on 9th May 2016 at 0613 and a misty daybreak. I had been on the reserve for about an hour and I was standing on top of the bund on North Loop when I took the photo and I did not realise the Heron was dead centre until I downloaded the pics on to the computer! We get up early to see Cromwell and North Loop at it’s wonderful best with no disturbances!
Camera Sony A350 DSLR / Lens Sony 70-300mm / Focal length 70mm.
Aperture (f stop) f11 – Shutter speed 1/250 sec – ISO 100 – auto white balance
LITTLE EGRET
Taken 11 August 2015 – This bird had been around for a few days and was fairly distant, so I set myself up by the weir for an hour. I waited until it came close to the overspill and bingo! Click on the image for a larger picture so you can view the water drops coming off the beak. Here are the camera settings:
Camera Sony A350 DSLR
Lens Sigma 70-300mm – set at 300mm
Aperture f11.
Shutter speed 1/4000 – ISO 400 – white balance daylight
BROAD BODIED CHASER.
Taken at the dipping pond on 07/07/2019 at 11.38.am. To be able to get images like this is a waiting game and most dragonflies have a favoured perch they almost always come back to so it is a matter of watching. It was a fairly bright and warm morning so this was nice to capture.
Camera Nikon D 810 Lens Nikon 70/300 Lens set at 300mm.
Shutter speed 1/1250 sec – aperture f7.1.
ISO 800 – white balance auto.
Spot focus and spot metering.
JAY.
This picture was taken in the bird feeding area at 1139 and the light was fairly bright that morning so very good conditions for this kind of picture.
Camera Sony A100 – Lens Sigma 70-300mm set at 300mm
Aperture f5.6 – ISO 400
Shutter speed 1/2250 – white balance auto.
A high (fast) shutter speed is needed to freeze the subject and good light and a fairly open aspect to track the subject.
GOLDFINCH
Taken by the main gate into the compound by the substation on 21/01/2020 at 0949. Good light but windy so high shutter speed. This was taken when I was sitting in the car and the bird was not bothered about me parked alongside!
NIKON D 810 with 70-300 lens – set at 300mm.
Shutter speed 1/1600 – ISO 800,
Aperture f6.3
Auto white balance
spot focus and spot metering
Sedge Warbler (m)
One of my favorite photos as Sedge Warblers are heard more often than seen so to catch one in the open, and singing, was a big bonus.
Taken on 19/05/2011.
Camera Sony A350
Sigma 70/300 lens – set at 300mm
Shutter speed 1/500th – ISO 100 – Aperture f8
auto white balance – spot meter and spot focus
Siskin (m)
Taken in the bird feeding area on 19/03/2013 at 1042 am, on a fairly bright day.
Back in 2013 both Siskins and Redpolls were all around this area.
Camera Sony A350.
Sigma 70/300 lens – set at 300mm
Shutterspeed 1/400th – ISO 400
Aperture f5.6
White balance daylight and spot meter and spot focus.
Blackcap.
Taken 12/06/2011 at 11-45 at the side of the river just down from the footbridge on a bright day and had a nest close by.
Sony A100 camera with 70-300 lens set at 300mm.
Shutter set at 1/500 and ISO at160. Aperture f5.6
Auto white balance,spot meter and spot focus.
Took this when out doing the BTO 2007/2011 Atlas survey.
CUCKOO
As far as I am aware this is the last known record of a Cuckoo at Cromwell Bottom and it was taken as a long record shot on 22/05/2009 at 0831 again on BTO survey for the atlas. It flew out of the reserve on to the canal side and only had time for one long shot as the path was busy and it flew back into the reserve never to be seen or heard again.
Camera Sony A100 with Sony 70/300 lens set at 300mm..
ISO 400. Aperture F5-6,
White balance auto shutter at 1/500,spot meter
I came across this one on the river path on 09/08/2013 at 1145 in the morning,
Camera Sony A100 with Sigma 70/300 lens set at 180mm. Shutter speed 1/800, ISo 400, Aperture f5-6, Auto white balance, Spot focus and spot metering