I always suggest that when you are comfortable with your camera, learn something new about it. I have been trying to get an in-focus shot of an otter and, while meeting with some success, had a really bad in-focus/out-of-focus ratio. When they bounce of this log, they surge out of the water and push off back into the water in the opposite direction, so there is not time to react. You are either ready or you are not, so anything you can use in your favour … I had been using predictive tracking, but now I decided to give my 3D Tracking mode a whirl. The otters were still too fast to nail every shot, but my in-focus shots increased dramatically!
While I do recommend you try something new to learn your camera better, I would also suggest that you not try something new when it counts. In the case of the cheetah running across the snow…I was so thrilled with my success with the otter that I then tried it with a cheetah.
Cheetahs aren’t cold-climate creatures, so seeing them against a white backdrop is not commonplace and I wanted to take advantage of the rare opportunity. While there was snow, this day was pretty mild and the cheetah was wandering her enclosure. It took me 2 hours of watching and waiting to get these shots before she decided she had had enough and went inside the cat house. I had 3D tracking on, but the tracking wasn’t allowing me to compose as I wanted and I missed a number of shots. I think it’s possible that the moving mass of similar spots confused the tracker, so while a really great addition to the cool features on my camera that will help me nail more shots, it’s not something for every situation. I will have fun continuing to play with it, though, so that when I need it, it will be second nature.
One final shot of the cheetah enjoying sunshine on her face while relaxing on a heated stone.
