Bird Photographer of the Year Georgina Steytler OM magazine

INTERVIEW
BIRD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
OM | ISSUE 001 | JAN-MAR 2021

Georgina’s

top 3 tips for wildlife shots
1. Get up early!
Australia gets a lot of sunlight
all year round, but in summer,
especially, it can get hot and
harsh very quickly. It is, therefore,
essential for good photography
that you get up before sunrise to
get the best, softest light in the
first hour or two after sunrise.
Mornings are also better than
afternoons to avoid heat haze
which impacts sharpness.
2
3
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and M.Zuiko 12-100mm F4.0 IS PRO
lens, and as someone who is used
to shooting at a minimum of 600mm
focal length it was critical to me to
get similar reach.
I am in love with Pro Capture
Mode and use it whenever the
opportunity arises. Previously, I
handheld a large, heavy lens and
inevitably seldom waited for a bird
to take off, and when it did I often
missed the shot. Now I can handhold
my E-M1 Mark III in Pro Capture
Mode for several minutes waiting
for a bird to move. Then, when the
action is over I press the shutter and
I back-capture all the movements
of the bird as it rises from a perch.
Perfect!
Another plus is that I can now
also shoot handheld at much slower
shutter speeds than ever before
due to the superior in-camera
image stabilisation. As I never use
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2. Down to eye level
Getting low not only gets you at
eye level for water and ground
birds, but even more importantly,
it makes you appear less
threatening and the birds will
be inclined to come closer to
you, allowing you to grab more
intimate shots.

(2) OM-D E-M1 Mark
III | M.Zuiko 300mm
F4.0 MC-14
1/2500sec | F5.6 |
ISO 800

(3) OM-D E-M1
Mark III | M.Zuiko
300mm F4.0 MC-14
1/4000sec | F5.6 |
ISO 1000
(4) OM-D E-M1 Mark
III | M.Zuiko 300mm
F4.0 MC-14
1/8sec | F10 |
ISO 64
(5) OM-D E-M1 Mark
III | M.Zuiko 300mm
F4.0 MC-14
1/600sec | F5.6 |
ISO 1250
3. Ahead of the game
Using high-speed continuous
shooting, or the incredible Pro
Capture Mode, will maximise
your chance of getting that one
shot that has the perfect action,
pose or wing position.
4

What’s in Georgina’s kit bag
A plus of the OM-D E-M1
Mark III is that I can now
also shoot handheld at
much slower shutter
speeds than ever before

OM-D E-M1
Mark III
8
a tripod, this has been one of the
best features and enabled me to
experiment with oystercatchers
feeding along the shoreline (4). By
shooting at 1/8sec (handheld) I was
able to get a sharp shot of bird
whilst blurring the water around it to
create a dreamlike effect.
I’ve had my E-M1 Mark III since
July last year, and I’d say I’m
shooting with it about 80% of the time
now. I have a lot of expensive gear
from a previous system that I was
reluctant to part with at first, but as
time goes on I have started to sell it
off piece by piece. I am finding the
size and weight convenience of my
new Olympus system means that it is
becoming my first choice for a wide
range of photography.

M.Zuiko 60mm
F2.8 Macro

M.Zuiko 12-100mm
F4.0 IS PRO

M.Zuiko 300mm
F4.0 IS PRO

M.Zuiko 1.4x
Teleconverter MC-14
5
62
Functions on my E-M1 Mark III like
the flip-out screen has enabled me
to capture images I may not have
otherwise been able to, for example,
when turning it upwards to get a
water-level image of a great crested
grebe with babies from a wooden
boardwalk over the wetlands (5). I
am no expert in macro but I have
always been fascinated by the insect
world so to finally be able to get
in-camera focus stacking is a dream,
and also very addictive to use! I
have also used it for flowers and
landscapes. The possibilities are
endless.
It’s easy to get too focused on the
technical aspects of each camera
system, and many people do this to
the detriment of their images. In my
opinion, the most important aspect
of beautiful bird photography is
developing an ‘eye’. All modern pro
camera systems can take awardwinning shots in the right hands, so
you should focus on the convenience
and suitability of the system for you
(and any extra ‘cool’ features it has
that you want) going forward, not
necessarily on its megapixels or
sensor size.
If you struggle with the weight of
your existing system and find yourself
being reluctant to take it everywhere
you go because of this, then I would
definitely recommend that you make
the switch now, like I did.
Find out more about the Bird
Photographer of the Year 2021 here.
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(6) OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 60mm F2.8
Macro
1/125sec | F7.1 | ISO 400
(7) OM-D E-M1 Mark III | M.Zuiko 300mm F4.0
MC-14
1/160sec | F5.6 | ISO 1600
(8) OM-D E-M1 Mark III with M.Zuiko 300mm
F4.0 MC-14
1/3200sec | F5.6 | ISO 320

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