backlit Archives - Craig Rogers Photography

Backlit Bee-Eater On The Chase

20th July 202120th July 2021Craig Rogers

I have quite a few shots from a session of shooting into the sunset yesterday evening and I’ll post a new blog entry soon, but this photo deserves it’s own post!

As a photographer, you can put yourself in the right place at the right time by careful planning, but sometimes that extra bit of luck can make all the difference.

Here is a backlit shot of a European Bee-Eater swopping in to catch a Honey Bee. In case you are wondering, it easily caught it and took it to feed a juvenile perched waiting on a nearby electricity cable.

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Are The Honey Bees Social Distancing?

24th May 202024th May 2020Craig Rogers

I was shooting some backlit photos this morning of the Honey Bees and managed to fluke this one which looks like the Honey Bees queuing with social distancing!

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Back-light Session With European Stonechats

6th May 20206th May 2020Craig Rogers

This year, locally, we are back to our usual numbers of European Stonechats, last year for some reason the numbers were low. Yesterday afternoon’s light was amazing so I decided to have a short session using the light to create some stunning back-lit photos.

European Stonechats are the perfect model for back-lit shots as you often see them perched on top of plants and fence posts. Their name comes from the sound of their call which is similar to that of pebbles being knocked together, often broken with a single chirp.

In case you are wondering, I’ve included a photo showing you what European Stonechats look like as I was lucky to get a breeding pair perched together.

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Male (left) & Female (right) European Stonechats

The Unmistakable Colours Of The European Bee-Eater Backlit By The Sunset

3rd August 20193rd August 2019Craig Rogers

Almost every evening the now re-grouped huge colony of European Bee-Eaters arrive around the Quinta, they are taking an easy meal from nearby Honey Bee Hives.

They are always west of the Quinta which means they are beautifully back-lit by the setting sun.

Today, I was waiting with a camera and grabbed a shot of one landing with a catch. Just look how the sun is shining through the feathers!

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📷 Nikon D850, AF-S 80-400 f/4.5-5.6 @ 400mm, f/8, 1/3200sec, ISO1100

Lovers At Sunset

29th June 201930th June 2019Craig Rogers

I’ve been thinking about this shot for a while, but if I’m honest, it was more to get a White Stork family with juveniles in the shot. However, when I arrived and pair were standing facing each other it worked even better.

The sun is directly behind the nest creating this amazing back-lit silhouette of the White Storks sitting on the nest. Standing a fair distance away and using a long lens (500mm) created the sun to be almost the same size as the nest. I love the way it looks like the streetlight is lit too, it wasn’t.

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Back-lit Flora

30th May 201930th May 2019Craig Rogers

I was late taking Wally out this morning after a late night in the studio. I have had a lot of Real Estate work (FotoSul) over the last few days and I’d rather process the photos at night!

It was 10am before we headed out and many of the bird life, apart from the Bee-Eaters were quiet due to the already above 30 deg heat. The sun at 10am is strong and high at this time of year, so I used it to capture from back-lit shots of some of the plant life. Here are 4 that I captured. Each photo is taken with -2EV (Exposure Compensation) dialled in. The dark background is provided by some distant trees blocking the sunlight.

First up, one of Emma’s favourite plants, the Allium.

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