Bird and Wildlife Photography: The Full Picture Capturing the beauty of birds and wildlife goes beyond having the right camera and lens; it's about the entire setup—gear, techniques, and knowledge working together for an immersive experience. In my bird and wildlife photography series, I cover key aspects for success. The Ultimate Micro Four Thirds Wildlife... Continue Reading →
Re Editing Pictures and How Birch Tar Perfume Could Change your Wildlife Photography
When you're out exploring, do you find yourself taking countless photos of the same subject? Do you publish all of them? Probably not—and that’s a good thing. Nothing turns off readers of articles or viewers of photo galleries faster than feeling like they’re seeing the same photo over and over. Even long series of similar... Continue Reading →
A Few Updates Before the Holiday Break
As the holiday season draws near, I’m wrapping up the final posts of the year. Recent weeks have been dedicated to bird and wildlife photography, and this Friday, I’ll publish one last article to close out the series. In addition, I’ve added a new gallery post focused on wildlife photography. You’ll find the link below.... Continue Reading →
Underrated micro 4:3 cameras
Looking for a camera for bird and wildlife photography? You might want to take a closer look at the Micro Four Thirds system! At first glance, the title might suggest this article highlights a few underrated cameras. In reality, it’s about the entire Micro Four Thirds (MFT) system being underappreciated, not just a few models.... Continue Reading →
Wildlife Photography 101: Gear Up, Suit Up, and Capture the Wild
This has to be one of the funniest images I’ve ever used, created with AI as a header picture ! Sure, it’s wildly exaggerated, and the wild is clearly sitting where it absolutely shouldn’t—but it gets the point across. Be prepared: for what you plan to photograph and the situations you might find yourself in.... Continue Reading →
Crop – Teleconverter or Bigger Lens
Crop, Teleconverter, or Longer Lens: What’s the Best Option? When your lens doesn’t give you the magnification you need, what’s the best solution? Should you crop your image, use a teleconverter, or invest in a longer lens? This is a question I’ve tackled myself using several Olympus lenses, along with extensive research through reviews and... Continue Reading →
Freddy’s Close-Up: Capturing Nature with the E-M5 Mark III
The Olympus E-M5 Mark III: My Most Used Camera If you browse through my gallery, you'll quickly notice that the Olympus E-M5 Mark III is my most frequently used camera. And that's despite owning two E-M1 models and even an OM-1 MKII. On paper, the E-M5 Mark III seems modest: a single SD card slot,... Continue Reading →
From 150mm to 2400mm FOV: The Ultimate Micro Four Thirds Wildlife Lens Guide
Here's a breakdown of Olympus/OM System and Panasonic micro four-thirds (MFT) lenses suitable for bird and wildlife photography. These lenses are evaluated with their key strengths and weaknesses, along with an average new price/second-hand sorted table. The pros and cons listed here are sourced from well-known review sites, but I don’t always agree with them. If I own or... Continue Reading →
Shape Break, Earthy Tones: The Art of Camouflage
The Art of Blending In: A Practical Guide for Wildlife Photography For a while, I was quite enthusiastic about recommending military-style clothing for photographing birds and wildlife. However, I’ve realized this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Some people dislike the colors, patterns, or even the associations with military wear, and that’s completely understandable. Even hunting... Continue Reading →
Morning Elegance: A Roe Deer’s Breakfast of Dandelions
The Year is Ending: Looking Back and Forward As the year draws to a close, we're just days away from the start of the final month. Before we know it, another year will have passed. What will the next photographic year bring? Hopefully, plenty of good weather! As the holiday season approaches, the pace of... Continue Reading →
Deer Headshot
In Today’s Photo Gallery: A Female Roe Deer Today's gallery features a small series of photos of a female roe deer. These images tie into topics from previous articles on Open Source Photography, such as which camera settings to use or what makes the ideal telephoto lens for birds and wildlife. While many YouTube professionals... Continue Reading →
Stop Searching for Best Bird and Wildlife Settings – The Secret is Auto ISO
The internet is full of resources, whether you're baking cake, fixing bikes, or diving into photography. For wildlife or bird photography, one thing stands out in search trends: the best camera settings. Beginners and pros alike often look for advice on lenses, gear, and especially settings. I've spent a lot of time before, researching optimal... Continue Reading →
Dear Deer, Please Stand Still… And a Little Closer ?
Just a few days ago, I set out early in the morning on a misty walk. On my gallery today, I posted a photo taken in that same mist: a dried-up flower covered with cobwebs and dew, creating a jewel-like effect. Since my goal was to capture “misty scenes,” I hadn’t packed any telephoto lenses.... Continue Reading →
Trail-Ready Adventure System: Moustache J All & Custom Camera Case for the Ultimate Bike-Photo Experience
The Bike: To begin with, the header photo doesn’t show a 'Moustache J All' bike; rather, it’s a high-end mountain bike that lacks a few features that would make it my perfect off-road and all-road bike. First of all, there's a major hurdle for me due to my worn-out hips, which make it challenging—and sometimes... Continue Reading →
Shooting Birds and Wildlife with Back Button Focus on Olympus and OM System Cameras
I've had this article on my computer for ages, but recently, I ran into someone who was photographing planes at an airshow. There were an unusually high number of aircraft, and a lot of action going on. At one point, the guy mentioned that his finger was getting sore from constantly pressing the shutter for... Continue Reading →
Lightweight Stability : The novoflex Pistock-C
During my search for solutions to make photography lighter/easier or to create greater stability without adding much bulk or weight, I came across this small rifle-like chest support. It was originally designed to support long and heavy Novoflex telephoto lenses from the analog era, but conveniently, it is also usable for digital setups. Its compactness... Continue Reading →
Do Micro 4/3 photographers need tripods or gimbals ? the Gimbal Head Innorel QZSD Q45S
Micro 4/3 photographers are fortunate for bird, wildlife, and sports photography due to the system's compact size and lightweight nature, offering a good image range compared to APS-C or Full Frame systems. This advantage is especially noticeable at air shows, where many photographers showcase large, heavy gear. I attend air shows at least twice a... Continue Reading →
Wanderlust and Shutterbugs – My Camera Choice for the Road
It was about time to create a new Gear page—a complete overview of my cameras and lenses. There are quite a few of them, but each one is part of my learning journey, and they all still serve a purpose. When I first started building this "collection," I hesitated a lot—bought, sold, and then re-bought.... Continue Reading →
Stealth Mode
Another vacation story en gear talk : https://marcroovers.wordpress.com/2024/07/14/stealth-mode/
Deer in the Wild – Holiday Mode
Starting today, I’ll be on holiday mode, meaning I’ll be less active online and will write less for the next few weeks. During this time, I’ll also experiment with ways to make my Gallery site more visible and better connected with Open Source Photography. Normally, I post on “OSP” twice a week (Monday and Friday)... Continue Reading →
Lightdow 500mm f6.3 Manual Telephoto Lens – Unpacking and Review
TTArtisan's 500mm f/6.3 lens is a budget-friendly option for those seeking a long-range lens. It's a full-frame manual focus telephoto lens available for mounts like Sony E, Nikon Z, Canon RF, and Leica L. Priced at about $329 in the official shop, it costs around €400 in Europe. However, it doesn’t have a direct Micro... Continue Reading →
Optimal Bird and Wildlife Settings for OM-1 & OM-1 MKII: A Comparison of Rob Trek and Steven Ingram’s Techniques
A while ago, I reviewed Robert May's settings for bird and wildlife photography and some general tips from Rachel Bigsby. Today, we will continue with a comparison between the techniques of Rob Trek and Steven Ingram. Rob Trek is a photographer and YouTube content creator specializing in Olympus cameras. He runs a popular YouTube channel... Continue Reading →
Chassing Birds Raincoat
With the prospects of climate change and the associated long periods of rain (and hopefully some sunshine to), I thought it would be a good idea to complete my camouflage lens protection with a durable and highly rain-resistant raincoat for telephoto lenses. At Chassing Birds, I found a raincoat in the same "greenleaf" camo pattern... Continue Reading →
Why the K&F Concept KF13.119 is a good bag for Bird and Wildlife Photographers
Well, I never thought I'd say this because I usually hate backpacks. Why? It's hard to explain, but a messenger bag always feels better. You can get them in all sizes—small ones for just personal items and a camera, and larger ones for more gear. Plus, they're always easily accessible. Backpacks, whether big or small,... Continue Reading →
Soon to Come: Ultimate Gear for Rain Protection and Wildlife Photography
What’s Yet to Come on My Website Despite the bad weather and a lot of rain, I was still able to photograph deer—albeit to a smaller extent. It was challenging, but perseverance paid off. One key takeaway from these sessions is the importance of effective camouflage. I’ve found that further application of camouflage significantly improves... Continue Reading →