So in an effort to get to know my new digiscoping set up better, I keep stopping out here and there to test out different settings. Today...I had my ISO way too high and ended up with some arty shots that I kind love:

I love how eerie these bleached out crows look--something only a photographer would say when most of their photos are bad...they're ARTY!

This kind of looks like a drawing. I did get the ISO down to 100 and got a more reasonable shot (and bird #11 for my Big Half Year).

And this would be my first official photo with my new digiscoping set up. Once I get used to this system, I think we will get along fine. I've taken just under 800 photos with my set up and this is the first one that I thought was good enough for the blog. I write that because I meet so many people who get a digiscoping set up and after 16 pictures, never touch it. It takes several shots to get used to all the bells and whistles on your camera. You should go out and practice on starlings, chickadees, Canada geese to get a feel for the system, figure out what adjustments you need for different light settings, that way you'll be ready when you go warbler watching or on that trip to Central America. I didn't expect to take over 700 hundred photos to get used to the system, but this camera has burst mode so I ended up with more shots than I bargained for even when lightly pressing the button. But when you have a set up, take a crap load of photos and get on a first name basis with your delete key. That is the number one step to getting better photos: PRACTICE!

I'm desperately trying to get this in before we head to Space Coast next week. I want a lot of these settings to be second nature so I can grab spectacular shots of spoonbills, ibises, wood storks and limpkins.