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Bed Of Nails · **1 Like**

I was bushwhacking back to my vehicle after taking some sunset/landscape photos when I noticed that something wasn't quite right with this cactus. If you look closely at this Saguaro, tucked securely in it's arms, you'll see a roosting Roadrunner. Roadrunners are very cool birds, but are very difficult to photograph, mostly due to there dislike of humans and propensity to be constantly moving (fast.)

To take this photo, I backed up the hill I was descending and pulled out my gear. The sun had already set and I only had my 645D on me. To keep the ISO as low as possible, I had to rely on a larger aperture and a very long shutter speed. It was too dark for Auto-Focus so I used a flashlight on one of the Saguaro arms to aid my manual focusing and then recomposed the image.

Fortunately the shot turned out and the Roadrunner wasn't disturbed. ISO 100 kept the noise down, F4.0 was enough to keep the Roadrunner in focus and also blurred the lights of Tucson in the background. Shutter speed of 25 seconds. This is the stillest I'd ever seen a roadrunner!

**eaglem** · 01-31-2017, 07:55 PM

I feel pain looking at this shot and I assume that was the response the photographer wanted.

Adam · 10-17-2017, 02:17 PM

Originally posted by SkiBum

I was bushwhacking back to my vehicle after taking some sunset/landscape photos when I noticed that something wasn't quite right with this cactus. If you look closely at this Saguaro, tucked securely in it's arms, you'll see a roosting Roadrunner. Roadrunners are very cool birds, but are very difficult to photograph, mostly due to there dislike of humans and propensity to be constantly moving (fast.)

To take this photo, I backed up the hill I was descending and pulled out my gear. The sun had already set and I only had my 645D on me. To keep the ISO as low as possible, I had to rely on a larger aperture and a very long shutter speed. It was too dark for Auto-Focus so I used a flashlight on one of the Saguaro arms to aid my manual focusing and then recomposed the image.

Fortunately the shot turned out and the Roadrunner wasn't disturbed. ISO 100 kept the noise down, F4.0 was enough to keep the Roadrunner in focus and also blurred the lights of Tucson in the background. Shutter speed of 25 seconds. This is the stillest I'd ever seen a roadrunner!

A bit too "sharp" IMO, but I really like the composition and background.

**FozzFoster** · 07-21-2018, 08:50 AM

Originally posted by SkiBum

I was bushwhacking back to my vehicle after taking some sunset/landscape photos when I noticed that something wasn't quite right with this cactus. If you look closely at this Saguaro, tucked securely in it's arms, you'll see a roosting Roadrunner. Roadrunners are very cool birds, but are very difficult to photograph, mostly due to there dislike of humans and propensity to be constantly moving (fast.)

To take this photo, I backed up the hill I was descending and pulled out my gear. The sun had already set and I only had my 645D on me. To keep the ISO as low as possible, I had to rely on a larger aperture and a very long shutter speed. It was too dark for Auto-Focus so I used a flashlight on one of the Saguaro arms to aid my manual focusing and then recomposed the image.

Fortunately the shot turned out and the Roadrunner wasn't disturbed. ISO 100 kept the noise down, F4.0 was enough to keep the Roadrunner in focus and also blurred the lights of Tucson in the background. Shutter speed of 25 seconds. This is the stillest I'd ever seen a roadrunner!

nice shot! really like the lines! good one

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10-17-2017, 02:17 PM	#3
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,608	Originally posted by SkiBum I was bushwhacking back to my vehicle after taking some sunset/landscape photos when I noticed that something wasn't quite right with this cactus. If you look closely at this Saguaro, tucked securely in it's arms, you'll see a roosting Roadrunner. Roadrunners are very cool birds, but are very difficult to photograph, mostly due to there dislike of humans and propensity to be constantly moving (fast.) To take this photo, I backed up the hill I was descending and pulled out my gear. The sun had already set and I only had my 645D on me. To keep the ISO as low as possible, I had to rely on a larger aperture and a very long shutter speed. It was too dark for Auto-Focus so I used a flashlight on one of the Saguaro arms to aid my manual focusing and then recomposed the image. Fortunately the shot turned out and the Roadrunner wasn't disturbed. ISO 100 kept the noise down, F4.0 was enough to keep the Roadrunner in focus and also blurred the lights of Tucson in the background. Shutter speed of 25 seconds. This is the stillest I'd ever seen a roadrunner! A bit too "sharp" IMO, but I really like the composition and background. Adam PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide \| Site Help \| My Photography) PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

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01-31-2017, 07:55 PM	#2
eaglem Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Perth Western Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 43,160	I feel pain looking at this shot and I assume that was the response the photographer wanted.

07-21-2018, 08:50 AM	#4
FozzFoster Custom User Title Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Alberta Photos: Albums Posts: 6,808	Originally posted by SkiBum I was bushwhacking back to my vehicle after taking some sunset/landscape photos when I noticed that something wasn't quite right with this cactus. If you look closely at this Saguaro, tucked securely in it's arms, you'll see a roosting Roadrunner. Roadrunners are very cool birds, but are very difficult to photograph, mostly due to there dislike of humans and propensity to be constantly moving (fast.) To take this photo, I backed up the hill I was descending and pulled out my gear. The sun had already set and I only had my 645D on me. To keep the ISO as low as possible, I had to rely on a larger aperture and a very long shutter speed. It was too dark for Auto-Focus so I used a flashlight on one of the Saguaro arms to aid my manual focusing and then recomposed the image. Fortunately the shot turned out and the Roadrunner wasn't disturbed. ISO 100 kept the noise down, F4.0 was enough to keep the Roadrunner in focus and also blurred the lights of Tucson in the background. Shutter speed of 25 seconds. This is the stillest I'd ever seen a roadrunner! nice shot! really like the lines! good one