I was at Mandai Orchid Garden today and I had a shock of my life. More than 5 Cameras with long lens and flashes (think canon 1d series with 500mm f4, 580ex with quantum batts) were set up, all pointing towards a sunbird nest. In it, stays a baby bird.
Everyone was waiting for the adult sunbird to fly back to the nest to feed the baby, so that they could shoot the procedure of the adult feeding the baby thru the mouth.
Indeed, it was a wonderful scene and a scene not to be missed. However, during the short time frame of the mother feeding the baby, the flashes were flashed continuously.
One particular lady and 2 guys (all 3 above 40+ years old) used the continuous high speed function and flashed at the sunbirds. Each of these flashes are bursting >5 flash per second into the adult sunbird and babies' eyes! These bursting procedure lasted approximately 10 seconds before the adult fly off to search for food again.
To put things in perspective, 3 flashes x 10seconds x 5fps = 150 flashes for that feeding moment!
The whole gang just sat beside the bird nest and waited for the adult to return before they resume their aggressive behaviour of bursting the flashes on the birds AGAIN!!
Quantum batts may be powerful and aids in the fast recharging of the flash's capacitor, but that doesnt grant the user the right to wilfully and ignorantly use the flash on animals!
These ppl by all means look mature to me, but I just could not comprehend why would they perform such aggressive action on the birds. Their behavior is simply a mirror image of a gang of well built bullies rounding up a severely underweight kid.
I really wonder if these ppl could tolerate me flashing my SB800 at 1/1 power into their eyes at 8fps? Do you like to be flashed continuously the whole day? I bet you will be seeing stars after 1 second of 8fps and you couldnt tolerate it.
Put yourself in the shoes of the baby bird. The birds cant even fend for themselves and yet they have to tolerate rounds of flashes after flashes. If I m the bird, I would be scared the hell lot out of my ass but I couldnt do anything.
So to all those avian photographers who proclaim to love birds, please practice social responsibility and love the birds! Please behave in a mature manner and put yourself in the shoes of the birds and use your mature brain to think about whether you could tolerate your own actions before you unleash your ruthless behavior on the birds.
Please treat them the way you would treat your own child. And to all those who have been shooting birds by flashing at high fps, please stop that ruthless practice.
Everyone was waiting for the adult sunbird to fly back to the nest to feed the baby, so that they could shoot the procedure of the adult feeding the baby thru the mouth.
Indeed, it was a wonderful scene and a scene not to be missed. However, during the short time frame of the mother feeding the baby, the flashes were flashed continuously.
One particular lady and 2 guys (all 3 above 40+ years old) used the continuous high speed function and flashed at the sunbirds. Each of these flashes are bursting >5 flash per second into the adult sunbird and babies' eyes! These bursting procedure lasted approximately 10 seconds before the adult fly off to search for food again.
To put things in perspective, 3 flashes x 10seconds x 5fps = 150 flashes for that feeding moment!
The whole gang just sat beside the bird nest and waited for the adult to return before they resume their aggressive behaviour of bursting the flashes on the birds AGAIN!!
Quantum batts may be powerful and aids in the fast recharging of the flash's capacitor, but that doesnt grant the user the right to wilfully and ignorantly use the flash on animals!
These ppl by all means look mature to me, but I just could not comprehend why would they perform such aggressive action on the birds. Their behavior is simply a mirror image of a gang of well built bullies rounding up a severely underweight kid.
I really wonder if these ppl could tolerate me flashing my SB800 at 1/1 power into their eyes at 8fps? Do you like to be flashed continuously the whole day? I bet you will be seeing stars after 1 second of 8fps and you couldnt tolerate it.
Put yourself in the shoes of the baby bird. The birds cant even fend for themselves and yet they have to tolerate rounds of flashes after flashes. If I m the bird, I would be scared the hell lot out of my ass but I couldnt do anything.
So to all those avian photographers who proclaim to love birds, please practice social responsibility and love the birds! Please behave in a mature manner and put yourself in the shoes of the birds and use your mature brain to think about whether you could tolerate your own actions before you unleash your ruthless behavior on the birds.
Please treat them the way you would treat your own child. And to all those who have been shooting birds by flashing at high fps, please stop that ruthless practice.
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