Tip: Sea Eagle Fishing – Norway

The photo was taken from a boat during my summer trip to Norway. I used the Canon 1D Mark 2 with a fast shutter speed of 1/1250th of a second and wide aperture of f/4 with my Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 lens. To capture the shot, I followed the eagle before the dive and set the camera mode to AI Servo to allow the camera to fast focus track the eagle during the dive. I followed the eagle and pressed the shutter after capturing the fish in a burst of 10 frames per second, panning the camera with the bird. The sun was low on the horizon to improve contrast and quality of light during the action.

For action photography from a boat is always very important to keep your camera steady with good hand support. Think ahead of action to be prepared for any unexpected eagle movement. Plan for the eagle’s descent. Always pan with your subject using AI Servo mode to fast track your subject. Use high frame rate to capture the action at the right moment.

As for lighting, choose between eagles silhouettes against the sun or lovely golden sunset light on the eagle in full action swing. Always dream to improve your shot in your next eagle dive—sometimes you get it!

And don’t ever forget the importance of a good wildlife guide. Thank you Ole 🙂