Soaring Winners of the 2022 Bird Photographer of the Year Competition

Birds in Flight, Silver Award Winner – Mark Williams, “Starling at Night.” © Mark Williams | Bird Photographer of the Year
“This image was taken using flash, with the camera in rear curtain synch mode. To attract the Common Starling, I placed some sunflower seeds in a feeder, and as the bird came towards the feeder, I timed the shot to capture its descent. Timing was critical, as was the need to balance the flash with the ambient light so you could see the trail of the starling while the flash ‘froze’ the bird in flight. The coloured gels on the flash heads add to the image, giving it a feeling that the bird is lurking in the shadow of the night.”