Nuvole

Well, the idea was just another boat tour in the marshes at Diaccia Botrona. It's the first time with my Sony  FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS and, in particular, I was planning to test the α6000 autofocus with moving objects (i.e. birds). The weather was fine, and the forecast talked about some gathering clouds in the late afternoon. Sure, with an evolution bringing rain during the night, but I supposed there was still time to have some decent light.

Sony α6000 + Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS @ 70 mm, 1/200 sec @ ƒ/8, +1.00 EV, ISO 100, hand-held, composite of two shots.

Nuvole sulla Diaccia Botrona.

It just didn't work the way I expected. By the time the boat started, more than half of the sky was covered by a thick layer of clouds — and obviously it was the western sky, obscuring the sun. Furthermore, all the thousands of birds present in the marshes conspired to stay far away, giving the worst no-show in more than ten years, as far as I can recall.

Sony α6000 + Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS @ 109 mm, 1/250 sec @ ƒ/8, +0.70 EV, ISO 100

Nuvole sulla Diaccia Botrona.

Sony α6000 + Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS @ 147 mm, 1/800 sec @ ƒ/11, ISO 400

Nuvole sulla Diaccia Botrona.

But a huge pile of clouds — you know, that kind that looks like a mass of whipped cream — was also gathering  far away in the eastern sky, so they managed in getting some good light from the sun for some time. They created a strong contrast with the terrain, already dark because of the blocked sun.

Sony α6000 + Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS @ 144 mm, 1/800 sec @ ƒ/8, ISO 320

Nuvole sulla Diaccia Botrona.

In some cases I tried anyway my settings for the Sony α6000 and moving objects, focusing on the plants at the borders of the canal, as the boat was passing by. Sure, it was not a demanding test because of the low speed, but it was the only chance I had for the day for this kind of shot. That's why a few photos have shutter time and ISO different than my usual settings for landscape.

I also tried a few further panoramas with Lightroom 6, stitching together multiple shots, taken hand-held, and I can confirm again that the feature works pretty well. I also created a 52MP picture that will be an interesting candidate for printing.

Sony α6000 + Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS @ 200 mm, 1/640 sec @ ƒ/8, ISO 200

Nuvole sulla Diaccia Botrona.

Sony α6000 + Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS @ 104 mm, 1/200 sec @ ƒ/8, ISO 100, hand-held, composite of four shots.

Nuvole sulla Diaccia Botrona.