Bird photographer Jonas Classon is a long-time fan of the low-light performance of the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III, but has been delighted by the intelligent AF of the EOS R5, with its bird detection and tracking capabilities. "Before I got the EOS R5, this shot would have been impossible. It was a real wow moment for me," he says. Taken on a Canon EOS R5 with a Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM lens at 1/1600 sec, f/4.5 and ISO3200. © Jonas Classon
What's the best time of day for wildlife photography? Logically enough, it depends on when the wildlife you want to photograph is active. Bird photographer and Canon Ambassador Jonas Classon specialises in photographing owls and other nocturnal animals, so for him wildlife photography comes with the additional technical challenges of night photography. But far from being daunted by this, he loves it.
"For me, when the sun sets, that's when the magic happens," he says. "The colours in the sky turn orange and blue and purple, and a different world comes to life. It's when the animals come out that are hidden during the day. Here in Sweden we see moose and wolves, a host of animals and birds that just don't appear when the sun's up. The couple of hours after sunset and before sunrise are my prime time for shooting."
Jonas didn't take up owl photography lightly. He has been passionate about bird photography since around the same time that he started his own general photography business at the age of just 15. He has since tried to bring everything he's learned about commercial, news and wedding photography to photographing birds, portraying them and their stories in the same way as he portrays people. His characterful shot of a great grey owl titled Night Hunter has won multiple awards, and he has recently completed a series of owl images for an upcoming book.
Here, Jonas sheds some light on his passion for night photography and reveals his approach to photographing owls and other nocturnal wildlife.