The pristine mirrored reflection adds a superb painterly effect to this enchanting aquatic menagerie...
Elegant colour harmonies latent within... Shadows provide splendid bias relief to enhance the perceived illusion of three dimensional space...

For many years I've heard of the amazing visual auras which abound at Blackwater NWR...
Your breathtaking capture validates these inferences to the nines...

Thank you for sharing...

joelaoxford, glad you have found merit and worth in the feedback...

birdpix thank you so much for the links provided...
These are indeed proving to be a venerable fountainhead of wisdom for those seeking knowledge in BIF photography (and other related action sports). What a marvelous resource indeed...

joelaoxford in regard to your query on focus settings for BIF on the Nikon D7200 I can share my experiences with this camera. Since it has 52 focus points (sensors) spread across the frame with 15 being cross type which can deal effectively with contrast edges in either a vertical and horizontal alignment there are ample choices to choose from... That said through much trail & error I've ultimately migrated to AF-C (Continuous) using a 9-point cluster... I programed the OK button to reset the center focus point (cluster) in the middle of the frame unless I'm shooting sports in portrait mode... then I leave a 9-point cluster centered in the upper portion of the frame where the player's eyes typically are.

Under Custom Settings I configure AutoFocus [A1] Focus to AF-C (continuous) with [focus] rather than the default [release] mode... If the bird isn't in focus I don't want to be able to release the shutter... Any image that isn't in perfect focus has zero commercial worth/value. Does this mean sometimes I might miss a decisive moment? Yes but again if it isn't perfect it's a reject.

Again in the Custom Settings AutoFocus [A3] Focus Tracking with Lock On I go with the default value of [3] Normal.

joelaoxford possibly one of the most important settings for any action photography is to configure your camera into Back-Button Focus Mode where you decouple the shutter release buttom from the Focus Function... this is sooooo important when your target (bird) flies between high contrast foliage etc. Here you simply release the AF-ON buttom (which is the AE-L/AF-L Button on the D7200) and press again when the bird emerges from the clutter. I use this technique when shooting soccer also...

To activate this Chose Custom Settings [F] Controls; [F5] (Assign AE-L/AF-L button) and now your shutter button is decoupled from AutoFocus... It only releases the shutter and will not mess with focus...

Patience here... Everyone hates this at first but after several weeks of practice you'll never go back... Virtually all the commercial shooters I collaborate with use Back-Button Focus... You'll never likely master BIF without this...

Ok, as for exposure settings? After thousands of hours with many bodies (including the D7200) seldom would I trust the camera's metering system to meet my client's expectation... I'm manual all the way here... provided you're in constant illumination (which is often the case with BIF). That said if the sun is dancing in and out of cloud cover then I will turn on Auto ISO with a minimum shutter speed germane for the current scenario... Usually 1/2000 a second (but lower for shorting focal lengths and higher for longer focal lengths)

birdpix and I are pretty much on the same page here... except I have no problem pushing ISO up to 1600 (or higher) in Auto ISO on the D7200 which btw has the second highest dynamic range of all sensors tested by DXOmark... the real issue here is noise... but post processing with a tenured touch can effectively handle this...

The most tenured advice I can provide on exposure here is to learn/master reading your histograms... Only then will you get your head around how your sensor is dealing with the current ambient.... If you're clipping either to the left (shadows) or right (highlights) you'll not get a full suite of pixel data... meaning either your pointing into the sun or shooting a high contrast scene that is beyond you sensor at your current ISO... There is no easy answer here... nor is there a quick fix... Every sensor is different and so is nearly every scene you're shooting in... Learn to read/understand/trust your histograms and the world is your oyster...

Also keep in mind that a polar bear in a snowstorm and/or black cat on a pile of coal can be effectively rendered but typically by textural contrast not by means luminance a.k.a. exposure... There are no insurmountable problems only intriguing challenges... Keep a beginners mind and you'll do exceptionally well...

Hope this helps or is at least food for thought...
Enjoy your journey...

Annie B from the beautiful imagery you've provided here it seems as though you are interested in close-up floral photography... I hesitation to use the word Macro here less Apaflo launch another objection which I must assume he does for his own self edification... Micro actually refers to imagery approaching a 1:1 magnification albeit this is highly subjective as to the gray area which it embraces... Like Bokeh, there is no quantitative value which it must meet to qualify...

To this end I would suggest you research "Image Stacking" for which there are numerous tutorials on the web... Photoshop does a commendable job of this however high end commercial assignments oft predicate the deployment of Helicon or Zerene image stacking software solutions... Photoshop will get the job done... and you'll likely know when to seek a more robust tool...

I would also advise a quality macro lens and working at it's ideal aperture for maximum acuity if you pursue image stacking... You'll pay a dear price for shooting with apertures smaller than f/16 since diffraction extracts a heavy toll on both acuity and contrast... Those who work at the commercial level generally will shoot many exposures at f/8 that section the subject into "slices" at varying distances from the image sensor. These are combined into a final composite which includes the entire subject in perfect focus... Please be aware that a tripod is requisite here and a focusing rail becomes an endearing adjunct in this mix... However since Apaflo may chime in I have to qualify that the "correct" way to proceed is to lock the lens and move only the sensor to change focus... this is accomplished with a bellows... Reason? The node point (i.e. entrance pupil) must not change during the stacked set. Yes the laws of physics which deal with light waves a.k.a. optical properties play into the mix and those who are naive of the aforementioned will ultimately find the limitations unacceptable as they advance their craft...

Annie B for now try using a solid tripod, and shoot at f/16... If you don't want to deal with a software solution of image stacking then consider a macro lens in the telephoto range... both Canon and Nikon have stellar glass here... the former is their 180mm macro the later is the 200mm macro... The increased working distance alone is well worth the price of admission... Also an off camera flash can/will add a glorious touch of drama and bias relief to the results but that is an entire subject all together...

Hope this helps or is at least food for thought...
And thank you Annie B for sharing these painterly renderings... you have a superb gift for compositional elements...

Apaflo makes good points especially avoiding the 1.3 crop mode which in essences makes your optics a 35mm equivalent of 1200mm... As such a shutter speed of 1/1600 is a tad slow... think about 1/2500 minimum in this scenario... Can be easily done using auto ISO with a top limit of 3200... Also the sooner you graduate to shooting RAW the better... The D7200 buffer can handle 18 14bit RAW images so burst mode can be accommodated (unlike the lame buffer on the D7100 which choked after a one second burst).

That said the Sigma 150-600s (both Contemporary and Sport) are generally known to be rather poor at tracking birds in flight (I'm only the messenger here, research this if in doubt)... Thus you'll want to achieve early acquisition and keep the target centered so the 7200 cross type sensors play into the mix... btw, the 7200's Expeed 4 image processor is superb at BIF (same as processor as used in the D810) The challenge here is likely Sigma's slow AF... The good news is once you graduate to a long fast prime you'll be well ahead of the game.

Food for thought: A golden rule for effective BIF... Avoid back-lighting (as in this image)... always have the sun at your back or better yet at a slightly quartering angle to provide for bias relief i.e. perceived depth... Easy way to remember this is to always have your shadow in front of you... Back-lighting will likely always exceed the dynamic range of your sensor especially if only capturing .jpg's

All in all? Lovely compositional elements... beautiful colour harmonies... excellent use of the "decisive moment" with the wings at their full down stroke...

Thank you for sharing your waterfowl artistry joelaoxford... Truly impressive composition...
You indeed have a gift for the artistic aspects of your craft...

Linda the compositional elements latent within are superb... lovely mélange of undulating horizontal wave forms... this stair-step horizontal array is indeed very pleasing to the eye... and Kudos for the charismatic bird perfectly placed atop a lone pole with raising diagonals leading the viewers eye directly to it...

That said... (and I'm endeavoring to be a resource for you here) the shallows are plugged... especially on the cooler rendering... You have exceeded the dynamic range of the SX-50's sensor even at it's basement ISO of 80. DXOmark measured the SX-50's dynamic range at 11.2 Evs which is considerably below what current DSLR's are now... However there are indeed ways to work around this... This vista could have been effectively captured in a bracketed set and combined via an HDR (High Dynamic Range) software solution... While Photoshop offers this it sadly can not hold a candle to Photomatix Pro which has become the de facto industry standard. Using HDR software your SX-50 can level the playing field effectively...

If you truly cherish doing landscapes I would suggest you invest the time/effort in mastering this amazing HDR software in a package of your choice...

On the SX-50's efforts? Here you've clipped the highlights significantly... i.e. no pixel data above 238 on the warm and 227 on the cool rendering... And the Shadows on both are clipped at 14 i.e. no pixel data below 14 enough said...

Food for thought? You might try to avoid using this super zoom at it's maximum focal length in as its optics likely aren't ideal there... Try instead backing off a tad, then crop to taste and see if the acuity isn't better with this methodology... Again, every lens has merits and limitations, learning to optimize one's workflow to take full advantage of it's optics can/will make a considerable difference... Also even at 1/500 second a heavy tripod is absolutely required at extreme focal lengths in order to extract the highest level of detail your sensor/optics can afford... I believe the SX-50 goes up to an effective focal range of 1200mm (way beyond hand-holding)

Again, thank you for sharing your endearing sunrise artistry... You have an excellent gift for composition....
I encourage you to embrace the technical aspects of the more advanced photo methodologies...

All the best on your journey...

Garry; I assist quite a few commercial shooters in my market where so much depends on the venue, duration of session and size of the team... Every assignment/job is different as client's needs and expectations change constantly... That said at the commercial level hand trucks are SOP in as there is generally well over several hundred pounds of aggregate equipment... Most preferably one's which can invent to roll on four wheels... Keep in mind a large powerpack with multiple heads can weight in at over a hundred pounds. The lighting modifiers can be massive... Huge chimera soft-boxes are an industry standard... and they also can be massive... The actually camera gear i.e. bodies/lens etc are only a very small fraction of the aggregate total...

Btw, all these commercial jobs are shot tethered, thus a high end laptop is in the mix... My market is Washington DC and the Lion's share of the gigs are architectural (both interior and exterior); Corporate events and a sizable amount of environmental portraiture...

Of merit there has been some gems of wisdom latent within this thread... Namely the absence of any branding on whatever is being used to transport the equipment... Unmarked black reinforced (shipping) containers are standard... Having a low profile and presence is a very wise thing... more than a few togs cover their camera's brand name with black tape... you get the drift here...

While the majority of responses have focused on casual hobbyist outings there is one cardinal rule to keep in mind... If you are even the least bit serious about a shoot then a pre-session scouting foray is mandatory... On every commercial assignment the creative director in responsible charge an likely several key team members will recon the venue VERY carefully, usually several days prior to a shoot. Since the majority of members here are doing outdoor work then things like sun angle at various times of day become critical for creating bias relief via shadows... Other issues abound... only time/tenure/experience will teach you what workflow/gear is requisite for any given job... And how to effectively/efficiently transport it safely/securely to the venue.

Best Advice? Assist other tenured commercial shooters if you truly want to master your craft... there is no better way...

Hope this helps or is at least food for thought...

Gregory, first please realize that photography is not a profession, it is merely a craft with a rather low barrier to entry... That said I believe what you are querying is how to become a commercial entity... Like so many others who love their vocations there is virtual no likelihood of supporting one's self in an over saturated market... How many attractive young women desire to become a fashion model? Likely the same number of musically talented young men who would cherish their dream of becoming a rock star... Sadly those who supply gear to the aforementioned prey on the naive... The lion's share of camera ads show a dashing young man photographing a stellar fashion model creating an inference that "You to can do this"

I've worked over a decade assisting other top commercial shooters in my market... it's blood, sweat and tears... Screaming AD's and unhappy clients... No it is not for the faint at heart...

But wait, their is hope... Since you are located in Chicago (a major fashion market) you would be well served to review the "New Faces" of Ford Model Agency (Chicago Office) and seriously ask yourself? I'm I there yet? This is a strong option that few others have... only those in NYC, Chicago and LA can hope to enter the field of fashion & beauty genre...

Standard advice? Assist other commercial shooters in your market... Gregory that is the traditional path into commercial photography... Also the sooner you get off of hobbyist web portals like this one the better... As any accomplished commercial shooter will tell you... KNOW YOUR SUBJECT! like the back of your hand... Time is precious, to this end ignore the PPA and instead seek membership in the ASMP which requires that one supports themselves with their craft... while the former is merely a "club" for hobbyist and the only membership requirement for "Pro" status is $325... Albeit you are likely light years away from qualifying for ASMP membership...

Best Advice? Simply embrace photography as an excellent creative release... and as I mentioned in a previous thread, if you have a strong amplitude in photographic technologies then explore career options in Radiology... That Gregory is a "real" profession and one in which you become an integral member of the professional medical community... Increasing the quality of life for those in need is a far better path than satisfying one's ego... At least in my humble estimation...

All the best on your journey Gregory...

Ben if you have an an excellent amplitude and strong passion for photographic technology then I would highly suggest you consider exploring career opportunities latent within the profession of Radiology. This is one of the fastest growing medical fields and more importantly one of the quickest to attain credentials in. Career paths are enormous and include Diagnostic Radiology, Interventional Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Therapy.

As for Photography? It is a wonderful creative release, albeit it is not a profession but merely an unlicensed craft... Even hair stylist are licensed by state boards cosmetology... Sadly the gear vendors would like one to believe that their products can be used in pursuit of a "career" path. You see this scenario playing out also with guitar sales... Yes everyone would like to be a "Rock Star"

Ben go to college, earn credentials in a field that is licensed and the world is your oyster...
Use you camera gear as a creative release, k?

Hope this helps or is at least food for thought...