It Finally Arrived

“The driest winter since 1933.” That’s what was said about our winter here in the Sierra until Friday. We started off with rain which turned to a brief freezing rain then snow we call Sierra Cement. It gets called that because its moisture content is so great that other then looking like snow, you’d think it was water. It’s a horribly heavy slush that’s just murder to move. But photographically it works wonders. Sierra cement sticks like glue to trees and stays stuck until we have a real warm day. Snow on trees is critical in my book when photographing “winter.” Looking out the office window, the view is so calming it makes it hard to work. Photographically, it’s a real simple click that is then brought into ACR where I clean up the whites that are then finished in Silver Efex Pro (which was just updated). mtc

In the Bag
D3x
24-70AFS
Lexar 32GB UDMA
The snow … Mother Nature

What about Water & Wildlife

Many have asked what the lack of snow in the Sierra this winter will do to the wildlife. It’s a valid question considering a week ago we had wildfire warnings in the middle of winter! As of right now, we have zero snow on our property. There is a prediction of big snow this weekend. We need all the moisture we can get but will it be enough? How will it effect the wildlife? I really don’t know those answers. Typically winter causes issues with my projects by raining them out. That has not been an issue this year. This photo from our San Joaquin Kit Fox project was shot two years ago and shows the normal winter scene, dead grass, In a few months, if the rain comes the grasses will turn green and the pups will emerge from the den. And if not, the real possibility that not all the pups will survive. As for the Sierra, the lack of snow right now means no water this summer. That causes two things possibly, less fishing and poorer fall color. Water is a vital resource, hopefully this weekend we’ll get some really needed snow. Time will tell.

Snowy – Root – Light

All three of these images are using the same principle to make the subject pop. I wrote about this a week ago (It’s All in the Light) and it has brought in a number of questions that I’d like to answer. The problem is, when you’re looking through the viewfinder, you see all the distracting stuff in the mangrove roots, aircraft hangar or barn but the camera doesn’t. Why is that? It’s a matter of light range, camera dynamic range and how your meter plays the game.

When our range of light we see in the viewfinder starts to get beyond five stop, the camera has two options, discard shadow detail or highlight detail. Today’s camera’s and their computers tend to protect highlights and let shadows go where they may in this scenario (yes, I am greatly generalizing to move the discussion along and basically explain how I look at this stuff). If you take a photo and look at your LCD with your Highlight Warning turned on, you will more then likely see it blinking like mad at you. When you want to capture that shadow and highlight detail in this scenario you use HDR. If you want to use it like I have here, I dial in -1 Exp Comp and shoot like a mad man. Why dial in minus exp comp? I want to push the shadows deeper into the shadows and at the same time, save some highlights. Will I save them all? Mostly likely not and I know that or I’d be shooting HDR. Do you need all those highlights? Look at these three examples and you be the judge.

What happens when the shadows aren’t beyond five stops? Look at the two photos below when the range of light is five stops and four stops. You’ll see more background creep into the photo. Nothing wrong with that and when we want to see information in the background to tell a story, you work hard to capture it. But when you’re looking for a little extra drama in an otherwise “common” shot, this is a simple yet effective trick to make some drama happen. One example of this is “highnoon” light, that hard light many tend to not shoot in. The Snowy Egret shot was taken in just such light except, the egret was in the shade and not direct sunlight. You can tell the P-51C is in direct light and I believe the marshall was as well but there is a Tri-Grip diffusing the light. At the bottom is another lame drawing to help describe the situation better. Afterwards I had a Duuh moment. I forgot to turn on the Moose Cam which really would have been much better. I hope this helps and permits you to take advantage of this simple yet effective photographic technique.

Whatever You Do, Be Picky!

I want to encourage you to push your photography and not settle just because you got close to a critter or you have a sharp image of it. Keep pushing, get picky!

You have a simple clean shot in the top frame. OK, go click and bank that shot and then think about how you can improve on it. What’s one thing not so great, the rock the Dunlin is perched on. How can it get better, by being wet (dry rocks suck!). Waves come in sets of 7 so just wait, watch the waves and when the big one comes in, be ready to click off a couple of the wave cresting the rock.

And then after the spray goes past, the birds have to shake to get dry and that too is a photo opp. So push your photography by waiting an extra moment, look at what can be improved and then if you can, go about making it just a little bit better.

In the Bag
D3x
600f4VR AFS
TC-20e III
Gitzo 5561SGT w/ Wimberley Head

Ah Shucks!

When the Shooting Sucks

So when shooting gets slow, slow being a nice word in wildlife photography for sucks, you have two options as I see it. You go get ice cream or find some place new to shoot. When the sun is high in the sky, ice cream might seem the logical option unless you have sand or water you can shoot at. What do those two things change with the sun is high? They are natural reflectors filling in shadows and bringing the light ratio back into play. That’s what I did, I left Ding Darling and headed over to the causeway where I can always find a shorebird.

I took the top photo to show you the one thing you avoid, the mass confused shot. I was shooting out of a Mustang, not the best vehicle to be shooting wildlife from but in this case, being so close to the ground worked in my favor. I’m shooting out the window using my vest as a pad for the D3x/600 w/2x. There are times when the mass flock might make a cool pattern but more often then not, it’s just compositionally awkward. The one big issue with the mass flock is you have so much rock. It’s just not a nice background for little puff balls. So I start looking for pairs or single birds that I can focus on.

Then once I have the single Dunlin in the viewfinder, I watch for when I get the pose that is the most pleasing and squeeze off a frame. Shooting so long, 1200mm, handheld, smooth is essential for a sharp image. Shooting with both eyes open I feel is really important at times like this because so much activity is going on that you might loose a great opportunity if you’re just staring through the viewfinder the whole time. Now is this better then ice cream? That’s up for debate!

In the Bag
D3x
600f4VR AFS
TC-20e III
Gitzo 5561SGT w/ Wimberley Head

Starting with a Background

There are times, no matter what you do, how you planned, how early you arrive that there is simply no wildlife to photograph. I really hate those times but they just go with the territory. It’s not like you can find a gate keeper, give them some money and the wildlife is let out to photograph. You just simply gotta suck it up and wait. And even then, you might simply get skunked. When this happens, I tend not to hang it up but start looking for possibilities if critters show up. One possibility I always look for are great backgrounds. While there is nothing to put with them, I look through my long lens for what I think might be a great background if something appears. Here’s a classic example from Ding Darling this past weekend. The water ripels are killer! Once I saw them, I waited probably about 40-45min before the Snowy Egret showed up. Then lucky for me, a Tri-colored shows up. It doesn’t always work out that way but when it does, it makes waiting worth while.

In the Bag
D3x
600f4VR AFS
TC-20e III
Gitzo 5561SGT w/ Wimberley Head

“Look Who Thinks He’s a Pelican…”

Sniper Mode

There are two options when it comes to capturing action, blast away (truly the funniest thing to do in photography) or sniper mode, the single shot. Both methods are totally valid, both methods can capture the exact same image. And there is no shame in using either method. Since I shoot with the D3x, the first method isn’t really an option so I am forced to use the sniper mode but I could always attach the D3s and go the fun way. So why don’t I do that? I was asked that and the only answer I can really come up with is, I like the challenge. Watching through the lens, looking at the biology and the hints my knowledge provides while moving the lens waiting to hit the button to me is fun. Of course the number of images I capture will be less but when I do get them, I feel a little pat on my back occur. One side benefit I do find though in playing this game is keeping reflexes sharp and I think that in the long run is a good thing. Oh, and in case you don’t understand sniper mode, let me put it this way. One shot does the job.

In the Bag
D3x
600f4VR AFS
TC-17e II
Gitzo 5561SGT w/ Wimberley Head

“The One that Got Away Was This Big…”

“These Two Woodstorks Walk into a Bar…”

Sunset Color….WB Thoughts

I’m often asked how I get the color that I do in my sunsets. The formula is real simple. I switch WB to cloudy and its constant 6000k and I underexposed by at least one stop. That’s it.

The Splash

I love shooting the splash! Shooting with the D3x though, it’s a challenge that I really like going for. Since the D3x shoots at 1.8fps, you really only get one chance at catching the splash. The game I play with myself to get the shot is watching the eye of the heron/egret. Just a nanosecond before it plunges into the water, the nictomebrane that covers the eye starts to close. When I see that happening, I click the camera. Now it’s not 100% accurate in timing since I don’t know if the bird is going to plunge straight down or out a ways but that’s part of the game. You can see the water splash is going straight in this photo of the Little Blue so that means the head went straight down. If you look at the photo for a moment, you’ll realize the light is a little hard. Why? To freeze the water you need a fast shutter speed. When do you get a fast shutter speed? When the sun is higher in the sky. One of the trade offs in getting the shot.

In the Bag
D3x
600f4VR AFS
TC-17e II
Gitzo 5561SGT w/ Wimberley Head

You Get What You Wish For?

I have this well earned reputation of kinda wishing up the photo I want. Like in this situation at Ding Darling when I spot the Belted Kingfisher. I see and I say out loud, “I wish that kingfisher would land on that perch and check things out.” And there is lands…

Then I focus my lens on this closer perch and say out loud, “Now I wish it would land on this perch” and there it lands. At this point those around me start looking for a remote control as if I have a robotic kingfisher (which would be cool). Of course, folks ask me how I know that, how’d I do that? I give them the Moose smile and sunder off. Then I turn to my friend and tell him the secret. I’ve been to this spot a whole lot and I’ve watched the kingfisher for a long time in this spot and I knew it as a 50/50 probability it would land on those perches if it landed on another perch first. And it was this knowledge that permitted me to have the teleconverter on and the lens in the right place to make the clicks. Because background is everything in this photo! Any sky and it will pull your eye right from the little white breast. And if that happens, I loose your attention. In wanting to tell the story, all these little subtleties must be dealt with and the best formula I can give you for doing that is to combine biology with technology.

In the Bag
D3x
600f4VR AFS
TC-17e II
Gitzo 5561SGT w/ Wimberley Head

Osprey are Just Fun!

You know, these are a lot easier then aircraft to photograph. They go so much slower! I simply love osprey, comes from my days of shooting with Roger Tory Peterson who fought so hard to bring them back from extinction. They really took it in the short from DDT. These are like great photos and they are more then just panning practice. They are simply good fun that brings back great times shooting with Roger. That’s what this wildlife photography thing is really all about, simple pleasures!

In the Bag
D3x
600f4VR AFS
TC-17e II
Gitzo 5561SGT w/ Wimberley Head
and still a jacket. Really,who turned off the heat in FL?

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