Mar 20, 2018 | Wildlife Photography
It was one those classic winter morning sunrises on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon! The light slowly builds in the depths of The Canyon like a perfect symphony rise to a crescendo as sunrise approaches. We scan left and right watching it build and photographic opportunities as they come and go. The air temp might be only a single digit, it doesn’t matter as the excitement warms the air and builds with the light. I have the D850 / 24-70VR in hand as I patrol the rim looking for opportunities taking photograph after photograph. I’m scanning over to the North Rim when from below in the morning exchange of air brings a gorgeous Peregrine Falcon up in front of me as it riding on an elevator in the early sunrise light. And there it hangs in front of me, close enough to reach out and touch so by instinct, I put the camera to my eye and shoot. I’ll never forget the experience!
The one problem for me is I have a D850 / 24-70VR in my hand! In my world, I don’t have a photograph that shares this experience. Yes, you see one above but it’s one where the image was severely cropped in post to get the image size you see. You must understand, I don’t crop in post. After I missed this shot, I did put the 300PF on and waited. The Peregrine didn’t appear until I went back to the 24-70VR, doing that twice to me, so I never got “the” shot with the right lens. It’s really hard for many to understand the stringent standards I put on myself for my photography. But it’s because I know how weak I am and if I let myself slide on this or that standard of a photograph (a standard set by my clients and my desire to make money), I’ll always let myself slide. In the photo above, not only is the image severely cropped, the exposure was corrected because I was shooting for the landscape at -2exp comp, not an amazing Peregrine right in front of me. If I wasn’t writing this blog post, you’d never, ever seen this photograph. And for me, it’s that simple, I’ve got to get it right in the camera. I won’t sacrifice the welfare of a critter for a photograph and when it comes to my wildlife photography, what you see is what I saw. I know of no other way to improve my photography but always asking can the bar be raised?
Feb 21, 2018 | Wildlife Photography
There are so many “things” that go into a photograph! There is the great, brand, f/stop, shutter speed and of course, the Photoshop concerns. The one “thing” that I find many photographers don’t consider or act upon is the most important element to go into a photograph, themselves! Ya, there are all the worries, the … will this qualify for the camera club judging or the … will I get a bunch of likes on Facebook, but what about your wants, desires, your favorites? What is it YOU want in your photograph? This is the most difficult because all I just listed and more plus the fact there is no, (insert your name here) Menu Setting or Slider that automatically puts (insert your name here) instantly into the formula. Do you even know what that might be if you could have such a setting?
I can tell you some of mine, the Glossy Ibis above is a good example of them. All my images require light, not just light but a light that captures the imagination to tell the story. Then, there is what you see is what I saw, no cropping or post finishing. That’s a must in my critter photos (landscape and aviation see Photoshop but still no cropping)! Next, I have to have the light that’s going to lead your eye through the frame. Then the critter has to share with all of us that moment of, of, of, well there’s the important part that I don’t have a word for. I hate to say gesture because so many don’t understand this important element in a photograph. With the Glossy Ibis, it’s not just its stare but how the light brings out the white eyebrow above the bill that follows the stare that goes with the curve of the bill that the light kisses that are framed by the reeds … etc, etc, etc. That’s the gesture that made me stop to wait for the moment.
And that, in a long-winded explanation is what I wait for in all my photographs that I want to share, to reach out to the viewer and if all goes right, grabs heartstrings. But I know that’s what I want, what I’m looking for, what I need in my own mind as a formula that BEGINS the photographic process. That “other stuff,” the technical is there, in the background, for a heartbeat and then it’s thrown by the wayside as it comes time to record the moment. I think knowing YOURSELF is really the key here more than knowing brand for exposure equation. I honestly feel you need to know what’s in your favorite!
Feb 12, 2018 | Wildlife Photography
FL Red-shouldred Hawk
captured by D5 / 800mm
The magic of flight that birds appear to do so effortlessly is a photographic storytelling challenge. That’s because as we watch it in real time, the mind fills in lots of gaps so all that registers is that magic. But when you take just one moment from that flight, that single moment in flight might not translate that magic that we’re after. How do you bring home that elegance of flight in your photo to share with others? As you watch them ring up, raptors make circles and in that circle there is a photograph and only one moment. In that moment is the elegance but how do you capture that?
It all starts really with the gear you’re shooting with, in this example, I used the captured by D5 / 800mm but an easier set up for most would have be something handheld like the 300PF on the D5. The gear gives you not only the image size but ability to isolate the flight from the background. There is a general rule in bird flight photography, don’t photograph them with a gray background. The 800mm permitted me to grab the small slice of blue in the gray. Then in watching the Red-shoulder circle, I watched and shot ONLY when it was coming into the light AND it was looking around and not just straight down (other photo shows when not to click). In the lower photo you can see where even though the hawk is lit, the feeling of the magic of flight doesn’t come through. It’s a challenge to get the shot but just keep in the back of your mind, you want to say in your photograph the elegance of flight!
Feb 6, 2018 | Wildlife Photography
FL Brown Pelican
captured by D5 / 800mm
There are those moments when the air is still, the light has kissed it when the subject comes through to be blessed by it. With the D5 / 800mm mounted we had such a moment with this Fl Brown Pelican glided past. Our moment of zen.
Jan 25, 2018 | Wildlife Photography
Gray Wolf
captured by D5 / 800mm w/TC-1.25e
It was SO worth the wait! All these years of coming to Yellowstone to be intimate with a pack was finally achieved. Sixteen members of the 8 Mile Pack made a kill the night before. The next morning nine were still working on the Bison kill. When we arrived we found them off in the distance with full bellies sleeping it off. There were two options when they woke up while we were there. They would come back and feed a little more or more likely, slip back into their secretive world of the forest disappearing from view. Within 30min of our arrival, they got up and at first, two of the adults walked back into the forest. My heart sunk! There were nine wolves when we arrived, now there were seven. Then they all started to get up, stretch and mill around. I figured that would be it. Then the alpha male made a 180 and walked right towards us and the kill. For the next two hours, I was treated to a lifetime experience I’ve been seeking for decades!
Gray Wolf
captured by D5 / 800mm w/TC-1.25e
We were fortunate to witness so much amazing, total, cool and exciting biology! All this on the edge of a thermal casting steam about the scene. To be honest, I’m at the moment at a loss for words to describe it. Not having gotten through all my images to let them tell the story, I’m going to have to reflect on the spectacular time to better put words to it. In the coach driving back in, all I could come up to describe our time was, epic!
Jan 9, 2018 | Wildlife Photography
Bullock’s Oriole
captured by D3x / 600VRII
It’s the staple of life! Water, birds need water every day, multiple days a day. They need it for both drinking and for bathing, both essential survival needs. In the summer, free water is scarce in many regions because pools evaporate. In the winter time free water freezes. Both scenarios remove water from the system. That’s why we have so many bird baths on our property, five to be exact and they always see more activity than our feeders. In the winter time, they have a simple birdbath heater to keep them open. And all of this means a great photographic opportunity for you!
Red-breated Nuthatch
captured by D500 / 300PF
The key is to have perches for the birds to land on coming to and leaving the bird bath. The Bullock’s Oriole above was coming into the bath and the 600mm isolated it against a great background. That was a planned perch, not luck. The bottom photo is a Red-breasted Nuthatch coming landing on a perch right on the bird bath up close with the 300PF. If the photo was to illustrate just the Nuthatch, I wouldn’t have included the bird bath. This is a very simple and effective way to attract and take care of your birds and photographic habit all at the same time. And when planned out, all from the comfort of your own home!
