A Moment with an American Oystercatcher

I spent last week playing more and more with the D4 video. This segment I shot while lying on the sand which made watching the LCD nearly impossible and panning a real challenge. It was fun and the results have some good moments. I then further went and edited the clip in Photoshop CS6 which makes it SOooo easy to do.

That’s Just Gotta Hurt!

There are times no matter who you are or how good you are, you simply cannot replace a motordrive on astroblast!We were at the rookery when a Great Egret came into feed the kids. Well as you might guess, all hell broke loose as the two kids fought over the resource. In case you didn’t know, the kids have to simulate the parent to cough up a meal. They do this by grabbing the parent’s bill and pump the head/neck back and forth over and over again. This whole time, those pointie bills are flying around like diggers! I watch through the lens holding my breath part of the time, the chaos is fierce. There is no physical way even with the D4 you can see the action, tell your finger to fire and the camera fire to capture the action. So it’s real simple for me, hit the hammer, let the D4′s 10fps loose, enjoy the sound of that mirror slapping away and shoot! Then in the post I look at the action frame by frame to decide which images tells the story of the mayhem the best. Once, long ago at Venice Rookery I saw the same behavior and at the end, there was a little blood below the eye of the parent. I didn’t see it this time but you just gotta think that hurts!

In the Bag
• D4
• 600VR
• TC-17E II
• Lexar 64GB 1000x UDMA
• Gitzo GT-5561SGT
• Wimberley WH-200

Subject Knowledge Can Finish the Story

Any southern coastal region in late winter early spring is a target rich place to photograph shorebirds. Our time at Ft DeSoto is a perfect example. What you see here is the same bird, the Black-bellied Plover, one of my favorites. They just have attitude and a air of confidence that makes me smile. Sadly, we don’t see them in the spring tuxedo but we can see them in the winter plumage and then changing into their spring duds. If you know a little bit about them, you will recognize the transitions in plumage which makes for a great story. These are three different individuals, all three at different phases of molting in their spring coat. If you’re into editorial content creation, this is money in the bank. If you do slideshows on bird ID, this is a treasure chest. And if you just want to document the mysteries of birds, this is a great reward for getting up early and lying on the sand shooting. And it all comes from knowing a little bit about your subject. Knowledge about your subject trumps an expensive lens every time!

In the Bag
• D4
• 600VR
• TC-17E II
• Lexar 64GB 1000x UDMA

May is Mucho Teaching Month!

May is going to be a great month! I’m going coast to coast to teach and hope I get to meet you. It starts this weekend with our Photoshop for Shooters in Mammoth Lakes, CA. Then I’m heading to NY for two classes at B&H 10 May, Critiquing Your Images & Essential Gear. The on the 11th I’m in NJ at Unique University talkin photography and then on the 12th, doing two photowalks at the Meadowlands. But we ain’t done yet!

Then on 16 May, K&M Adventures heads to SD and the Black Hills. Bison calves and big skies, I can’t wait! We finish up the month back home in the Sierra for our first Mono Lake Weekend 25-27 May. This huge variety is meant to help as many folks as I can in as many ways as I can at as many locations I can at every possible price. I sure hope I get to shake your hand and help you and your photography move forward!

Ybor City – Back to a Challenge

After the gorgeous morning at Myakka, we headed back into the city, an unique city. My bud RC introduced me to the magic and “special” life of Ybor some time ago and I like to visit it at least once a year. This is a real photographic challenge for me. It’s kinda tight quarters where photographs don’t jump out at you, you’ve gotta look for them. You also have to take the sensory overload and narrow down the final image into the viewfinder. I’m not the best at doing this but do know what doesn’t work when I see it. This photo wasn’t my find, a couple of other participants had found the scene and really loved it. But their photo didn’t look like this. What they showed me included the four walls of the “bombed” out bldg before you get to this scene. With 65% of the photo washed out exposed cement, I made a funny face and said in typical Moose fashion, it sucked. That went over like a lead balloon because within their minute with the scene, it would seem the formed an extreme attachment to this bombed out four walls. Then walking forty feet forward to make this click you see here and sharing that idea, went over as a lead balloon as well.

After being told I didn’t get it and didn’t see it, I came across this scene in a window and it made me smile. I think it kinda sums up what it is to be a photographer and at times, an instructor. You’ve gotta have courage and heart in photography. You’ve gotta have both with you go click. You’ve gotta have both when you share your photography and you really have to have both when you are asked to comment on a photograph. Yeah, I could have been a whole lot gentler in saying the photos suck, but it wouldn’t change the fact they suck. I don’t think the top image is worth blogging other then to tell this story. It’s a stick against a wall framing a stick with color. But here’s the deal…the only person you have to make happy with your photography is yourself. Period, end of story! That only changes when you ask someone elses opinion because when you do that, you are then seeking a gratification that might not come and that hurts. This is a challenge of photography, for myself just like anyone else wins and sometimes looses. And the best news, either way the sun will rise tomorrow! it’s only a photograph.

Totally Got Butt Kicked!

Before you go gettin excited and think I know what I’m doing, what you see here are just 2 of the 14 sharp images I got last night out of the 168 images I took of Black Skimmers skimming. That kind of success rate sucks and I’m not pleased! What as the problem? That I don’t know because while I had the bird in the frame and the composition worked, the skimmers weren’t sharp. I started to play with the AF pattern of the D4 and while it improved my keeper rate (these were taken using D51), it still wasn’t consistent enough for me. Now the sun was almost down, the contrast range below the minimum, I wanted better. So, I have some more testing to do to figure out if it was pilot error, camera deficiency or a combination of both.

In the Bag
• D4
• 600VR
• Lexar 64GB 1000x UDMA
• Gitzo GT-5561SGT
• Wimberley WH-200

K&M Advetnures FL…2nd Morning

So we arrive at North Beach lagoon at Fort DeSoto to see nothing, zero, nada bird but a lonely GBH way off in the distance. For the start of our 2nd day of our K&M Adventure FL, I was a bit nervous. I mean, the idea is to be shooting cool subjects. Well, I really didn’t pause, walked right over to the beach. And at first, didn’t see much but then after a couple of minutes, the birds started to appear at the wave line and we never looked back! It was a killer morning, I filled 2009 images from two and a half hours of shooting and like you see above, they don’t suck! I love shorebirds! You’ve got here are Willet, Marbled Godwit, American Oystercatcher and Ruddy Turnstone.

I started out with my rig on the tripod but as soon as I got to the shoreline, I knew I had to get down. Here’s the deal, while shooting from a tripod is just fine, the angle of attack to me is too steep, it includes way too much background which is sand. Yes, sand is where they live but it doesn’t really aid in visually making them pop. So I wanna get down on their level. While this really restricts your movement, when you watch their biology, you can find places to get down and make the shot. If you want to learn the entire technique, head to Kelby Training. The whole thing is about backgrounds, my favorite pet peeve.

And if you’re not shy, like asking questions and want to learn from guys who have been doing this stuff for a combined 60yrs, come along on a K&M Adventure. We have an opening next month in South Dakota, a couple this fall and two next winter in Grand Canyon. For more info or to register, call 760.204.1506. Now, back to the sand, there are more birds to photograph!

In the Bag
• D4
• 600VR
• TC-14E II
• Lexar 64GB 1000x UDMA

Visiting the Uncomfortable Zone

K&M headed off to the sponge docks at Tarpon Springs when the light went bad. We went because well, I didn’t want to sit inside on a gorgeous day and wanted to challenge myself. Shooting these kinds of images while teaching is most definitely an uncomfortable place for me. My buds at NAPP had brought me here before so I wanted to take the D4 for a spin amongst the color.

I had a great time just goofin starting with some 5 image handheld HDR. The store fronts are just killer this time of day with Nik HDR Efex pro and then finishing with Silver Efex Pro. One trick I taught the folks is how to shoot glass door like this and not see yourself in the picture. Know the trick? No, guess you need to come on adventure with us. And not, it was done in camera and not in post.

Then it was the most important time of the day…ICE CREAM! While I was sitting there enjoying mine, I looked up and this is what I saw. This is a straight shot out of the camera. I love this! In fact, I think this sums up my whole time at Tarpon Springs and how I felt after going into the uncomfortable zone!

In the Bag
• D4
• 24-70AFS
• Lexar 64GB 1000x UDMA

K&M FL Adventure Begins

K&M Adventures in down in FL with a great bunch of folks and killer subjects. To get everyone on the same page, warmed up and pixels workin, went to a favorite, secret beach that’s great for cool birds. We had a White phase Reddish Egret come in and then this Tricolored. While note rare, the Tricolored is simple a fun bird as they go through their gyration foraging. For wildlife photographers, they are great practice for long lens panning. With the low light levels, there is an even greater challenge to the photography. What a perfect start!

Then the sun popped up. Right then I was focused in on this Laughing Gull. The sun bounced off the puddle in front of the gull really giving it a “weird” light that for some strange reason, I like. So I clicked and after the first click, off the gull flew.

Then there are the shorebirds. I love Willets and this one coming into its breeding plumage is schweet! Whenever I find a shorebird in breeding plumage, I’m like a bulldog, I just can’t let go. I worked it looking for the elegant portrait like you see here and anything interesting biologically. Never got the biology but sure had fun!

In the Bag
• D4
• 600VR
• TC-14E II
• Lexar 64GB 1000x UDMA
• Gitzo GT-5561SGT
• Wimberley WH-200

Additional Dates – SLWPC

oh yeah baby, we’re rockin bigtime! We basically filled our original 7-8 July course so added an additional weekend 18-19 August. We’ll be holding our Short Lens Wildlife Photography Course twice this summer. Just what kind of “stuff” might you be learning at the Course? Well, did you see this video? Will we have snow like you see in these photos? That’s a darn good question after this last week but we have had snow every month in the Sierra so you just never know. These photos of a Cassin’s Finch and Evening Grosbeak were taken right out my office window. How did I make that happen? Well, come to the course and I’ll teach you how to do the same thing. The price is only $395, gear is minimum at best and the possibilities are endless. Give us a call at 661.204.1506.

Short Lens Wildlife Photography Course Additional dates

The response to our Short Lens Wildlife Photography Course has been so amazing we’re working on setting up another weekend in August. Give Sharon a call 661.204.1506 if interested and we’ll put you on an email list when we have locked in the dates. Don’t know what the Short Lens Wildlife Photography Course is, click on the link

Winter Feeder Fun

In the Bag
• D4
• 300mm AFS
• Lexar 64GB 1000x UDMA
• SB-910
• Nikon SD-9
• PocketWizard FlexTT5
• PocketWizard MiniTT1 Radio Slave
• PocketWizard AC3
• LumiQuest Promax Softbox III

Last Minunte Opening, FL K&M

Just had a last minute cancelation in our upcoming, as in two weeks away, K&M FL Adventure. If surf, birds, boats, planes and girls grab your attention (this is an all girl adventure, participant wise except 1 guy) and you can make it, give us a call 760.924.8632. I can’t wait to take the D4 to the beach!

It be filled….the girl part got to ‘em

DC Precon – The Video

Stepping Back – Stepping Forward

Going outside your comfort zone is so important in ones photographic growth. Working with “models” is something that isn’t in my bag of tricks so when Craig suggested doing a precon with 20 models, to say it made me nervous is an understatement. Then stepped in the amazing Rosie, what a doll! For those of your who have not attended one of NAPP Safari Precons, it’s an all day event where with my pal Joe McNally, we start in the classroom talking photography and then head out into the field to put it into practice. We’ve shot red rocks and dead cowboys, aircraft and models in art museums and now, civil war reinactors. We go out with 60 amazing folks with giant smiles and big hearts wanting to simply enjoy shooting with other like minded folks and laugh a little. It really is a grand day!

Along with the fellowship and teaching, it was my first “shoot” with the D4. What you see here are photos right out of the camera (except the top image). Processing was no more then opening up Mini Bridge, selecting all the files, holding down the shift key and double clicking. I am very pleased with the results! The images I selected are two fold, they are images I like and they are all images that the compensation on the D4 was set to 0. It’s a pretty wide range of light with the new 91,000 pixel system doing a really good job faithfully recording what I saw. Now that’s now the same as I felt but I need to get that first part down before I make the camera do the second.

The very last photo is my Ms. Rosie, the sweetest southern bell whose ankle I ever did photograph (I know Craig will report this to you). I simply can’t thank her enough! Her very unselfish and cheery nature made this day possible for all of us, opening the minds and hearts of us all. Thank you for all you did!

In the Bag
• D4
• 50f1.4 AFS
• 70-200VR2

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