I have a thing for Woodstorks, a throw back to early bird evolution that have managed to hang on in our modern word. Their deliberate nature, their at times comical approach and graceful flight is just one of those pleasures in wildlife photography that doesn’t need to be captured to be remembered. I was glad to see them my last evening and to spend a little more time with them. It was a good trip!
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
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
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
