The color has really popped in the last 24hrs with the cold snap. The combination of crisp air and the warm autumn light made shooting the fall color a snap, and incredibly relaxing. And this morning, the background was just as cool as the foreground.
Sheep Creek, UT captured by Z6 / Z14-30
The photo at the I was pointed to the south. I turned to the west still standing in the same spot and shot the photo above. The only skill I brought to the situation was able to get up early and drive, Mother Nature did all the rest.
The birds are heading south right now and in really great numbers. You can see for yourself for your area with BirdCast. One even set another record going from Alaska to Aukland, a Bar-tailed Godwit who made the 7500 miles journey in 11 days. Dang! It takes fuel to do this and that’s when we want to photograph them, refueling. We don’t want to cause them issues feeding, just photograph them doing such. And if you are there right now, you’ll photograph many in their breeding plumage like this Marbled Godwit.
Marbled Godwit captured by D5 / 800mm
The best way to get the photograph is actually real simple, just requires a little biology and technology combining. First, find their food source. Second, find the best background. Third, Position yourself so you’re at the distance you need for the image size you desire with the food source between you and that background. Fourth, place yourself in that spot and then wait for the birds to come to you. Do not chase them, they need to save those calories for migration. They will come to you cause they want that food and when they come on their own terms, you’re golden.
This applies to any bird species but when it comes to shorebirds, I would add into the mix, get down flat on the sand. You are not only less of a threat, the angle of view is great. And remember to have a sense of humor while shooting. When you’re all wet, it helps to tell their story as they are heading south.
With fall color working its way through the season, questions on what is the right way to photograph them pop up. There is no right or wrong but perhaps better or worse based on what you want to say about them. One very simple way is to change up the light. Above is a backlit scene just seconds before the sun raced around the globe.
Sebago Lake captured by Z7 / Z24-200 @20mm
Then turning around there was this tree frontlit. The drama in the color in both photos comes from the darkness or black around them. Backlit, it’s easy to get this darkness. Frontlit, you might need to underexpose which at the same time, saturates the color. In both, the actual fall color doesn’t not fill the frame, in fact, the opposite. This permits the imagination to fill in some of the holes. Our imagination is a powerful tool to tap into your photos, another great attribute of black. Just something to ponder when you’re out in the woods this fall capturing your fall color.
Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse captured by Z7 / Z24-70f2.8 / Breakthrough 10x
Some locations are just too cool. Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse is one of those where the photos from my first visit just didn’t quite bring back the story for me. So, I went back.
Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse captured by Z7 / Z24-70f2.8 / Breakthrough 10x
The top photo is from this morning, the bottom is from last week. Both taken the same time in the morning with the same technique and exposure time, both completely different. Because of the fog that was rolling in, I went wider this morning and that simple element makes the photo for me. I was told long ago it’s always better the second time. It was this morning!
Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse, ME captured by Z7 / Z24-200 / 10x Breakthrough
It’s been a few years, too many actually, so we’re back on the East Coast getting our lighthouse appetite feed once again! This morning we headed out to Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse. As lighthouses go, it’s unique in that it’s pudgy with a really special place in the harbor. Being in place before the sun could kiss the lighthouse, I went with a long exposure of 16 minutes to transform the otherwise blah water into a palette for the colors to play on (using Breakthrough 10x). I shot at 9k WB to bring out the subtle colors of the basically bald sky. That was just the start of a marvelous shoot.
Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse, ME captured by Z7 / Z24-200 / 10x Breakthrough
Before the sun could creep up any more on the horizon, I scooted over to my right and shoot right down the breakwater at the lighthouse. With the exposure time around twelve minutes, the folks walking down the breakwater and the college kid making us feel old running laps, laps, on the breakwater don’t show up in the photo since they are not in any one spot for more than 25% of the exposure time.
Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse, ME captured by Z7 / Z1-40 / 10x Breakthrough
Once we finished up the long view and the sun came up to wrap itself around the lighthouse, we walked the 900-foot breakwater right to its base. This 1897 Lighthouse has some great details that popped in the light and in B&W. Being as large as it and with the time of year, we could position ourselves so the lighthouse blocked the sun setting the lighthouse in a glow without seeing the sun itself. It was a great morning!
On a side note, being able to travel light, just the Z7, Z14-30, and the Z24-200 was incredibly fun! I have a step-up ring so I can use the 82mm 10x Breakthrough on the Z24-200 as well as the Z14-30.
