Where Are You Now?

Sep 18, 2013 | Wildlife Photography

I’m in Alaska with griz of course. It’s fall which means on the road. Sharon and I left home two weeks ago and won’t see it again until Thanksgiving. We are very fortunate to be able to see so much of our grand planet and share what we find with you! Currently, we’re up in magnificent Alaska working with one of my favorite critters, grizzly bears. Since you’re not able to be here with me, I thought I would share some of my thoughts on planning my 10 days here with you.

There are two very important factors in planning to photograph griz the way I do, one if photographing griz’s story and the other is the Cessna 207. You have to have the right gear to make the photo but you can’t bring the kitchen sink because of the 207. You need that lens and body but you’ve gotta think of useful load and CG (center of gravity). The 207 might take off from your basic runway, but it will be putting down on a dirt strip, commonly called a beach. So with those two very important factors in mind, this is the gear I have with me:

What’s the logic in this selection? The 800mm, there is no logic, I just wanna to shoot with it more. Now it might afford me the opportunity to get the up close and personal shot that does come along at times, but it won’t be my primary lens. My primary lens is the 80-400 that will be a on second body hanging from my shoulder (800mm always with me on a tripod). Using the Vulture Strap, I can easily have it with me all the time. The 18-35 is for landscapes and general shots and the 16Fish is for the flight to and from the lodge and perhaps the big landscape if it might present itself. The flash is for portraits of folks and interior lodge shots. And other than charger, cords and cleaning kit, that’s all the gear I have along. For me, that is going real light but for this trip and for me, it’s all I need. The last piece of must have equipment are hip boots! You walk a lot and often in mud, creeks and marsh and hip boots make that all possible. Often, I’ll take a knee and shoot low, hip boots are great because they keep your pants from getting wet. So, that’s the basics and where I’m at. There will be, as you imagine, a whole lot more coming but for now, you’re up to day where I’m at.

What’s Better?

Aug 27, 2013 | Wildlife Photography

There we were in the metal junkyard in Chuchill, Canada. Then from nowhere a Merlin takes to the air cacking at a crow and chasing it out of the area. In June, that’s a sure sign they are nesting. Merlins are a funny little raptor, they tend to nest on the ground in the Arctic. I’ve seen Merlin for the last 30yrs but I’ve never had glass on one long enough to get better than what looks like a dust spot on the sensor. Here was an opportunity that even though less than ideal (shooting in a junkyard with the sun high overhead), it was better than what I had had, nothing. I had no shots in my conventional or digital files of Merlin.

The last 12 month, the #2 question I’ve been asked has changed. It was, “What’s the best f/stop?” but now it’s “How do I get better?” We have known units of measure, inch, ounce, miles per hours, kilowatts, but there is no known unit of measure for … better. If you can’t get a photo sharp, than just getting sharp images is better. If you can’t get “proper” exposure, than just getting a good exposure is better. If you’ve never photographed a subject before, having images of that subject that are sharp, exposed well and recognizable, are better. But once you get past these basic stepping stones in photography, how do you measure better? How do work towards being better from what YOU think could be better? Seriously, what’s better? I’ve asked some folks when they were shooting if what they were doing was making the photo better. The overwhelming response was, “I think so” but when they looked at their images they said, “I don’t know if they are better.” Hard to know without some unit of measure.

In the realm of wildlife photography, one measure of better is bigger. A bigger subject in the frame must be better. The Merlin is in the top frame but you can’t see it. The middle frame, you can see it but the trunks on the left isn’t helping. There is no doubt there’s a Merlin in the bottom frame. But what is better between the three? What might seem odd to you, these images are arranged in the order I like the best to least, the top my favorite and the bottom the least. Yes, I’m stacking the deck here but I want to make a point that hopefully will make you think. All three images were taken with the D4 / 800AFS w/TC-25e (effective 1000f7.1) so the increase in size comes from my feet, not glass. And better, what’s the measure for me, here, with these three images? Personally, sharp and good exposure aren’t a measure for better, it comes from story telling. In these three images, the top images tells more about the biology of the Merlin and therefore a story. No bigger than your basic jay, when they don’t want to be seen, they aren’t going to be seen. Could I get “better” images?” Not from this opportunity but perhaps in the future. What would make the next images better? For me, better story telling. Ultimately, I would like to have an image like I’ve seen from others, a Merlin on a branch in a spotlight of sun with a dead bird in its grasp. Hey, a guy can dream, right? And perhaps that should be our measure for better. Rather than some technical unit, some other’s idea of better, perhaps our “better” should come from our dreams. It’s doesn’t answer the question, but perhaps you might think about the question in a different light. What is better?”

Willit Will iT

Aug 2, 2013 | Wildlife Photography

There is something good for the soul laying in the sand at the edge of the sea! It’s even better for one’s humility as you lie there with this giant lens and folks walk by, scare off the bird you’ve waited 20min to come close, than stop and ask, “Whatja doin?” I’ve been lyin on the beach for a long time and truly enjoy photographing shorebirds this way. And the Willit is a favorite subject of mine. It’s probably because of their personality which they seem to have tons of!

Why lie on the beach? While I like having sand between my toes, I don’t like a ton of it in my photo (or my gear for that matter). By getting down low, your depth of field is so narrow that the critter flies off the page. At the same time, when you get down low, the shorebirds tend to come right up to you. You have to pick your background carefully because once down, you’re committed for while. You can see this technique in action on my Kelby Shorebird class. Well, I used this same still technique to shoot the video. It worked out pretty well except those times when folks came up to ask that darn question!

Shooting with a D4 , 600VR2 with TC-14e attached (to maintain Auto Area AF) mounted on a Walt Anderson’s Panning Plate inside a freebie, the DP-6 made a HUGE difference in following action and smoothly especially with your neck all bent lying on the ground. Needing reading glasses these days, this really, really helps! This is an edited down from the 5hrs of video shot to just 5min. I did the editing on the iMac with all the vid residing on the ioSafe N2 and doing the editing right in Premiere Pro CS7. The final video once completed will be much longer than this clip. The goal is to show the comical, methodical approach they have to foraging the tide while maintaining their peaking order. They always leave me with a question, will it? Mother Nature is just amazing!

Elk Kill

Jul 29, 2013 | Wildlife Photography

For years and years, I’ve gone to Yellowstone in the heart of winter looking for one opportunity. I’ve gotten up and entered the park long before sun up in search of that opportunity. And only once have I been rewarded for that persistence. That’s the very nature of wildlife photography. But that one time is one I wouldn’t trade for all the camera gear at B&H! On a dark and snowy day, we came across a fresh elk kill, the carcass hadn’t even been broken open. Over the next ten hours, we witness the carcass nearly disappear and countless coyotes and wolves come and feast. What you’ll see in the video is just one of the coyotes, the one that seemed to have the greatest nerve to deal with pressure that comes eating at a carcass in winter, especially one brought down by wolves. You can tell it’s the same coyote because of the “Z” scare on its nose.

What made this kill really amazing was its location. We could pull the snow coach off the road at an official turnout and be legally far enough away from the kill permitting us to park and stay. If you’ve ever been to Yellowstone, you know that set up is rarer than seeing a Great Gray Owl! So, sitting in the van with just the tripod legs outside, I was able to shoot out of the wind (it was -12). Shooting with a D3s, 600VR2 with TC-14e mounted on a Wimberley / Gitzo, I would shoot stills and video. Shooting in AWB A6 before the sun somewhat brighten the skies (also shot ISO3200 then) was a good idea (but you’ve gotta remember to dial it out once the light appears) The video quality and technique leave a little to be desired but it still brings back a rush of the find to me. This is an edited down from the 4hrs of video to just 4min. I did the editing on the iMac with all the vid residing on the ioSafe N2 and doing the editing right in Premiere Pro CS7. What I wanted to convey in the video can be seen in the first frames and the last frames when you look at the elk carcass. It was amazing that 24hrs later,there wasn’t a single shred of evidence, not even blood on the snow, that any of this had ever taken place. Mother Nature is just amazing!

Caesar Rules the Yard

Jul 16, 2013 | Wildlife Photography

Seven days ago, we had no, zero, nada hummers in the yard! The flowers were all in bloom, feeders filled and out and still, no hummers. We were really wondering what was up and pretty bummed. As you might remember, last year we had our friend Alvin and learned about how much fun I have with our hummers. Then six days ago, the first hummer appeared and we were happier. At first, only one juvenile Allen’s was in the year and by today, we had five in the meadow fighting for dominance. I’d even seen a Calliope a could of times so I was getting excited. And then this evening … a Rufous Hummer, an adult male, took over “the perch.” Oh my!

We have Rufous in the yard all the time, but never had one proclaim dominance of “the perch” (you’ll need to watch my Kelby class to understand about “the perch.”) And while I’ve photographed them before, I’ve not for a long time. How long? I don’t have any digital images of a Rufous! So I dropped everything, set up the D4 / 80-400 on the Really Right Stuff with Pocket Wizards. When Caesar (what we’re calling him) took off chasing another hummer, I ran out on the deck and basically dropped the tripod to see how it would react to it sitting there (that’s the top photo). It didn’t hesitate for a heartbeat, it came right back to the perch with the camera out. So next time it took off after another hummer, I went back out and fine tuned the placement of the rig and then snuck back into the house. I was no sooner back in and it was perched on the perch.

Here’s the rub. I had to raise the ISO to make anything happen and I hate doin that! Ya, I like the photos but they’re not up to my snuff. When Caesar took over the perch, the sun had already gone behind the pines. I could have used flash but not knowing how tolerate he’d be, didn’t want to scare him off before the morning. So, I shot while I could crossing my fingers the whole time these won’t be the only images I’ll get.

So, if life is being good to me, while you’re reading this, I’m out on the deck with my new best friend, Caeasr.

Simple Click – That Moment

Jun 10, 2013 | Wildlife Photography

One of those lessons I learned long ago comes into play in most of my photography. The rufous of the Cliff Swallow head is a great color contrast to the blue of the river so visually the mind’s eye can’t help but see it. Even if it’s really small in the frame. With that comes the story telling, where the mud nests, minimized in size, are set apart by the same color as the swallow, the blue water. And it’s the blue water, the majority of the frame that finishes the storytelling and sets the stage for the subject, the swallow. All that is left is the gesture in the swallow head. There is only one frame of these three where the gesture works for me. You decide what works for you :-)