Aug 16, 2012 | Wildlife Photography
Sharon & I are having a blast with the Kelby Training crew, Adam & Brandon here in our home and office filming my latest class, Beginning Wildlife Photography. The guys are from FL of course, so just being up in the Sierra and right now has them big eyed and clicking a ton of iPhone photos. Then we introduce the to our birds and squirrels (my Stellar Jay kid who flies into the office to say hi really got them!) and they really go gaga! I was hillerious watching Brandon try to photograph Alvin, our Allen’s Hummer with his iPhone. We finished our first day last night at 21:30 filming a segment with our Northern Flying Squirrels. This is one of our juvenal Hairy Woodpeckers posing for the camera during the class. This photo taken with a Nikon 300f4AFS, the main lens for the class. They are do back shortly to start our 2nd day and can’t wait. Had a bear the day before they arrived and hoping one comes by today. I want to see how their iPhones does with it! Oh ya, they say the class should be posted in the next 60days! mtc
Jul 30, 2012 | Wildlife Photography
I just think these are the coolest birds, the Turkey Vulture. I am often asked what one critter have I not photographed that I want to. Obviously I’ve photographed the Turkey Vulture but never on a nest. I day a paper presented on these misunderstood birds long ago and say some cool images of their nest life and have always wanted to spend a season at a nest ever since. Where most look at birds like the Robin to signal the coming of spring, I look to the TV migrating up the Eastern Sierra. The one factoid I love about TVs is, they use more calories to perch then they do to fly. That’s pretty darn cool!
Then there is that red head, I just love it! It has a very specific biological reason, it’s all about cleanliness. Vultures stick their heads in places where heads shouldn’t go, into gooey, gory, parts of dead things eating stuff that smell alone would knock us off. Because of that, they have no feathers on their heads so they can keep clean easier. That’s cool evolution! North America has three in vultures, the Turkey, Black and California Condor. Other then the condor, vultures tend to be ignored even though they are not only cool, but an important part of our wild heritage. Some populations in North America have suffered some server decline in the last decade. If you have the opportunity, give them a little of your time. You might just find them like me, pretty darn cool! Photos taken with D4 w/600VR.
Jun 19, 2012 | Wildlife Photography
There is just something about the critters of the north, those that eek out survival around or above the arctic circle. The vast majority of the critters of the north are physically larger, what’s often referred to as the Northern Effect. This is part of their strategy for survival as well as a means of having more body area making the most of their limited daylight. But lastly, the vast majority of the critters of the north don’t see humans much, they don’t know they should be scared of us so they are very cooperative. I like that!
This is a Red Fox pop that we photographed for a couple of days. The family den site was back in the trees so we didn’t always have great light but on the days we shot the den, it was overcast which worked best for lighting. This particular Red Fox family had a red phase mom and a dark phase dad so the pups are what are called Cross (the biologists, crazy namers they are). Now laying down on the ground to get the background to totally blur really seemed to intrigue this one pup, it started at me for what seemed like hours and I didn’t mind for a second. This photo was taken with a F5, 800f5.6 EDIF on Agfa RSX 100.
The Arctic Hare is so big I tend to look for a saddle to take one for a ride. They have such an attitude about them, probably because they know they can kick the crap out of us. But while they are diurnal, seeing them at dusk is kinda common when it’s an up year. Those years, I would tend to seek them out because just love their hair do. They are molting out of their all white winter coat to their summer gray coat. Just the ears intrigue me to no end. This photo was taken with the same gear as the fox.
And why are these critters on my mind? I’m busy making the plans for our K&M Adventure Churchill (we have two openings), talking to old friends and hearing about the critters up at Churchill. One year we had a Polar Bear with 3 cubs that I ended up petting the mom and holding one of the cubs, a very fond memory. So I just couldn’t help and stop, look at some images from my last trip up there and day dreaming. Hope you can join us, you’ll come back with the same kind of memories and even better, photograph!
May 29, 2012 | Wildlife Photography
The thing called time..it is SO important in the formula of a single image and in your photography overall. In my travels the last two months, I’ve come across more photographers who either never considered spending a great amount of time with one subject in one place or “have that photo” so move on in a heartbeat. My style of photography has never been to chase the subject. I prefer instead for the subject to come to me. In this way, we use time to get into the flow of life, see subtle changes that can make or break a photograph and quite often, capture the photograph. When I hear a photographer that is bored or has done something before so they’re not going to do it again, I have to scratch my head. With a camera in your hand, how can you be bored or think an image will ever be the same, again?
Here’s an example of what sticking about for just 45min did for photographing Bison calves. As normal, we were up and out early on our K&M Adv SD to where we’d left the heard the night before. Early light just works its own magic we are all well aware of. And with Bison, once you’re parked and you stand next to your vehicle, they will just walk right up to you (and as the signs say, Bison can be dangerous). On this morning, the light was great at first but then the cloud cover started to form which, as you can see in the middle image, softened the light to the point where backlit was great because you had the rim lighting but with really soft shadows. Then the light went flat to the point it had no real character. Shooting with the D4 & 200-400VR2, the trick with all three of these lighting patterns was to look for character in the subject that the light worked with. The only way I know of making that happen is time and while I’ve shot Bison for decades, I never have enough time with them and never get the image I have in my mind. Light and subject are always changing, the trick is being in the right place at the right time with the right subject with the right light with the right gear. No wonder I keep going back to the same place. That’s a lot of luck to make just one photo!
May 23, 2012 | Wildlife Photography
Here’s the deal, backgrounds are everything! No matter the subject matter, the background not only sets the stage for the subject but also tells the rest of the story. How simple or complicated a story is up to you since it is your photograph. Here’s an example of what I mean. You basic Pronghorn doe in the Blackhills last week during our K&M Adventures. Shot with the D4 and 200-400VR2 shooting out the window of the van (BTW, love the D4!). The gray sky, generally not a good background for critters visually wraps around the prong enveloping it rather then making it pop. Not good.
With the same focal length, subject to camera distance and exposure, look at the difference just moving 15′ can make in the background and to the point, the subject! The eyes are sooooo important. Look at how the darker background makes the darker eyes pop. Logically, you’d think the lighter background would make the darker eyes pop but such is not the case. That is in part because the background is so far behind the subject, it’s is out of focus so sharpness rather then color makes them pop. Want or need to learn more about this stuff, here ya go That’s why we came up and are offering the Short Lens Wildlife Photography Course. 760.924.8632, call today!
May 4, 2012 | Wildlife Photography
One of the goals of wildlife photography is to make the uncommon photo of the common. Whenever you do that, you have a winning photograph, it’s that simple. Or is it? Capturing the uncommon can encompass many techniques either separately or in combination which makes it a challenge. So here’s a photo of a Short-billed Dowitcher taken as most do, standing up at your tripod, shooting down on the shorebird. I did this for a long time, most still do and while you get an OK photo, you can do much better relatively easily.
What’s the issue in the top photo? The angle of view takes in a whole bunch of background so the Knot does not stand out. We want our subject to smack the viewer right between the eyes, period! So by taking the lens off the tripod and going down to the level of the shorebird, we make the uncommon of the common by making the background disappear. This means we are lying on the sand, not a low tripod angle but flat on the ground! Now when I first mentioned this days ago, a whole bunch of folks wondered about the wisdom of putting a $10k lens in the sand. Now if you watch my KelbyTraining Shorebird class, you’ll see I’m using a Panning Plate that is in a freezbee. It works great and by using the techniques I go through in the Shorebird Class, there’re never an issue. So this is the beginning to make the uncommon from the common.
The next way to make it more uncommon is to have more then one bird in the photo. This takes everything I mentioned above plus something I find photographers have less and less of, patience. In wildlife photography, the “great” image doesn’t came by constantly chasing it. It might every so often but if you want consistent results, you need to park and let the critters come to you (something we’ll cover in Short Lens Wildlife Photography Course). Laying down on the sand, you loose a lot of maneuverability so have to find a place where the birds like to frequent. That just takes a little time watching. Then you lie there and wait and watch. When you see a pair or more starting to head your way, you get ready to shoot. The first thing you MUST understand that because you are lying down, DOF is zip no matter what f/stop you pick! You’re shooting with long glass and you’re really close to the subjects so there is NO WAY you can get the background bird sharp. This means you have to think creatively in your composition. Here are two examples of what I think works in this scenario. So to make the uncommon from the common with these Red Knots took no more then lying down in the sand flat and waiting. These are things in everyone’s budget. And before you say you don’t have a 600mm, you only have a 400mm…not a problem, just slide closer in the sand! When you’re lying flat, birds come real close because now, you’re no longer a tall monster but a beached seal.
