Jun 23, 2017 | Wildlife Photography
It’s essential that the more we click, the better we click! Because if we don’t learn from our photographic past, we are doomed to relive it over and over again. One of the huge challenges is remembering what we’ve done, the good and the bad and remember which is which so we avoid one and embrace the other. That’s kinda what this week’s podcast is about. Perhaps if we look at the lessons we learn on a minute by minute scale, the bigger lessons might stick better. Case in point.
A week ago we had this amazingly cute and cooperative Arctic Hare. When we first stopped, he wanted nothing to do with us, slowly sliding off into some low cover. Doing an 180, we walked to where I thought he might emerge. He did and when he did he found the four of us there staring at him through our lenses. And with that, he could care less we were present and went back to munching. Biologically and photographically, that’s perfect so now we could work on getting that one photo that summed up our experiences, tell the story visually!
None of us were using long glass, I was shooting the D7500 / 300PF and was perhaps 7-9′ away from the little guy. And when he first emerged he was in a shadow of a Spruce. The light was not optimal, to say the least. We were in the last rays of the sun and I saw our shadow on the rock. I said that I wanted the Hare to come out because I wanted to catch his shadow on the rock. To facilitate my thought, we all moved back to give him room to move out into the last rays of the Arctic sun.
After a short time, he grazed down into the light. While I like the sitting shot with the touch of glow to the head, I knew it could be better. Then there was the feeding shot with the shadow on the rock so we’re getting closer to what I had previsioned but still, it could be better. The shoot while only lasting about fifteen minutes was progressing from a simple record shot of a species existence to … well … a moment that summed up our time with this cute critter. Because the last shots I got captured the Hare’s cuteness, goofiness and that shadow that times it in with the long summer days of the Arctic. The photograph progressed right in front of our eyes, getting better with every click. That was in part because of seeing where we were at and having an idea where we want to go and what we thought we needed to make that happen. The trick is to apply this fifteen-minute lesson to a weekly, monthly and yearly lesson for all of our photography. Some shots here work, some don’t, kinda like our weekly, monthly and yearly efforts. You learn from it all and your photography will evolve and that’s the goal. Because with knowledge and passion we can reach that goal, that our photograph progression never ends!
Jun 22, 2017 | Wildlife Photography
You know what I’m talking about, we’ve all had to deal with them. The unsightly stick in our critter photos, argh! The mind’s eye loves vertical lines especially when they have any kind of texture taking the eye away from our cute and fuzzy subject, argh! So we tend to go to great lengths to either make them disappear or simply not take the photo in the first place. This photo of an American Robin demonstrates a technique I try to use whenever possible.
First, keep in mind I’m shooting with a very narrow angle of view. In this case, the D500 / 800mm permit me to move just a small distance, 6 inches to the side to incorporate out of focus leaves to help hide the annoying branch. Now in order to move over to grab that leaf, I also had to move backward. Subject size is not a priority when the subject stands out visually so with that branch now hidden even through the Robin is smaller in the frame it stands out more. Now if you’re not shooting with a long lens, this technique is harder as you’re taking in more of the world. It’s just another example though why I like the long glass.
May 26, 2017 | Wildlife Photography
“Just how much background should I include?” This is a very common question that I receive all the time. It just came in as a possible podcast topic. Being a visual answer in my mind I was waiting until I had the same subject with three different backgrounds to answer it. My recent time at Magee Marsh with its waves of busy warblers provided the images I needed to explain how I look at the background and its role in telling the visual story.
Northern Parula Warbler
captured by D500 / 800mm
In answering this question for myself, I first start with the gear I’m going to use. With birds in order to control the background, I use either the D5 or in this case, the D500 on the 800mm. That combination provides an incredibly narrow angle of view permitting easy tweaking of the background with slight movements to right or left, up or down with the gear. With that it comes down to your own style of photography and that’s really to the heart of the question of background.
Northern Parula Warbler
captured by D500 / 800mm
There are three classic examples here of backgrounds for birds. No background, just a touch and fully occupied. As you can see, I like to use all three because each one tells a little different story based on the subject and that’s what photography is all about to me. At the same time, it’s the subject and the light on it that truly determines which background will work best. There are a number of things that takes the mind’s eye to the subject and then through the whole image. Knowing these and applying them really determines the background to me. With critters, their gesture, their attitude, their character really impacts the background and visa versa and which photo I’ll put out. In these three images, it’s the bottom image I love the most and it’s all because of the gesture in the Northern Parula Warbler. While it might have the “busiest” background but because of the light on the background and the subject, you can’t help but see that gesture. So rather than have a fixed background in my mind I have to have for a photograph, I work with what’s presented by the subject at the time of the click. I don’t know if that answers folk’s question but that’s how I visually think about how much background.
May 10, 2017 | Wildlife Photography
It’s a real simple formula for capturing birds in flight. You want the sun and the wind on your back. Here’s a real simple illustration of the point. This pair of Forster’s Tern on day one had the wind coming in from the right. Because of that when the mate came in for a landing, it was going sidewise to the camera. While OK, it’s not the most desirable.
The next day the light and the wind were hitting our backs and the terns, were landing while flying right into the lens barrel. It’s really just the simple. The rest was having the reach (shooting with the 800mm w/TC-1.25e) and the FPS (shooting with the D5) to capture the slow decent to the stump. So with that the photo was made as the wind has it!
May 5, 2017 | Wildlife Photography
Dunlins
captured by D5 / 800mm w/TC-1.25x
For thirty-six years, I have traveled in search of the natural wonders of this planet. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to witness some of Mother Nature’s finest, sights that have inspired me for a lifetime. Reaching a lifetime location to witness the annual shorebird gathering on Delaware Bay tops the list of her miracles! Seeing tens of thousands of birds packed into a hundred yard stretch of beach simply takes your breath away. And while they are packed on the beach, there is a celebration of life in the skies as the Dunlin fly their aerial ballet moving from a piece of beach to another. It can’t help but effect and inspire you, the sites and sound in this explosion of life. Go out this weekend and find your lifetime wonder and celebrate it in your photography. Then be sure to share that wonder with everyone else. Because it belongs to all of us and everyday we need to celebrate Mother Nature and all her splendors and wonders!
May 3, 2017 | Wildlife Photography
I’m in Cape May having the time of my life photographing birds! We found on our first day this pair of Forster’s Terns that hang on the same sunken stump every afternoon. I’ve captured some absolutely delightful images there I need to share. During the “down” time between their “spring activities” I wanted to get some panning practice in with me new favorite rig, D500 / 300PF and to make it exciting I added the TC-14eIII. The extra mm’s narrows the angle of view so handholding has to be spot on. There were Forster’s Terns feeding right in front of us so that was my target. When the light got good and they hovered in front of us, I would shoot. I wanted the slower shutter speed to blur the wings to show they are hovering but knowing their head stays in the same spot when they hover, knew I would get the eye sharp. It was great practice and fun and produced some cool images. That’s why I took a tern at handholding :-)
