The Stolen Moment

Mar 23, 2017 | Wildlife Photography

Pileated Woodpecker
captured by D5 / 800mm

I have an amazing partner who is also my wife. Too often though, we are separated as I go off on this project and that event. We’ve been together a long time so I know the majority of her favorites and one of them is the Pileated Woodpecker. Goes way back in time when we watched them in Yosemite Valley in the ’80s. Well on my last adventure in FL last week, I was in a couple of locales where there were Pileateds. I wanted a photo to sent to Sharon just so you knew I was thinking of her. I saw one fly by here and another there, but never saw any opportunity to make a click. Then the last day in the last hour I received a text from Jake. He had two Pileateds in his viewfinder. So I grabbed the D5 / 800mm and booked it back down the boardwalk. Jake is really good at learning and applying all the lessons over the years shooting wildlife. The most important, go slow and look 360 for the great light and then the subject in that light. Doing that he found two which was just one when I reached him. Another important lesson we practice everyday is knowing our camera gear intimately for just such as an occasion as this. I saw the small avenue through the trees I could shoot as I walked up. By the time the tripod was on the boardwalk, the camera exposure compensation had already been set, aperture selected and focus approximately set for the distance. So once on the boardwalk all I had to do was get the glass on the Pileated and shoot. No, it’s not a great shot but that’s not what I was after. The point of this shot was to share a memory and moment with my best friend. But isn’t that what photography is really, truly all about>

Love Their Tenaciousness!

Mar 7, 2017 | Wildlife Photography

Mountain Chickadee
captured by D500 / 300PF / TC-14eIII

We had a real fast moving, nasty storm come through on Sunday. I was stressing under a deadline to get a project completed by 17:00. It was a perfect day to shoot with the weather but I simply couldn’t afford the time to get the gear out since I was hitting the road the next day at 08:00 and everything was already packed. Finally, Sharon had enough and told me to go get in some shooting time. I quickly grabbed the D500 / 300PF and attached the TC-14eIII and got in ten minutes of shooting. The birds were going nuts in the nasty weather taking advantage of the free food. None so much as the Mountain Chickadees. We have a bumper crop this winter at the house, at least thirty are constantly darting about. Now I love Chickadees, especially one that comes to my hand for seed. With the clock ticking, I focused on the one perch with the most character hoping I would get the one click I had in mind. And sure enough, I lucked out, got the photo, made Sharon happy and was able to get back to the project. Them Chickadees, they have such character and attitude and when it’s cold and they want their food, I just love their tenaciousness!

“Catching Air”

Mar 2, 2017 | Wildlife Photography

Pronghorn
captured D500 / 300PF

Both the Pronghorn and Mule Deer are “catching air,” all four hooves are off the ground. But which one can you actually see that air? While the D500 is firing as fast as it can, the 300PF shot wide open for minimum DoF, to actually see that air takes more. What more?

Mule Deer
captured D500 / 300PF

The one thing I talk about so much, background! While critters are on the move, it’s not like you can move to improve the background. It’s really all about luck as much as seeing it. But seeing that background before putting yourself through the pain of trying to capture it helps avoid getting frustrated. Good handholding, panning, fast FPS and clean background are what you need for catching air.

Tread with Care

Feb 8, 2017 | Wildlife Photography

Bobcat
captured by D5 / 800mm

For the last 24hrs, we’ve had rain here in the Sierra. Our snow is slowly melting under the 3+ inches we’ve received at the house. As I look out at the slush, I’ve been watching our critters. It might be blowin a storm out, snowing like mad and they tend to just go about their business of getting food and staying warm. But with the rain, they hunker down and try to wait it out. But as the day goes on and the need for food for calories to stay warm grows, they venture out grudgingly. And that’s how most spend their winter, seeking those precious calories for mere survival.

Long-tailed Weasel
captured by D4 / 600mm

And as wildlife photographers, we need to recognize this basic yet vital biology and not get in the way of this activity. You can summarize their daily life simply with, calories in – calories out, basic survival. In the winter time when food is not as plentiful in snow bound habitats makes this basic biology a challenge. If photographers hamper critters seeking this basic life requirement, there is the direct issue of not getting those calories. You can take it further because photographers can stress a critter further stressing the calories equation.

Mule Deer
captured by D3 / 200f2

Photographing critters in winter is grand quest. When you think about all we do to keep ourselves comfortable and camera gear happy, you can quickly appreciate the critters challenge. We can come back into warmth and food with ease. Our subjects, well they are still out there looking for both of those things on a hourly bases. When looking to make those great photos then, remember this simply thing when you tread with care. No photograph is worth sacrificing the welfare of the subject.