Sep 2, 2015 | Wildlife Photography
We had landed just a couple of hours before after an interesting 28hrs of travel. Settled in our tents, had a meal and assigned a vehicle, out on our first drive we went. Eyes wide open, minds still spinning, I know I wasn’t exactly in a photographic state of mind. All I can assume habits took over because some of it is still a blur. We emerge from the brush to Topi, Zerba, Elephants and the roar of a lion welcoming us to the Mara. We’re literally hitting the ground running! With no clue what we’re heading for, I didn’t even have a camera out yet. I was just along for the ride.
Then I hear we’re heading to a Spotted Hyena den. I’d only seen them briefly on my last visit to Africa but being selected as the first critter we were to focus in on now we’re at the famous Mara had me scratching my head. But like I said, at the moment I was just along for the ride. The sun was getting low and the afternoon thunderstorm made the light dark and moody. Now I’ve never been to a hyena den so had no clue what was coming up. All I had in my mind of a Hyena is the photo you see at the top. That goofy looking, vicious mannered hyena. Then there is my warped sense of humor with my mind wondering off to Hardy Har Har!
Then we pull up to the den complex and my mind’s a scramble! I see adults, subadults, old pups and a new pups, all above ground and like most critters of the Mara, could care less we’re in their lap staring at them through long lenses. Within a moment I have the D4s/800mm on the Zenelli shooting away! It’s like someone had slapped me on the side of the head and said wake up (no, it wasn’t Sharon as she was placed in another Landi but it would have helped). I had a Pavlov’s Dog reaction when I saw the Hyena pups popping around, it kicked me into San Joaquin Kit Fox mode as I’ve spent so many weeks at their dens over the decades.
It was a MARVELOUS way to start the safari! Nothing is a celebration of life like a den site and the Hyena were no different. They were great! The pups were a hoot to watch. There was no doubt which was the Alpha, the runt, who caused trouble and who went with the pack. As it turned out in my mind, we didn’t spend EVEN enough time at this den site and in fact, we didn’t visit it again during our ten days which now really bums me out. As I went through all my images, some of my favorites were from this very first stop on safari. There could be many reason for this but I think the main one is the most obvious. Making the uncommon from the common, simply breaking the mold!
Sep 1, 2015 | Wildlife Photography
One of the first birds you see in Africa are the Egyptian Goose. We’d call them a dirt bird in the US. That’s because they are so common, so very bloody common, as common as dirt. In the case of Africa, you can call them a dirt bird because they are not only so common as well as you most often see them, in the dirt. They are a big bird, about the same size as a Canada Goose. So after the first record shot to show you saw them, the Egyptian Goose receives no photographic love. It’s just that common. With that knowledge, it leaves the door wide open to make a special photo, making the uncommon from the common. The first example of this is the top photo where the geese are in running water. This is the only time I’ve seen them in such. This is a quick grab shot taken with the Df / 300PF. We can do better thinking those magical words, Light, Gesture and Color.
Then there was this opportunity. It came near the end of our 10 days and the goose was firmly placed in the “dirt” bird category so most of the time, they weren’t even recognized as even being present. But as you can see, I made us stop for this one. There were two but by the time we stopped, there was just the one. And it stayed long enough for me to only get two shots off (D4s / 800mm) but I love this shot. Ya, butt shots are rude but that’s part of the gesture I love. But the life to the colors of the goose’s feathers on its flank and in the background brought out by the light is what really made me put the brakes on the Landi. It’s a classic example of making the uncommon out of the common. Now the one thing I didn’t see when I took the photo is the log, on the log (left by a baboon). My sweet wife asked me if I was going to make that go away in post. She asked that with a big smile because she knew I would never, but now it’s a family joke. I guess, it all depends on your point of view of the too common, Egyptian Goose.
Aug 28, 2015 | Wildlife Photography
Yep, Alvin is back, we call him Alvin II since they don’t live that long. With the extreme drought here in the Eastern Sierra (all of California), our meadow has gone to seed a solid month early. That means no flowers for the hummers so our feeders are getting sucked dry in just days! Sitting here typing, I can see 11 hummers buzzing around the feeders. And as usual, a Allen’s Hummingbird has decided that the best feeder is all his. This is who we call Alvin II. It also means time to photograph the captive audience.
With the meadow gone to seed early, the hummers dependence on the feeders is more intense then norma making photography really darn easy! As usual, I have selected a nice manzanita twig for a perch, stuck in a Justin Clamp on a Nano stand about 2 1/2 feet from the main feeder. That’s where Alvin II hangs his hat as he defends “his” feeder. The perch is set up with the background in mind! If I’m totally going to manipulate the situation, I’m going to do the best I can. The perch is parallel to the sensor so where Alvin II lands, he’ll be in focus. And when I see the background with no direct light, it’s when I shoot.
I have set up about five feet away the 300PF connected to the D4s with the WR-R10/WR-T10/WR-A10 Wireless Remote to trigger it all. The lens is set to Manual Focus and prefocus just a breath in front of the perch. I us manual focus because there are times when Alvin II will smoke my arse, tricking me into firing the camera when he’s not in the frame. When that happens in in autofocus, the camera will look for him, not find him and start searching. I loose precious shooting time when that happens, missing shots. I’ve raised the ISO to 800 shooting Aperture Priority at f/8. Now with the weird “light” we have with the smoke from the fires, when I shoot is when the color of the light has the least amount of “fire” tent. So my weekend enjoyment, well nearly everyday, will be sitting in my chair, margarita in hand pushing the button when Alvin II pushes my buttons. Ahhhhh life is good!
Aug 27, 2015 | Wildlife Photography
A vast majority of the time, photographers seek in their photographs to clearly see all of their subject. This is especially true for critters. There are some really, really good reason for this. When grass is in the photograph though, there is a tendency to want to make it go away. That single blade of grass going through the subjects face for some photographers is a disaster! When it comes to telling the story though, the grass is in the photo because that’s where the critter lives. The grass is part of their story. So then in telling the story of the subject, where it lives and dealing with the grass, you need to have a strategy that permits you to accomplish that all that doesn’t include a lawn mower. What I have to suggest might sound crazy, but here are two images to support my thought.
There are three key components in my formula for working with critters in grass. The long lens, minimum DoF and highnoon light. I started using this formula in the beginning of my career when working with the San Joaquin Kit Fox, a house cat size endangered critter that lives in California’s vanishing grasslands. The long lens is kinda key as it permits visual isolation with the subject being small in the frame while still being prominent. Why is this important? That blade of grass in front of the face fades away when the subject doesn’t fill the frame. At the same time, we need to show the grass because without it the critter has no home. In these times of vanishing habitat, that is really essential in the storytelling. At the same time, that long lens (these African images taken a couple of weeks ago were taken with 800mm w/TC-1.25e on the D4s) when shot wide open, creates a ban of focus that is very narrow. The vertical lines of the grass in the foreground and background disappear and that’s really important because the mind’s eye latches onto vertical lines. Lastly, the highnoon light sets the scene and creates the mood for the grass. You might notice in these photos, the light is side lighting and I in particular like that when shooting critters in grass. The bottomline is, you can’t help but see the subject even though they are immersed in a sea of grass. It’s telling their story and that needs to be the goal of your photography.
Aug 21, 2015 | Wildlife Photography
The Saddle-billed Stork was near the top of my list for birds on the Maasai Mara I wanted to see. Others had seen this four foot beauty, we had not. Near the end of our trip, they were on the edge of the marsh so off we headed to the locale. The skies were getting darker and darker as we drove in their direction. We had had a number of afternoon thunderstorms, this was sizing up to be a doozie! We were just pulling around to where they were and it started to sprinkle. I had the MP-1 V2 in my lap cause the rain started to get harder and the tarp roof of the Landi was starting to leak all over. We got up to the Saddle-billed Storks within shooting range just as the sky let loose. I’m talking a Noah event here! It was time to shoot!!!
The rain is running down between my back and the seat. My left leg and arse are soaked but my lap and gear is dry. I have the Df / 300 PF cranking away as the Stork closest to us was fishing in the rain, very successfully I might add. It was popping them down like M&Ms. It was pouring like a firehouse gone wild and the action was still happening. I would put on and off the TC-17II as the Stork would move away and come closer, rain didn’t matter. All I can say is, some of the best photography comes in the worst weather. The Stork, he just looked down my lens barrel like he was saying … “Seriously?”
The tremendous down pour lasted perhaps twenty minutes and something told me to hold tight so we did. With all that moisture, the dry Mara started to come to life, the colors especially the greens glowed. The Storks moved out into the taller marsh habitat and took advantage of what the down pour had brought out to munch. This is one of my favorite shots from the shoot. The colors, the lines, the colors, the hint of water and the Stork, they all came together (just Df / 300 PF). Then the Stork not forgetting where he started, strolled back over to the hole where it was porking down on fish and went back to it. We backed up the Landie to get this last shot (TC-17II attached) and now that we were “stuck” in the newly formed mud, our attention went to getting free and out. The Maasai Mara brought many, many great adventures and this is just one of them. And it just goes to show, the worst weather …
Aug 17, 2015 | Wildlife Photography
Sharon & I the moment we hit Africa were in a bird mood. Why? Well the Big Five for example are mammals all look for and most of the time, find during their safari (a Swahilli word for Journey). And some of the classic birds like the Little Bee-eater above or Lilac-breasted Roller are often seen, but the rest of the birds tend to get overshadowed. And something told Sharon and I that focusing in on the birds would reward us in the long run. Not that we knew anything special, it was just something in our gut. As it turned out, we learned something important going this route.
The vast majority of the time, birds or mammals, I was shooting with the D4s / 800mm with its 1.25x. This was out and often riding in the Zenelli on the tripod, at the ready for those quick moments with birds. Back to following the birds. As it turned out, when you go off on a game drive with birds being your focus, you find them. We saw 101 species and photographed 69 of them. We saw some very rare and some very common and both, the goal was to bring their life in the Mara home in the photos. And in the process of focusing in on the birds, we saw 30 different mammal species and photographed 26 of them! But if you focus in on the mammals, you only see a few of the birds and that’s a loss. While the mammals are a diverse group of critters, the birds are all over the map of diversity! All the pieces of the puzzle on the Mara need to be focused in on, all their stories told. We’re so glad we paid so much attention to the birds, they gave us lots of stories still to tell. Just find the birds
