Sep 29, 2014 | Wildlife Photography
Starring through the D4s / 800mm at the Red-breasted Sapsucker, I’m looking for those images aren’t the basic “perched” shot. This means looking for and picking up on the biology that might just make for the uncommon shot from the common. That is the main reason I’m shooting with the D4s.
I use a camera that shoots 11fps a lot to make up for my “day dreaming.” Often, I get so involved in what I’m seeing I forget to push the button. Then when reality hits and I do hit the button, the 11fps makes up for the “day dream lag” I suffer from. And in order, often to catch that uncommon moment, you need that rapid burst of frames. I offer up these three images as examples of what I’m rambling on about. The top photo, the sapsucker is looking at a Red-breasted Flicker that landed in the adjacent tree. The middle image, it’s watching Stellar Jays raising a ruckus about whatever it is jays talk about. And the bottom photo ….
it’s the one I like the best. Not that it’s a killer image, but I didn’t have a “wing stretch” photo of a Red-breasted Sapsucker in my files. Another photo I was really pleased to get but you don’t see it here, is that of the sapsucker fertilizing the meadow. Didn’t have that photo either but now I do. Coming up with these photos started with the subject, then the gear and the most important ingredient, the time to watch. Now crossing the fingers that he sticks around the next couple of weeks until the Apsens turn yellow. Another uncommon possibility for a common shot.
Sep 29, 2014 | Wildlife Photography
With that, I came running out to the living room to see what Sharon was looking at. Sure enough, the Red-breasted Sapsucker that first visited last fall had returned to his wells. We’ve been watching but we’d not seen him since he left last year until today. You can see the wells he drilled last year in this photo, they seem to be all dry and useless. It’s hard to tell so far if he is opening these up or drilling new ones. It’s sure fun to see him though!
I’m on the deck shooting, so I’m able to shoot basically at eyelevel with him. I’m shooting across the meadow so having to use the normal rig: D4s / 800mm w/TC-.25 on the Gitzo 5561SGT w/ Wimberley Head to get the shot. What was cool about shooting him this day, was it was literally cool, so cool it was snowing! Ya, the “rosie” whitish background is the background being diffused by the falling snow. Of course, that made for a soft wrap around light. It really brought down the light level so to stop the action and take advantage of that light, I raised my ISO, not my favorite solution. He turned out to be a great subject all weekend and I’m sure for the next couple of weeks. mtc
Sep 26, 2014 | Wildlife Photography
With nearly 500 earthquakes in the last 24hrs, Sharon & I wanted to see what the Pika were up to. I mean, you’d think they’d feel them just like the rest of us, so how would the react? This population is kinda unique because of their home on the slope of a volcano, with minimal talus cover and very little food. There were 53 earthquakes while we were on the slope with the little guys this morning, ranging from 2.6 to .3. We didn’t feel any of them and didn’t see any unusual reaction to them in the Pika. As you can see in the bottom photo, they live on a kinda steep slope. The cold snap has finally hit the Eastern Sierra this morning so the Pika spent a little more time sunning themselves before getting busy. Both photo were taken with the normal rig: D4s / 800mm w/TC-.25 on the Gitzo 5561SGT w/ Wimberley Head with the addition of the killer eyes of Sharon.
The top photo (a favorite with his shadow there) was taken at about 75′. At that distance, when it squirts around the rocks, by the time I take my eye from the viewfinder to follow it visually around the slope, I’ll loose it at times when it shoots down a crevice. Sharon’s great eyes help me keep track of not only where it is, but more importantly where it’s going. This is #4 and while we’ve seen it in the sand, the goal of getting photos of it foraging there hasn’t happened it yet. The second photo is of #2 (18′ away) who I am convinced is a ham! Literally, when we’re over with #4, a couple of hundred yards away, we hear #2 calling. We get over there and this is what we find. He hams it up for a while and then goes back about his life once the clicks are made. He always makes the morning fun! But Sharon & I swore we’d have rocks rolling down on us with all the ground shaking, but not a one moved. Since the earthquakes are a pretty common place thing for us, I can only assume the critters pay them no never mind. It sure is a grand way to spend the morning!
Sep 23, 2014 | Wildlife Photography
10-14 June, 2015, we'll be heading back to Glacier NP after a five year absence. It's an amazing place with gorgeous vistas and great critters. All the photos you see here were taking on our last visit and we expect these and much more. Last time we saw a Griz & Bighorn encounter that, even though too far to photograph was a great site to witness. And besides the Columbian Ground Squirrels which are great subjects, we have a great, secret Mtn Goat location to share with folks. We are going right when the park is waking up but the crowds are not yet present. It really is a gorgeous time to be in the Rockies!
We’re based out of the north end of the park so we do drive a bit but gives easy access to some of the best, secret spots Glacier has to offer. This is important not only for the critters, but some amazing landscape photography. The price is $1895 which includes transportation to and from the airport (Missoula, MT) and during the week and all instruction. If interested, give Sharon a call 661.204.1506 M-F, 9-5PST. We will be taking only six folks (two openings) on this great adventure.
Aug 25, 2014 | Wildlife Photography
Here’s a prime example of what I’m talking about not thinking vertical naturally. Gulls are great subjects! Guaranteed that if you watch them for ten minutes they will do something stupid making for a great click. Here, this Laughing Gull is trying to figure out how to get down this flat fish it found on North Beach. Lying on the beach shooting with the D4s / 800mm on the Panning Plate all the elements for a clean cover shot are in place. And had I been smart, I would have slid closer and made that vertical shot. But I didn’t. The question then that comes up is, “Can’t it be cropped into a vertical?” It most certainly can be and that does happen but here’s the problem with that train of thought. Someone has to think of that after seeing the horizontal, they must see in the photo and then think and then act on the thought “That would crop into a great vertical for a cover!” And there’s the problem. When you suggest the cover in a vertical you have much better odds of getting that cover then someone having to see it in your photo. And this whole discussion is just to get you to think beyond f/stop and shutter speed when you go click and to taking your photography to the next level of storyteller!
Aug 18, 2014 | Wildlife Photography
[envira-gallery id=”36011″]
Photographing Sea Otters requires understanding Peak of Action and waves. Peak of Action is a real simple principle, waiting for a moving object to come to a momentary stop to take a sharp photo. The example I always like to use is a bouncing basketball. There is a point as it travels up that it stops, before traveling back down and there is a point that it stops before it bounces back up. At that moment of rest, you have peak of action. Same holds true with a Sea Otter as they ride the ocean swells. Same does the boat you’re in to photograph the Sea Otter as we were last week in Homer, AK. On a rainy (see drops in the water) dark day, you need to use peak of action to get that sharp image. This means that when you are at peak of action, when you depress the shutter release, the camera fires. This is one aspect of the Nikon 1 V3 (this shot with 30-110 lens) I want to emphasis. When you depress the shutter release, the V3 fires! There is no shutter lag and in fact, when you depress the shutter release you might have 60 images because the camera shoots 60fps. This is just another very impressive aspect of this cool little camera.
