May 23, 2014 | Wildlife Photography
I worked my first years with 400mm being my longest lens. I talk about the many lessons the 400mm taught me in Captured but one of the most important is working with small subjects. I’m not talking about the subject being physically small in real life, but small in the frame. Until you learn how to get close physically, another important lesson the 400mm teaches, most subjects are small in the frame and that’s ok! We just need to learn how to make them visually pop in the frame. There are many, many, many ways of making this happen and “ridge lining” is one of my favorite.
The elements in making a cool ridge lining photo is a ridge line, a really clean background (so subject pops) and a subject doing something interesting. The ridge line is very important as it needs to be “clean” and not taking the eye away from the subject. The background is sky and it can’t be any plan sky but have something unique about it. And finally the subject, it needs something working for it and not looking like some cardboard cut out. In these two example, the ridge line is pretty clean, no sticks, shrubs or rocks breaking the line to and from the Pronghorn. The sky is early morning blue so has that “black” tint to it. And the Pronghorn, two bucks busy sparing as they figure out how them new horns they are growing work. And both of these shots were taken with the D4s / 800mm w/.25 attached. Ya, a technique a 400mm lens taught me I still use today even with the bigger glass. Whatever the gear you have in your bag, when you make it work for you, it will teach you things that the smart photographer. You can make that great click when you connect the mind and the heart with the subject!
May 22, 2014 | Wildlife Photography
Gesture is a very important element in wildlife photography. It can come from many, many things and in this case, it is the human traits we apply to our reaction to the stare of the Bison. It’s placement in the frame is based on its stare down the lens barrel. The lighting is not very dramatic, the grass is not a solid carpet of green, but making the most of what’s presented is what we want to do with whatever Mother Nature presents us. At the same time, we should know that being a Bison, it has one more thing it can add to its gesture we should be prepared for.
Yeap, that tongue! I’m shooting from the vehicle with my finger on the shutter release of the D4s so when I see looking through the 800mm, that tongue come out, the shutter flies. Because of their world and what they eat, they have their tongue up their nose alot. In this case, the shutter burst caught the tongue going over, up and in and this is the frame from that burst I like the best. The kid in all of us sees that tongue going up the nose and we just gotta smile. It’s those little gestures that when you know they are coming and you have your finger on the shutter release and you’re ready to rip, you can make those images that at the very least, make you smile. That’s a good day!
May 20, 2014 | Wildlife Photography
When it come to big game, this is one question I get over and over again and sadly, there is no one answer. In fact, there is no rule, no book, no quote, nothing to go by for what is right and what is wrong. I saw this because I have image which break all those knowable rules I’ve read with amazing sales. In fact, I have broken my own “rules” and took one image of a buck/doe Pronghorn, a vertical image with the two looking at each other just as a “do not do” image for teaching that I submitted and it was used as a cover! This brings me back to where we started, there is no one answer to the question, “Where do you crop of big game?”
What I can tell you is what I tell everyone else when asked this question. If the crop feels “uncomfortable” visually then it’s probably not good. Here are two examples of what I’m talking about both suffering from “wall mount syndrome.” Wall mount syndrome is what I call how taxidermists present big game. For example the top shot of a Bison, how many times have you seen this exact same “crop” hanging on the wall of your favorite western or BBQ restaurant? The bottom photo of the Pronghorn is a very common wall mount pose hanging on many a hunter’s wall. Neither come across with their magnificent wild stature and that’s really the only gauge I use myself or can provide you. There are rules like, “don’t cut off the hooves” and “don’t cut off antlers/horn” but I’ve done that with great success. So the only guide to give you is, if the critter still looks majestic and not like it came from a butcher shop, you’re golden!
And if you were wondering, I shot these images last week in South Dakota for this post. Shooting with the D4s, 80-400 & 800mm, I framed these up as quick as I could, clicked and then forced myself while editing to not delete them. They bug the crap out of me.
May 19, 2014 | Wildlife Photography
each May, the Upland Sandpipers migrate back up north to nest. Many come to Custer State Park to its vast grasslands to do just that. There is something about sandpipers in grasslands that just grabs my imagination and ever since I first saw an Upland at Custer, I’ve been intrigued and on a quest. I honestly don’t know what it is, but photographing them doing “their thing” pulls me to the park each May. This year was no different except this year, they were a tad late in arriving. When we first arrived to Custer, I didn’t hear or see a one. That changed the 3rd day when I heard two males on my favorite field to find them.
On the 5th day, we were parked on the fence row photographing the male Mountain Bluebirds when a male Upland Sandpiper landed on the road just outside the MFD of the 800mm (18′). He landed on the road! That is really odd behavior, really odd so my curiosity was naturally aroused. I instantly put my glass on him and when he started to call, the D4s went ripping. The male was going nuts calling which could only mean one thing, a female some nearby. They blend in perfectly with the grasslands so finding her I knew would be quite the task. Then the male flew in a panic from the road up to a post, the place we normally see and photograph them. There, he continued is panic mating ritual.
The D4s was ripping when all of a sudden the female appeared on the ground at the base of the post! The 800mm was resting on the Puffin Pad so I quickly pointed it down to the female as she was sprinting right along. It all was unfolding just as fast as nature can because soon, the male hopped down to the grass field behind the post and the female turned to follow.
Through the hole in the fence she walked away from us and deeper into the grasses. I followed her through the lens as long as I could see her until she finally melded into the habitat. The male was now long gone and the frantic calling he had been doing faded away. Most likely within a day or two they started to lay eggs, incubate the nest and raise the next generation of sandpipers. The window is small when you can see and photograph these really cools birds and every May, they never cease to amaze me with some new piece of their biology that just calls me back the next year.
May 16, 2014 | Wildlife Photography
Yeap, it’s Endangered Species day. A day annually used to celebrate those species we have put in jeopardy of disappearing forever from this earth. Kinda seems like an odd thing to celebrate. Yes, there are some pretty cool, big, glamorous success stories since Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act in ’73 recognizing that our rich natural heritage is of “esthetic, ecological, educational, recreational, and scientific value to our Nation and its people.” While the Bald Eagle, Wolf, California Condor, some of the original members of the endangered species act have done pretty well, many others, a lot more aren’t doing all that well. Sadly, many have totally disappeared, what we call blinked out. I think the fact that we have one day a year set aside in the hopes of reminding the public there are endangered species speaks volumes.
Back in 2002, on a dark and cold night in the San Joaquin Valley, I pulled off the highway and illegally parked along with a couple of biologists. Well after midnight we headed up the dust covered hillside walking through the burnt offerings that were just weeks before carpets of gorgeous wildflowers. Literally turning over every leaf, we were in search for the Doyen’s Dune Weevil, a state and internationally listed species. Smaller than a grain of rice, looking for it in the dark, during the few days it can be found above ground was literally a shot in the dark. After hours, one individual was located. You see one of the photos from that night above (and as far as I know, one of the last photos of it). And while I totally suck as an insect photographer, the impact of trying to educate a public why something so small, so hard to find should be saved from extinction was then and is still now quite overwhelming to me.
It’s much easier to get folks excited about cute species like the San Joaquin Kit Fox, one of the original listed species (above, and one of the species not doing so well). Or perhaps a pretty butterfly like the Carson Wandering Skipper (above) thought to be extinct than rediscovered. Mother Nature in her infinite wisdom created a huge tapestry of a natural world that without every little thread it slowly unravels and can’t stay intact. This is YOUR wild heritage that we are so incredibly fortunate was left to us to enjoy, cherish and celebrate. All creatures great and small are in our care and we owe those before us and those who come after us the same opportunity to witness these wonders. You have the power in your cameras to make a difference. Make that photo, share it, you CAN change the world!
May 16, 2014 | Wildlife Photography
Mountain Bluebirds are simply a gorgeous bird that are hilarious to watch and photograph. When spring pops, the male Mountain Bluebirds swing into action looking for females. They have a certain panic about all their actions which turn into such expressive postures as they perch and look for a mate. Being cavity nesters, once they have established the ol household, you know where to focus your efforts in making the photos. I could and have literally spent days doing just that. Here’s some of my clicks from this week at Custer State Park spending a few moments with the great little critter.
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Is there a “trick” to getting the shot? If there is one trick that always works, that’s time. The more time you put in, the better the photographs. The other trick I think is working just in great light. While I’ve used flash at times, it doesn’t come close to the light Mother Nature can bring to the males making their blue glow! At Custer, you can use your vehicle as a blind but I was walking the road to get these images. With the D4s / 800f5.6 w/TC-.25 (1000mm) I walked the road between to nesting boxes watching the female. Why the female? It’s spring and where she goes, the male will follow. Now you have to get use to constantly moving if shooting in the AM as they need for food keeps the bluebirds moving. But when you watch, you’ll see a pattern that goes something like, find food, share with female, feel proud, perch and look studly until the female wants food again. It’s during those moments of studliness that the male will sit the longest. It’s then you can get close and make the shots you see above. How close am I? I was at the MFD of the 800mm, 18feet. I feel it’s essential to get close physically and use the optics to isolate. In this case, setting the tripod down so the background is all green. I’m back in the Sierra and out looking at the couple of Mtn Bluebird nests we have on the mountain behind our home. Our bluebirds are just arriving and checking out nesting cavities. After the great time in SD with them, I’m really wanting a nest to spend time with. Because for me, blue means spring!
