The Mind’s Eye Can Be Deceived By The Effects Of Telephoto Lenses
What you see isn’t always what you get in nature photography. The following three images, taken sequentially in a burst, illustrate my point.
Category: Bird Photography Methods
Northern Harrier – Image Stabilization & A Crazy-Fast Shutter Speed Save The Day
This image was taken in what I thought were probably impossible conditions to get a sharp shot. Normally it isn’t a shot that I’d even attempt.
Green-winged Teal (and one reason I err on the side of high shutter speeds)
The Green-winged Teal is our smallest duck and to my eye the male is strikingly handsome and colorful, especially when you can catch the light just right on the iridescent greens of the crescent above and behind the eye. It’s amazing how that crescent turns black in an instant at differing light angles.
Setups in Bird Photography
My FOY Rough-legged Hawk And A Rookie Mistake In Setting Up A New Camera
I found my FOY (first of year) Rough-legged Hawk yesterday morning but largely blew the photographic opportunity because of a rookie mistake in setting up my new 7D Mark ll.
Red-winged Blackbird (with a look at exposure and depth of field)
Black birds of any species are generally a tough exposure. Throw in the bright red and yellow epaulets of the Red-winged Blackbird and the challenge can be even more daunting.
A Digestive Surprise For A Young Swainson’s Hawk
I believe this juvenile Swainson’s Hawk was taken by surprise by what it found in its mouth.
Cloning Background Elements – A Slippery Slope
Sooner or later every serious nature photographer must confront the question – How much image alteration during processing is ethically “too much”?
Tips, Tricks and Strategies For Using Your Vehicle As A Mobile Blind
Depending on the types of locations where you typically shoot, using your vehicle as a mobile blind for photographing birds may be a viable, even perfect option for you.
Yet Another Reason For Photographing Raptors When The Sun Is Low
With raptors in particular there’s an additional reason for photographing when the sun is low in the sky – it’s called the brow ridge.
Swainson’s Hawk In Flight In Low Light
Any bird photographer knows that light and timing have a nasty habit of being uncooperative just when you need that cooperation most.
Loggerhead Shrike In Full Flight
It isn’t often that I get a full-flight shot of a songbird but I did yesterday morning, thanks in part to Lady Luck who sat on my shoulder twice.
A Great Blue Heron And A Photographer’s Conundrum
In the field bird photographers often have to make snap decisions. Sometimes we make the best choice and sometimes we don’t.
The Shrike And The Grasshopper (and noticing the “little things”)
I make every effort in the field to “read” the behavior of my avian subjects. Sometimes I’m right and sometimes I’m not but either way it’s a learning experience for me and my percentage of accuracy does seem to be improving. One of the payoffs can be better bird photographs for a variety of reasons.
My Favorite Image From My Time With The Nest-building Kingbirds
Earlier this week I spent several mornings photographing a female Western Kingbird as she was constructing her nest. Out of the many hundreds of shots I took of her the third image in this post is my favorite.
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Northern Harrier – Image Stabilization & A Crazy-Fast Shutter Speed Save The Day
This image was taken in what I thought were probably impossible conditions to get a sharp shot. Normally it isn’t a shot that I’d even attempt.
Green-winged Teal (and one reason I err on the side of high shutter speeds)
The Green-winged Teal is our smallest duck and to my eye the male is strikingly handsome and colorful, especially when you can catch the light just right on the iridescent greens of the crescent above and behind the eye. It’s amazing how that crescent turns black in an instant at differing light angles.
Setups in Bird Photography
My FOY Rough-legged Hawk And A Rookie Mistake In Setting Up A New Camera
I found my FOY (first of year) Rough-legged Hawk yesterday morning but largely blew the photographic opportunity because of a rookie mistake in setting up my new 7D Mark ll.
Red-winged Blackbird (with a look at exposure and depth of field)
Black birds of any species are generally a tough exposure. Throw in the bright red and yellow epaulets of the Red-winged Blackbird and the challenge can be even more daunting.
A Digestive Surprise For A Young Swainson’s Hawk
I believe this juvenile Swainson’s Hawk was taken by surprise by what it found in its mouth.
Cloning Background Elements – A Slippery Slope
Sooner or later every serious nature photographer must confront the question – How much image alteration during processing is ethically “too much”?
Tips, Tricks and Strategies For Using Your Vehicle As A Mobile Blind
Depending on the types of locations where you typically shoot, using your vehicle as a mobile blind for photographing birds may be a viable, even perfect option for you.
Yet Another Reason For Photographing Raptors When The Sun Is Low
With raptors in particular there’s an additional reason for photographing when the sun is low in the sky – it’s called the brow ridge.
Swainson’s Hawk In Flight In Low Light
Any bird photographer knows that light and timing have a nasty habit of being uncooperative just when you need that cooperation most.
Loggerhead Shrike In Full Flight
It isn’t often that I get a full-flight shot of a songbird but I did yesterday morning, thanks in part to Lady Luck who sat on my shoulder twice.
A Great Blue Heron And A Photographer’s Conundrum
In the field bird photographers often have to make snap decisions. Sometimes we make the best choice and sometimes we don’t.
The Shrike And The Grasshopper (and noticing the “little things”)
I make every effort in the field to “read” the behavior of my avian subjects. Sometimes I’m right and sometimes I’m not but either way it’s a learning experience for me and my percentage of accuracy does seem to be improving. One of the payoffs can be better bird photographs for a variety of reasons.
My Favorite Image From My Time With The Nest-building Kingbirds
Earlier this week I spent several mornings photographing a female Western Kingbird as she was constructing her nest. Out of the many hundreds of shots I took of her the third image in this post is my favorite.