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.
Category: Bird Photography Methods
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.
Meadowlark Take-offs With Food And Without (and a contrast in image quality)
Western Meadowlarks are good subjects for practicing take-off shots. The rule of thumb is the smaller the bird the faster the take-off, so songbirds are difficult subjects for this type of shot because of their small size and quickness.
Mockingbird Flight Display (and a change in shooting technique)
This spring I’ve had several opportunities to photograph the courtship “flight display” of the male Northern Mockingbird. While singing continuously from his perch he jumps almost straight up about six feet as he flaps his wings a couple of times which displays those conspicuous white wing patches and then parachutes down with wings open to the same perch. This performance is repeated every 30-60 seconds or so for an extended period of time.
Take That Shot. Just Do It!
Yesterday morning just after sunrise I was driving slowly on an isolated and deserted road looking for birds when I encountered a male Northern Harrier hunting along the road edge as it flew in the same direction I was traveling.
Anticipating Take-off Angles – Meadowlarks
Avoiding “clipped” body parts is perhaps the biggest challenge associated with take-off shots.
Meadowlarks, Take-offs And “Armpits”
When I’m photographing Western Meadowlarks at take-off there’s always one flight posture I hope I don’t get.