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.
Category: Bird Photography Methods
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.
Magpie Hip-shot – An Interesting Experiment
Photographing birds as they take off is tricky but with a little luck and perseverance it can be done. Landing shots are much more difficult and often require creative innovation.
Northern Harrier In Flight Over The Great Salt Lake
Occasionally a Northern Harrier will come in close to the photographer as the hawk hunts the narrow confines of the causeway to Antelope Island.
A Killdeer And The Effects Of Depth Of Field
Depth of field can have some fairly dramatic effects on an image and how much of it is preferred can depend on the tastes of the viewer.
Landing Red-tailed Hawk
I believe this to be a perspective on a landing raptor that one seldom sees in a photograph. It may not be to everyone’s taste but I found it interesting nonetheless.
Blurred Wings In Flight – A Matter Of Taste
There are three primary schools of thought when it comes to blurred wings in flight – not ever, they don’t bother me and it depends on the image. I fall in the latter camp.
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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.
Magpie Hip-shot – An Interesting Experiment
Photographing birds as they take off is tricky but with a little luck and perseverance it can be done. Landing shots are much more difficult and often require creative innovation.
Northern Harrier In Flight Over The Great Salt Lake
Occasionally a Northern Harrier will come in close to the photographer as the hawk hunts the narrow confines of the causeway to Antelope Island.
A Killdeer And The Effects Of Depth Of Field
Depth of field can have some fairly dramatic effects on an image and how much of it is preferred can depend on the tastes of the viewer.
Landing Red-tailed Hawk
I believe this to be a perspective on a landing raptor that one seldom sees in a photograph. It may not be to everyone’s taste but I found it interesting nonetheless.
Blurred Wings In Flight – A Matter Of Taste
There are three primary schools of thought when it comes to blurred wings in flight – not ever, they don’t bother me and it depends on the image. I fall in the latter camp.