“If you’ve dated a redhead raise your glass, if not . . . raise your standards” – Anonymous.
Redheads (of the duck variety) begin to pair up on their winter range and some of the birds now migrating through my area have already formed their monogamous pair bonds.
Partially based on input from my readers I’ve been thinking more about styles in my bird photography.
By definition there is often a price to be paid for ethical nature photography since the image you get may not be the one you envisioned or hoped for.
This is a simple example of how changing the crop of a photograph can drastically alter one’s perspective on the image.
When a raptor dives on prey from an elevated perch one has the opportunity for fairly dramatic flight shots because of the angle of attack and wing position.
I’ve said before that plain sky backgrounds in flight shots aren’t my preference. But habitat in the background provides its own challenges for the photographer.
A recent experience taught me that photographers (and other artists) don’t necessarily have to accept outrageous contract stipulations from “publishers” or lose the deal. There’s another page in that playbook.
I’ve known for years that extremely cold temperatures can make many birds “stickier” – easier to get close to. Two days ago I learned that this maxim also applies to woodpeckers.
Back in June of 2008 I still had many lessons to learn about photographing birds. This male Yellow-headed Blackbird was one of my more memorable teachers.
Two days ago I found this juvenile White-crowned Sparrow sunning itself in a wild rose-bush at Farmington Bay. It was a cold morning (you can see frost on the perch behind the bird) and due to the frigid temperature the sparrow wasn’t flitting around much so I did a little experimentation with depth of field.
Occasionally during take-off an American Kestrel will put on a show of its considerable acrobatic skills but it happens so fast with these little falcons that many of us don’t really appreciate the coordination and skill involved. Yesterday morning I got one shot that I think demonstrates it pretty well.
In early 2008 I was a frustrated novice photographer. I had recently invested heavily in an expensive “bird lens” and switched over from shooting in JPEG to RAW all in an effort to get high quality shots but it just wasn’t happening. My images were not as sharp as they should be and I couldn’t figure out why.
Because of my fondness for raptor take-off shots I work hard at trying to predict what direction they will take off so I can be as prepared as possible. But to say it’s not an exact science is an understatement.
As a bird photographer I continually struggle with the tendency to ignore the more common species. This is a bad habit I’ve tried to break over the years but my success has been limited so I still too often pass on opportunities with species like the American Robin, House Finch, American Coot and Mourning Dove. Many fellow photographers have the same tendency and I think we miss some wonderful shots as a result.
