Accidental Bird Photography

Staying Off the Cold Ground!

Red Tail Hawk

Bird Torment

 This week I have the pleasure of talking about something that I have repeatedly insisted that I know nothing about, bird photography.  Some of my reluctance for shooting birds may come from early experiences of being tortured by the family Parquet, but a recent experience  got me thinking about my mostly, accidental bird photography.

A few days ago, I was doing errands around Keene, NH and I happened to see a regal appearing Hawk enthroned on a road-side sign.  Not wanting to be rear-ended, I continued down the road until

Road-Side Red Tail Hawk

I could safely turn around.  Fortunately I am almost never in the car without a camera.  Often my "carry around" camera is a Canon G11, but on this day the good news was that I had my Canon 5D Mark II.  The bad news was that I only had my workhorse 24-105 lens.  I would have loved to have been lugging my 100-400 lens with the new 2x tele converter.  800mm would have been incredible, but the important thing was to have a camera, any camera, in the car.  There was no cover, so I slowly approached the bird along the road.  I kept shooting knowing that at any moment the hawk might be startled by me or, more likely, the thundering traffic. Although the bird was stationary, I kept the camera set with high ISO and fast shutter anticipating the take-off.  When the Hawk eventually decided it was time to move on, I was able to grab a few sharp in-flight shots.  it was a treat and the whole experience got me thinking about the importance of having a camera always on hand and making do with what you have.  It was a perfect example of how I shoot birds.  I am a dedicated accidental birder.

 



I have immense respect for serious bird photographers. To be good

Barred Owl, Sugar Hill, NH

they must often spend hours stalking and waiting upon their prey.  This frequently involves long vigils.  When lucky, they are enclosed in a cold blind, but when less lucky their spot may be the frigid damp ground.  Birds are skittish, moving targets and may only offer quick glimpses of their beauty, requiring long, fast glass to catch the moment.  Perhaps most importantly birders  must be careful students of the habits of their targets.  Understanding bird behavior is a key to successful bird photography.  These guys have to possess levels of  knowledge, dedication and persistence that I find truly remarkable.

Barn Swallows Targeting My Car

I, on the other hand, am a landscape photographer, and no small part of the reason for that is that trees, mountains and lakes do not require stalking, and they don't skitter away when approached too quickly.  Of course there are many challenges to landscape photography.  Early mornings, cold weather, and missed diners, but seriously, I rarely have to spend hours laying in the dirt waiting for a rock to favor me with an appearance.



The Accidental Birder
All this said, I do occasionally grab an image of a bird.  Usually this happens when an annoying winged beast flies across my view when I am trying to capture a majestic landscape.  I have no choice but to wait until the little creep flies out of frame or try to grab a few images, hope that I might be able to  incorporate the guy into the scene in some poetic way.  Seriously, I love images of these glorious winged creatures, but my bird photography tends to be more accidental and opportunistic.  I rarely stalk, but I do try to be prepared to grab the chances when they arise, and that is what accidental bird photography is all  about.


You Can't Shoot it if You Don't Have a Camera
 We can talk about the best equipment for bird photography, but the first step of accidental birding is just to have a camera with you, and although they are getting much better, I'm not talking about a cell phone.  On the rare occasion that I go out purposefully to shoot birds, I pack my full kit; my DSLR, 100-400mm Canon glass, my 2x tele-extender and tripod, but more often I find my best subjects when looking for other opportunities.  Then it is a matter of getting the most out of whatever equipment I have within reach.

Using What you Have
Most importantly, when I can't use my fully phallic glass to close in on my subject, I have to zoom with my feet.  I try to avoid crawling

Sea Gull off the Isles of Shoals

but slow patient movement can narrow the distance.  In the end, to get a dramatic shot, I usually still have to crop in quite a bit and having the most pixels to start with is crucial.  Cropping out half of a 24 megapixel image still leaves 12 megs to deal with, but, if I start with 8 megapixels the quality is bound to suffer.  A camera with good high ISO capability is also important. Birds in motion require fast shutter speeds and  have learned to adjust the ISO to whatever is required to keep the shutter fast enough to catch the action. My Red Tail Hawk in flight was frozen with the shutter at 1/800th, requiring  an ISO of 800 at f 9.  Of course you can shoot birds with your point and shoot or even with a camera phone, but this is a situation where better gear does make a difference.  The first rule is to always carry a camera, but the second, and nearly as important, rule is to carry to best camera you can practically manage.

Seeing the Birds (The Power of Selective Vision)
In the early autumn of 2012 I joined a group of New England

Peacham, Vermont

Photography Guild members for quick day trip exploring the color in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom.  On the way home I drove with John Vose who is a great bird photographer.  As we ambled through the beautiful rural Vermont country-side, it became obvious that while I was watching the flow of the landscape looking for magic combinations of  foreground and background, John was scanning the trees for wildlife.  We each had entirely different ways of seeing and I found it very difficult to redirect my focus to catch the opportunities that he seemed to discover so

Cloud Forest Tucan

easily. The most impressive example of this capability for selective vision came during a trip to Maquipucuna, an immense wildlife preserve in the Ecuadorian cloud forest.   Our guide had the remarkable ability to spot exotic birds hidden in the canopy 100's of yards away. How he saw birds that I could barely make-out with binoculars remained a total mystery.



 
Shooting Birds, On Purpose!
Since I don't have the magic vision, I occasionally depend on

Blue Heron Nest, Westmoreland, NH

specific  locations that are suggested by my birder friends.  These may take the form of accessible nests or wet lands, any place that I can set up my tripod and settle into a lawn chair with my coffee and Ipod.  I have to be especially inspired to sit for hours waiting for the action.  Inspiration has come with the activities around a Blue Heron Nest on Harvey Pond in Westmoreland, NH or watching for Bald Eagles to return to a nest on the Connecticut River.   Closer to home I can catch the visitors to our bird feeder or check the activity in our barn as the swallows nest and enthusiastically poop on my car.

 

Bird Feeder Junco

Baby Albatross, Galapagos Islands

The experience that almost turned me into a birder was our trip to the unique Galapagos Islands in Ecuador.  The place is a birder paradise. With the wildlife so close that you have to step over them.  Even I could get intimate studies of the remarkably varied fauna.  It was an amazing experience, but it also spoiled me for the effort required to chase down New England birds. 

Blue Footed Booby, Galapagos Islands

As I get older it becomes increasingly unlikely that I will ever be attracted to hours of lying on the cold ground hoping for a feathered glimpse, but I will continue to keep the camera close,  ready for  the occasional happy accident to fly by.  Now can someone please hook me up with a Snowy Owl?

Landing Pattern, Harvey Pond

Jeffrey Newcomer
Partridgebrookreflections.com

Read More

Do Something New With Your Photography

One of the great things about photography is that there are so many different ways to do it.  It is certainly another stick season. The snow is gone, the buds are just greening up, and the anemic winter run-off has left many of my favorite waterfalls uninspiring. What to shoot? One can only lay in bed shooting pictures of your feet for so long. So why not try something new?

 I have always concentrated on landscapes, but every so often, and

Comet PanSTARRS

especially this time of year, I get bored of trees and rocks and start looking for something else to shoot. This spring I was distracted by chasing the Comet PanSTARR and that got me interested again in star field photography. On several occasions, I even dragged myself out of bed at 3AM, in an attempt to catch the Milky Way. I am not a birder, but I have been watching the nest on the Connecticut River, hoping that the eagle pair will settle in to raise a family. I have probably jinxed my chances by getting a tele-Extender.

The variety of photography is almost endless. If you are in a bit of a “Stick Season Slump”, consider something from my brief list of possibilities. Some of these only require a shift in focus, while others may benefit from special equipment. I always like an excuse to get new gear, but they all provide an opportunity to learn new stuff. What follows are random incomplete reflections about only a few of the many ways to get a fresh perspective on your photography. Fortunately, all the information you need is just a Google search away.  Fair warning, I have tried all of these modes of photography, but I must admit that I am expert in none. That's what makes them exciting.

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
We do tend to get into ruts. I keep my trusty 24-105 lens on my camera far too much. Just pulling something else from my bag, whether it is a wide angle, macro or my fast 50mm portrait lens, can be refreshing. Also try changes in perspective. Crawl on the ground or get up high. Of course a more expensive way to leave your comfort zone is to take a trip, but it doesn’t have to break the bank. I've enjoyed recent travel out West and along the  Danube River, but for me,  a trip to the Maine Coast is always refreshing.

 

Teton Sunset

Star Photography
I have recently returned to star photography. I have played with star

Mt Monadnock Trails

trails and time-lapse video, but recently I have been working on star field shots, especially looking to capture the Milky Way. However it is done, star photography reveals views of the night sky that are impossible to appreciate with the naked eye and stimulates a magnificent sense of perspective on our place in the universe. Key equipment includes a camera with low noise/high ISO capability, a wide angle lens, a solid tripod and, if you plan to do time-lapse, an intervalometer. Oh and don’t forget a reliable alarm clock to rouse you at ungodly hours.

Star Track Photography
Searching for the Milky Way

Time lapse
 
Time-lapse photography is another technique that reveals what our eye cannot see. The changing patterns of nature or frenetic human activity can be compressed into short intervals that distill the action, making subtle patterns clear.  All you need to make time-lapse videos is an intervalometer to time the shutter releases and software to assemble the images into a movie. Of course as with almost everything here a sturdy tripod is a must. One other point. Time-lapse videos take hundred of images. At the standard 24 frames per second, a 30 second video will require 720 images. Because I get concerned about wearing out the shutter in my primary camera, I have dedicated my old Canon 5d to time-lapse service.

Trimming the Tree (YouTube:First Try at Time-lapse: Sorry)



Video

 

The ability to capture high quality video from your digital camera is a great new feature, but I can testify that video requires an entirely different skill set than conventional still photography. Although DSLR cameras can record high definition video they have limitations compared to a dedicated video cameras. Most notably, continuous focus is difficult to control smoothly, but also DSLR are not equipped to record quality sound. Over the last year I have been contributing video to the upcoming Mt Monadnock documentary, but given the limitations of my Canon 5d Mark II my video clips have been primarily set clips for background images (B Roll: As above). You can spend a lot of money to supplement the video capabilities of your DSLR. Basic equipment includes a tripod, preferably with a fluid head for smooth panning and a follow focusing attachment. One of the most important elements of good video is good sound. A quality external microphone and recording device are key. I use a Rode microphone attached to a Zoom H4n field recorder. Of course, when you are finished, there are many options for video editing. There is a lot to learn to get decent video, but that's the fun.

Wildlife
If, like me, you are primarily a landscape photographer, an exploration of wildlife photography can be a great new challenge. I have great respect for the patience and dedication of those who get amazing wildlife shots by siting out in the cold for hours. As for me, I like my wildlife stationary and predictable and close to my car. In the spring, the birds keep close watch on their nests and that is a great time for me. Sadly my favorite Blue Heron nest on Harris Pond in Westmoreland, NH is gone this spring, but I am watching an eagle nest on the Connecticut River. I'm hoping that they will settle in to raise a family. A long lens is the primary requirement of wildlife. I found that my 400mm isn't quite long enough to capture detailed images of the eagles from across the river. I will try to sneak closer once they are settled, but I don't want to disturb them at this critical time. I also got a 2x Tele-Extender, but will need good light to off-set the two stops I loose with the extra reach. Of course wildlife may also be as close as your couch. I hear that a few people on the web like pictures of cats and dogs. 

 
Get in Close
Macro photography opens an entire new world of opportunities both in the natural world and at home. I love studying the detail of flowers and that is often done best in protected environments, such as at a greenhouses or at home. My annual pilgrimage to the beautiful greenhouses at the Walker Farm, In Dummerston, Vermont has become a seasonal tradition. This time of year the early spring flowers are a welcome source of material as well. The greatest challenge of macros is the management of the often painfully shallow depth of field. Stopping down on the aperture and using a tripod can help, but focus stacking in photoshop or other programs can make a big difference. Equipment for macro photography can range from cheap to prohibitively expensive. Extension tubes can be effective and cost almost nothing, but, I have to admit that since I sacrificed for a wonderfully sharp macro lens I haven't gone back to the tubes.

Infrared
Infrared photography provides a fresh look by recording an otherwise invisible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Glowing foliage and inky dark skys can breath new life into dull flat scenery. Shooting in infrared is best with luxuriant foliage, so winter and early spring are not the best seasons. With many digital cameras infrared can be shot with dense, nearly impenetrably dark filters, but images usually need to be framed and focused before the filters are adding and the long exposures make a tripod a necessity. Happily a much more elegant solution is available. Your lonely, old camera can be modified to shoot infrared. I did this with my old Canon 20D and turned a dusty doorstop into a gateway to a whole new way of seeing. I've found that on days when the light is hopeless, I can still get some interesting shots by harvesting among the longer wavelength. 

Infrared, Seeing Photography in a Different Light 


My list goes on, but I think this is a good place to stop my ramblings. I will leave other options like street photography and portraiture for you to explore on your own. My intention here is only to get you thinking about fresh approaches for your photography.  So the next time you find yourself moaning about having nothing to shoot, apply a quick dope slap and get out to try something new.

Read More