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Using Mug Shots to Improve Bird Photography

October 20, 2009 By 3 Comments
White-crowned Sparrow - Treman Marine Park, Ithaca, NY

White-crowned Sparrow - Treman Marine Park, Ithaca, NY

Consider a mug shot image pair for a moment.  You have two images, the head on shot and the profile.  Say someone is arrested for a crime and a newspaper runs one of the images, 99 times out of a 100 you’ll see the straight on shot.  Why is that?  Quite simply, the subject is engaging the viewer by looking directly into the camera, often with some menacing look.

So you may ask what a mug shot has to do with bird photography?  It’s all about how the subject engages the viewer by looking into the camera and how the photographer captures the perfect head tilt.

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Conquering the Inevitable: Frustration

October 15, 2009 By 1 Comment
White-breasted Nuthatch - Gorge Trail, Finger Lakes National Forest, NY

White-breasted Nuthatch - Gorge Trail, Finger Lakes National Forest, NY

Occasionally, I get into the field with big plans and nothing goes as planned.  Then the frustration sets in and when I am photographing, frustration is my worst enemy. When I get frustrated, everything goes downhill—fast.

Yesterday was one of those days for me, but I forced myself through the frustration and walked with a nice series of White-breasted Nuthatch images.  I thought I’d share the three things that I did to get through the frustration:  Improvisation, Changed Course, and Refreshed and Remembered.

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The Importance of Scouting

October 11, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Mallefowl on Nest, Victoria, Australia - I created this image after consulting local birders and scouting the nest the night before.

Would you ever walk into a business meeting with a possible new client without first doing background research on who they are, what they want, and how you can best market yourself to them?  Would you go on stage as the leading role in a play without first memorizing your lines and running through numerous rehearsals?  Would you take an exam without ever having studied the material?

Of course not!

Then why would you go to a place to photograph without a thorough understanding of what to expect, where to find it, and when to be there?  Scouting is a simple and easy step overlooked far too often.

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Beat the Conditions. Get the Shot.

September 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Shy Albatross - Pelagic Waters off Tasmania, Australia

After several days of rain, wind, and storms, I have been thinking about photographing in adverse conditions.  I just haven’t had the desire to go trudging out on a heavy overcast day with a constant drizzle.  Of course, it’s the perfect conditions for photographing small intimate landscapes like creeks and waterfalls, especially with fall color just getting good, but I just haven’t done it.

Today I was looking back through my old files seeking some inspiration and I came across some photos from my time in Australia in 2007.  In February, I went out on a fishing boat to spend the day at sea off the coast of Tasmania, searching for pelagic birds such as albatrosses and petrels.  Pelagic birding can be fantastic or it can be miserable, it all depends on the conditions.  Of my four pelagic trips during that year, this was by far the worst.  It was gray, wet, windy, and cold.  If we weren’t getting soaked from the rain, then we were getting soaked by salt spray from the waves (worse for camera gear).

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How to Work a Scene

September 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Image #5 - Happy Medium

There are occasions when I stumble across a beautiful scene and I know there is at least one great image to be made, but that image is not immediately apparent.  To find that great image, I take a couple different approaches.  I either stand back and look around for a while and see what I can find or simply dive in and just start taking pictures.  The former works great for static scenes, while I tend to use the latter if the light is changing fast and its do or die time.  This morning turned out to be one of those particular mornings.

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Gear Bag Article Series

September 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Most photographers are a little obsessed with their gear and for many the gear is a huge part of the draw of photography.  I can’t begin to explain why but I will be the first to admit, I have a bit of an obsession with gear and the latest and greatest stuff.  I can’t usually justify the purchase of all the brand new gear, but I do have a pretty good grasp of the industry and what is out there.  That being said, I don’t want this blog to become a site heavily dedicated to reviewing new pieces of equipment every time something is released.  There are numerous sites out there doing fantastic jobs at that and I don’t want to just fall into that crowd.

I have struggled with whether I should include a gear section or not and finally decided that I would simply post about the equipment that I use on a regular basis.   [Read more...]

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Fall Migration: The Ugly Stepsister

September 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Rose-breasted Grosebeak (Male, Fall Plumage) - Dryden Lake, Dryden, NY

Rose-breasted Grosebeak (Male, Fall Plumage) - Dryden Lake, Dryden, NY

Spring migration gets all the attention because all of the warblers, tanagers, grosbeaks, and other songbirds are decked out in their finest plumage as they head north to breed, but don’t ignore fall migration!  Sure, you don’t get the spectacular fallouts along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico as exhausted birds reach the coast after crossing the water.  But you do get an intellectual challenge: how to identify birds in nonbreeding plumage and a multitude of drab juveniles can challenge even the best birders.

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Exploring your Own Backyard: Seeing the Amazing in the Ordinary

September 13, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Fall Flowers in Meadow, Freeville, NY

Fall Flowers in Meadow, Freeville, NY

When people think of nature photography they typically imagine an African safari or exploring the wilds of South America.  This romantic view is a reality for a number of photographers, but the reality is that most people simply can’t afford to spend $15,000 for a week long African safari.  If being a nature photographer required that, then there would be far fewer of us out there.  Nature photography is open to anyone and be done anywhere and at any time.  Take for example the above image.  This fall scene of a meadow covered in blooming goldenrod and scattered with a handful of other flowers was taken less than a mile from my apartment. [Read more...]

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Great for birds, what about photos?

September 13, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Ask a birder where you can see a particular species of bird and they probably will give you a couple good locations.  Ask a photographer where you can photograph that same species and they may give you a totally different place.  Probably they are all good options but birders tend to value particular sites for different reasons than photographers.

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