As I am preparing for my workshop in Oregon next week (May 28-29), I am reminded about all the knowledge that goes into creating a beautiful bird and wildlife images. The camera is a view into how we “feel” at the time of taking the pictures. How are we “seeing” at the time of the shoot. These are the human element of photography. It affects our choices of composition, exposure, focus, and use of light.
This first photo was partially visualized before I took the image. I saw this flock of Dowitchers from across the pond, and had to go back to a better view-point to photograph them. I walked quickly back, and on the way thought about how I wanted to shoot the images. The lighting was back-lighting, which meant I would either have silhouettes (birds) or major hot-spots.
Right after getting to the other-side of the pond, a hawk took to the air, and the flock took flight. They circled the pond, and this is their landing. I like the reflections in the water, and the back-light feathers on the wings and tails. I did crop from the top of the image, to bring the focus to the birds.
Each photograph we take has a story to tell. The last two images were not cropped, and show two different stories. The hawk just took flight from a tree top, and this was taken in-between the branches. Thankfully, it was late fall, and the leaves had already fallen. The focus of this image is the eye of the raptor, and the focus plain includes the head, body, feet, and tail. The blur in the wings shows motion. I had studied the hawk for a few minutes before he took flight, and this familiarity allowed me to see the openings for a good photograph.
This last image was taken on the Oregon coast. It was a beautiful sunny day, then the fog came rolling in. These Brown Pelicans found a resting place on one of the sea stacks. This image shows them preening and resting, before going out hunting later in the day. The clouds/fog brought a soft light onto the subject, and allowed the colors in the rocks to show.
The Art of Photographing Birds is more than equipment, exposure and location. Each of this items is required, but will not guarantee a memorable photograph. In general, photography is more than the sum of the equipment used. It is the vision of the photographer. The equipment is the tools to manifest the vision into a photographic image.
The image below is a male Wood Duck. The sunlight enhances their color, and makes them brilliant. It’s in the details that make the difference between a good photograph and a “wow” image. This photo shows how I saw the duck, as he was swimming in the pond. Another photographer may have seen his colors differently.
Often, I get asked “how close are you to the bird?” or “how long is your lens?” My longest lens is a 100-400mm with image stabilization. So, that means that I need to get relatively close to the birds, or crop a lot out of the image. The photos above and below are un-cropped. The last photo was cropped a little to bring the focus to the owl, instead of the shapes of the branches. I was about 25-30 feet from the owl.
So, how do I get close to birds? There are several factors that contribute. The first and most important is myself. Am I looking like a predator? Or, am I appearing non-threatening and/or part of the environment? All three of these birds are wild. To approach these birds, I need to feel calm and peaceful. If I’m distracted by “life things”, I cannot get close enough to take photos like these. Wild birds and animals are sensitive to their environment, and always looking for the “threat” to their existence. Rule #1 = Be calm, quiet and peaceful.
The gull photo above was taken at a local beach. Most of these birds are opportunist, though very cautious. Some people who visit this beach will chase the gulls and other birds, which makes them wary of humans. Further down the beach is a resting/feeding area for migratory birds. Unfortunately, some people think it’s ok to allow their dogs to chase the feeding/bathing birds, and have the impression the birds “like” being chased. So, when we go to photograph the birds, they are very skittish of humans. Rule #2 = Earn the trust of the birds.
The Barred Owl photo below was taken at dusk. Being up in a tree, the owl is less wary of people, and focusing on hunting. He stayed for a few moments, then flew off to find food.
For more tips and techniques, check-out one of my up-coming workshops at Sitka Center on the Oregon Coast or Pacific Northwest Art Center on Whidbey Island.
Great Blue Heron are a bird that survives in urban and wilderness areas. They eat frogs, small rodents, fish, crabs, and more. They nest in colonies or rookeries that can be home to a hundred or more birds. These herons are majestic in their demeanor, territorial while hunting, and tolerant during nesting.
The photo below is taken at an urban area rookery that sits near Lake Washington in Kenmore. The photo below shows the entire rookery. Currently, there are about 50 +/- nests in the trees, and 100+/- Great Blue Herons. It’s quite a sight, though challenging to photograph. The wetlands are fenced off, so photography happens from the park-n-ride parking lot, or along the back entrance.
The photo below shows the nesting pairs and their nests. Often, there are single birds vying for the attentions of another bird, or pairs looking for a nesting site. I counted about 28-30 nests in this tree alone. Surprisingly, the colony is relatively quiet. These photos were taken at mid-day, and fortunately, there were interesting clouds in the sky for the background. I’ve photographed this rookery before, I had the fortune of stormy weather and a rainbow.
Tip: Aperture is important while shooting a Rookery. Most of these images were shot with f5.6-f8.
This next image is of a nesting pair building their nest. He is bringing sticks, and she is placing them into the nest. I watched him bring one stick at a time, watch her place it in the nest, and he would preen her feathers during the process. It’s a difficult area to photograph the herons flying into their nesting sites, so scouting the location and planning is a good idea.
Tip: Over-expose the photos, so the details of the birds show in the photographs. Otherwise, the birds will silhouette against the sky.
So, I’ll leave with one last photo. This is a closer view of several nests and herons in the rookery. The Bald Eagles will hunt for un-attended chicks later in the year.
From trickles of water to roaring flood-stage torrents, waterfalls are an ever-changing photographic subject. Their structure changes slowly over time, but the water falls differently every second. If one took 10 photographs in a row of the same waterfall, each would look different.
Below is an image taken of a small creek. This small area is isolated by using a telephoto lens, then cropping top/bottom of the image, to create an expansive feeling to the photograph. The motion of the water is in-focus. To accomplish this, the shutter speed needs to be at 1/60 second or faster. It is dependent on the speed the water is flowing. With an image like this, it is best to use a tripod to stabilize the camera and be selective about composition. This was taken on a sunny day, and this portion of the creek was in the shade.
TIP – When using a tripod, remember to turn-off the image stabilization on the lens.
This is a small portion of a stream cascading down and over rocks.
Waterfalls come in all shapes and sizes. What makes each unique is the way the water has sculpted the rocks surrounding it. The image above was a small section of a creek. The image below is much larger, and the first falls above a gorge that ends in a 50 +/- foot waterfall. This was a foggy and over-cast day in Mount Rainier National Park. The water in this image is not crisp, yet the rocks are sharp. To get this effect, the shutter speed needs to be 1/8 second or slightly slower. With these shutter speeds, the camera needs to be stabilized on a tripod or other method of stabilization. The aperture was F22, which created a larger depth of field, in comparison to the image above.
TIP – When a tripod is unavailable, try using a rock, tree or other object in the environment to stabilize the camera and/or one’s self.
This waterfall was just above a small gorge that ended in a larger falls. It is in Mount Rainier National Park.
Time of year plays a part in capturing great waterfall images. The photos above were taken during the summer months. The image below was taken in the fall. The leaves have fallen from the trees, and offer a full view of the Whatcom Falls. The ground is covered with autumn colored leaves, adding color to the forest floor. This was taken on an over-cast day in October.
The “milking” effect of the waterfall is due to a slow shutter speed. In this case, it was 1/5 second, and a bridge rail was used for camera stabilization. This was shot with a wide-angle lens, and the aperture was F10.
This was taken in the fall, and is a wide-angle shot of Lower Whatcom Falls.
This last image is Snoqualmie Falls at flood stage. The roads to the waterfall had been open a couple of hours earlier. It was flowing at 78,000 cubic feet of water per second, and it was incredibly loud. This was taken with slide film, and scanned to digital.
These locations are great to photograph waterfalls. It takes some planning to capture the photographic image one is seeking. The things to consider are weather, time of year, equipment, and accessibility to the location. In addition, it is good to factor in the costs associated with travel, food and/or lodging. For more tips and instruction, consider contacting me for workshop information.
Happy Shooting. . .Karen
This is Snoqualmie Falls with 78,000 cubic feet of water per second. The road to the falls had opened earlier in the day.
Winter is a magical time to photograph the natural world. The world is changed with the white of snow or frost. Trees become dormant for the season, and visually become lines in the composition. The temperatures drop below freezing, and it is a different environment for operating a camera. Exposure changes to reflect white.
Below is a photograph of starlings in a tree covered with hoarfrost. The dark tone of the birds is in direct contrast to the white of the sky and tree limbs. For the frost to appear white, it is the time to over-expose the photograph. The dark tone of the birds will yield subtle colors and details. This image was shot at 100 ISO, 1/60 second shutter speed, and F8 aperture. I chose F8 to bring a larger depth of field to the image, yet knew sharpness didn’t matter for the background. The fog had not lifted too far from the ground, and was a mono-chromatic white.
The reason that snow or white subjects need to be over-exposed is due to the nature of the camera’s light meter. The light meter reads the world as 18% gray, when it reads 0 (or the center of the meter). To compensate, the exposure needs to let more light into the camera, so the whites look white.
This second image has foreground, midground and background. I wanted to show the fore and mid ground in focus, and let the fog become the backdrop for the image. This photograph was shot at 200 ISO, 1/60 second shutter speed, and F10 aperture. It gave me the depth of field I was wanting to show in the image. The use of the tree branches at the top helps create a feeling of depth in the image, and help show the subject.
This last image was a long-needle pine tree covered in hoarfrost. The ice crystals still maintained their crispness, and the cones were a nice contrast to the rest of the photo. I used a shallower depth of field to blur the background, and bring the viewer’s focus to the cones, needles and hoarfrost in the front of the image. The exposure for this one is 200 ISO, 1/60 second shutter speed, and F5.6 aperture.
Late fall and winter weather is happening in the northern hemisphere, and it presents different photography challenges. The weather plays an important part at this time of the year. It is more likely to be windy, stormy, rainy, foggy or snowy at our outdoor destinations. The leaves have left the trees in many areas, giving fewer hiding places for wildlife and birds. The landscape takes on a different “feeling” than the warmer months of spring and summer. The colors change, and daylight hours are shorter.
During strong winds and stormy weather, birds seek refuge in sheltered areas. This image below was taken during strong winds. This great blue heron is sheltered from the winds by the marsh grasses, and is feeding in the shallow water. In this image, he is cleaning his feet. There were several great blue heron roosting in the tall grass behind this bird. The weather brought these birds closer to the walk-way through the marsh, and made them easier to photograph. Other birds finding shelter in the marsh were Northern Shovelers (ducks) and Killdeer. Small song birds were feeding in the cattails and trees.
The beach is a wonderful location during high winds or stormy weather. In this photograph, the wave is coming into shore, and is about 4-6 feet tall. It wasn’t raining, but the winds were very strong. It is good to watch the surf, before going onto the beach, to see where the high-water mark is at. Even with this information, the wind can send waves higher on the beach. On the ocean, these are called sneaker-waves. They can pull people into the water, and can be deadly. It is important to be prepared for the environment and weather.
It is important to wear the appropriate clothing for adventures during the winter. Hypothermia can affect those who are not prepared for rain, wind, snow and colder temperatures. It is good to dress in layers, with a good water-repellent shell over the top. The wind will drop the temperature (wind-chill factor), and the cold can hurt exposed areas of skin (hands, fingers and faces). It is important to wear footwear that will keep feet warm and dry. This type of equipment can be found at outdoors stores, such as ski shops or REI.
Camera batteries will lose their charge faster in the colder weather. It is good to bring an extra battery, and keep it in a warm place (pocket near body heat). Most camera equipment is water-resistant, but it depends on the manufacturer and model of the equipment. It is good to keep the gear dry with a good camera bag (water-proof), covering for the camera/lenses and a quick-dry cloth to dry any water that does get onto the equipment.
The photograph below illustrates being prepared for the weather. More later. . .
I was on my way home from Oregon last Friday, and saw this scene. It was a great example of showing techniques for fall color, and this is the resulting blog entry. All three photos were processed the same way, and there is a marked difference in their color.
The first photograph was taken without a Polarizing filter. The light shines off the top of the leaves, causing the colors to fade or appear washed-out. The colors in the lake reflection are faded too. The White Balance (WB) was set on Auto.
The second photo was taken with a Polarizing filter. It cuts the “glare” from the light, that was bouncing off the leaves in the first photo. There is a marked difference in the colors between these two photos. The yellows are more vibrant, and the browns are warmer. The reflection in the lake has more color too. This is a nice photo, but the color is not as spectacular as it could be. It is missing some direct sunlight, and a focal point in the frame.
This last photograph was taken with a Polarizing filter and with the WB set on cloudy. I cropped (in the camera) to include only the reflection with ducks swimming through the frame. The ducks become the subject, and the fall colors add to the scene. In this instance, I liked the color reflected in the water better than on the trees.
It’s relatively easy to set a camera on Auto, go to a great location, and start shooting pictures. Becoming a photographer (serious amateur or professional) starts when there is an understanding of light, exposure, and composition. It happens when the camera is taken off Auto, and we start changing the ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture. We start creating the images from our own experiences, instead of letting the camera’s programing make the choices for us.
To tell a story with our photographs means to control these aspects of the process. It asks questions like: “how much of the photo do I want in focus?” or “do I want the birds wings soft or tack-sharp?” or “do I want the picture to look grainy or flawless?”
All of these techniques have different exposures to work with. This combined with the elements included in the frame. The photo below is a Northern Harrier (hawk) soaring. I chose to include the snow-covered mountains at the bottom of the frame, to show some of the environment. The image is cropped in height, to bring focus to the Northern Harrier and the mountain.
This next image is of two Brant in flight, a relative to Canadian Geese. They migrate south during the winter, and nest above the Arctic Circle. This is a winter shot, and the Olympic Mountains are in the background. The background is soft in this image, because I chose a slower shutter speed (1/250 sec), and panned with the birds. They fly very fast.
Again, I cropped this one in height to draw attention to the birds and their environment. By panning, I blurred any man-made structure on the other side of the water. There are houses there, and they have blended into the surrounding trees.
This last image is taken with a larger Aperture. I wanted to show the streams path, waves, and the birds. These are Bonaparte’s Gulls, Mew Gulls and Glaucous-winged gulls. The lines from the stream start in the fore-ground, and lead the eye towards the birds. The waves in the background add a “back” to the photograph.
I cropped this in height to show the birds. This is a story about slack-tide on Puget Sound. It is the time the birds gather on the beach, bathe, and drink fresh water.
I teach these skills and more in my workshops. Happy Shooting. . .Karen
This was taken in 1995 on slide film, and scanned to a digital file.
I’ve been a photographer for years, and started with film. I wanted to be like Art Wolfe. I had seen his photos in National Geographic, and wanted to work for them. I decided to become one of the best photographers in the world, and that would be my life. I would travel the world, take photographs, and people would pay me a lot of money. I was 13 years old at the time.
Through the years, I have been blessed with the teachings of many different photographers. I attended a workshop taught by Frans Lanting in the 1990s, and he told us that nobody in the room would make it as a professional nature photographer, except for the 1 or 2 that did not listen to him. I love a challenge!
Bryan F Peterson’s workshops brought in the idea that creativity and light were the foundation for all successful photographs. I’ve taken several workshops from him through the years, and have “wow-ed” him with a few photographs. This photo of the Painted Desert was the first “wow”, and it was at a workshop. It was followed by silence, in a room full of 50+ people. It is one of my fondest memories about photography.
The other factor that brought me to this point in my career was being recognized as a talented photographer by a local photographer. He taught introduction photography classes, and asked me to assist him. This was in 1995, and lasted for two years. He also encouraged me and others to show our work, by organizing a gallery in LaConner, WA. I was covering a shift at the gallery one weekend, and had the opportunity to listen to a gentleman critique all my work to a friend without even acknowledging my presence in the gallery. Listening to others can give insight, and knowledge about the artist’s audience.
This was taken in 1997 on slide film, and scanned to a digital file.
So now when I do a show or talk, people ask me “how do you do that?” I could be anything, such as how did you get the background to go dark. How did you get the picture so colorful? What kind of camera do you use?
Well, a good photograph doesn’t have much to do with owning an expensive camera. It does have a lot to do with knowing how to use the equipment that you own or can afford to own (Point and Shoot or DSLR). It comes down to understanding light, exposure, composition, and how to manipulate the camera to get the artist vision. It takes practice, using all this knowledge to hone a photographer’s skills.
I teach student’s these skills through several venues. On the weekends, I teach through Nature’s Photo Adventures. The 2 hour workshop is called a Photo Walk. This format allows students to learn these skills, practice the skills, and ask questions regarding application of the skills. Many of the Photo Walks happen at the zoo, where there are an abundance of photo opportunities. For the more advanced students, I offer a 1 day workshop (4 hours) of classroom time, and opportunity to practice skills. The format of the classes focus on skills, and students being successful with their photographs.
For those who prefer a classroom setting, I teach a series of Digital photography classes through the City of Edmonds. There are 4 individual classes that are 2 hours of instruction. Each one builds off of the knowledge learned in the previous class. Students can sign-up for these individually. The first class starts with basic camera operation. Class two focuses on exposure and light. Class three works on composition, and the application of exposure/light. Class four finishes with the digital darkroom, and what software programs work best for their costs.
I teach longer workshops through the Pacific Northwest Art School on Whidbey Island. In 2013, I will be teaching a one-day (6 hour) workshop called “From Camera Knowledge to the Digital Darkroom Intensive.” This will be one day focused on basic camera operation, exposure, composition, light, practice shooting, and finishes with the Digital Darkroom. This will be on Saturday, March 23, 2013.
The second workshop I will be teaching here is “An Island Photographic Adventure – Birds, Wildlife & the Environment.” It will be a 2 day workshop with classroom time, and shooting on location. The shoot locations will be on Whidbey and Fidelgo Islands. The workshop will be held Saturday and Sunday, July 27-28, 2013.
My other teaching venue is the Sitka Center for Arts & Ecology on the Oregon coast. I will be teaching “Of the Land, Sea & Air – An Oregon Coast Photo Adventure.” It will be in June, though I do not have the final date yet.
So, when asking a photographer, “how did you do that,” consider taking a photography workshop. . .
This was taken in 1992 (I think) on print file, and scanned to a digital file.
One of my favorite times of the year for photography is coming up. In the fall, the leaves on the trees turn vibrant yellows, oranges, reds and sometimes purple. Each region has its own timing for the fall foliage. Ours is anytime between late September to mid-November. It all depends on the amount of rain, and when the first frost happens.
The shot below was taken on Whatcom Creek in northern Washington state. This is a long exposure (3 seconds) on a tripod. The depth of field (Aperture) is f22, for maximum sharpness throughout the photograph. The ISO was 100.
The day was over-cast, hence the lack of dark shadows and bright highlights. This can work two ways for a photograph. First, it give even lighting, since the clouds diffuse the sunlight. Second, too much sky showing becomes un-interesting, and can take away from the photograph. In this photo, I cropped out the sky, and focused on the creek, fall foliage and surrounding landscape.
This next example deviates from a traditional landscape photograph. The trees, leaves and stream become an abstract image. This effect is created in the camera by “zooming” the lens. In this case, I used my 17-40mm lens. In this case, I started at 17mm and zoomed to 40mm.
This is a 1 second exposure at f10. The ISO was 100.
This last photograph was taken on a sunny day. I chose a shaded bend in the river, and cropped out the brightly lit background forest from the frame (in camera). Composition can intensify the fall leaves, by surrounding the tree with a single color. In this case, it is the other green trees that have not turned color yet. I set my camera’s White Balance on Cloudy, which “warms” up the colors in the photograph. A polarizing filter is handy to cut the “glare” from the top of the leaves.
This was shot with my 100-400mm lens, at 100mm. The exposure was 1/60 sec, f4.5 and ISO 100.
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