birds in flight Archives

Finding Photographic Vision

October 23, 2013 by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction

It’s been an exploratory year for my photographic vision. I started shooting photography focused on sports, events, and people. There was always a landscape to photograph or an animal, so I followed my camera’s viewfinder. I filled it with images, and learned everything about my equipment. Photography is a continual learning adventure.

The last couple years have been filled with searching. At the beginning of this year, we lost 3 family members. Two were ill for a long time, and the other was a surprise. All my focus and energy had been spent on creating positive memories for my son with his grandfather. I have no regrets for the energy expended in this adventure. . .just gratitude for all the incredible time.

So finding photographic vision. . .

I choose to control every aspect of a photograph that is within my power to control. The camera is merely a tool to convey the scene, animal, bird, story, people, etc. in the manner the photographer sees it. The photographer is the artist, who shows the world their vision. The photograph below is a single image created in the camera. Since I shoot RAW files, I worked on it in Photoshop to create an image file to share with others or print. Equipment plays a part in an image like this. It is important to use a tripod to keep the camera and lens stable.

Much of this year, I’ve explored light, and refining my techniques for using it in my images. Above is soft, colorful, and flowing in composition. I experimented with exposure, white balance, and techniques.

Below is one of my favorite subjects. . .Snow Geese. This was taken on one of those perfect days in the field. The sky was sunny with billowing cloud formations. I think we ended up with most of the migratory birds (60,000 to 70,000) in the field in front of us. It was amazing to watch them fly in. It seemed like it would never stop. Then when it felt calm again, a Bald Eagle flew over head, and thousands of geese took to the air at one time. Their sound was amazing! I was about 25 feet from the edge of the flock. . .simply amazing!

Happy Shooting. . .Karen

September is the time for the Puget Sound Bird Fest

August 23, 2013 by karenulvestad, posted in Bird Festivals, Instruction, Location, Workshops

Every September, the Puget Sound Bird Fest is held in Edmonds at the Frances Anderson Center, and surrounding area. This year, the festival is being held Friday, September 6 through Sunday, September 8. The festival is put on by the City of Edmonds. Each year, the festival is an opportunity to attend a workshop, participate in a guided birding tour, kayak to observe birds, meet professionals in the birding field, and learn about birding. For more information, visit the article at September is the time for the Puget Sound Bird Fest.

Note: I will be giving a Free lecture on Bird Photography.

The Human Side of Photography

May 19, 2013 by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction, Tips, Workshops

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.

Happy Shooting. . .Karen

Where to Find Migratory Birds

May 3, 2013 by karenulvestad, posted in Location

Bird migrations happen twice per year. In the spring, the birds are heading to their nesting grounds. Many of these areas are in the Arctic or inland from the coast. Along the shoreline, these birds are feasting on the spring bounty of food, to make the long flight to their nesting grounds. These birds can travel several thousand miles each spring and fall. For the full article, visit http://www.examiner.com/article/where-to-find-migratory-birds?cid=db_articles

Of the Land, Sea & Air – A Coastal Photographic Adventure

March 25, 2013 by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction, Location, Workshops

copyright Karen Ulvestad — This bald eagle is flying in after missing a fish in the ocean. This is at Neskowin.

“It was perfect for all levels. It was a great combination of technique and artistry.” Susan H.

We will have minus tides during this workshop, which will allow students to view and photograph tide pools, walk closer to bird nesting areas and marine mammal resting areas. It’s a great opportunity to learn the details of bird and marine mammal photography, and shoot at beautiful locations. The coastal waters are filled with harbor seals, gray whales, and sea birds during the late spring season.

The workshop starts in the classroom, with an interactive presentation about exposure, techniques and equipment. Then, students go out into the field and practice what was learned in the classroom, ask questions and learn how to spot wildlife. Composition is discussed through-out the workshop, both in the classroom and in the field. The workshop is about 30% in the classroom and 70% shooting in the field with instruction.

This last photograph is the students photographing harbor seals in the surf. Most of the subjects can be photographed with a 400mm lens or shorter. It is recommended that students bring a tripod. For more information or to sign-up, visit Sitka Center.

A Great Blue Heron Story. . .

March 3, 2013 by karenulvestad, posted in Location, Tips

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.

Happy Shooting. . .Karen

Migratory Birds are at the Skagit Flats

January 21, 2013January 21, 2013 by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction, Location, Workshops

Last Saturday, I spoke at the Historic Concrete Theatre with 30+ people. The presentation went well, and the participants left with a greater understanding of photographing birds. The Skagit Valley from Newhalem in the mountains to Puget Sound is filled with migratory birds this year.

The last of the Chum Salmon run is happening on the Skagit River, and the last eagle count was 121 between Sedro Woolley and Newhalem. The high count this year was around 250 eagles. This area holds the highest numbers of migratory bald eagles in the lower 48 states (US).

There is one last weekend of the Skagit Eagle Festival. This weekend is filled with events. Most are located in Concrete or Rockport, along Highway 20.

The image above was taken this month in the Skagit Flats. These are Trumpeter Swans. This flock has both adult and immature birds. The adults are pure white, and the immature are gray. Currently, the swans are feeding between Highway 20, La Conner and west of the Skagit River. There are many flocks in the area, though not all are easy to photograph.

The Flats have more Bald Eagles this year. They are hunting Snow Geese and other migratory birds. The photo below is showing an eagle feeding on the remains of a Snow Goose. The geese seem to be in larger flocks this year. While we were watching this, two other eagles came in to feed. There was a conflict, though the light was too low to capture the interaction.

There is a visiting Snow Owl this year. This one (photo below) was resting on driftwood on the dike. There are several other birds on the Flats, including Short-earred Owl, Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk and various migratory Sandpipers.

The presentation at the Skagit Eagle Festival went well. Here is a link to a short video clip of the photos used in the presentation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sGSOvoIm2Q.

Happy Shooting. . .Karen

Telling a Story within a Photograph

September 22, 2012September 22, 2012 by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction, Tips

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

Sitka Center Rocks!

July 7, 2012 by karenulvestad, posted in Location, Workshops

Just taught at the Sitka Center for Arts and Ecology last weekend. Absolutely incredible venue to teach through. My “Of the Land, Sea & Air – A Coastal Photographic Adventure” filled months ago, and had a waiting list. The students were great, and the wildlife made its appearance. The coastal weather was misty one day, and simply overcast the second day. Overall, a great experience to teach in, and a wonderful school to work with.

The students photographed the Common Murre colony, fledgling Peregrine Falcons, Great Blue Herons, Black Oyster Catchers, Pigeon Guillemot, Black Guillemot and more. One student watched and photographed a Humpback Whale that was breaching.

The following photographs are from the workshop. . .

More Later, and Happy Shooting. . .Karen

Catching a Defining Moment. . .

April 27, 2012 by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction

Photography is the art medium that “catches” a moment in time, through the use of a camera and the photographer’s creativity/knowledge. Correct exposure means going beyond the Auto functions of the camera, and controlling the exposure through manual, aperture priority or shutter priority. It also includes use white balance, ISO, bracketing (depending on subject), flash and other functions.

Pre-setting exposure is a great way to prepare for shooting subjects like birds. This blog is focused on Osprey, and they are a fast-moving bird. I always pre-set my exposure before shooting birds. This pre-setting phase includes selecting an auto-focus point, as a starting point.

Planning or visualizing the image is essential for bird/wildlife photographs. This simply means know your subject, study it and anticipate the next series of events. It’s good to go out on a shoot knowing what subject you are planning to photograph. For locations I know, I usually have a broad subject such as birds. For unknown locations, I do some research before going on the shoot. This allows me to know what type of landscape I will be shooting in, and what kinds of subjects are usually at the location.

The second part of planning is deciding what equipment will be necessary for the subject. For birds, I always use my 100-400mm IS lens. I take my tri-pod for shooting video. In addition, I carry extra memory cards, an extra battery and lens cleaning cloth. Usually, my flash is included in my bag too.

For the complete Osprey hunting sequence, visit my video at http://youtu.be/S9LFynPyNew.

Have a great day shooting. . .Karen

Tag: birds in flight

Finding Photographic Vision

Like this:

September is the time for the Puget Sound Bird Fest

Like this:

The Human Side of Photography

Like this:

Where to Find Migratory Birds

Like this:

Of the Land, Sea & Air – A Coastal Photographic Adventure

Like this:

A Great Blue Heron Story. . .

Like this:

Migratory Birds are at the Skagit Flats

Like this:

Telling a Story within a Photograph

Like this:

Sitka Center Rocks!

Like this:

Catching a Defining Moment. . .

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: