Articles in the Category: wildlife

Look at This!!!

Submitted by David Middleton on Sun, 02/07/2010 - 10:14pm

This is a picture of a bateleur eagle. Most unfortunately, it is not one of mine. It was taken by my great friend, Jeff Wendorff. I think Jeff is the best bird photographer out there.batewendorff107Yes, I know there are other bird photographers better known but the only thing Jeff lacks is an ego the size of Florida and the arrogance to tell you how good he is.

So you want a picture like this? Do you want this picture? I can do that for you. It turns out that Jeff is leading a Birds of Prey photography trip for my Photographers Alliance Workshops to the World Birds of Prey Center in Boise, Idaho. PAW is the only photography group that has permission to take photographers to Center. We are getting point blank on all the best, most exotic and photogenic birds of prey of the world. Out of their cages, in natural-looking settings with perfect backgrounds-it doesn’t get any better than that!

This is an extraordinary opportunity to get stunning pictures that no one else has. And with Jeff teaching you (PAW leaders don’t photograph on workshops), making sure you are getting the best shot you can’t help to get beautiful photos. Check out the PAW website-paworkshops.net- to get the details on this workshop.

My First Time - Triple D Game Farm

Submitted by Brenda Berry on Tue, 05/05/2009 - 3:46pm

When was the last time you did something for the very first time? Do you remember how exciting and overwhelming it was? Do you recall feeling exquisitely alive? Me neither. That is until my first trip to the Triple D Game Farm in Kalispell, Montana with PAW leaders David Middleton, David Muse and Jeff Wendorff.

Hard for my photography friends to imagine, but I had never before ventured to Triple D (DDD) to take wildlife photographs. I guess I've always been too busy photographing rusty chains or old trucks and never gave much thought to mountain lions and snow leopards. Don't get me wrong, I am an animal lover as much as the next gal, it's just that photographing them didn't beckon to me. I had no idea what I was missing.

First thing I noticed, very first day, very first shoot, was not the snow or the even the light - it was the fact that I was standing 20 feet away from a gorgeous mountain lion and it wasn't trying to kill me.

We had hiked up a snowy hillside path and waited in anticipation as the DDD trainers calmly brought the mountain lion to us, walking it on a leash with much less trouble than I have when I walk my rambunctious dog. I was awestruck by the large cat's grace and beauty. It was as composed as I was distracted. After several long minutes I noticed the sound of shutters being released by my peers. This insistent sound jogged my brain into remembering why I was there. Frantically, I attempted to focus, literally and figuratively, and at least capture a few frames of the mountain lion.

Perhaps the only creatures more amazing than the wild ones are the DDD trainers. The trainers are unsurpassed in their knowledge of the animals, the trusting relationship they have established with the animals, and their understanding of what a photographer specifically requires to capture the best images. Our trainers, Lacy and Logan, did everything possible to make sure my trip was a success photographically while keeping the safety of the animal and the humans as the first priority. I would never have gotten the good shots I did without the extremely hard work of Lacy and Logan at DDD.

The second animal I was lucky enough to see that day was an extremely rare and stunningly beautiful snow leopard. This is an animal you are never ever going to happen across in the wild, but if the gods are smiling on you, you might get the chance to see one up close at DDD. For 15 years David wanted to photograph this particular animal in fresh snow on a serrated rocky ledge he found the last time he had a chance like this. The conditions were perfect for getting a spectacular shot. This was an opportunity not to be squandered.

As the trainers prepared the snow leopard, I was determined that this time, unlike with the mountain lion, I would be ready. My camera was out, my 8 gig card freshly formatted, and my background selected. Click, click, click, I was snapping away with the unbridled enthusiasm of the novice. Damn, I knew I had it nailed.....until checking my playback screen I noticed that I had inadvertently chopped off the poor cat's tail 92 times. Ugggh. Snow Leopards tails are as long as their entire body. Who knew?

Upon hearing my cry of dismay David and Jeff gently reminded me to consider the length of the tail, the annoying branches in the foreground, the ugly blank sky. Someone even mumbled something about the expression and posture of the animal, as if I could take it all in. Some of their advice did register in the field, but their help was even more precise after we got back to the hotel and had the chance to review my images.

Armed with new knowledge and a little more experience my learning curve did start to improve. Just like in the rest of my life, if I slow down, focus and pay attention, things will go better - or so I am often told.

Fortunately, the next sets of cats were lynx and bobcats; and the photography gods had already taken care of my tail issues. All I had to do was keep the head in focus and all four feet in the frame. Oh, and did I mention lie flat on my belly in the fresh snow to enter the world of the cat? That was Jeff's suggestion. Surprise, he wasn't trying to torture me, he was sharing his many years of experience photographing wildlife in order to help me get the best shot possible.

Pretty soon I was feeling more confident; almost Zen like. I even remembered to check the background occasionally and the word composition floated randomly into and back out of my awareness. Then, just as I was clinging to a tenuous sense of composure along came a member of the weasel family, more specifically a pine marten.

If you've never encountered a pine marten imagine a crazy little brown ball of fur on speed. They are really cute, and nearly impossible to catch in the viewfinder. Screw the Zen like composure, it was a scramble for sanity. I didn't know whether to laugh, cry or just throw my camera into the trees.

Like all first time undertakings there are accentuated highs and lows. The excitement of the possibilities is constantly at war with the frustrations born of lack of skill or experience. In a word, it was fantastic. And despite myself, I got some great pictures, pictures I would never have gotten anywhere else in the world. If you ever get the opportunity to go to DDD, go. You won't regret it, and you might even run into me, because I am going back the first chance I get!

Learning Wildlife Photography - Making Sharper Images - Part 3 of 3

Submitted by Paul Burwell on Tue, 05/05/2009 - 3:15pm

Chipping Sparrow perched on a branch

In this final installment on making sharper images, we'll discuss a few more things to think about when you're trying to make the sharpest possible images.

Shutter Speed - You need enough shutter speed to have a reasonable chance at making a sharp image. The general rule of thumb is that your shutter speed should match the focal length you're shooting at. E.g.-For an image made at 220mm you should be shooting at a minimum of 1/200th of a second. With an image stabilized camera or lens, you can generally get away with a shutter speed that's a couple of stops slower (1/50th of a second in this example).

  • If your subject is moving around, you need enough shutter speed to freeze the motion. In most situations, you probably need shutter speeds of 1/250th of a second or faster to freeze the motion.
  • One of the big advantages of digital photography is that you have the option of boosting your camera's ISO setting in order to achieve a higher shutter speed. Of course the trade off with the higher ISO settings is increased noise in the images.

Camera Support - Many photographers are not accustomed to making images with the aid of a tripod. They find them cumbersome to use but instead enjoy the flexibility that hand-holding their camera gives them. However, I am a strong advocate for using a tripod whenever it is practical. Even with today's advanced image stabilization system and cameras capable of reasonable images at high ISO settings, it is still generally advisable to use a tripod to enhance your image quality.

Cinnamon coloured Black Bear sitting in the tall grass

Hand Holding - If you insist on hand-holding your camera, learn how to properly brace yourself.

  • When standing, have one hand supporting the lens from underneath while the other hand operates the camera's controls and shutter.
    • Keep your elbows tucked tight against your body to provide extra support.
  • When kneeling or lying prostrate on the ground, look for ways to brace yourself against your own body or another structure in order to enhance the camera's stability.

Tripods - When considering a tripod, look for one that is over-engineered and built to withstand at least a 1/3 more weight than the heaviest equipment you plan on perching on top of the tripod.

  • I personally prefer Gitzo carbon fibre tripods. I really appreciate the light-weight of the carbon fibre when I'm carrying the tripod on my shoulder. I use the Gitzo 3540XLS. It's the first tripod I've had that I can walk under when it is fully extended and that's a bit of trick given that I'm over six foot tall.
  • I understand that not everyone can afford a Gitzo tripod. A tripod that is well engineered and available for quite a bit less than a Gitzo are the tripods from Velbon.

Puma kitten running across the snow - CA[/caption]

Tripod Heads - Gimbal Heads - When photographing wildlife using my telephoto lenses, I almost exclusively use a gimbal head when photographing wildlife from a tripod. Why?

  • A gimbal head allows you to completely balance your equipment. You don't need to worry about the head flopping over if you let go of it. On a gimbal head, when you let go of your equipment, it just returns to a center position.
  • A gimbal head gives you fingertip control while panning your equipment left to right or up and down (or any combination thereof).
  • When you're photographing a subject that is moving a lot, a gimbal head allows you to concentrate on the action instead of fiddling with keeping your equipment upright on a ball head.
  • I use a Black Widow Gimbal Head from a company called Jobu-Design. Wimberley and Kirk Enterprises also make excellent gimbal heads.

Tripod Heads - Ball heads - Most photographers seem set on using a ballhead to support their lens and camera. If you do use a ballhead, make sure it is engineered to support the equipment's weight.

  • A good ball head will lock down in a manner that doesn't allow the angle to creep due to the weight of the equipment.
  • When I use a ball head, I'm partial to the ball heads made by Really Right Stuff. Kirk Enterprises also makes excellent ballheads.

Short-eared Owl in flight

Beanbags - When I'm photographing from my vehicle my absolute favourite support for my camera and lenses is a saddle-shaped beanbag. This beanbag slings over the door/window with half hanging on the inside of the vehicle and the other half hanging on the outside of the vehicle. The seat of the beanbag supports the lens. Beanbags are great because they are extremely easy to pack into your luggage and take with you (empty!, duh) and then you can fill them when you get to your destination. Remember to turn the vehicle off when you're shooting from a vehicle so that the engine's vibrations don't make your images soft.

  • Bird seed makes excellent filler for beanbags and has the added benefit that if you decide to leave it behind somewhere, the local birds get a treat.
  • When I'm home and not planning on flying anywhere anytime soon, I use lima beans as my filler. It makes for a heavy beanbag, but the weight really gives a solid support for the gear.
  • For a lightweight alternative consider using crushed walnut shells. These are commonly used as filler in the beanbags sold in gun stores for target shooting.

Conclusion - So there you have it, the basic elements of making sharper images.

  • Remember to focus on the eyes
    • Learn to quickly select your camera's auto focus points quickly and efficiently.
  • Use the best quality lenses you can afford
    • Spend available resources on good glass and not chasing the latest/greatest body
  • Use a shutter speed appropriate to your focal length and the speed your subject is moving at
  • If your lens or camera support a stabilization system, use it when appropriate
  • If you insist on hand holding your gear, learn how to do it properly
  • Get a strong tripod capable of supporting a 1/3 more weight than the gear you plan on using
  • Use a tripod head suitable for the job.
    • For the large super telephoto lenses, a gimbal tripod head is a virtual necessity
  • For photographing from an automobile, use a beanbag to support your lens.

You can see from this three-piece article that there are a lot of factors that go into making sharp wildlife images. Practice combined with the right equipment will go a long way in your quest for sharper images.

Comments

Submitted by Guest on Sun, 04/25/2010 - 11:35am.

Sharper images

I have read all 3 parts to this article and have found them to be very complete and easy to understand

Learning Wildlife Photography - Making Sharper Images - Part 2 of 3

Submitted by Paul Burwell on Tue, 05/05/2009 - 3:11pm

Female Purple Finch perched on a branch

In the last post I discussed some of the finer points of using your camera's auto focusing features to help compose an image and get what's important (the eyes!) in focus. Let's look at some additional factors that go into making sharp images.

Lenses - The higher quality the lens, the better images it can produce. And unfortunately, higher quality almost always translates to higher cost. Most camera and lens manufacturers make a line of "professional" lenses. In addition to the higher price for the "professional" quality, the lenses can produce tack-sharp, well saturated images. Spend enough time on Internet camera forums and you'll come across a bevy of people constantly chasing the latest and greatest body. There are even some individuals who flip-flop back and forth between brands constantly chasing the newest camera body with the best perceived specifications. I've always advocated investing in the glass and then purchasing the best camera body you can afford. And I don't know if I'll ever understand people who switch back-and-forth between brands. I sincerely doubt it makes them better photographers and I know I couldn't afford to take the hit on selling all my gear every couple of years only to stock up on gear for another brand.

Squeeze, don't stab - One aspect that is often missed in the analysis of why an image isn't sharp is how the photographer releases the shutter.

  • I suggest that photographers learn how to gently squeeze the shutter button to create an image as opposed to stabbing at it.
  • When using telephoto lenses, just the act of stabbing or jabbing at the shutter button can induce enough vibration to make an image soft.
  • Photographing with large telephoto lenses is a lot like being a sniper with a high-powered rifle. Get into a routine of calming your breathing and slowing your heartbeat. Press the camera's viewfinder tight against your eye. Drape your free arm over top of the lens to further dampen any vibrations. Ideally you'll shoot between breaths and when you're ready slowly squeeze the shutter button.

Vibration Reduction - Image Stabilization - SteadyShot - Nikon and Canon have a system built into many of their lenses for helping reduce vibration and make sharper images. Sony and Olympus build this ability right into their camera bodies. There's some disagreement about which approach is better (lens versus body), but regardless, I recommend either buying lenses with this system built in or using a body with the built in system. And if you've got it, use it.

On my Canon lenses, I use the image stabilization whether I'm hand-holding or have the lens mounted on a tripod. Again, this is an area of some controversy and you'll hear all sorts of advice about whether or not to use the image stabilization system while a lens is mounted on a tripod. I never have the lens locked down hard when I'm photographing wildlife. I always have the tension on the tripod head set so that I can move the lens to adjust for an animal's changing position and I have the lens collar loose so that I can quickly switch to a portrait orientation to make vertical images. My rationale is that as long as the lens isn't locked down rock-solid, it won't confuse the lenses image stabilization system. And that even holds true on my 100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS lens that features Canon's first generation of their lens stabilization system. You'll have to do your own experiments to find out what works for you, but for me, the lens stabilization system on my Canon lenses is always on.

In the next article, we’ll conclude the discussion on making sharper images with some information on supporting your lenses and cameras.

Learning Wildlife Photography - Making Sharper Images - Part 1 of 3

Submitted by Paul Burwell on Tue, 05/05/2009 - 3:03pm

Wilson's Phalarope swimming on a marsh - 1000mm, AI-Focus

A lot of wildlife photography is dependant on the use of telephoto, telephoto-zooms and super telephoto lenses to make reasonable images of small subjects or larger animals off in the distance. When you use a telephoto lens, you need a new set of techniques in order to ensure that you end up with sharp images. Nothing is more frustrating than coming across some desirable subject, actually getting them into your viewfinder only to get home and discover that the images are lacking in the sharpness department.

The first thing to focus on (pun intended or not, you decide) is the subject's eyes. In nearly all cases, the eyes of your subject should be tack sharp. So, that means that your going to have to put your camera's focus point onto the animal's eyes. Or, you can either exclusively use the center focus point and just accept the fact that your going to be spending a lot of time in Lightroom or Photoshop cropping your images to create a usable composition, or you can learn to use your camera's features to create that composition in the viewfinder.

If the camera/lens combination you're using allows it, learn to move the focus point around the available areas. Most of the consumer digital SLR cameras and many of the point-and-shoot cameras allow you to select from a number of different focus points. The trick is to practice selecting the currently active focus point until you can do it quickly, efficiently and without thinking. When I was getting serious about wildlife photography, I'd watch television through the viewfinder of my camera. I'd put on a lens that would allow me to have just the television in the viewfinder and then I'd move the focus point to the person who was currently speaking. It took a couple of weeks of practice but I finally got to the point where I could quickly perform the finger gymnastics necessary to instruct my camera where to move the focus point to. Practicing while you're otherwise relaxing is a great way to learn a new skill so you'll be ready when that cute little critter pops up while you're in the field.

Chipping Sparrow perched on a mossy branch - 700mm One-shot focus

Unfortunately, it isn't always possible to move your focus point around. Depending on your camera body, you may lose the ability to change focus points at F5.6 or F8. For instance, when I put my 2.0x teleconverter on my Canon 500mm F4L IS lens, it turns it into an F8 lens and I'm stuck using the center focus point. In that case I'll have to live with shooting loose enough that there is enough room around the subject to allow for cropping in Lightroom or Photoshop, or depending on the situation, I can use another feature that many cameras have.

While I normally have my camera in AI-Servo mode (Nikon calls it Continuous-Servo AF) when I'm photographing wildlife, I'll occasionally switch to One Shot focus mode. This allows me to put the camera's center focus point on the animal's eye and then recompose the image before I press the shutter to make the image. Again, this is a technique you can practice while watching television. The One Shot focus method only works on subjects that are relatively static. If you've got a subject that is moving around a lot and you're stuck with the center focus point, you'll just have to accept some extra computer time while you crop the images.

Okay, so now we've got our focusing techniques down so we can use our camera's autofocus systems to make sharp images focused on our subject's eyes and we'll create as many images as possible that don't need extra processing in our photo editing software.

In the next article, we'll continue the discussion on making sharper images.

Do you need every grass, leaf and branch in its place?

Submitted by Paul Burwell on Fri, 04/10/2009 - 9:29pm

I do a lot of wildlife photography each year. Much of it is of wild animals and some of it is photography of captive animals. I've attended events photographing captive animals as a member of a workshop, a group of friends, by myself and as a workshop leader.

One thing I'm continually amazed by is how some people seem obsessed with having the animal trainers prune the shooting location to remove every last element that might possibly creep into their view finder and provide a distraction. This can drive people to distraction and instead of working on their photography, they distract themselves worrying about the environment. I've even seen photographers miss great shots because they were worried about a grass or leaf.

Don't get me wrong. One of the great things about photographing at a game farm is that you are photographing under controlled conditions. This means there are animal trainers working to get the animals into optimal positions for photography. The locations are chosen to reflect the animal's natural habitat and are designed to optimize the light.

And don't get me wrong. I love a beautiful portrait of an animal regardless of it being shot under controlled conditions or in the wild. But what I really love, and what many find more compelling, are images of an animal in their environment looking "wild". Those are the sort of opportunities I look for when I'm photographing under controlled conditions.

The following photograph of a Canada Lynx was made as the young lynx stalked a lure that her animal trainers use to get her attention. I love the brush around the lynx and the fact that it easily looks like a picture that might be made of an elusive wild Canada Lynx. Even though the lynx is moving through the brush, I still waited until I had a clear, unobstructed view of her face before pressing the shutter.