Monthly Archives: January 2014

Photo of Scrub Jay in Flight

Motion Blur in Wild Bird Photography

Capturing Action with Fast Shutter Speeds

I generally crank the shutter speed way up when photographing birds in flight, just to freeze action all the way to the wingtips. My thinking is that time is short, and I won’t have another chance with this bird scene to get it right. I probably over-compensate with shutter speeds that are too fast because I’ve been burned so many times with blurred shots.

Motion Blur is Not A Weakness

But motion blur is not a weakness in wild bird photography. On the technical end, gauging what you want in focus and what you want blurred takes keen observation, lots of practice, and being more purposeful. If you can stop overcompensating with the fast shutter speeds, you will have more creative flexibility with aperture and ISO settings, and probably better bird photographs.

If you agree that ascetically, motion blur does add drama to a wild bird photo, that blurred wings make the shot feel more true to life, dynamic, and exciting, then it is a skill worth practicing.

Capturing Movement: Large Birds v Small Birds

I found that a shutter speed in the range of 1/2000 second – 1/3000 second is a good starting point to capture motion blur in the wings of small birds while at the same time keeping other body parts, especially the eyes and head, tack sharp. This shutter range is just a starting point, a guideline. Wingtip blur is a relative and creative term, subject to artistic judgment. The shutter speed you set will impact what is blurred, how much it is blurred, and the effect that blur has on the photo.

Larger birds tend to fly more slowly and flap their wings less. You can count the ups and downs of a heron’s wings in flight – 3 or 4 per second-at most. Plus, large birds use their expansive wings to glide more, thereby reducing the wing movement. The photographer doesn’t necessarily need a fast shutter speed to get the shot, just excellent panning skills to track the large birds as they fly by.

Consequently, larger birds in flight can be photographed at much slower shutter speeds, as low as 1/800 second or 1/1000 second, depending on the motion on which they are captured. Conversely, you visually can’t count the number of times a smaller bird flaps its wings…..way too fast and too numerous to count and capture with a slower shutter speed. Plus, little birds unpredictably flit and flutter every which way. Slow shutter speeds in the 1/800 second – 1/1000 second range are out of the question in most instances for photographing small, flying birds.

Three Different Degrees of Motion Blur

Below are photos of 3 small birds in flight (scrub jay, eastern bluebird, savannah sparrow) showing sharp facial features and blurred wingtips. The blurring is least noticeable in the wings of the gliding scrub jay and most pronounced in the wings of the erratically flying savannah sparrow.

Of course, other camera settings besides shutter speed can impact blur, most especially your aperture setting, focal length of the lens, and distance the photographer is to her subject.  To read more about these settings, see the post at this link.

Photo of Scrub Jay in Flight
A Scrub Jay with a Mouth Full of Corn – Slight Motion Blur on the Wings -Otherwise Sharp Focus.
ISO 200; f/4.5; 1/2500 second

 

Photograph of Eastern Blue Bird in Flight
Eastern Blue Bird in Flight, Slowing Down Upon Reaching his Nest.
Substantial Blur on the Wings, Despite the Fast Shutter Speed.
ISO 300; f/2.8; 1/3200 Second

 

Photo of Savannah Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow in Flight- Wings Heavily Blurred. There are a lot of visual problems with this photo, unsightly shadows, clipped highlights, background distractions. The heavily blurred wings are one of the few things I like about this photo.
ISO 500; f/7.1; 1/2000 Second

 

Pre-visualizing Before You Take The Photograph

Making judgments about how you want the photo to look before you take the shot is a skill worth developing. It means that you are pre visualizing….thinking, experimenting, calculating, and predicting how that photo will turn out. It takes you into the realm of new possibilities, and better bird photography.

 

Photo of Eastern Bluebird

Photographing Eastern Bluebirds in Winter

DSLR Camera Basics in the Winter

Most cameras operate perfectly fine in frigid conditions, even the dangerously cold polar vortex conditions that Michigan and the midwest have been suffering through this winter. I think the hardest part is not worrying about the electronics of the the camera (although I like to think that is what’s keeping me inside on some days), but motivating the bird photographer to get out there and photograph birds.

Birds are Highly Adapted to Surviving in the Cold

Once I am all bundled up and have taken the usual winter-guard precautions to take my equipment outside, I’m usually glad I ventured out. I stop thinking about me and focus on watching and photographing small birds in winter survival mode. Despite their small size and lack of fur, wild birds in Michigan are highly adapted (physically and behaviorally) to surviving and thriving in severely cold weather. Melissa Mayntz does an excellent job outlining these adaptations at this link.

An Unexpected Photographable Moment

Through my viewfinder, I panned the arctic tundra-like scene that is currently the Lake Michigan shoreline. It looked like a habitat suited to polar bears, so I was very surprised to find eastern bluebirds, fluffing their feathers and shivering to insulate themselves against the buffeting and brutally cold winds. No insects or fresh fruit to be had in the winter, so these bluebirds were picking the seeds and berries from the bright sumac bushes that grow on the dune.

Photo of Eastern Bluebird in Winter
Eastern BlueBird Subsisting on Sumac Seeds During a Cold, Brutal Winter.
ISO 1000; f/7.1; 1/1250 Second

Winter Photography in Michigan

There are a few advantages that winter can bring to the art of photography, if you can convince yourself to bundle up and get out in the cold. Here are my most motivating reasons:

  • Winter brings crisp, clear air. There’s very little pollen or other plant debris floating in the air in the winter – leading to outstanding image clarity.
  • Reflective snow adds a soft light – even on the dreariest days.
  • The sun is much lower on the horizon in the winter, helping to avoid the worst of the overhead harsh shadows so common in the summer season.
  • I can get up late in the morning and still have time to get outside and take advantage of complementary light.  😎
Photo of Eastern Bluebird on Sumac
Eastern Bluebird Atop A Sumac Flower – Emergency Sustenance During A Cold Winter
ISO 1250; f/7.1; 1/1600 Second

Photographing Migratory Birds That Do NOT Fly South

I wonder why I’ve never noticed eastern blue birds in the winter here in Michigan. Apparently, my assumption that these lovely, insect eating birds all migrated south in November and returned in the Spring trumped my observations skills, until now. Clearly there have always been a few fearless, non-migrating stragglers who linger, foraging fruit, nuts, berries and seeds. Makes me hopeful for more surprises. I just might be lucky enough to find other wild migratory birds this winter that did not fly south.

Photo of European Starling

Photographing European Starlings in Winter

It’s Winter. Finding Photographable Moments.

I’m always looking for scenes that spice up my winter bird photography. You have to if you are a photographer living through Michigan’s long, cold and gray winters. One solution is to include a short vacation to warm locales where the sun is always shining and the birds are varied and colorful, where I can walk down the street with my camera wearing only a tank top and shorts and everyone is helpful and interested in what you are doing, and….

But I digress. Back to Michigan. It is possible to find outdoor locations with some color, even when the sun is not shining. Last week, during a brutally cold and snowy week, I came upon an apple orchard, with shriveled, frozen, red apples still clinging to the branches. Long expired fruit and berries often provide the sustenance to draw the birds, even during extremely cold weather. Today, the orchard was being swarmed by European starlings.

I watched as hundreds of these starlings descended in tight flocks on the frozen apples. After 10 minutes or so of gorging themselves, they all left at once in a noisy mob.

Photo of European Starling
European Starling, Gorging on a Shrunken, Frozen Apple
ISO 2500; f/7.1; 1/1600 Second

Starlings are Dazzling Birds to Photograph

From a distance, starlings appear black and unimpressive, but they are actually quite dazzling birds, even in their winter plumage. Sporting lots of white spots in the winter, they are approximately 8″ long with short tails and green/purple shiny irridescent feathers. They can be found feeding on pretty much anything available, including fruit, insects, livestock feed, seeds and garbage.

As I watched these starlings through my viewfinder, I saw them successfully decimate the rock hard frozen apples with their sharp beaks. I read later that rather than clamping down with their jaw muscles, they puncture their food with their sharp, closed bills and then spring open their jaw muscles to break the food apart.

Photograph of European Starling
European Starlings, 2 Individuals of the 100 or so That Were Making
Short Work of the Shriveled Apples in the Orchard.
ISO 3200; f/7.1; 1/1600 Second
Photo of European Starling
European Starling with Frozen, Shriveled Apples on the Branch.
ISO 3200; f/7.1, 1/1600 Second

Dark and Dreary Days Mean No Catchlights

I do not carry a flash when I’m out in the field. Consequently, my wild bird photos taken on dark, dreary Michigan winter days, don’t often show catchlights in the birds’ eyes. This is a problem, especially when photographing birds that have black eyes (like European Starlings). When looking at portraits, our eyes are naturally and immediately drawn to the eyes in the photo. Without a tiny pinpoint of light sparkling in the corner of their eyes, starlings look blind, evil, even lifeless.

Adding catchlights in post processing solves this problem. It’s easy to do in Lightroom. This link leads to a very good YouTube video by Lightroom expert Laura Shoe for adding catch lights to eyes using Lightroom.

Photo Of Carolina Wren

Photographing the Carolina Wren

An Uncommon Bird At the Feeder – The Carolina Wren

I’ve spent a lot of time close to home lately, photographing birds at my beautiful, new feeder. After several days, I was rewarded with a glimpse of a rather uncommon feeder bird….. the Carolina Wren.

Carolina Wrens have the most intricate and lovely set of bird vocalizations that I’ve ever heard. (Sadly, there’s not much to sing about in the winter, so you will have to wait until Spring to hear them, or visit this link.)

These wrens are large and hardy, as wrens go, and not particularly shy. They are not easily shoved aside by the bigger birds at the feeder. On the coldest Michigan winter nights, we see them nestling under our front porch.

These photographs show a rather small bird photographed at a rather high ISO, with late fall foliage and then winter white in the background. Since noise takes a toll on clarity, and autumn colors fade with the approach of winter, I decided to punch these photos up a little using a couple tools in my upgraded post processing software, Lightroom 5.

Lightroom’s Non Destructive Post Processing

Shooting in RAW gives the photographer an impressive range of resources to make photo improvements during post processing. First of all, Lightroom 5 post processing software keeps your original raw photo data intact. So while you’re editing, you always have the option of going back to the last change or all the way back to square one. It’s also possible to make virtual copies to save all the different changes and enhancements you made while experimenting with Lightroom 5.

Shooting in RAW digital image format is best because it’s the only format where you have non destructive options during post processing. That means you can experiment without a care. My camera is set to RAW format all the time.

Improving the Clarity and Vibrancy of Your Photographs

I regularly use the “clarity” slider and the “vibrancy” slider in Lightroom 5. The “clarity” slider’s purpose is to enhance and brighten the details. so the image appears clearer. The “vibrancy” slider’s purpose is to bring out the dull colors….not all colors, just the dull colors. The results are subtle, but still impressive. Just remember that more is NOT better when using these two sliders, unless you are going for a surreal look.

Photo of Carolina Wren
Carolina Wren – Stretching to See if Other Birds Are Feeding
ISO 1250; f/7.1; 1/1250 Second

 

Photo of Carolina Wren
Close up of Carolina Wren, Sitting Pretty on a Decorative Feeder
ISO 1600; f/7.1; 1/1250 Second

Why I Like these Photos

In an effort to improve my skills, I’ve been trying to evaluate my photographs more for artistic merit. Here are my observations:

  • Catchlight in the birds’ eyes is appealing and draws the attention of the viewer. I’ve rejected many wild bird photos because of the subject’s lifeless eyes. It’s not a little thing, especially with regard to dark eyed birds. (If you are photographing a bird with shiny red or yellow eyes, catchlights in the eyes are not as critical.)
  • Curved lines make the image look more graceful and help organize and balance it.
  • The texture comes through in the foreground… all in focus. There’s very little texture visible in the background- just melt away color. I think this keeps the attention of the viewer on the areas in focus.
  • After using Lightroom 5 for a while, I’ve discovered that I like the unearthly and dreamlike qualities that I get by pushing the clarity and vibrancy sliders a little farther. I plan to spend more time playing with these tools.

Winter Bird Feeders

The other feeders in my yard may be devoid of charm, but they stand up better to the harsh Michigan winters. The carolina wrens don’t seem to care that I had to take down and store my newest feeder. Below are more photos of the carolina wren, taken during a brutally cold day in January, 2014.

Photograph of Carolina Wren
Carolina Wren Waiting a Turn at the Feeder. ISO 640, f/7.1, 1/1250 second
Photo of Carolina Wren
Carolina Wren Looking Quite Unsatisfied with the
Selection of Seeds and Dried Mealworms at the Platform Feeder.
ISO 320; f7.1; 1250 Second

 

 

 

Photo of Sandhill Crane in Flight

Best Times to Photograph Wild Birds

Wild Bird Migration Patterns and Timelines

Happy New Year Everyone.

This photo of a sandhill crane in flight was taken just before Christmas. Earlier this week, I went back to the site where I took this shot to see if the sandhill cranes were still there. They were not. I then took quick trips to several other locations where the sandhill cranes like to feed. Nothing. So, I’m assuming that the last couple weeks of terrible ice, wind, snow, low temperatures and power outages convinced the SW Michigan sandhill cranes to start their migration south.

Photograph of Sandhill Crane
Sandhill Crane in Flight. A December Exit from the Cold Michigan Winter
ISO 500; f/7.1; 1/3200 second

Different Migratory Schedules for Different Birds

Different species of birds have different migration patterns and timelines that are predictable. My New Year’s resolution this year is to start building a bird journal listing the best times for peak spring migrations for the birds who visit southwest Michigan. No doubt, this journal will have to be revised from year to year, given weather, temperature drops, light, and rates at which the snow melts. My calculations will also have to take into consideration the amount of food /prey available as my selected passerines come through. And, of course, climate change, disease and habitat destruction impact migration numbers too.

Photographing Wild Birds At Peak Times

My goal is to be more productive in photographing birds at times when they are most active (fighting, mating, hunting, chick rearing, protecting, playing) and decked out in their best plumage.

Help From The Birding Community

I’m sure I’ll need help. There are lots of watchful, organized birders out there with loads of experience and serious study under their belts. The DNR and local raptor centers are always eager to help. These experts know when, where and how to look for newly arrived migratory birds. Many of them post their journals, charts and other resources on the web. Here is one example of a site that offers a wealth of migratory data sorted by states.

I look forward to this journaling challenge, and I will share my thoughts and observations when it looks like my journal might be helpful to other birders and photographers.

Wishing everyone fun and productive bird adventures in 2014.