Monthly Archives: December 2015

Photographing an Orange Crowned Warbler and Trusting Your Camera’s Sensor

Photographing an Orange Crowned Warbler

Orange Crowned Warblers are rather scarce during bird migration through SW Michigan, so I was very pleased when Whatbird.com confirmed that this bird was indeed an Orange Crowned Warbler. For ID, I check the head and face for the broken eye ring and eye line markings and look hard at my photos for the inconspicuous orange patch of feathers on the crown. I often confuse them with the more numerous Tennessee Warblers.

Exposing Correctly

The photos of the Orange Crowned Warbler included with this post were exposed correctly in the camera. In the first photo (see below) I used ISO 2500, but I would have gone higher if it meant getting the shot.

Photo of Orange Crowned Warbler
Orange Crowned Warbler
Quite a lot of Feathery Detail
Despite the High ISO Setting.
ISO2500; f/5; 1/500 Second

Protective Underexposure

There are a few tricks and trade offs which allow photographers to keep the ISO low. One popular one is to purposely underexpose and then artificially correct the exposure during raw post processing. This practice is referred to as “protective underexposure”.  It’s an effort to “protect” the image from noise damage due to high ISO settings.

I’ve spent many long hours trying to diminish the effects of noise in post processing and I have learned that this strategy most often backfires. In fact, protective underexposure can produce images that contain more distracting noise, despite the lower ISO setting and image torturing you inflict in post processing.

Photo of Orange Crowned Warbler
Orange Crowned Warbler
ISO1000; f/5; 1/400 Second

No Substitute for Proper Exposure

When photographers intentionally underexpose during a shoot, they are letting in less light than the conditions call for. The sensor records less data causing color and tone quality to be compromised. Underexposed color looks black. The more they underexpose, the worse it gets.

When they try to fix the underexposure in post processing by lifting brightness into unlit areas, more noise is introduced resulting in less detail. The color and tone data just isn’t there to recover, especially in the dark and shadowy areas.  

It’s hard to overestimate the importance of light in photography. Exposing your images properly introduces enough light to allow your camera’s sensor to record the maximum amount of data.

Trust the Sensor

Sometimes correct exposure means taking the ISO high. I trust the engineering that went into the circuitry in and around the sensor of my DSLR camera and try not to handicap it by underexposing. 

If the scene is wildly chaotic in terms of light, I figure out what’s important in the scene and expose that portion properly. I watch the histogram for guidance. If it’s predominately pushed to the left, I adjust exposure. The bracketing functions built into the camera help insure that I’ll get it right.

More Time Photographing Birds

I live in a SW Michigan where lake effect cloud cover blocks much of the sun year round. (29% sunshine rate…the percent of non-cloudy sunshine hours during the winter months.- See this link.)  The sensor in my camera has proven that it can handle relatively high ISO levels.

Most of my efforts in post processing are spent on noise reduction. I’ve learned over the years that the best way to keep down the noise is to make sure exposure is set correctly in the first place. 

See this post to read more about Exposing to the Right – ETTR.

See this post to learn more about noise reduction plugins.

See this post for more information on bracketing.

Photographing An American Tree Sparrow and Savoring the Moment

Familiar Species to Photograph

It’s December and bird activity is dominated by the more common bird species who reside in SW Michigan. Since these birds are familiar to me, I feel less rushed and anxious about photographing them. My approach to bird photography changes.

Photo of American Tree Sparrow
American Tree Sparrow, Blending Into the Branches on Which He Feeds
ISO2500; f/8; 1/1000 Second

My Usual Photographic Routine

Usually when I go out in the field with my camera, the anticipation is high. Long before I start scanning the scene for birds, I watch the light and choose my approach based on its direction and potency. If I see a new bird, the excitement is palatable. My first thoughts are to be immediately prepared and get the shot. I’m afraid to jinx the moment by taking time to enjoy what’s in front of my eyes.

Photo of American Tree Sparrow

American Tree Sparrow
ISO1600; f/8; 1/800 Second

Background and Blending

I noticed movement before I actually observed this American Tree Sparrow as he feasted on seeds. He was inconspicuous at first because he enshrouded himself within the bush. In the photograph, the fuzzy, white, gold and brown seed pods that he consumed match his head feathers in color, pattern, shape and texture. Even his lower yellowish beak blends into the seeds. A beautiful sparrow concealed so serenely- but still not lost to view on his perch. He eventually made his way up to the top branch and rested long enough for me to take the second shot.

Take Photography to a Whole New Level

Sadly, I find it easy to block from view the enchanting qualities of the moment and instead focus in on the object of my quest, heedless of the ephemeral qualities that bring shape, color, form to life. Being overly attentive to the technical camera details can cause me to overlook the sublime magic contained within my surroundings.

With the familiar birds, I’m able to relax more and enjoy how beautifully they harmonize with their environment. Then, if I’m lucky and the light is right, I might capture that common place beauty in a way that is compelling and exceptional. 

It takes capturing to a whole new level.

To read more about the ephemeral qualities of photography, click this link.

Happy Holidays and best wishes for 2016!

Thank you for taking the time to read

my bird photography blog.

 

Photographing Pine Siskins and Thoughts About Blinds

Photographing Pine Siskins

Pine Siskins are nomadic songbirds that do not migrate through SW Michigan every year. When they do grace us with a visit in the spring or fall, they come loudly in flocks of 25 or more. Pine Siskins are darkly streaked small finches with flashing yellow wing markings and notched tails. Their beaks are slimmer and more pointy than the gold and house finches that are plentiful in our yard most of the year. Pine Siskins stay only a few days. When they depart, tranquility returns to the feeding area.

Photo of Pine Siskin
Pine Siskin
Beak does not look Finch-like to me.
ISO800; f/5; 1/1600 Second

Getting Closer to Wildlife

I set up my blind in our yard one bright, warm morning in early October. I gathered everything I needed (camera, 500mm lens, tripod, and stool) and then stealthily prepared myself to photograph the Pine Siskins I had seen the previous day. After 10 minutes or so, the Pine Siskins came, as well as several persistent bees who squeezed their way through the crevices and into my blind. I got out, sprayed the blind with insect repellant, re-entered and rearranged myself and my equipment. Despite all this commotion, the Pine Siskins perched at the feeders or in the tree nearest to them. Apparently, there is no need to be sneaky with this species. Bold and tame, the Siskins will come regardless of whether I am hidden inside or out in full view.

Photo of Pine Siskin

Pine Siskin, waiting his turn at the feeder.
ISO800; f/5; 1/640 Second

New Photography Accomodations

My current blind is more like a tent that collapses whenever the center crossbar is disturbed. It’s advertised to “hunters and photographers”, but I think the “photographer” keyword was an afterthought. The blind is wide, but not quite as tall as I am, so I must remain slightly bent over during setup, entry, equipment installation, and exit. I use it only in my yard because it’s heavy and awkward to transport. I’ve spent many uncomfortable hours in it and when bird activity is slow, I ponder acquiring a new cloak.

N-Visabag

First and foremost, my car is my main blind. For those times when I need to be more secretive, a more photographer-centric blind has caught my eye. It’s the Rod Planck’s N-Visibag. No set up is needed. You just climb into this cameo sack with your stool, DSLR camera, and tripod and pull it up around you. It’s made of light, breathable, water repellant 100% polyester. Teardown is a quick and quiet process. According to the manufacturer, this blind is roomy, windproof, covered with concealing camouflage and has a wide screened view port big enough to fit a 600mm lens. 

Sounds so much more convenient than my current blind. Guess I will put these accommodations on my Christmas list.

 

Photographing House Finches and Thoughts About ETTR

Early Morning Finch Photography

It’s December, and since most of the migrating birds are gone, I tend to search for suitable locations that offer the more common birds cavorting in woods that have minimal (and distracting) scrub vegetation and luminous backgrounds. I was lucky enough to find these House Finches feeding in such a place.

Photo of House Finch
Male House Finch
Gorging Himself on Seeds.
ISO800; f/9; 1/1000 Second

The photos of the House Finches included in this post were taken early one bright morning in the Allegan forest. I chose relatively tight apertures and high shutter speeds over low ISOs because the birds were highly active and I was using a 500mm lens known for its very shallow depth of field. I hoped I could get the ISO lower than 400, but was not able to. Overall, I was pleased with the quality of the images.

Exposing To The Right

I’ve been reading a lot about the practice of Exposing To The Right (ETTR).

Wikipedia defines ETTR as: “The technique of increasing the exposure of an image in order to collect the maximum amount of light and thus get the optimum performance out of the digital image sensor.”

You do this by playing with the the shutter and aperture settings so that your histogram shows the image to be overexposed or “to the right”. More light on the camera’s sensor results in less noise in the shadows, richer colors, and greater dynamic range after you dial back the exposure in post processing. This assumes that you are shooting in RAW and don’t overexpose to the point where details are unrecoverable in post processing. It also assumes you are shooting at the camera’s base ISO.

Photo of Male House Finch
Male House Finch
ISO1000; f/8; 1/1000 Second

Going Lower than Base ISO

Base ISO (ISO100) is the recommended optimal performance ISO on Canon cameras -but it’s not the lowest ISO available to photographers. The practice of ETTR takes ISO lower than base in an effort to extract the maximum amount of detail data in the image file. Setting the ISO higher than the camera’s base ISO would be useless because a higher ISO setting would bring in more noise and cancel out the benefits of ETTR. 

Is ETTR Worth the Hassle?

Essential question: Will my bird photography be noticeably better if I set the ISO to base 100, and then lower that base ISO by over-exposing?

It depends. Image quality improvements (and flaws) are mostly invisible unless you VIEW LARGE and/or PRINT LARGE. Ultimately, the practice of exposing to the right is only for those times when you plan to significantly enlarge your images and need that edge in sharpness and clarity.

Real World Bird Photography

Photography is about making choices. I generally choose relatively high shutter speeds and a tight apertures over low ISO settings. In my world, the opportunity to set ISO to base comes very rarely.

For more information on using histograms, please read this post.

Photographing A Brown Thrasher and Utilizing the DOF Button

Photographing Birds Who Linger in the Cold

I photographed this Brown Thrasher near our suet feeders in late November, 2015. He lingers still- mostly hiding out near the edges of the woods. Brown Thrashers are considered to be “short distance, partial migrates”.  In the colder northern states, these birds head south to warmer climates. In the south, Brown Thrashers stay in their nesting grounds year-round.

It’s been fairly warm in SW Michigan so far, with only 6″ or so of snow, but winter will certainly come. It has been my observation that a small percentage of (young and crazy?) birds of almost all migrating species do not migrate. See this post for more information on the perils of migration.

Photo of Brown Thrasher
Brown Thrasher.
ISO 800; f/5; 1/400 Second

Experimenting with Aperture

I took a couple shots of this Brown Thrasher with my 500mm 4.0 L II lens wide open when I first saw him in my yard. He was more interested in the suet cake particles that had dropped to the ground than he was in me, so I decided it was safe to experiment with a tighter aperture.

Optimal Through-the-Lens Light

On modern DSLRs, the camera stops down the lens’ diaphragm (black metal blades inside the lens) to the aperture size specified right when the shutter release is pressed. That means that at all other times, the lens aperture is wide open to the lens’ maximum size, no matter what the aperture is set to. (On my 500 mm lens, 4.0 is the maximum aperture. On my 300mm lens, 2.8 is the maximum aperture.) This is done so that the photographer will have optimal through-the-lens light when composing and focusing.

Previewing Depth of Field

Unfortunately, all this light does little to help gauge depth of field. Consequently, most cameras include a DOF button that will allow the photographer to preview precisely what is in sharp focus and what is not.

Brown Thrasher

Brown Thrasher
ISO1250; f/7.1; 1/640

Experimenting with the DOF Button

When using the DOF button, the more you tighten the aperture, the darker the scene gets in the viewfinder.  I started out by setting the camera’s aperture to f/7.1 – my minimum aperture when the light is strong and unobstructed. Initially, with the DOF button engaged, it was simply too dark for me to see through the viewfinder how much of the scene was in focus. I tried throwing my camouflage sheet over myself and the camera to help my eyes adjust to the darkness. Eventually, after fiddling around with wider apertures, my strained eyes did slowly adapt to the point where I could determine depth of field.

Photo of Brown Thrasher
Brown Thrasher
ISO1250; f/5.6; 1/500 Second

Not for Me

I don’t particularly like using the DOF button. It’s just too time consuming.  Besides, after years of experience in bird photography, I have a good sense of how much depth of field my telephoto lenses will deliver.

Assign DOF Button A Different Function

The DOF preview button is located in a very prominent place at the back of my camera. DOF preview naysayers recommend that photographers assign a different function to the DOF button so that this prime real estate doesn’t go to waste. Canon makes it simple to re-assign buttons to suit your preferences. I’ve changed the DOF button to toggle AI Servo Focus when held down–something I find much more useful.

To read more about Depth of Field, press this link.

To read more about Brown Thrashers, masters of avian acoustics, press this link.