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.

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.

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.

Welcomed New Warblers

A couple of Northern Parula Warblers passed through our yard during fall migration — in mid September and again in early October. These little warblers have a preference for building their homes in Spanish Moss and are not known to nest in SW Michigan. Both Parula visits were quick, and happily, long enough for me to get off a couple shots to confirm ID at Whatbird.com.

Auto Exposure Controls

Birds are constantly on the move, flittering and soaring in and out of the light. Most migrating warblers are around SW Michigan for a very short time, if they come at all. This unpredictability has led me to photograph birds mostly in Manual mode, where I feel I can respond the quickest. I rarely rely on my camera’s P, Tv or Av auto exposure controls.

Aperture Priority

I’ve wondered why so many bird photographers whose work I admire prefer to shoot exclusively in Av mode. In Av, the photographer sets the Aperture and the ISO, (unless Auto ISO is engaged) and the camera automatically sets the fastest shutter speed “allowed” for proper exposure, based on the cameras exposure calculations. (NOTE: The exposure settings the camera chooses appear in the viewfinder.)  

A function that constantly patrols the light and sets exposure instantly is definitely advantageous, especially during those times when you can predict strong light and relatively unperturbed birds.

Functions to Enhance the Utility of Av Mode

User intervention tools are available on modern DSLR cameras that help make auto exposure settings more practical and precise in delivering consistent exposure. If the photographer is uneasy about the uneven light and the constantly changing automated readings while in Av mode, she can always tweak the auto exposure system by:

• Engaging Exposure Compensation (+/-). EC allows you to quickly adjust exposure by darkening or brightening the image. In Av mode, the camera will then respond by re-adjusting the shutter speed (or perhaps cranking up the ISO if Auto ISO is engaged) to get the shutter speed up to an acceptable level. (NOTE: See this link to learn more about EC. Remember, EC is NOT active in Manual mode).
• Pressing the “AE Lock-Hold” to temporarily put a hold on the Av. The camera’s AE Lock-Hold button tells the camera to retain whatever light readings auto exposure took immediately before pressing the AE lock and hold them until you press that button again. This is especially useful if you want to recompose a shot and not worry about the Av mode changing exposure because it is reading different light values when you recompose. AE Lock-Hold is only available in P, Tv or Av modes.
• Setting the Metering Mode. The camera’s auto exposure readings will be based, in part, on the metering mode you have set- Evaluative, Partial, Spot, or Center Weighted. Selecting an appropriate metering mode for the scene will go along way in helping auto exposure to correctly set exposure.

Concerns About Using Av Mode

• After using EC, I have to remember to set EC back to “0” so Av doesn’t keep compensating exposure 2 or 3 or 4 stops during my next set of shots.

• If I’m making exposure adjustments to auto exposure by using EC and AE Lock Hold, the convenience of Av mode is somewhat diminished. Setting Manual exposure on-the-fly is as convenient for me as fiddling with the various tools to over ride initial Av auto exposure readings.

• I have learned over the years that that my long lenses have very shallow depths of field…. to the point where I feel the need to close down the aperture on my 500 mm lens to f/8 or more. In low light, that tight aperture setting would give the camera’s auto exposure mechanism only a few options –options that may include setting a shutter speed that is just too slow for bird activity. If the shutter speed gets slow enough, even built-in image stabilization and a steady tripod would not prevent blurred images.

Whatever it Takes to Nail Exposure

Of course, whenever a challenge is posed when photographing birds, it doesn’t matter what exposure mode you’re in…. you’ve got to think fast to nail exposure. Clearly, some excellent nature photographers feel they have an edge when using the camera’s Av mode. That’s all that matters.

Press this link to read more about Manual Mode.

The male Wilson’s Warbler is no doubt one of the easiest warblers to ID. It’s hard to miss that black swash atop the forehead of this little wood warbler, made all the more stunning against his coal black eyes and bright yellow face. We don’t see them in SW Michigan except during migration cycles. One or two show up in our yard each year, usually traveling in mixed flocks of other small transients.

Camera Settings for Image Size and Quality

I photographed this male Wilson’s Warbler in RAW, full blast-(22M-resolution and 5760×3840- width and height pixel dimensions).  When I first started in bird photography, it was not uncommon for me to lower the image size/quality settings on my camera for “people” shoots, and then forget to switch it back when I went out to photograph birds. One time, after a particularly bountiful bird shoot, I discovered that my camera was set on the Canon “S3 JPEG” setting – which means 0.3M resolution with 720×480 width and height pixel dimensions.  It took me a while to figure out why detail was sparce and why I could not zoom-in closer to some far off birds in post processing. That day I went from proud and hopeful exhilaration to crushing defeat.

Image Quality Set to the Max

It’s impossible to predict how close the birds will come to the camera, and since most of them are tiny, it’s best to be as prepared as possible for distance shots. One of those preps involves setting the image size and quality to the maximum. (22.3MP raw image on my 5D Mark III and 20.2 MP on my 7D Mark II.) I like having that edge to zoom-in when needed and still maintain some quality. This setting does add a lot of time to my post processing workflow and backup routines because the file sizes are so large. I’m willing to put up with all the extra file management, just in case I need it.

Shooting Double Images With One Click

If you don’t worry about storage space limitations and management hassles, most advanced DSLR cameras allow you to shoot double images with one press of the shutter.  The RAW + JPEG setting allows the photographer to take one RAW format image (in an assortment of sizes) and one JPEG format image, also in an assortment of sizes. The size setting for the JPEG images will control both the resolution (as displayed in the pixel dimensions–720×480) and the compression quality. On the Canon DSLR camera menus, higher quality JPEG images are noted by the smooth quarter circle – medium quality is indicated by a quarter circle with “stair steps”. The JPEG compression algorithm will discard more data when you choose medium quality…. and produce a smaller file.

Two-Slot Separate Storage

For those DSLR cameras that are equipped with two-slot storage (one CF slot and one SD slot), the photographer can specify the card on which to save JPEG files and the card on which to save RAW files. This is very handy for those times when you wish to share the JPEG copies more immediately, and still retain the RAW copies for later post processing. The dual storage solution is convenient when traveling, especially when the computers available to you for image review can not read RAW format without widgets and downloads.

NOTE:  Whenever you engage both disk storage options, the camera’s disk recording and saving slows down considerably, especially during bursting.

Comfortable with Shooting RAW Only

When I’m close to home, I almost never set the camera to shoot double images. Too much time and effort are needed to manage (sift through, sort, delete, backup) one copy of my photos in post processing, let alone two. When I need a JPEG, it’s a simple process to generate a JPEG file from the RAW file and then export it. 

To read more about Bursting, visit this blog posting.

Overpowering Background Light

I photographed this Black Throated Green Warbler in late afternoon on a bright day when the bird was perched high in the Serviceberry tree. My lens was pointing up, and I could see the bright patchy sky in the background was confusing the sensor. (See photo below.) The highlight alerts confirmed that these backlights were overexposing the images, rendering certain areas with little or no detail. These colorful warblers don’t come around that often, so I had to quickly adjust exposure to let in less light— but not to the point where the bird registered as too dark. I also had time to switch the metering mode from Evaluative to Partial Metering, which helped the sensor better read the important areas of the image.

Highlight Alerts

A Highlight Alert is basically a quick check of overly bright areas (overexposure) on the image. If you have turned on this option on your DSLR, you will see blinking alerts on your review screen after you’ve taken the photo. If the alert is not in an obvious or important portion of the image, the patch of overexposure does not matter. Ignore the blink and stick with the initial exposure readings. If the blinkies cover large areas of the photo, it’s probably best to quickly adjust your exposure settings. If there’s time and opportunity, move to a different location and reshoot.

As happens so often in bird photography, you may be in a situation where you have no choice but to move quickly and precisely and consequently, you have no time or opportunity to check highlights and reshoot. After all, ignoring the highlight alerts may not be a problem, assuming you shoot in RAW and make exposure adjustments in post processing.

The Thrill Can Be Distracting

The more time I spend behind the camera, the more adept I am at recognizing when harsh background light will cause a problem with the sensor correctly gauging exposure. Nevertheless, I keep the highlight alerts on my camera turned on because the excitement of photographing a new bird can distract me to the point where I’m not paying attention to conditions that can mess up exposure readings.

The best way to check overall exposure while in the field is by checking and correctly reading the histogram. See this post for more information.