All posts by nmckown

Photographing a Yellow Bellied Sapsucker and Thoughts About Low Light Sensors

October 1, 2015Woodpeckersnmckown

A New Woodpecker Comes to Town

Everybody has heard of this bird. Its name has been used in cartoon comedy for decades. The first time I saw a live Yellow Bellied Sapsucker was last week, clinging with its large, sharp claws onto the crusty trunk of the red bud tree right outside my window. I’m used to seeing lots of woodpeckers, most of which stick around all winter. But photographing this transient, so distinctly wood-peckerish with its shock absorbing thick-head, chisel bill, and oversized clinging 4 toed feet (zygodactyl – two toes forward, two toes back) was a treat.

Photo of Yellow Bellied Sapsucker — Yellow Bellied Sapsucker Woodpecker.
ISO3200; f/4; 1/500 Second.

Drummer of Tree Bark

Yellow-bellied Sap Suckers are long distance migrators whose plumage looks quite different from our resident woodpeckers. Sapsuckers are woodland cavity nesters whose stiff tail feathers act as a prop as they hop up and down on tree trunks and drum on the bark. Like most large and mucivorous woodpeckers, they excavate the tree bark for sweet sap. Once these neatly arranged shallow holes are drilled, they feed and re-feed at their dripping “sap wells”, using their brush-like tongues to suck up the sap. A good part of their daily routine involves maintaining and protecting their oozing sap wells from other sap loving marauders.

Insufficient Contrast and Light

My ISO readings soared as I photographed this Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker clinging to the shedding red bud tree trunk. Despite my exposure settings, (low shutter speed and wide open aperture, mostly), conditions were just too dark to get a decent ISO.

Even sophisticated autofocus systems can only do so much when insufficient contrast and light are available. In addition, too much noise (caused by high ISO) disrupts the edges of an image, making them lose clarity and detail. The noise reduction software in Lightroom helps, but the more you try to reduce the noise in post processing, the more sharpness suffers.

The Canon 5D Mark III DSLR camera has a well balanced 22.3MP sensor, but the lack of sharpness on these images is readily noticeable. The only real noise reduction advantage I had during this shoot was that I photographed this woodpecker at fairly close range, thus reducing the need to zoom in and crop.

The Sensors of Tomorrow

Since I photograph birds in low light conditions so often, I take notice of the research about new DSLR sensors under development. A new and improved 120MP sensor working prototype was introduced at the 2015 Canon Expo. Good thing hard drive space is cheap because each exported raw image gobbles up 210MB. This incredible resolution means that you can keep zooming and cropping in post processing (on a video monitor with enhanced resolution) and still see only fine detail, not pixels.

At this point in development, the 128MP sensor demands the brightest of light to achieve sharp resolution. The DSLR camera that housed this new sensor was fixed at ISO100. Too bad.

See this post about the advantages and limitations of the 50MP sensor Canon introduced this year on the Canon 5DS.

Addendum: To my surprise, the Yellow Bellied Sapsucker came back the next day. The light was better, so the ISO was considerably reduced. (See photo below.)

Yellowed Belled Sapsucker — Yellow Bellied Sapsucker, in Better Light.
ISO1600; f/4.5; 1/500 Second

Photographing the Red Eyed Vireo and Auto ISO

September 24, 2015Vireosnmckown

They Come, They Go

The Baltimore Orioles are gone. So are the Hummers, Red-winged Blackbirds, Robins and House Finches. I was so absorbed by the new and fun species coming through that I didn’t notice my summer avian neighbors departing.

Photo of Red Eyed Vireo — Red Eyed Vireo, Resting Long
Enough for Me to Make Exposure
Adjustments.
ISO1600; f/4.5; 1/500 Second

Photographing the Red Eyed Vireo

In the Spring and Fall, quite a few Vireos pass through on their migration path. At first I thought that this rather dull, olive colored Red Eyed Vireo was some kind of warbler, but upon closer inspection of his heavier beak, I knew he wasn’t. His most prominent features are the double white and black eyebrows, the lower black lines intersecting his eyes, and those ruby red irises. His foraging behavior is a little different too. It’s a more relaxed photo shoot because there is hardly any of the warbler-ish chaotic movement in and out of the foliage.

Auto ISO

If Web resources can be believed, lots of bird photographers consistently use the Auto ISO settings built into their modern DSLR cameras. Auto ISO lets the camera’s computer automatically calculate (on the fly) the best ISO, given certain maximum and minimum parameters and the other exposure settings. It’s a valuable timesaver because the photographer can let the camera automatically respond to rapidly changing light levels.

For instance, if I’m shooting in “M” – Manual, with Auto ISO engaged, the camera’s computer is making one (ISO) exposure decision for me. (NOTE: It’s not really “Manual”, then, is it– see this post). If I’m shooting in Aperture Preferred or Shutter Preferred, with Auto ISO engaged, the camera is making two exposure decisions for me.

The minimum and maximum ISO ranges that you can tolerate should be based on personal preferences and the noise reduction technology built into your camera’s sensor.

Spot Metering and Auto ISO

Auto ISO is my go to ISO setting when using Manual mode -even if lighting conditions are stable.

I had been using spot metering (along with Auto ISO) in my heavily shaded yard. Spot metering drastically reduces the size of the frame on which the camera calculates exposure. I thought this was a good exposure strategy because birds are tiny and like to hide in the shadows. However, metering these shadows with spot metering usually delivered a very dark exposure reading, causing the Auto ISO to skyrocket to unacceptable levels.

One strategy to keep AUTO ISO from rising too high is to set the camera to Evaluative Metering. The entire frame will then be used to read the light levels (including possible brighter areas away from where the bird is perched). Exposure may then brightened and cause the ISO reading (and consequent noise level on the image) to be reduced. (NOTE: Overall exposure adjustments can then be made in post processing.)

Read this post to learn more about how Evaluative Metering works.

Photographing a Bay Breasted Warbler and Playing with Exposure

September 17, 2015Warblersnmckown

Tracking Warbler-ish Activity with the Camera

I can now quickly recognize warbler-like activity; the in and out pecking and skittering movement of something tiny and yellowish, ever so slightly dipping the branches of trees, ferns and bushes. I have to admit that I can recognize and name only a few warblers on sight. To my eye, the differences between most warbler species are subtle, especially when they are not in full Spring plumage.

I enjoy the luxury of experts, time, and my trusty camera and long telephoto lens. Warblers come and go so fast during migration, that I’ve come to rely on my camera to capture and preserve the “warblish” details that the experts find so revealing and I find so elusive.

Photo of Bay Breasted Warbler — Bay Breasted Warbler, Checking Out the
Long lens
Pointing at Him.
ISO1600; f/4; 1/400 Second

Photographing the Bay Breasted Warbler

I was able to ID this female (or juvenile) Bay Breasted Warbler only after uploading a photo and consulting with the birding experts at WhatBird.com. The male Bay Breasted is unmistakable in the Spring with his black mask, dark gray streaking, and bright chestnut chin, head, breast and flanks. The males lose much of that colorful distinction and blend in appearance with other warblers sporting two white bars on the wings. The birders say that the black legs set Bay Breasted Warblers apart from the Blackpoll Warbler.

Playing with Exposure

As you can see by the ISO readings on the photos above, I continue to photograph migrating warblers in my heavily shaded yard when the rains and hunger drive them down to the trees. Lately, I’ve been lucky because the birds have been perching on the serviceberries, low lying ferns, grasses and other less dense foliage outside my window. Even though the light is still dim on this greenery, the ISO gets a boost because those areas are more evenly lit.

Limit the Cap on Auto-ISO

I shoot in RAW almost exclusively, with the camera set to “M”, the manual setting. I set the shutter as low as I dare and open the aperture to get as much light as possible. The ISO is almost always set to “Auto”, and the ISO auto range is capped at 6400. (NOTE: If the ISO is capped at 6400, and the light is still inadequate for proper exposure with the manually set aperture and shutter speed, the shutter will still fire, and deliver an underexposed image.) Despite the very good full-size sensor in the Canon 5D Mark III, the noise is objectionably high on ISO settings above 6400, no matter how close I am to my subject. On dreary days, I miss a lot of shots with this ISO cap. Sadly, exposure choices are limited with low (natural) light photography.

Raw Format

RAW format takes more time, more patience and so much more hard drive space, but I find it worthwhile for bird photography. When the camera is set to RAW, images are not processed in the camera. Once you import them into the post processing software, you see exactly what the sensor captured.

It’s not hard to screw up exposure settings when a fabulous bird appears unexpectedly in front of the camera. Despite all my time in the field, excitement can still cause me to I forget to change some setting on the camera. With the camera set to RAW, little screw-ups like that rarely matter.

Histogram Magic

When I first import RAW images into Lightroom, they always look a little dark… a little dull. So, how do you know (technically) how much exposure to add in post processing? Check the histogram.

For Evenly Lit Images

Sure, you can eyeball it…but eyeballing hundreds of images can make your exposure dial trigger finger a little goofy. The histogram gives you a mechanically superior exposure. It’s simply an information graph mapping dark to light. Ideally, and assuming you have an evenly lit scene, you will see a bell curve. The best way to adjust correct exposure in post processing is to add exposure until the bell curve on the histogram peaks at the center of the chart.

Creative Choices

Having a technically well exposed image is not necessarily the goal in post processing. Go with your heart…. you may find that the image is more pleasing overall when you intentionally under or over expose your images.

One of these days, I will take the time to experiment more in post processing. I usually go with the natural look, but I do find appeal in skewing the light, the grain, the focus. It starts out by playing with the other color and filter presets that come with Lightroom.

To read more about RAW format, visit this link.

To read more about the Histogram, visit this link.

Photographing A Black and White Warbler Bathing

September 10, 2015Warblersnmckown

Low Light Bird Photography

Sometimes a bird photographer has no choice but to make the most of shooting in low light, rainy conditions. If you’re lucky, soft backlit raindrops can tickle the leaves just enough to make them shimmer and glow appealingly and cast dreamy light onto your subject. Sadly, this day had no such light.

Haze and moderately heavy rain dominated the scene when I noticed this Black and White Warbler perched in the Serviceberry tree right next to my library window. (So happy to have a roof over my head.) My camera was set up and ready to go, just a little further back than usual to avoid the splash of the water cascading off the roof.

Photo of Black and White Warbler — Black and White Warbler,
Bathing and Drinking in the Rain.
ISO4000; f/4; 1/400 Second

Photographing Bathing Warblers

The Serviceberry offered this little warbler some protection from the rain, but its small leaves were not as densely packed as some of the more protective evergreens and redbuds near the library. The heavily packed leaves would have blocked more light – taking the already soaring ISO levels unacceptably higher. NOTE: In these photos, the falling raindrops are barely visible because of the slower shutter speed and lack of backlighting.

By the looks of this Black and White Warbler, he found the perfect breezy perch on which to bathe his boldly striped black and white feathers. He seemed invigorated, even joyful, despite the lack of privacy in his outdoor shower. While splaying his wing feathers and allowing the warm rain to soak the skin, he often opened his mouth for a drink.

I often see birds preening, but not bathing. A good soaking no doubt washes away the dirt and other particles that can’t be cleaned with the bird’s beak. The transients that visit our yard appear to enjoy a short drenching rain over the bird bath. This little one looks like he is singing in the rain, though there were no vocalizations.

September’s Fall Bird Migration Traffic

Migration traffic in our yard has been slow (compared with last year). Looking back on my Fall, 2014 Flickr album, (Fall 2014 Flickr) a lot of the vireos, kinglets, thrushes and warblers arrived last year in late August. It’s still early though, and I’m hopeful that some newbies (birds I haven’t photographed before) will stop to rest and replenish in our yard. According to the migrating maps and charts put out by e-Bird, September is a big month. Almost every species of migrating birds are on the move–globally.

I haven’t seen this little Black and White Warbler since I photographed him. No doubt he’s on the wing again, continuing on his long and perilous journey south. Most of the avian transients are fair weather, nighttime flyers. My photos from last Fall confirm that when winds and rains come, the migrating birds descend, and I’m more likely to see and photograph some new visitors. I welcome the opportunity, and will photograph them in any usable light, despite high ISOs.

To read about the migrating birds who visited our yard last Fall, press this link and this link.

Photographing a Juvenile Orchard Oriole

September 3, 2015Oriolesnmckown

Finally….an Orchard Oriole

I’ve been looking for an Orchard Oriole to photograph for over 2 years. The beautiful Baltimore Orioles are quite a common sight in southwest Michigan. They are bold and gregarious, especially near a feeder filled with grape jelly. But the Orchard Orioles are less numerous, and more cautious.

Photo of Immature Orchard Oriole — Immature Orchard Oriole, hiding in the bush.
ISO1000; f/7.1; 1/1000 Second

Auditory ID

Last Spring, one of my birding friends told me that he had heard the Orchard Oriole’s song near an old apple orchard in a corner of the Allegan Forest. This man is a birdsong auditory bloodhound, so I made it a point to spend some time in this space. I saw and heard lots of other insectivorous bird species nesting there- Eastern Meadowlarks, White Crowned Sparrows, Barn Swallows, Eastern Bluebirds, Robins, Chickadees, Bobolinks, and many many more, but no Orchard Orioles.

Finally, this juvenile Orchard Oriole made an appearance, flying back and forth, low and wobbly between a couple of evergreens. Once perched, he tucked himself within the branches, looked around and called anxiously for the adults. I changed the focus setting on my camera to single point spot auto focus, pointed my lens toward the branch on which the bird perched and tried to maneuver that spot in the viewfinder (a tiny square box on Canon cameras) on the bird’s head.

Advantages of Spot Focusing

When there is lots of foreground and/or background clutter, similar to the evergreen branches in the photo above, the telephoto lens will search forwards and back, trying to lock focus. Spot focusing is designed for those times when the camera’s auto focus point needs to be tiny and precisely placed on the spot that you want focused correctly.

When you first engage spot focus, the “spot” is located in the very center of the viewfinder. The best part about spot focusing is the ability to continually move that focus point around in the frame. Most advanced cameras have a four-way selector dial (in the back of the camera) with which to move the spot autofocus point exactly where you want it.

Positioning this focus point does take time, so spot focus works best when the subject is not on the move.

To read more about the difference between spot focus and spot metering, visit this post.

To read more about auditory bird ID, visit this post.

Photographing an Oven Bird Warbler in the Brambly Wood

August 27, 2015Thrushes, Warblersnmckown

Photographing an Oven Bird

Deep within the dense brambly Allegan forest, I found an enclave of warbler species that could scarcely be seen dodging in and out of the foliage. In this rich space, I saw flashes of blue winged warblers, yellow rumped warblers, yellow warblers and chestnut-sided warblers identifiable (just barely) through my dark, noisy and blurry photos.

Photo of Oven Bird Warbler — Oven Bird Warbler, Finally Showing Himself (mostly).
ISO1600; f/8; 1/1250 Second

ID Photos

As it is with most of my surprise bird encounters, my 500 mm lens with 1.4 extender was resting on the car door. The tall grasses in front of the dense brush were a hindrance to locking down focus. I took as many shots as the lens would allow, mainly trying to get a closer, identifiable look at what was hiding in there.

Thankfully, one brave warbler was curious enough to come out into the open long enough for me to get off a burst. The Oven Bird Warbler.

A Ground Foraging Warbler

A stocky warbler with dark streaking spots on its breast, the Oven Bird looks and acts more like the larger Swainson’s Thrush. Its wing and back feathers are a dull brown-olive color. A reddish brown crown bordered by two stripes sits on his head.

This warbler gets its name from the domed shaped (oven-like) nest it builds amongst the decaying leaves, moss, and grasses near roots and fallen trees. Like all warblers, (and some bird photographers) the Oven Bird abandons Michigan for warmer winter climates.

Achieving Focus Lock

A major challenge on this shoot was locking down focus. I had the focus limiter switch on my Canon 500mm 4.0L II IS USM telephoto lens set for the longest available focusing distance. Consequently, the lens took way too much time hunting back and forth from “4.5 m to infinity”. I quickly changed the switch on the lens barrel to the “10m to infinity” setting. The hunt time was reduced substantially because the lens no longer tried to focus on the tall grasses closest to the camera.

Revisit this Enclave with Video

As much as I love photographing warblers, it’s hard to get photos with beautiful creamy backgrounds because of all that brambly wilderness in the spaces they call home. Since the warblers are mostly uncooperative about posing on perches in prime locations, I’ve considered mixing things up next time by turning on the little used video component on my fancy cameras.

Turning on the video component on both of my cameras (Canon 5D MarkIII and Canon 7D Mark II) is easily done with a flip of the switch. But sadly, a camera resting on the window of the car door is not a steady enough mount to engage video. Shaky videos just make me nauseous. To do it right means waiting for a windless day and setting up the camera and lens on my most sturdy tripod. Shutting off the audio component is a must because 1) the little mic on the camera is substandard, making audio an irritating distraction and 2) the bird will likely not vocalize much this time of year.

So, my mission in the next few weeks is to research how best to video birds and then make a good video of the the migrating warblers who stop to rest and replenish in our yard.

I’ve got a lot of research to do.

Read this post to learn more about locking down focus.

Read this post about photographing the Swainson’s Thrush.

Photographing Blue Winged Warblers

August 20, 2015Warblersnmckown

Searching for Blue Winged Warblers

Photo of Blue Winged Warbler — Blue Winged Warbler, After
Preening. Looking
Shiny, Foofy, and New.
ISO1000; f/8; 1/1000 Second

Both the male and female Blue Winged Warblers are tiny, brightly colored balls of energy, tempered only by their quiet and bashful natures. Since the summer began, I have made a point to drive to a mostly deserted country road in the Allegan Forest next to a cluster of dense, brambly foliage at the forest edge. There, I watch and wait for a nesting pair of Blue Winged Warblers to appear. I know they’re in there because I have photographed many a blurry snapshot of their distinctive eyes as they stare at me from the thick brush. Those eye markings are hard to mistake. Looks like someone took a dark eyeliner and drew a heavy black line from the outside corner of one brown eye, past the pointy beak and through the other brown eye. Quite a striking attribute when drawn atop a bright yellow face.

How Long Should A Photographer Wait?

I pull off the road at the opening of a small 3′ x 3′ passage into the brush. There within, I can see a little secluded space, amply lit by the morning sun, where the warblers just might leave the comfort of their nesting area to perch on dead and peeling branches. (It would be so exciting if there are Blue Winged fledglings about.) My eyes are weary from raking the foliage, looking for the ever-so-slight warbler movement (like softly falling raindrops) on the interior branches. I wait….. how long should a photographer wait? It’s 7:30 a.m. and I make a pact to leave by 8:00am- if I don’t see any action.

It’s past 8:00 am and I’m still waiting; still hoping. The light continues to softly illuminate the perch on which the lens in trained. I think I see second hand movement- reverburation from the forest floor. Blue Winged Warblers commonly build nests on or near the ground, but so do many other forest dwellers. It’s impossible to know because I can not see through the low lying brush. My lens is resting on the storage bin that I keep in the passenger’s front seat. No need to worry about twisting and contouring my body to maneuver the lens..my only focusing option is to follow the light through this small and under-grown portal.

I see a flash of yellow. The male Blue Winged Warbler is bustling about, within partial view. Tentative and watchful, he knows I’m there and looks me over with those eye-lined eyes. Somehow, I pass inspection because he hops onto the peeling branch right in front of the lens and begins preening. He’s so tiny, and a good 20 feet away. I will have to do some cropping- but other than that I’ve got a perfect shot.

Photo of Blue Winged Warbler, Preening — Blue Winged Warbler,
Taking Pains to Groom His Feathers.
ISO1600; f/8; 1/1000 Second

Healthy Feather Grooming

Birds groom themselves multiple times a day. Good feather maintenance is essential to survival. The preen gland (uropygial gland- located at the base of the tail feathers) supplies the secretions needed to keep their feathers in optimal flying condition. Birds rub their bills and heads with these secretions and then methodically slather this mixture all over their feathers and feet, picking out unwanted dust, dirt and parasites with their beaks. (No doubt somewhere in the parasitic mix, are beneficial organisms essential to healthy feather grooming.)

Before flying off, this Blue Winged Warbler takes a few minutes to show off his freshly groomed plumage. His feathers look like they were professionally washed, blow-dried and styled. And then he is gone.

Warbler Waiting

More times than not, I find myself waiting for birds long past the time I pre-set in my mind to move on, and coming back home with nothing. For warbler waiting, all it takes to keep me on task at one location is a slight foraging movement. It’s not an efficient use of my time, but my self imposed deadlines fly by and I enjoy the sights and sounds that come with a glorious day in the woods. This time, I have beautiful Blue Winged Warbler photos to show for my patience.

To read more about photographing preening birds, please visit this post.

Photographing Birds That Have Flown the Nest – Part II

August 13, 2015Dickcissel, Warblersnmckown

A Most Dangerous Time for Birds

The birds in our Certified Wildlife Habitat® are mostly “Temperate Altricial Birds”. They are helpless, naked, and dependent after hatching…..not unlike human newborns. When these fledglings finally do leave the nest, they stay hidden in the brush as best they can, peck at an insect once in a while, remain motionless when threatened, and depend on the parent to stuff food in their faces. Soon enough, the parents have to stop feeding them in order to direct resources to the new nestlings or to migration readiness. The fledglings must then survive on their own.

Photo of Young Yellow Warbler — Fledging Yellow Warbler,
looking very new.
ISO800; f/8; 1/1000 Second

NOTE: Altricial means requiring nourishment. Altricial birds are very different than “precocial” baby chicks; those who hatch from their protein rich eggs in a more developed fledgling state. Precocial baby chicks are mobile almost immediately, feed on their own and are not waited on in the nest. Quite a different set of responsibilities for the parents.

Photo of Fledging Dickcissel — Fledging Dickcissel, looking rather
vulnerable and watching for a parent.
This Little Bird is Perched Out in the Open,
Making Him an Easy Target for Predators.
ISO1250; f/11; 1/1000 Second

Photo of Parent and Young Yellow Warbling — Yellow Warblers, Parent and
Fledging. Sometimes the Only Way to ID a Young Fledging
is to get lucky and photograph it with a parent.
ISO1600; f/8; 1/1000 second

Achieving Self Sufficiency

Fledglings face what is probably the most dangerous part of their lives. They are too big to remain inconspicuous in the nest. Their survival depends on the number of predators nearby, the weather, rate of growth and overall strength, and how competent they are at learning to forage for food and hide from danger.

It’s fascinating to watch and photograph these young birds as they beg for food and work to strengthen their flight feathers. Some of these photos show chicks that look extremely vulnerable, while others show fledglings that are clearly on their way to self sufficiency.

Young birds have to mature fast. Migration is just around the corner.

Photo of Common Yellowthroat — Juvenile Common Yellowthroat
Warbler.
ISO1000; f/8; 1/1250 Second

Photo of Fledging Female American Redstart Warbler — Fledging Female American Redstart.
ISO2500; f/8; 1/1250 Second

Young Birds are So Cute and Fluffy, But…..

For the birds’ safety, it’s prudent to keep your distance when photographing young birds. I do not search out or photograph birds still in the nest. When photographing birds that have flown the nest, I generally use my longest lens and stay hidden in my car or behind a blind. Young birds are rarely alone, and I don’t want to frighten them or their caretakers away.

As you can see from the photos, I found most of these fledglings hidden within dense foliage. I stayed in my car, rested the camera on the door window and maneuvered my long lens as best I could to get past the greenery and lock focus on the birds.

The Experts at Whatbird.com

It may be easy (and amusing) to recognize that a bird is young by its looks and behavior, but it is often difficult for me to identify the species of a young fledgling, especially if it’s a warbler. Young birds can look very different than the adults of the species. It helps if I look around to see if I can spot a caregiver and protector- and then photograph and ID that bird. I upload the photos to WhatBird.com for definitive ID before posting.

An excellent article on Fledging survival can be found at this link.

Photographing Birds That Have Flown the Nest – Part 1

August 6, 2015Cardinals, Orioles, Woodpeckersnmckown

So Many Fledglings To Photograph

It all progresses pretty fast in the bird world (and ours) … mating, nesting, (2 or 3 times) – and then migration comes around again.

This time of year, the parents are looking haggard and spent…. but they keep at it, even feeding the fledglings who are as big as they are. (Is it possible that these birds are doing double duty….. feeding the begging fledgings while at the same time gathering food for the nestlings?)

Photo of Fledging Red Bellied Woodpecker — Fledging Red Bellied Woodpecker
Nestled near a Tree Trunk, Looking for a Parent.
ISO4000; f/5.6; 1/400 Second

Photo of Immature Cardinal — Immature Cardinal- Black Beak Instead of Red.
ISO1600; f/4; 1/640 Second

Flown the Nest

A fledgling is a young bird who has grown enough to acquire its initial flight feathers and has flown out of the nest. They look babyish and are unsure in flight. Inexperience and immature feathers make them especially awkward when taking off and landing.

There are lots of fledglings of many different species to photograph in our yard. Young birds fledge as soon as 7-11 days after hatching. These curious young birds have not yet learned to feed themselves. They look so new, so vulnerable as they ignore the camera (and potential predators) and follow their parents around begging for food. It takes them a couple weeks before they can fly confidently and acquire food without parental help.

Photo of Two Fledging Baltimore Orioles — A line of Two Fledgling Baltimore Orioles,
Waiting to be Fed by Male Parent.
ISO1600; f/4; 1/640 Second

Photo of Male Cardinal Feeding Fledging — Male Cardinal Feeding his Fledging.
ISO2000; f/4; 1/640 Second

The light is not optimal in my heavily shaded yard, but I will continue photographing the newbies as they struggle to become independent.

Until next week…….

Photographing Indigo Buntings and Pre-Visualizing Images

July 30, 2015Buntingsnmckown

Pre-Visualizing the Perfect Photo

Often when I’m out in the field with my camera, I see the perfect shot…..a scene with shimmering light, balanced and beautiful. The only thing missing is the bird.

My imagination starts rolling over a wide variety of picture perfect scenarios, I swap out different ideas. Creativity is sparked. Time flies. Visions are embossed in the back of my mind, and I move on, always hoping, always measuring those visions against the images I actually shoot.

Am I day dreaming, or is this a mental exercise heavily mixed with hope and inspiration? (No doubt some of these visions are just improbable scenarios.)

And Then It Happens

I pass by a graceful field of flowers, a golden sunrise low in the sky, mist droplets shimmering on the leaves. A male Indigo Bunting in glorious plumage swoops in, perches low within the flowers, but still in full view. I fire off a burst, and then he’s gone.

One of those shots was perfectly lovely. For once I had an image that matched my vision.

Photo of Indigo Bunting — A Peaceful Setting for this Singing
Indigo Bunting.
ISO800; f/8; 1/1000 Second

Acting Out Your Dream

Start pre-visualizing your ideal photo. (NOTE: This is not the same as arriving on site with an open mind.) When your dream bird suddenly arrives in the perfect place at the perfect time to act out your vision, be ready with all your best equipment and a steady hand.

You will know when you’ve got it. Doesn’t matter if anyone else likes it or even knows. In the meantime, stay open to all the dreamy possibilities your mind may have to offer.

To read more about Indigo Buntings, visit this post.