Photographing Nashville Warblers

I have come to expect to see avian newcomers when the bird activity is busiest… perhaps crowds are a marker of safety in numbers. Despite the constantly moving assembly of birds, it’s pretty easy to spot warblers (profile, behavior, color, markings) as they congregate with the non-migrating bird species in our yard.

Every summer, we strategically placed just a few shiny metal yard ornaments to spruce up the gardens. They are slipped in amongst the ferns and bleeding hearts where they can glisten in the sun. I always hope that the birds will use them as perches.

This little Nashville Warbler with his bright daffodil breast came to momentarily rest on one of the bird-like ornaments. He looked it over with ease…(certainly not the wary stink-eye he used to scrutinize me). I got in 2 shots before he departed. The camera lens was aimed downward and set with a fairly tight (f/9) aperture. The telephoto flash balanced nicely with ambient light–making for a pleasant bokeh.

Photography and a Minimalist Lifestyle

As I assembled and set up the equipment for this shoot, I couldn’t help but reflect on the mountain of things that has become a part of what I do. Labor of love or not, this compulsion to buy one more tool in the hopes of acquiring that creative edge seems to never end.

Yea it’s me, taking the time to re-evaluate my buying habits and the attitudes, beliefs, and assumptions buried underneath acquiring all this camera gear. Seems like a good time now that the excesses of the holidays are upon us.

The Equipment Conundrum

Camera companies aggressively market consumer and pro grade equipment to photographers hoping to steer them onto a long and expensive road. I have listened to that seductive song, felt that fleeting rush of buying something new and convinced myself that each and every item I buy will improve my bird photography. I can even talk myself into buying something on an “I might need this later” basis. My only guarantee so far is that I am on track to own a mountain of out-of-date stuff.

(NOTE: It’s important to state up front that great bird photography is not necessarily a consequence of using expensive equipment.)

Less is Better Philosophy

Here are a few questions to consider in light of the less-is-better philosophy:

• What amount of photo equipment does it take for you to be successful as a bird photographer?
• What offers the most chance for growth, joy, a sense of calm and balance, interaction with friends, personal satisfaction, and accomplishment? (NOTE: Try to keep self aggrandizement out of the mix.)
• Is what you buy practical and worth the cost and effort you’ll be putting into hauling, storing and maintaining?
• Can any tool be a permanent solution with camera technology changing so fast?

Renewal Takes Time

Some photographers interpret minimalism not as an exercise to get rid of stuff, but as an intellectual challenge intent on reducing an image to its “essence” to capture its intrinsic nature and thereby create a simple and beautiful two dimensional scene.

I’m more interested in the renewal that comes with ranking and sorting and paring down what you have and what you want. Backing away from what may be obsessive behavior is a good idea, especially if it helps you to be more discriminating about image quality. It won’t happen over night, but it’s worth the investment, if only to avoid a depleted wallet.

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Photographing the Blue Winged Warbler

The last time I photographed a Blue Winged Warbler was in the summer of 2015. I found him preening within his nesting area….a cluster of dense, brambly foliage at the forest edge in the Allegan State Game area. He was a good distance away from the camera, but sedate and cooperative.

This Fall, a Blue Winged Warbler came to our back yard fountain. It was a rather gloomy day, so I had the flash attached. He perched just for a moment on a lichen covered branch in front of a nut brown tree trunk- making for an image with a rather dark cheerless background. Quite a few other year-round birds were clustered on the water feature at the time, so this warbler flew away without a drink.

I stayed next to the camera hoping he would return, but he didn’t – at least not while I was watching. I had my computer next to me because I wanted to investigate a new type of telephoto flash beam-concentrating fresnel attachment recommended by a friend.

Beam Concentrating Fresnels

Ambient light is often not enough – so fill flash is fast becoming an essential tool to photograph birds in my yard.

Beam concentrating fresnels fasten a compact fresnel lens to a traditional flash gun. It is positioned 6″ or so from the light bulb on the flash. The whole shebang is then hoisted on a bracket and secured half way down the lens barrel. The goal: To better illuminate distant subjects by refocusing the broad beam of a flash (that would normally be spread wide and wasted) so the light extends farther with a tighter more spotlighted beam.

The Better Beamer works fine with my 500mm and 300mm telephoto lenses, and provides better long distance light compared with the max zoom setting on my flash. It is mostly trouble free once I take the time to velcro it tightly to the flash head. It even stays put when I rotate the camera from a horizontal to a vertical position.

Better Light Projection For Telephoto Flash

There are, however, frustrating issues that have sent me to the web to look for other solutions. First of all, some of the flash beam is lost because there’s no cover or snoot to wrap around the light to keep it contained while it is being re directed.(How can ETTL measure exposure accurately with all this waste?). The biggest problem is mounting and tear down. Essentially, for $30+ you get a flimsy, awkward piece of equipment that is troublesome to securely fasten to the flash head with velcro. It’s particularly exasperating when a bird is nearby and I’m trying to hurry and get this thing attached to the flash before she flies away.

I started looking for a fresnel device that would change my telephoto flash attaching workflow, one that not only fit tighter to increase the efficiency of the flash blast, but also fasten to the flash gun in a less trembly way.

There are lots of flash altering devices out there… but not many telephoto beam concentrating flash extenders. I found instructions on how to make your own fresnel extender for very little money, but the final product looks much like the Better Beamer with all its wobbly features.

MagBeam

The MagBeam Wildlife Kit was the only fresnel extender that I found that was sturdy and easy to apply. Magnets embedded in the base (wrapped around the flash head) and on the fresnel extender make it effortless to attach. The expandable rubber allows less light leakage. One disadvantage, because it is not flimsy and weighs more than the Better Beamer, the flash head on which it is attached tends to bend a touch downward.

Overall I am pleased because my bird photography setup and teardown routines are much simplified. I wish I had been more investigative and discerning before I bought the Better Beamer.

Photographing the Black Throated Green Warbler

As I look back on the Fall Warbler images taken in previous years (2014, 2015), I see a lot of photos full of high ISO pixel noise. Back then, I had convinced myself that despite the poor image quality ( IQ), I didn’t want to use anything but available light.

NOTE: Eugene Smith’s reaction to the philosophy of using only natural light:
 “Available light is any damn light that is available!”

Balancing the Light

In general, I am pleased with the light provided by the fresnel directed telephoto flash. (NOTE: It is set to automatically manage exposure settings (ETTL) while camera is in manual mode (M). I do fiddle with the FEC to help control the intensity of the light.) The resulting image clarity and color and saturation improvements look much better then the crazy high ISO photos I took in previous years.

At times however, the subject looks too intensely spotlighted and the background is mostly black. This usually happens when the subject is close to the lens, the ambient light is low, and/or the background is just too far away to be affected by the flash.

Ambient and Flash Light Scenarios

—Without flash, ambient light is often evenly spread; it may be dim, but the exposure readings for the front and back of your subject should be similar. (NOTE: When your subject is silhouetted because the background is too bright, it’s easy enough to take the exposure readings from the background, lock the exposure settings, recompose on the subject and shoot. The flash should nicely fill in the subject with a more natural looking soft light.)

—When you add flash without a fresnel directional enhancement attached, your distant subject will most likely not be sufficiently illuminated. A lot of the light blast will spread wide, bounce and scatter depending on what’s in its path and the proximity of your subject.

—When you add uni-directional fresnel telephoto flash lighting intended to spotlight a distant subject, it is more difficult to balance flash and ambient light in the foreground and background. The best you can do is try to control the artificial light’s intensity by modifying the exposure parameters and tweaking the flash exposure compensation (FEC). (NOTE: Other less manageable elements impact exposure parameters; like distance between the lens and your subject and tonality of the subject.)

Exposure Tradeoffs

We all know the low light exposure conundrum. Low ISO settings, tight apertures and fast shutter speeds make the flash work harder to achieve proper exposure and at the same time reduce the impact of ambient light on the scene.

Widening the aperture lets in more light, but sacrifices depth of field (NOTE: On long lenses, depth of field is very tight). As for shutter speed, I am hesitant to try to capture moving birds with anything lower the the flash sync speed  (1/250 second on my DSLR camera).  So that leaves adjusting the ISO.

Raising the ISO to Bring in More Ambient Light

Ultra sharp image quality is directly related to low ISOs, so when I started using the telephoto flash in our heavily shaded yard, I was thrilled to be able to set the ISO at 400 or below.

Lately I’ve been experimenting with raising that ISO when using flash in order to let the ambient light on the scene dominate exposure settings more. This strategy not only helps reduce the impact of the flash blast on the subject, but also creates a better balance of light.

Pushing up the ISO to reduce the intensity of the flash is a very enticing alternative, given the high quality of modern sensors in DSLR cameras. For this photo shoot of the Black Throated Green Warbler,  I experimented with ISO1000, but the flash was still too intense for my liking. The question becomes: How high can I go with the ISO (with fresnel telephoto flash attached) in order to get a more natural looking image and still maintain image quality?

This Black Throated Green Warbler took off before I had a chance to push the ISO above 1000. However, I plan to keep experimenting… raising the ISO up to 5000. We will see what happens.

Photographing A Wilson Warbler

A soothing fall day. Just a few bright withered leaves drift down. Soon there will be plenty of light.

It’s early October and the number of migrating birds who have interrupted their journeys to take refuge in my yard has dwindled. A few jewels may still appear. The camera and long lens are set up in the house pointing toward the dense foliage near the fountain. The scene is not reflecting much light on this breezy morning. The background is thick and indistinct.

The camera is set on low speed continuous shooting and al servo focusing mode – perfect for fast moving birds. But in low light, it doesn’t matter how fast the camera can burst if the flash is weary after the first one or two shots.

Slow to Recycle

The more I use my flash, the more evident it becomes that AA batteries recharge it too slowly for bird photography. One shot – wait.  One shot – wait. This seems true even if I need only a touch of fill light and use a fraction of what the flash can deliver. I have to pause… hold myself back –slow down my shutter action to give the flash gun time to recover.

Wait Time Analysis

Here’s a quick analysis of the situation:

• Recycle Rate on Canon 580 EX II Flash is 6 seconds (with fresh AA batteries).

• With 8 additional batteries attached, (Canon CP-E4 Compact AA alkalide battery pack) recycle rate time decreases to 2 seconds (with fresh batteries).

• The speed of low speed continuous shooting mode can be as high as 13 frames per second on modern Canon DSLR cameras. (Note: Lots of issues can impact the speed of continuous shooting– most especially if you set your camera to shoot RAW rather than JPG).

• In ETTL mode, longer distances between flash and subject as well as tight apertures, low ISOs and higher shutter speed settings (Max 1/250 per second in flash mode on my camera) will cause the flash gun to work harder.

• Fast draining batteries impact speed and responsiveness of flash unit. In addition, going off task to swap out dying batteries takes time.

• No wall power adapter is available for the Canon 580EX II flash gun.

• The tube on the Canon 580 EX II flash gun will start to overheat after 15-20 flash bursts paced at 2-5 seconds apart. This bumps up flash recycling time to 8 to 20 seconds. Soon after, the over burdened flash will require a “rest time” of 10-15 minutes. (NOTE: An overly heated Canon flash gun will give thermal warning and shut down flash operation to avoid permanent damage to the flash. There is no override switch to cancel shutdown on the 580 EX II.)

NOTE:  The flash may shut down, but not the camera. If I continue fast shutter action without a flash, I will end up with a lot of very noisy (5000+) ISO images – assuming the ISO on the camera is set to AUTO.

Prodigious Power Users

Modern flash guns are prodigious power users. Lots of photographers choose to replace the AA batteries with powerful, light, versatile and portable lithium ion power packs and chargers designed to recharge faster and last longer.

More Power, Faster Recycle

On a friend’s recommendation, I researched Flashpoint‘s Blast Power Pack PB-960. It was the least expensive lithium ion power pack I could find. The customer reviews were very good.

• You can regenerate your flash unit to full power in less than 1 second. When the power pack runs dry, it’s a simple matter to swap it out for a fresh unit. A $20.00 cable to join two batteries to one power pack will cut the recycling time in half.

• Power pack battery life is rated to deliver 1800 full power shots.

• A bright LED power level indicator on the unit keeps the photographer aware of power drainage.

• With very little fuss, heavy duty locking cables securely attach to the flash unit.

• Lithium Ion battery recharge time takes approximately 3 hours…which is why you need an extra battery to swap out with the drained one.

NOTE:  Wedding photographers must love carrying the Flashpoint PB-960 on their gear belts. It is engineered to power two different flashes simultaneously off the same power pack.

A Better Option than AA

The Flashpoint lithium ion power pack definitely performs faster than AA batteries, providing more consistently reliable, portable power. It’s not a cheap date. I bought the power pack, 2 batteries, recharger, and carrying strap for $350.00.

Controlling My Trigger Finger

What seems like an interminable wait for my flash to respond is really not. I was able to get 3 or 4 different, well lit shots of the Wilson’s Warbler when he came to refresh himself at the fountain. If I feel the need to hold down the shutter in order to get the perfect shot, more of the images will be adequately illuminated with the Flashpoint attached.

However, no lithium ion power pack will be able to keep up with camera bursts, nor for that matter, will the flash gun. I’ll just have to learn to control my trigger finger when using flash.

On The Road In Search of Warblers

The birding hotspot that peaked my interest is called Good Harbor Bay Trail off M-22 in the Sleeping Bear Dune National Preserve. It’s a 2.8 mile trek just a short distance from the Lake Michigan shoreline, 20 miles north of Empire, MI. The trail was described as being fairly flat, very wooded, with planks placed strategically along the route to help hikers traverse through swamp areas.

When we got to the trail, it was warm and fairly windy with a storm brewing over the lake. Warblers on migration often come down to rest before and/or during a storm. Dark clouds produced a dull pall over the scene, making details in the woods indistinct. I was prepared for low light photography.

Traveling With Camera Equipment

Prepping for the uneven terrain, we packed the camera equipment onto the cart and headed out to search for migrating Prairie Warblers and Pine Warblers. Car travel allows me to pack (overpack?) any and all equipment we might need. I was sure this was going to be an active bird photography day, so I made sure I was ready. Here’s an itemized listing of the load:

• ECKLA Beach Rolly Cart to haul gear on the trails, beaches, docks, boardwalks, or any rugged terrain we might encounter. (NOTE: To negotiate the wetland part of the trail that consisted of single board planks, the two of us lifted the front and back ends and then carried the Eckla cart over.)

• Camera Bag to transport and protect Canon 1 D X Mark II body.

• A padded Tamrac super telephoto lens backpack* to transport and protect the Canon 500mm lens.

• Manfrotto Tripod.

• Jobu Gimbal Head with appropriate lens plate.

• Plastic 15 Qt rectangular container to store 1.4 and 2.0 telephoto extenders, Canon 580 EX Flash, Better Beamer Flash extender, bracket to lift flash above camera, cabling, bungee cords, CF Memory cards, extra battery pack for camera, compact battery pack for flash, extra AA batteries, and rain gear.

*The Tamrac backpack is big enough to accommodate the assembled DSLR camera, 1.4 Canon extender and 500 mm lens. Before heading on the trail, we secured all equipment to the cart with bungee cord. (NOTE: The last time we used the Eckla cart, one of the wheels fell off because its cotter pin was not secure and dropped off. Can’t move a full load with only one wheel. We spent several frustrating hours retracing our steps looking for the pin.)

Learning Through Experience

For short treks, it is convenient to have as much of the gear assembled before placing it (zipper forward) in the backpack and then in the cart. For long distance car/plane/train travel (moving around in airports, in and out of taxis and hotel rooms, etc), I pack the various components separately.

I learned the hard way. On one of our long distance birding adventures, my assembled camera, lens and extender were carefully padded and stowed in the Tamrac backpack. In one of the airport terminals, the pack rolled a little too fast off of my husband’s back and landed with a sickening thud. Apparently upon impact, the camera body swung one way and the 1.4 extender and long lens went in different directions. This torquing was too much for the mounts to endure and they all twisted apart. Separate unconnected components would have endured the impact within that heavily padded backpack.

The Canon authorized service center inspected the damage and concluded that all mounts had to be replaced. In addition, the autofocus mechanism on the lens was damaged, so it had to be taken apart, repaired and reassembled. Our insurance paid the $700.00 repair bill, but we were left without a camera for more than a week.

On the Trail…..

We heard a few distant warblings coming from high in the trees, but we only actually saw a chickadee and a mourning dove. It was certainly not the first time (nor will it be the last) when extensive prep and high hopes came to nothing.

Serious bird photographers are often let down. You learn that disappointment is a waste of energy – especially considering that you have no control over nature’s forces. It’s best to include in your birding adventures other avenues of peace and pleasure. We had a very pleasant walk in beautiful country, sans mosquitoes, and the packed Eckla cart made our trail travels effortless.

Photographing the Tennessee Warbler at Home

Lovely trip, but no birds. When I’m on the road, I spend much of my time moving, looking, hoping to stumble upon birds that other birders have seen in the same location. I’ve come to learn that setting up the equipment in one or two places and having the patience to wait until the birds come to you is often a better plan than walking with gear on a long trail.

These photos of the Tennessee Warbler were taken in our yard after we got home. It took a little under 10 minutes to unpack and assemble the gear.

Photographing a Female Black Throated Blue Warbler

First cool day we’ve had in a long time. The mosquitoes seem to be taking a break as well. The camera, 500mm lens, 1.4 extender, flash with better beamer extender, and extra battery power pack are all setup on a tripod at the patio door opening to the deck. One leg of the tripod is on the wood deck platform, but most of this ensemble (including me) are in the house.

It’s one of those “happy to be alive” sunny days. The cicada and bird song intermix agreeably with the ringing chimes in the front yard. I have high hopes today because so far this Fall, I’ve seen and photographed 13 species of warblers who have interrupted their journeys south to rest and replenish in our yard.  (See Flickr 2016 Fall Migration Album.)

My Canon DSLR camera was set to Al Servo mode for these photos of the female Black Throated Blue Warbler. I activated a splattering of center based auto focus points. Same day, same time, but distinctly different color tones coming through. Different colors are a consequence of the type and intensity of the light. Hard to predict what colors tones will come through with flash… but it is easy enough to correct what you don’t like in post processing by experimenting with the white balance options. NOTE: The color balance for all of these photos was not changed in post processing….and appear “as shot”.

Matching Auto Focus Mode with Shooting Conditions

So many issues and conditions impact the ability of the camera and lens to precisely focus.  As long as the light is good and one or more autofocus points are able to lock focus on the target, you can expect accurate focus, no matter what autofocus mode is set on the camera.

If all of the DSLR autofocus modes work great, why not pick one and stick with it- or better yet, let the camera decide?

Because when you are dealing with high level of subject unpredictability, anything can happen. A fast and responsive lens is designed to achieve the sharpest auto focus when you match shooting conditions with camera’s auto focus modes.

Canon’s Auto Focus Modes

Here is a quick description of the auto focus mode choices available in modern DSLR Canon cameras.

1) One Shot…. for use when your subject is mostly stationary. Once the camera achieves focus, the shutter will release- and NOT before. Perfect for portraits and landscapes where conditions tend to be more predictable. (NOTE: The focusing assist beam on the flash gun that bounces light to the subject and then back to the camera to gauge distance and aid focusing will only work in One Shot mode.)

2) Al Servo…. continually tracks, readjusts and re-focuses until the shutter is pressed down completely. This is the most reliable auto focus mode to capture images of birds on the move. Al Servo places the camera in charge of responding to movement, as long as photographer adeptly tracks the action with activated autofocus points.

3) AI Focus….. the photographer relies on the camera to determine if there’s movement at the time the shutter is released. I don’t find much use for Al Focus mode. I trust Canon cameras to make critical focusing decisions with regard to autofocus points – but not to decide what autofocus mode fits the activity level in a scenario that is likely to be constantly changing.

NOTE:  You can turn off auto focus on the lens and focus manually. The auto focusing technology built into modern cameras and lenses is so accurate that even in diminished light, I rarely set the lens to Manual focus.

Back Button Focus

When you set your DSLR camera to Al Servo continuous focusing mode you have to keep that shutter button half-engaged to achieve focus. This is highly inefficient, especially when you are tracking lots of action. The Back Button focus function allows you to disengage the shutter button from the focusing function, thus making focusing faster and more precise. To do this, simply focus on your subject by holding down the back focus button with your thumb and get ready to press the shutter release with your fore finger when the peak action starts. The camera will continually focus on the subject, and the shutter will not try to engage focus before taking the photo. Once the subject stops moving, let go of the back button focus and use the shutter button to focus as you did before.

My Preferences

I use Al Servo focus (combined with back button focus) most of the time because this mode puts the lens on the alert for movement. Designed to work hand-in-hand with whatever focus points are activated, it efficiently adjusts and readjusts focus the second it senses motion. Al servo is also essential for panning (following a moving subject) and for bursting.

Read about the difference between shooting modes and autofocus modes here.

Photographing a Blackpoll Warbler

It’s high noon, and I think I can see warbler-ish movement on the tree branches. Might just be the discordant breezes. Overhead, winds are moving the clouds around every which way, reducing and scattering light. The clouds are numerous enough that my scene changes by the minute….mostly under lit, with some intermittent and dappled brightness. The small patches of light make for uneven, spotty illumination with distracting patterns of shadows and highlights. The ISO reads 8000+, and then a stray sunbeam will penetrate the scene and the ISO drops down to 3200.

A tiny spider flies on his silken trapeze and touches down softly on the lens. One is crawling on my LCD screen.  A puff of breath sends him flying.

Limiting the Focusing Field

When my bird tracking misses its mark, the lens pans back and tries to focus somewhere in the dim woodsy background.  I set the range limiter switch on the lens to restrict the field on which the lens can focus to the area within 3.7 m-10m (or 12.1 ft 32.8 ft.). Much better.  Doesn’t waste so much time trying to achieve focus in the dark woods. (NOTE: I usually set no limitation on the lens because I often forget to set it back. By the time I figure out why the lens won’t lock focus, the bird is gone.)

Windblown Cloud Cover

There is no predicting the where and when of windblown cloud cover so I’ve attached the telephoto flash extender. I’d like to move this camera setup completely on to the deck, just to get the lens a little closer to the fountain and the tree branches where a new bird might perch. It certainly would be better distance wise.  I’m a good 25 feet from where my tiny avian target might land. Risky though… the birds might consider me too near for comfort and I don’t want to jinx the possibilities.

Transitioning With the Light

Photographing birds while dealing with extreme changes in lighting is manageable because I switch between telephoto flash when the scene is dark and Auto ISO when the sun’s rays filter through more. If the ISO reading is under 5000 I turn off the flash and shoot with available ambient light. (NOTE: Auto ISO and the previous shutter speed setting kick in the minute the camera does not sense the flash gun.)  If low light dominates, as it did when I photographed this Blackpoll Warbler, the flash remains on.

The flash provided ample light so that the camera’s sensor was able to capture the details of the highly branched feather patterns on this little bird. I especially like the first photo (posted above), showing the white downy fluff under the tail feathers.

Avoiding the Look of Flat Light

It’s a simple matter to reach up and turn the flash on and off, as needed. What’s not simple is balancing the light from the flash so the image doesn’t look unnaturally bright in front and too dark in the background.

If the flash head angle is not right, the front lighting on the bird very often looks flat. Flat lighting means that the subject is so evenly illuminated that you see very little contrast and texture in your images. If the shadows and highlights lack variation, the details are less distinct- less alive. Think passport photo.

If you shoot in RAW, a little life can be coaxed into the image in post processing. You do this by boosting the saturation- or fiddling with the picture style to see if you can incorporate enough vibrancy to transform that flat light into something that looks more rounded and shows a broader dynamic range on the histogram.

As always, it’s more productive, creative and satisfying to get the light right in-camera rather then trying to fix problems in post processing.

More Light!

It’s mid summer and the trees are lush with light blocking foliage. The three tiered fountain near our deck is attracting lots of Robins and a few new visitors. We are on the Lake Michigan migration corridor, so I expect (and desperately hope) that a lot avian transients will pass through our yard as it gets colder.

As the sunlight filters down through the branches in our back yard, it creates only a few sparsely placed patches of light. More often than not (and depending on the time of day) I can expect uneven light, high (8000+) ISOs, marginally sharp focus, and unappealing dark blotchy backgrounds.

Somehow I’ve got to introduce some more light, hopefully before Fall migration starts.

Modern Camera Sensors

In low light, attaining correct exposure without flash often means taking the ISO high. High ISO numbers indicate that the subject was not adequately lit (after calculating shutter, ISO and aperture values) and the camera’s sensor had to increased its sensitivity in order to attain adequate exposure. The tradeoff to achieving correct exposure in low light is added noise.

It must be said that modern digital camera sensors need much less light than ever before to produce very good image quality (IQ) at relatively high ISOs.  But IQ is so much better on these modern cameras at base (or close to base) ISO.

The goal of introducing artificial light is to improve image quality by lowering the ISO.  (NOTE: All light does not look the same to a camera’s sensor. A color temperature guide for photographers is available at this link.)

Continuous Lighting

Plug in strobes provide powerful light sources and enough of them can make your photos look like you used only natural light. These tools are expensive and cumbersome…more for studio lighting. Other types of continuous (or steady) lighting…like LED lights are not as efficient for illuminating the scene outdoors. Power requirements and light output are very low for LED, substantially lower compared to a flash gun where you can stop action and achieve close to base ISOs.

Flash Extenders

For a long time, bird photographers have attached a “flash extender” to their long lenses. The purpose of flash extenders is to more precisely direct and (more importantly) extend the illumination reach of a concentrated flash blast onto a distant subject and (hopefully) keep the look of natural light.

The most prevalent device on the market for telephoto flash photography is the “Better Beamer Fresnal Extender.” This inexpensive contrivance uses a plastic fresnel lens to redirect the burst of the flash so it is not wasting light by lluminating a wide area. Instead it and narrows and extends its reach. Think lighthouse!

Considerations

• Attaching a fresnel extender does indeed extend the reach of your flash  The operation is fairly easy, and you can control the amount and angle of light. Most importantly, the flash beam does not appear to bother the birds.

• More light = faster and more precise focusing.

• The E-TTL function (on most advanced DSLR flashes) allows the camera and flash to work together to automatically meter exposure. I usually set the camera to manual mode “M” and the flash unit to E-TTL mode. (NOTE: If I set the flash unit to manual, I would be giving up the benefit of letting the camera and flash do the math for exposure calculations.)

• Attaching a flash unit directly to the camera’s hot shoe and angling it so it is pointing directly at your subject can produce dark backgrounds, harsh shadows, overexposed subjects and red eye. This is less true with telephoto flash extenders because of the distance involved between the lens and the flash unit. Hoisting the flash higher so it is positioned above the camera body helps to avoid some of these problems. NOTE: Raising the flash above the camera requires a modest investment in flash accessories. 1) Camera flash bracket made for telephoto lenses that will raise the flash off of the camera; and  2) an TTL off-camera flash cord so you can sync the flash’s E-TTL functions to the camera.)

• AF assist beam on the flash unit (helps to focus in low light and tighten the subject’s pupils so that red-eye is less noticeable) only works in single shooting mode- but since this assist beam is designed to work within an area of 10-12 feet, it is useless in telephoto flash photography.

• Draining flash batteries produce lower flash output and longer recycling times. Flash recycle times can be improved dramatically by attaching an extra battery pack to the flash. This will allow the flash unit to tap into 12 (instead of 4) batteries for power.

• Flash maximum sync shutter speed for flash photography for my Canon cameras is 1/250 second.  NOTE: For flashes to work properly, shutter timing must be within limits of the max flash “sync” speed. This is because there must be enough of a time interval between when the 1st and 2nd camera shutter curtain mechanisms move. If the flash is not able to burst in this space when the whole sensor frame is lit, your camera will capture a portion of one or the other shutter curtain bar.

• If High Speed Sync Flash is an option on your flash gun, you can set your shutter speed higher than the max flash sync speed and the flash will synchronize to the higher shutter speed. The flash duration for the High Speed Sync Flash is longer but the burst is less powerful. The faster your shutter speed, the more your flash power decreases. More battery power is used in this mode. I did not use this function because flash at the camera’s maximum sync shutter speed does a good job of freezing the action.

• My flashgun automatically sets the Auto ISO to 400, so noise is not an issue.

• The sparkling pinpoint of catch light in the subject’s eyes that is so attractive in natural light photography is not as impressive when photographing birds using a flash. NOTE: To avoid dead-eye, the catchlights must often be inserted in post processing.

• It takes a little time to adjust the tilt of the off-camera flash so it is aimed correctly at your subject.

Time to Experiment

Experimentation is critical in attaining the right balance of light. Too much or too little flash mean unnatural looking images and headaches in post processing. I need time to practice and experiment more.  Stay tuned for Part II of Flash Extender Bird Photography.

Who Else is Up There?

I can identify most of the birdsongs of the regular avian visitors in our yard. Not infrequently, I hear an unfamiliar tune belonging to a bird who must be residing high in the trees or in the shadows.

New birdsong is compelling because:

• It’s nice to know they’re up there—probably many more bird families than I think- either discretely passing through or nesting undercover;
• I have to identify the species and figure out how to coax them to come down near the camera. NOTE: If a particular birdsong is completely mysterious, I try to isolate it and record it on my phone. I then upload it to the Whatbird.com for the bird auditory experts to ID.
• It’s always a challenge to figure out the best placement for my camera – taking into consideration stealth, quality of light, and proximity to my subjects.

Creating An Tempting Setting For New Birds

To attract some of the birds we know are up there but never see, we cleared a few low-lying straggly trees near the back end of the house, installed a deck and planted a variety of endemic plants to attract pollinators, beneficial insects and birds.

Off on the eastern edge of this structure, we installed a natural stone basalt recirculating fountain. It is the key to enticing the birds to venture down from on high. Burbling and in harmony with its surroundings, the three stones darken and glow as water circulates down. Little maintenance (except for a few drops of bird safe, environmentally friendly algicide) is required because the water flow design makes it basically self cleaning. The soft gurgling sound of the water attracts bathing birds… birds that we normally don’t see at the feeders.

We set up a couple perches just above and to the side of the fountains so the birds could settle and check out their surroundings before they hopped into the water streams. The  lush, green and woodsy background was situated 10-12 feet behind the perches so as to create the perfect Bokeh.

NOTE:  A pleasant Bokeh amounts to nothing if there is no enticing subject.

Comfort Levels

Visually, this deck looked like the perfect place to set up the tripod and camera and make myself comfortable in a deck chair. But those rarely seen birds up high are the more cautious ones. They clearly prefer to have a wide personal space between themselves and humans, so a camera setup and photographer fairly close and in full view on the deck just may cancel out the allure of the bubbly fountain.

Proximity Problems

The birds did not come- at least not while I sat on the deck. Birds were coming when I wasn’t on the deck. I could see them indulging in the cool waters when I was inside the house. Apparently I was too close for their comfort. So, I hauled up my blind from the basement, left it assembled on the deck for a couple days so the birds could get use to it, then climbed in with my gear to wait.  Still nothing!

My proximity seemed to be the issue. We have a glass door in the bedroom which opens on to the deck. The distance between this door and the perches near the fountain is little far, but if I have my 1.4 extender attached to the 500mm lens, I can make it work.

Door open and camera setup inside the house, I pointed the long lens toward the perches and sat down to wait. Before too long, I had several species of birds coming in to bathe who clearly saw me, but were comfortable with my distance. This Yellow Rumped Warbler was one of the first of the new birds to venture close.

Other Deck Visitors

I was feeling pretty pleased with myself – checking exposure, rearranging my setup, drinking my coffee, and checking my phone while I waited. It wasn’t long before I noticed half a dozen or so confrontational looking hornets working on their nest situated right above me at the top of the door between the glass and the screen.

I was heavily distracted by those hornets, but too stubborn to relocate. I kept nervously looking up to see if the hornets were noticing me. They weren’t, but to be comfortable and on task, I’m was going to have to get rid of that hornets’ nest.

Photographing the Yellow Rumped Warbler

I sat there another hour or so, long enough to capture these shots of the Yellow Rumped Warbler. He definitely noticed my proximity, and even the hornets, but lingered long enough to get a drink and before he flew off.

Usually when I photograph warblers, they are tucked deep within the foliage. It nice once in a while to capture their beauty on an isolated branch, without the having to work around the tangled and thorny thickets that are their natural habitat.

I can’t wait to see what other newcomers come to drink at the fountain.