Bird Photography - Control the Uncontrollable
To get ideas I study the past and present winning entries of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. It's rewarding to see the skill, passion, creativity, patience and persistence of the photographer.
A great images is a continuous process from its birth to the post-production. It brings to mind a past competition entry that took the photographer two years to create. How many of us are willing to persist with the same subject until it is just right? One year? Two years?
To many of us our photographic work is often done in less than ideal conditions with no control over the light, the subject and its activity, the props or location, the situation, the angle to photograph, the timing.
My recent visit to Park Natural do Vale do Guadiana, a bird reserve in the south-east of Portugal close to the Spanish border illustrates this well.
However, with some thought and advance preparation it's possible to regain a measure of control.
Before leaving the UK, I researched the area to be visited, reading articles and carefully studying maps. The reserve seemed to be rich with a variety of bird life.
This knowledge enable me to pre-visualize the possibilities and what the technical requirements were. The Park Natural do Vale do Guadiana is a wild place spotted with small villages crossed by narrow roads servicing those small communities.
Soon on arrival it became apparent that I hadn't foreseen the lack of space by the road side where I could stop the car safely to photograph. The narrow roads were fenced on both side.
On my second day, there was some interesting activity close to the road, a Sparrow hawk hunting a small mammal. By the time I found a space to stop the car the opportunity had gone.
Wild birds are sensitive to the presence of humans - to birds we are predators. However, these birds appeared to be more intolerant of human presence than what I am used to see. Was there a particular reason for this?
I think the reason must be tied up to hunting that takes place every year. To me that explains why birds stayed put when cars moved reasonably close to them at speed but took off as soon as the figure of a human became visible.
To resolve this problem, I invested some time trying to identify their favourite spots. Some birds returned to the same area to hunt or patrol their territory. At the end of my second day I could identify an area within the park to make it my photo base - using the vehicle as a hide, I switched off the radio opened both windows and got the camera ready. All movements were deliberately slow.
The Canon 7D was set to, A-priority, ISO 400, F/5.6, 100-400 IS. The bright sunshine in southern countries makes it possible to work at a lower ISO. I've standardised at ISO 400 to get some extra s/s speed.
Another strategy is to identify a spot within the selected area of operation such as a lake/pond with some vegetation to serve as cover.
I discovered an interesting lake not marked on my map. I parked the car and walked to it. I selected a good spot and sat down partly hidden by the vegetation. This has worked well in the past - waiting for unsuspecting birds to come to me.
I waited for over three hours for a bird to come within the range of my lenses. Bird singing together with other calling from aquatic creatures was memorable. Finally, on this occasion I returned to the car without an usable photograph.
If the clothing of the photographer doesn't merge well with the surroundings birds will keep away. Birds often need two or even three days to get used to something new in their territory.
Conclusions
When going into a new area: what's the photographic goal? Is there one? It's helpful to select in advance a flexible goal.
Advance preparation by finding out as much as possible about the area and the bird life present at the time of the visit. What's the best time of the year to photograph the birds we're interested in?
Does the photographer have the right equipment and the needed technical ability to capture interesting and fast situations?
Is the photographer able to identify a small area where most photography can be concentrated. There are advantages in limiting the operation to a small area instead of trying to cover a lot of ground.
When the opportunities seem unprofitable, then move on to the next place.
Great photography has a lot to do with having control and knowing what to do with it.
To get ideas I study the past and present winning entries of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. It's rewarding to see the skill, passion, creativity, patience and persistence of the photographer.
A great images is a continuous process from its birth to the post-production. It brings to mind a past competition entry that took the photographer two years to create. How many of us are willing to persist with the same subject until it is just right? One year? Two years?
To many of us our photographic work is often done in less than ideal conditions with no control over the light, the subject and its activity, the props or location, the situation, the angle to photograph, the timing.
My recent visit to Park Natural do Vale do Guadiana, a bird reserve in the south-east of Portugal close to the Spanish border illustrates this well.
However, with some thought and advance preparation it's possible to regain a measure of control.
Before leaving the UK, I researched the area to be visited, reading articles and carefully studying maps. The reserve seemed to be rich with a variety of bird life.
This knowledge enable me to pre-visualize the possibilities and what the technical requirements were. The Park Natural do Vale do Guadiana is a wild place spotted with small villages crossed by narrow roads servicing those small communities.
Soon on arrival it became apparent that I hadn't foreseen the lack of space by the road side where I could stop the car safely to photograph. The narrow roads were fenced on both side.
On my second day, there was some interesting activity close to the road, a Sparrow hawk hunting a small mammal. By the time I found a space to stop the car the opportunity had gone.
Wild birds are sensitive to the presence of humans - to birds we are predators. However, these birds appeared to be more intolerant of human presence than what I am used to see. Was there a particular reason for this?
I think the reason must be tied up to hunting that takes place every year. To me that explains why birds stayed put when cars moved reasonably close to them at speed but took off as soon as the figure of a human became visible.
To resolve this problem, I invested some time trying to identify their favourite spots. Some birds returned to the same area to hunt or patrol their territory. At the end of my second day I could identify an area within the park to make it my photo base - using the vehicle as a hide, I switched off the radio opened both windows and got the camera ready. All movements were deliberately slow.
The Canon 7D was set to, A-priority, ISO 400, F/5.6, 100-400 IS. The bright sunshine in southern countries makes it possible to work at a lower ISO. I've standardised at ISO 400 to get some extra s/s speed.
Another strategy is to identify a spot within the selected area of operation such as a lake/pond with some vegetation to serve as cover.
I discovered an interesting lake not marked on my map. I parked the car and walked to it. I selected a good spot and sat down partly hidden by the vegetation. This has worked well in the past - waiting for unsuspecting birds to come to me.
I waited for over three hours for a bird to come within the range of my lenses. Bird singing together with other calling from aquatic creatures was memorable. Finally, on this occasion I returned to the car without an usable photograph.
If the clothing of the photographer doesn't merge well with the surroundings birds will keep away. Birds often need two or even three days to get used to something new in their territory.
Conclusions
When going into a new area: what's the photographic goal? Is there one? It's helpful to select in advance a flexible goal.
Advance preparation by finding out as much as possible about the area and the bird life present at the time of the visit. What's the best time of the year to photograph the birds we're interested in?
Does the photographer have the right equipment and the needed technical ability to capture interesting and fast situations?
Is the photographer able to identify a small area where most photography can be concentrated. There are advantages in limiting the operation to a small area instead of trying to cover a lot of ground.
When the opportunities seem unprofitable, then move on to the next place.
Great photography has a lot to do with having control and knowing what to do with it.
Mountain-Light
Nature Photography
Landscape and Wildlife Photography