{"id":8795,"date":"2012-03-02T04:57:56","date_gmt":"2012-03-02T08:57:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/?p=8795"},"modified":"2012-03-03T16:27:15","modified_gmt":"2012-03-03T20:27:15","slug":"a-more-aggressive-approach-pays-big-dividends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/2012\/03\/02\/a-more-aggressive-approach-pays-big-dividends\/","title":{"rendered":"A More Aggressive Approach Pays Big Dividends…"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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This Steller’s Sea Eagle was photographed from the tourist boat at Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan. I used the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f\/5.6L IS lens<\/a> and the EOS-1D Mark IV<\/a>. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1\/3 stop: 1\/4000 sec. at f\/6.3 in Manual mode. <\/p>\n

Central Sensor on the bird’s breast\/Rear Focus\/AI Servo AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here<\/a> if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. A Double Bubble Level<\/a> in the camera’s hot shoe ensured that the bird would be square to the world. (The captain puts the boat up on the sea ice for stability so there is no rocking and rolling to deal with.)<\/p>\n

For a greater appreciation of the image, left-click on the photo. <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

Taking a More Aggressive Approach to Flight and Action Photography Can Pay Big Dividends…<\/h3>\n

As a decade long disciple of Byron Katie, The Work; who would you be without your story?<\/a>, I have learned to question my own unquestioned thoughts and beliefs by asking simply, “Is it true?” For nearly two decades I have been telling folks, “I an not very good at flight and action photography. I leave that to the younger, stronger, faster folks with quicker reflexes. I am at my best photographing static birds; it’s then that I shine.” That’s my story, but on the Japan IPT–still in progress, I began to question it…. <\/p>\n

For more than two decades I have been telling folks: “When unexpected action occurs, push the shutter button.” Heck, I am pretty sure that you will find those words in the original “The Art of Bird Photography<\/a>” (Amphoto, NY: 1998). And to think that that was with film…. I am sure that I gave that advice in the all new follow-up, “The Art of Bird Photography II<\/a>” (916 pages, 900+ images on CD only). With digital, that advice rings even truer. But in believing my own story I had become trapped into not practicing what I have been teaching. On our second morning on the sea eagle boat I was lining up a pristine vertical Steller’s Sea Eagle portrait when I asked myself “Is it true? Are you really poor at capturing images of flight and action?” At that moment I decided that whenever an eagle took flight I would do my best to keep the active sensor on the bird and push the shutter button. <\/p>\n

As you can see above (and below), the results were astounding. The more I tried the more I improved and the better the results became. I got some great images of the eagles and gulls gathering to take flight, of birds lifting off the ice and of birds landing. And some killer tight flight images as well. All because I decided to question my own story and start pushing the shutter button. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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This Glaucous-winged Gull image was created with the hand held Canon 300mm f\/2.8 L IS II lens<\/a>, 1.4X III TC<\/a>, and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV<\/a>. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2\/3 stop: 1\/3200 sec. at f\/5.6 in Manual mode. Note on this sunny morning this exposure quickly became my go-to exposure for any birds with bright whites. <\/p>\n

Central Sensor\/AI Servo Rear Focus active at the moment of exposure. Click here<\/a> if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

In the past, when a bird would raise its wings I would think: “I need a shorter lens. I need to zoom wider. I might cut off the wings.” With my new attitude I quit thinking and push the shutter button. Heck, it’s digital. Your gear cost from $2,000 to well more than $20,000 and your trips may cost the same. Storage and computers have gotten cheaper but those costs still add up. After your initial outlay, however, digital is<\/strong><\/em> free (even though that initial outlay is considerable). So go ahead, get in the habit, when the bird moves press the shutter button and see what you get. You might be pleasantly surprised. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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This White-tailed Sea Eagle was photographed with the hand held Canon 300mm f\/2.8 L IS II lens<\/a>, 1.4X III TC<\/a>, and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV<\/a>. ISO 400: 1\/2500 sec. at f\/5.6 in Manual mode. To get the right exposure here I simply opened up one shutter speed click from the go-to white exposure that I mentioned in the preceding image. With no bright whites on the bird I did not mind having to recover a bit in the snow in exchange for getting more detail in the bird’s darker feathers. <\/p>\n

Central Sensor\/AI Servo Rear Focus active at the moment of exposure. Click here<\/a> if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

Unless I am doing body parts images such as head portraits, front-end verticals, feather detail, and the like, I generally prefer that my subjects take up no more than three-quarters of the longest dimension of the frame. So when I am photographing birds in flight and they get larger in the frame than that, I simply quit. But not any more. Now I call images like the one above “fit-’em-in-the-frame miracles.” I have been getting a few of those lately now that I let go of my old story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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This White-tailed Sea Eagle was photographed with the hand held Canon 300mm f\/2.8 L IS II lens<\/a>, 1.4X III TC<\/a>, and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV<\/a>. ISO 400: 1\/2000 sec. at f\/4 in Manual mode. Careful readers will surmise (by comparing the exposure here with that in the previous photo) that we were working here in less than full strength sunlight. And they would be correct. <\/p>\n

Central Sensor\/AI Servo Rear Focus active at the moment of exposure. Click here<\/a> if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

Part of my recent inspiration came from watching Robert O’Toole for the past few years keep firing as birds flew right at us. That well after I had given up and lowered my lens. Many times in these situations the AF system will not track accurately and many times you will mis-frame the image, but as you can see here the results can be stunning. This one is just a small crop form our left and frm below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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This adult Glaucous-winged Gull was photographed from the boat on the sea ice with the hand held Canon 300mm f\/2.8 L IS II lens<\/a>, 1.4X III TC<\/a>, and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV<\/a>. ISO 400: 1\/5000 sec. at f\/5.6 in Manual mode. <\/p>\n

Central Sensor\/AI Servo Rear Focus active at the moment of exposure. Click here<\/a> if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

Prior to the Japan adventure, when a bird would shake its head–they do that often–I would think, “It ruined my perfect field guide portrait.” Since my attitude adjustment, I quit thinking and push the shutter button. Head-shakes can be difficult to anticipate. But if you try you can wind up with flying spray and some neat head positions. <\/p>\n

A Caution<\/h3>\n

Please do not read the above and be encouraged to be come a mindless machine-gunner. Lord, there were many of them on the eagle boat. What is a mindless machine gunner? A photographer who pushes the shutter button and holds it down<\/em> <\/strong> on any bird that flies by without regards to light angle, the bird’s flight path, the direction of flight–towards or away from you, the framing, and the size of the bird in the frame. If it moves, they make 10, 20, even 30 or more images on a single fly by. I am never sure of their motivation; perhaps they think that they are impressing others? Amazingly, most mindless machine gunners are toting in excess of $20,000 worth of photographic gear. Go figure…. BTW, on most passes I take 2 to five images at most even with my new attitude. <\/p>\n

BIRDS AS ART Bulletin #399<\/h3>\n

BIRDS AS ART Bulletin #399 is on line and can (best) be viewed here<\/a>. If you have not seen it do visit and check out the collection of Snow Monkey images. Please note the corrected date for the F3C Convention as noted in item next. <\/p>\n