KEEPING AN EYE ON IT

Trumpeter Swan, Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

You were supposed to see this photo earlier this week but business travel during the last three days left no time for even thinking much about photography fun. The picture is from last Sunday where I found the same pair of Trumpeter Swans at the same spot as the day before (Click HERE for the earlier post). About 50 more swans were way in the back, almost at the other side of the lake, but too far away for a closer look.

It happens quite often, we watch an animal for quite some time, we get some static shots, but not much happens. It is patience and knowing about the animal’s behavior, knowing a little bit about their biology, that can make the difference and let us make the photo at the decisive moment. For the Trumpeter Swans we are talking about the 2-3 seconds when they may flap their wings in order to dry them. For this kind of shot the last couple hours before sunset work well at this time of the year. You really never know when that will happen, but after they get out of the water, it is important to have your eye on the bird and the lens pre-focused. I missed this kind of gesture on Saturday, but Sunday I had my second chance and fired through the two seconds of action. The Nikon D750 is not really the ideal camera for fast action. With 6.5 frames per second and a relative small buffer the limit is quickly reached. It was enough for this time of action and the story about winter fading away in the wetlands can be told.

PREPARED FOR THE MOMENT

Nikon D750, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM

The digital age of photography allows us to shoot endless numbers of pictures without making a dent in our wallets. All what it takes is to hit the delete button if something doesn’t work out. Sometimes, and hopefully more often than not, it only takes a few clicks to make the image you have in mind or envisioned, even in wildlife photography. Knowing the biology of a critter, its habits, and natural time schedule will help you to make the click. Being for a few days in the same area, studying the light, and watching every movement in the woods and in the grassland, can lead to the desired shot. 

The photo of this deer was made between two locations where we wanted to shoot landscapes. Attaching the long lens to the camera ahead of time was essential to make the shot just beside the road.

NATURE CLICKS #278 - GRAY CATBIRD

Nikon D750, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM, tripod, gimbal head, SB 800 speed light

This is not my first blog post about the Gray Catbird but I still have not made many photos of this species. It prefers low and dense vegetation and if there wouldn’t be its distinctive meeow-call we probably would hardly recognize its presence. Staying always on paved roads or trails is limiting the range of wildlife that we can get in front of the lens. Knowing a little bit about the biology and the preferred habitat of a bird or critter is already halfway of making the click. Sure, we get lucky sometimes in the middle of the road, but going into the woods or into thick brushes and underwoods may lead you to the picture you were waiting for since a long time.

WORK FOR A NEW GALLERY

I’m working on a total overhaul of my galleries about the wildlife in Iowa at the moment and I hope I can integrate it soon into this new website here. While reviewing older photos I realized that some of the birds and critters deserve some new and better representation in the gallery, especially those that live here in our woods all year long. One that is present during all seasons is the Black-capped Chickadee.

It helps to know the habits and biology of a critter to make the shot. In this case I used the fact that the chickadees quite often fly first to the bushes in the yard before they enter the bird feeders. It is a repeating pattern of behavior that helped me to focus on one particular area without moving around with the long lens too much. The light was sufficient this morning but I still used a fill flash for boosting the colors a little bit.