GET IT RIGHT IN CAMERA (PART 2)

Eastern Gray Squirrel, 1/800 s, f/9, ISO 400, @850 mm, DX mode (1,275 mm)

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head

Although with a totally different aspect, I’m picking up from my last blog post today, “Get it right in camera”. All photos are from last weekend. Way too many times I do have to crop some of my wildlife images, mainly because of too much distance between the camera and the animal. There has been progress over the years but it remains a challenge and I’m not always up to it.

Black-capped Chickadee, 1/400 s, f/9, ISO 400, @850 mm

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head

Well, there is a piece of gear in my bag that can help to get closer and fill the frame without cropping, but I admit, it hasn’t seen the light of the day much lately. I’m talking about the SIGMA 1.4 teleconverter that compliments the SIGMA 150-600, f5-6.3 and can extend its focal length from 600 mm to 850 mm. On a camera with a half size sensor or in DX mode on a full frame camera, like the Nikon D750, you can even get the angle of view of a 1,275 mm lens. Wow, this is a lot more than the naked lens can provide!

Red-bellied Woodpecker, 1/1250 s, f/9, ISO 400, @850 mm

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head

Of course there is a downside. With a maximum aperture of f/6.3 at 600 mm the SIGMA isn’t the fastest lens anyway, but with the teleconverter attached it becomes a f/9! This needs a lot of light for a good function of the autofocus system. But if the focus locks on, this lens / teleconverter combination delivers a sharp picture. It’s not the perfect solution for “low light” wildlife photography. But if the sun comes out and you have the great contrast, colors, and light this time of the season has to offer, you might be suddenly closer to your subject and after a while you don’t even know where the “crop-button” of your photo editing software is located…😉

NATURE CLICKS #476 - BIGHORN SHEEP

Bighorn Sheep, Roosevelt National Park, North Unit

Joan and I were happy to watch and photograph Bighorn Sheep in the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park again. During our first visit in 2015 a ranger told us, you will be very lucky if you can find the Bighorn Sheep. They spend most of their time in the canyons of this badlands area and therefor not easy to spot.

Well, this year we found a splendid ram and four ewes grazing on the grassy slope above a canyon. We spent about 20 minutes with the bighorn sheep before they disappeared into the valley. Enough time to work with these amazing critters…

Male bighorns can be dangerous and are able to kill a human if threatened, so maintaining a safe distance is a good idea. There was a small ravine between my tripod and the animals and I felt safe to be that close. The first image is uncropped and gives you an idea about the real world at 600 mm focal length, while the second photo didn’t have a very interesting background, just plain grass, and I felt a slight crop would benefit the outcome. The sheep gave us a look ones in a while but most of the time just ignored us and that is always a good thing if you are close to a wild animal.

NATURE CLICKS #460 - WARBLING VIREO

Warbling Vireo, Mississippi River, Finley’s Landing, Iowa

Go out without your longest lens and you'll come back short. I forgot who quoted that in one of the books I own, but this became exactly true today. It seems I make it a habit to take dog Cooper during my lunch break and spend a few minutes at one of the boat landings or marinas along the Mississippi River. Today it was a short trip to Finley’s Landing, a public access with beach, little marina, a campsite, and a boat ramp. A small creek meets the mighty Mississippi and there is always a chance to watch some birds. 

A number of harsh “eeaahh” calls made me looking up into the canopy of the trees and pretty soon a Warbling Vireo was discovered. Now back to the long lens, which of course was left at home. 200 mm at the long end of the 70-200, f/4 was simply not enough for this photo, not even in auto crop mode (Nikon’s DX mode). Additional crop in post allows to have a picture that is ok for a blog post like this or for other social media. A real one to one print will reveal the flaw, because too much detail gets lost.

The Warbling Vireo is not uncommon during the summer but it is not a bird we see even every other day. They prefer deciduous woodlands, often along streams, and spend the winter in the tropics. I should go back and try it again, but this time with 400mm more focal length…😉

Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200mm / f4…@ 200mm, 1/1600s, f/5, ISO400, cropped

NATURE CLICKS #446 - GREATER YELLOWLEGS

Not my sharpest image of this Greater Yellowlegs from last weekend’s visit in the Green Island Wetlands, but it is the one that tells the story the best. This guy was foraging in the partly drained pond at the Iowa DNR maintenance facility. It was obviously a great place for the bird because I caught him twice making a catch between the algae in the water. This bird feeds on aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, small fish, frogs, seeds, and berries. It was a very windy day but to my surprise I found two more Greater Yellowlegs on little islands along the dyke. They still have a long way to go to their breeding grounds in Canada and finding enough food in a place like the Green Island Wetlands is essential for a successful journey.

Although already in DX mode with the Nikon D750 (cropped in camera), I did an additional crop in Adobe Lightroom to keep more of the algae and mud out of the frame. I was already pretty close to the edge of the pond and the bird didn’t want to come closer. I hate cropping but for this image it was my last resort…

FINALLY, SOME BALD EAGLES

Crows picking up what’s left of a an eagle’s meal, Mississippi River, Sabula, Iowa

I talked to other wildlife photographers today during a meeting of the Dubuque Camera Club and everybody agreed, it wasn’t the best winter season to photograph the iconic Bald Eagle along the Mississippi River. The reasons may vary. December last year was very mild and they may have stayed up north but even during January and February we didn’t see very many, except for the ones who stay here all year long. However, last weekend, with the ice on the Mississippi breaking apart, it was no problem finding eagles along the river. This makes me believe that the birds who went further south just move back to Minnesota or Canada again, following the receding ice.

These two photos were made at the boat landing in Sabula, Iowa. Earlier, an hour before these pictures were taken, I drove over the bridge to Savannah, Illinois and saw a number of Bald Eagles feeding on the ice, or at least arguing about who owns the fish. The fish was long gone before I came back and aimed my lens at the one eagle who was still there. Two American Crows owned the spot now and ate what was left of the meal.

I used the DX mode on the Nikon D750 for the first picture and still cropped the image slightly to frame the scene closer. Not ideal, but I liked the storytelling in the photo and thought a closer crop would work better. The second pic was shot full frame (FX mode) but was cropped slightly for esthetic reasons.


All images: Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S

NATURE CLICKS #411 - YELLOW-BILLED CUCOO (A FIRST, FINALLY!!)

Yellow-bellied Cuckoo, near Durango, Iowa

We hear its distinctive , rattling call almost every day during the summer, very seldom we see the bird, and I have never had a chance to aim my glass at a Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Until today! This cuckoo spends its time high up in the canopy of the trees and it is very difficult to spot it, even if you know where the bird might be, because of the unique call. This morning, after walking with our little dog Cooper, I heard the bird again and finally saw it sitting high up in a tree above our driveway. Well, against all common sense rules, I shot against a gray sky, but I wanted at least a documentary shot of this bird so badly that I gave a damn about rules. Of course, this is not a quality image. I cropped this picture to death, but still think it is an honest shot because I had no chance to get any closer. Last night we had thunderstorms with much needed rain passing through, for more than 12 hours. It looks like the cuckoo tried to use the first hint of sun to dry its feathers.

NATURE CLICKS #391 - SHORT-EARED OWL (FIRST SIGHTING)

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens, @ 600 mm, 1/125 s, f/6.3, ISO 800, photo is cropped,  ------------   

It was about time for me to get back into the Green Island Wetlands this evening. Beside the “regulars”, like Canada Geese, Bald Eagles, American White Pelicans, Sandhill Cranes (10), Mallards, lots of Red-winged Blackbirds, and the Northern Harrier, I watched the first pair of Wood Ducks this year. I also met my photography friend Kevin, who is the one who convinced me to join the Dubuque Camera Club last fall, and we shared our recent observations, discussed locations, and of course photography. As the sun went down and we said good bye, Kevin discovered this owl sitting in the top of a tree at the edge of the wetland area. First I thought it was a Barred Owl. We have them around our house and can hear their distinctive calls every night really close, but since they are mostly active at night we hardly see them and so I’m not so familiar how they look in detail. A closer look into the books at home revealed that this is a Short-eared Owl. The yellow eyes and the black triangle around each eye made that clear. Barred Owls have dark eyes and a different plumage.

This is a first sighting for me and even if the photo is cropped and a little noisy I’m very happy. I rather crop the image and keep a safe distance to an owl instead of moving in and become a threat. The safety and comfort for the bird come always first.

NATURE CLICKS #390 - AMERICAN BLACK DUCK (FIRST SIGHTING)

During a short trip to the Mississippi this evening I saw a pair of ducks that got my utmost attention. The American Black Duck is a first for me. It is not a bird you can see here in eastern Iowa every day, not even during migration. It has been on my “most wanted” list since a long time. This was a solitary pair, seen just south of the Deere Marsh behind the John Deere factory in Dubuque. This duck is not black as the name suggests but appears so at a distance.

The photography is less than mediocre but for a first sighting I will make an exception 😉. The distance between the car, which I used as a blind, and the ducks was way too big. The railroad tracks and a lot of water between us left no chance to get closer to the subject. For any other species that is more common I wouldn’t even have unpacked the camera. I don’t think I have ever cropped a photo that much to make it work. The loss of detail is obvious but the joy about today’s encounter outweighs the lament about the photographic results…

THE PICTURES FOR OURSELVES

Greater White-fronted Geese, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

Over the years I have tried to grow as a photographer and have developed some standards for myself about what goes into the trash can immediately, what stays in the library for documentary reasons, but is never seen by the public eye, and what can be printed as big as the pixel count allows. Of course, the aim is always the latter but it doesn’t always work out that way.

I made a lot of clicks last night in the Green Island Wetlands and in my post from yesterday I showed a couple photos that tell together the story of this evening. And if I want to print them, I don’t have to think twice. Well, my favorite picture is nevertheless the one I show you today. It lacks sharpness and it is heavily cropped (down to 55%), to make it work. So, what’s the point? It’s the gesture of the geese in front of that superb cloud that tells the story about bird migration and the great light last night in just a single image. Usually I keep this kind of picture (heavily cropped) for myself, but I know that some other photographers who follow my blog, try to answer the same question (Where do I stand with my image quality?). Let’s keep our favorite photos, even if the technical side is not perfect. It’s the emotional part that makes us happy!

NATURE CLICKS #380 - GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER

Great Crested Flycatcher, Mississippi River, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

Photographically seen it is a pitiful picture with lots of distractions, but my interest in birds makes me showing it anyway. So, lets treat it as a documentary shot…😉.

It was in 2012 when I had seen the last time a Great Crested Flycatcher. Yesterday, on our kayak paddling tour in the Green Island Wetlands, we saw this bird again and there were even a couple of juveniles. Unfortunately I was not able to move in the right position with the boat to get them in the frame. This adult flycatcher was high up in a tree and one of the reasons I used the word “pitiful” for this image is the fact that I had to crop it to death to make it halfway work, at least here in the blog. The photo connoisseurs among you may wrinkle their nose but I hope some birders and nature lovers can get a kick out of it…

3 PICS, 3 WAYS OF TRYING TO GET A PLEASING COMPOSITION

Beside the story telling in my wildlife photography I like to make photos that are esthetically pleasing. I admit, not every picture that tells a story complies with this criteria. At the other hand, not every photo that is a piece of art tells a story about the critter or the environment it lives in. I guess there is an in between and a demand for either side.

Get it right in camera and be done with it is a high bar that I like to jump but this is quite often easier said than done. Here are three pictures from yesterday’s shooting at the Mississippi. Each was made with a pleasing composition in mind but the outcome required more or less correction.

Focussing on just one Canada Goose and panning with the lens led to this shot. No crop, the bird’s position in the frame tells the story of a direct overflight, and the light reflected from the snow on the ground make for a pleasing picture in my books. I wished it would be always that way 😊.

More geese flying by at the same location. The light is again just great. I tried to capture the typical V-shape of the formation and integrated it as a triangle in my composition. Everything worked out good, except for the fact that one goose was cut by the edge of the photo on the left hand side. There was no remedy for that beside removing the bird in question. I didn’t get it right in camera obviously but this small correction made me keep the image.

Over the years I made thousands of photos with a Bald Eagle in flight and I keep still several hundred in my photo library. So, why another one? The shape of the cloud in the background and the way the eagle holds its wings at that moment make it an esthetically pleasing photo for me. Well, but I missed the composition completely by having the eagle dead center. I would not have a problem with that if the eagle would fill most of the frame, but here the cloud is an important part of the photo. It just didn’t look right to me. A small crop on the right and at the bottom came to my rescue. Again, not right in camera, but the photo is much better balanced after the correction in post process.

THE LITTLE CHANGE IN GESTURE

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

I made five clicks for this Tree Swallow last weekend in the wetlands,. None of them is really bad but I chose this one for the blog today. It is this little gesture of rounding the chest, tilting the head, and somehow looking into the lens that was pointed at it that made the difference for me. The photo was cropped in post from over 6k pixels on the long side down to a little more than 4k. This is about the same perspective I would have gotten with my old DX-camera, the Nikon D300s or by shooting in DX mode on the D750. I really try to shoot in FX mode whenever possible, means full frame, but in this matter I just haven’t been able to get closer to my subject. So what’s the deal? I can’t print it on paper at least 20 inch long without loss of detail. It’s OK for the blog here, but it will not stand in the world of high quality images. Does it matter? It does for me, because I like the photo because of the gesture the Tree Swallow shows off. So what’s the remedy? I need to go out and try it again…

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2015 #2

Bald Eagle

I had to go out this late afternoon. The weather doesn’t get much better during the month of March. To summarize today’s trip to the Green Island Wetlands, and further down south to Sabula, Iowa, I just can say, it is absolutely amazing how nature has changed just within the last 6 days. Because of the snow melt the ice on all the small rivers was broken, in the wetlands was plenty of open water, and snow is found only on the slopes that face north at the the ancient river valley of the Mississippi. The ice cover on the big river was still intact for the most part, but when I came back to Dubuque this evening I saw open water there as well

Nikon D300s, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM

Both photos I show you today were made at the main channel of the Mississippi River in Sabula, Iowa. They are pretty much straight out of camera, just the usual sharpening and a little work on the contrast settings. Although the composition in the first picture was what I wanted, with the eagle placed on the left, I finally decided to make the photo square and cropped it on the right hand side. It is more an artistic crop, because I felt that all the ice on the right didn’t contribute that much to the image. It is different on some other pictures I made, where the eagle looks straight to the right. But here the bird has a beautiful gesture by looking down for the fish just below the branch, or as it seems to look for its own mirrored image on the water surface. ;-) I think the closer crop does a better justice to this gesture.