THE OTHER SHOT

Autumn light, Dunnings Spring Park, Decorah, Iowa

Driving back home from another business trip this afternoon I took the time and stopped at Iowas tallest waterfall in Decorah at Dunnings Spring Park. This location is part of the Driftless Area here in the Midwest, not flattened by the glaciers of the ice age, and home of  clear trout streams, waterfalls, caves, and it is just as gorgeous as it is in our neck of the woods.

I guess you may ask, Andreas, where is the waterfall? Well, I made quite a few clicks. Used a tripod and shot with long exposure times to make the water looking smooth, tried to avoid the dappled light as much as possible, but still didn’t like the outcome. I have photographed the waterfall before and accepted somehow that this time we had a lot less water coming down the stream after a dry summer. At the end, looking at my photos on the screen of the monitor, it was not what I had in mind. They just didn’t tell the story of a ”great waterfall” as I had remembered it.

This is a very narrow side valley of the Upper Iowa River and there is only a short time during the day when the sun actually shines into it. While hiking down back to the parking lot my eyes were on the crystal clear waters of the stream and suddenly I saw another picture opportunity. It is this certain quality of light as we can only experience in autumn and that I love so much, even with the absence of fall colors in the trees. The leaves are almost gone her in eastern Iowa. It’s still warm, but winter is coming for sure…

ONLY IN THE SPRING

Chipping Sparrow braving the rain

There are certain photos that we can make only in early spring. It’s not just about the usual arrival of several birds from the south during the last week of April, but also about a certain quality of light at this time of the year, the still open space between branches in the trees, and the color that is added by the lush green of the first leaves that pop out. Not to forget that most birds look at their best during mating season.

After all the thunderstorms that hit the Midwest we had a rainy Sunday and the muted light made for some nice photography in the front yard. This male Chipping Sparrow didn’t hide from the rain and watched a female below. Most of the time they can be seen together foraging on the ground. Having the bird on an oak branch with fresh leaves makes for a much better picture than just sparrows in the grass.

House Wren

Currently two House Wrens sing their heart out near any potential nesting site in the yard, starting already early in the morning. They both hope to attract a female at some point in time but I think the ladies aren’t even here yet. At least I haven’t seen one today. The House Wrens perch often on a solitary branch or stick and make it easy for the photographer to find a background that isn’t distracting from the bird.

All photos: Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, 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, Westscott FJ80 II speed light, Westscott Magnetic diffusion dome @850 mm

FUN IN THE SETTING SUN

Downy Woodpecker, Little Maquoketa Valley, Iowa

The sun came out finally this afternoon, reason enough to spent the hour before sunset behind the camera with the SIGMA 150-600 S attached. With the much warmer weather the birds seemed to visit the feeders less frequently and some patience was required at times. Most of the snow has melted away but in our front yard was still plenty enough to bounce the light upwards. With the sun sitting low above the ridge, the natural light had a nice quality and I didn’t employ a speed light for better color control this time.

Before the woodpeckers approach a suet feeder they carefully check the surrounding area from a nearby tree or shrub. This is the moment I’m mostly waiting for. Just fun in the setting sun…

BIRDS AND A NEW TOOL IN THE BAG

Black-capped Chickadee

I haven’t produced much with the camera lately, mostly due to a busy travel and work schedule, and this won’t change much for the next couple weeks. We had some snow on the ground this morning but it melted away quickly and made for a gray and drab rest of the day. I had in mind to do some bird photography, just shooting away from a tripod on the porch, while the birds approach our numerous bird feeders. With the lack of quality light it was the perfect time to practice with a new tool that is in my camera bag already since October. I just had no chance until today to use a new speedlight, the Westscott FJ80 II, for any wildlife photography. It has delivered good results so far for taking pictures of machinery during a trade show in October and for family photos during my recent trip to Germany.

Male House Finch

Of course, I was excited to see what it can deliver for color enhancement of birds on a gray day like today. I tested a lot today but will talk about the technical side of this speedlight in a future blog post. More practice with the new tool is definitely required, but so far I have been impressed with the quality of light it can deliver with a diffusion dome attached.

All photos: Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head, Westscott FJ80 II speed light, Westscott Magnetic diffusion dome

Female House Sparrow

Male Downy Woodpecker

MAKING THE DIFFERENCE

Black-capped Chickadee enjoying the last sun of a warm spring day

During my public presentations about wildlife photography I point out that shooting the local species, the animals we can find all year long in the area where we live, is a great starting point. It will lead earlier or later to success and encouragement for further advance with wildlife photography. Even with the most common cameras, the ones we have in our cell phones, good results are possible. With this endorsement comes always the remark, make a difference by photographing the local species in great light. Having a photograph of a very rare species in mediocre light is sometimes accepted for documentary purposes. But with the local species we should make a difference. Quite often we try to tell a story about animal behavior, about the season , about a certain gesture, or just about their beauty. Sometimes all of those together. A certain quality of light may draw the attention to a picture of a common species, the animal that everybody has seen a thousand times before, it will make the difference.

GREAT LIGHT WORKS

Not every critter or bird is as attractive as the pelicans I had yesterday in my blog post, but they all play their role in the ecosystem of the wetlands. It took me a long time to learn that the only way to come back with a decent picture of animals, who are a little less appealing, is the presence of great light. A gray sky or a lot of glare on the water will effect the results often not in our favor. Including some colorful reflections on the water, without making them the subject of the photo, can also help to make a nice portrait of a muskrat or turtle. Paddling the kayak with the sun sitting low and from your back or the side is the most promising scenario.

This Common Muskrat swam right at me shortly after I left the boat ramp at Green Island. Muskrats eat the roots, stems, leaves, and fruits of a many water plants. Even though they are mainly plant eaters, small fish, clams or snails can be part of their diet.

To see turtles stretched out on a log in the water is very common in early spring, when they warm up in the sun. The Painted Turtle with its fine yellow lines is the most common turtle in the Mississippi. While approaching them I usually stop paddling as I get closer and let the boat just drift towards these reptiles. This extends the time they will stay on the log before gliding into the water, time that helps to fill the frame.

CAN THE OTHER SEASONS DELIVER?

I love the colors of autumn as you may have seen in recent blog posts. The coloration of the leaves tells a visual story about the season easily. Can we do that in black and white by using light and gestures only? Well, here is a trial. Winter, no tall grass…spring, grass still very short…summer, grass growing, but still not as tall and light never at this quality from that angle…. I guess it must be fall! I’m not totally serious about this, because at the end it’s all about the light that wraps around the swaying grass. Spring, summer, and winter just can’t deliver the same way for this shot…

ORDINARY SITUATION, BUT THE LIGHT!

Downy Woodpecker, Little Maquoketa River Valley, Iowa

I actually thought to continue with some more photos from our recent trip through New Mexico but a few days ago I caught this picture of a Downy Woodpecker in front of the house and I like to share it with you. There is nothing special about this male woodpecker although they have a special place in my heart. The Downies are here in our woods all year long and we see about 6-7 coming to our suet feeders at the moment. The “woodpecker tree”, a dead cedar log that holds one of the feeders, is always in the front yard. So, what is so special? It is the gorgeous light of the setting sun that hits the tree and let the woodpecker stand out briefly, just moments before the night swallows the scene. I hope you don’t mind and enjoy. More from New Mexico next time, I promise…

HUMMINGBIRD ON “BULLY”-DUTY

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird

As every year, the first Ruby-throated Hummingbirds show up by the end of April and their numbers increase during the month of May. This photo was made a month later. The fresh green and tiny branches of a little maple tree in our front yard make a good perch for the birds and we can count on that a male will use it to “bully” the neighbors and drive other hummers away from the nearby hummingbird feeders. Right now, summer has taken over with full force, high temperatures and humidity, and the quality of light is just not the same anymore as it was ten days ago. The early morning rendered some great light and the feathers of the little guy show their brilliance even without a hint of flash.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head,    @ 600 mm, 1/800 s, f/6.3, ISO 200, DX crop,

RETROSPECTS 2020 - #11

Black-capped Chickadee

My retrospects 2020 series isn’t so much about the best picture for each month but for the moments that put a smile in my face when I look at the image. In November, after the leaves are all on the ground but snow hasn’t touched the land around, the one thing that makes me taking the camera everywhere I go is the crisp light. Without the haze of the warmer months here in Iowa and the sun low above the horizon, the quality of light makes photography pure fun.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2019 #02 - WHEN THE MOMENT IS RIGHT

Green Island Wetlands, Mississippi Valley, Iowa

I have been asked before, Andreas, why don’t you take more landscape pictures of the Green Island Wetlands if you go there so often? I admit this is a valid question and I never have formulated a real answer.

As you have figured out by now, I love the Upper Mississippi Valley and one of my favorite places to go is the Green Island area, where the Maquoketa River meets the mighty Mississippi. A system of levees and dykes keeps the water level separate from both rivers and provides great habitat for all kinds of birds, fish, and critters. So far so good, but what is the subject for a good landscape photo? We have plenty of water, mud banks, reeds and aquatic plants, trees (many of them dead), and of course some wildflowers during the summer. If all these things can be combined it still doesn’t make automatically for a good picture, even if the light has some quality.

Today some good size thunderheads piled up during the afternoon and as soon I was done with my work I jumped in the car and drove down to the wetlands. The thunderheads dissolved quickly but still left some good clouds this evening, the additional ingredient for a landscape photo in Green Island.

What’s also special in this image is the fact that the water level has never been so high during the last ten years and since I visit this area. What looks like another lake on the left hand side is usually grassland and fields with maybe some puddles, but right now most of it is flooded. The lake on the right is most of the time very shallow and covered with reeds and water plants. It is my favorite spot to photograph sandpipers and other shorebirds foraging on the mudbanks. Well, mudbanks make not necessarily a good foreground, but without them, and good light, some wildflowers, and of course the clouds,…. Today the time was right for a landscape photo in the Green Island Wetlands.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 16-35mm / f4, Schneider Graduated ND filter 0.9, @16 mm, 1/80s, f/18, ISO200

EASTER WITH WILDFLOWERS

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

It all comes together right now on this Easter weekend, the wildflowers in the woods behind our house can be photographed in great light as long the sun is out. Going out early in the morning or during the late afternoon gives the best chances for a good quality of natural light. Going down low to the ground with the camera or using the topography of our steep slopes for a good perspective is mandatory, but other than that, it is an easy click.

Wishing all of you a wonderful Easter weekend!

Nikon D750, Sigma 150mm / f2.8 APO EX DG HSM,   @1/1000 s, f/5.6, ISO200

THREE LIGHT SOURCES

Staircase, Meissen Cathedral, Germany

The Meissen Cathedral has many interesting architectural details. When I was ready to leave one of the chapels and stepped into this spiral staircase, I knew immediately I had a picture. The light that came through the small window and from the room behind me was complemented with light from a small lamp in the staircase. The mix of daylight and incandescent light from the bulb were actually well taken by the camera (white balance was set to Auto), but I knew only the development of the photo in black & white will do justice to the subtle impact of all three light sources.

A LOT HAS TO HAPPEN…

Canada Geese, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

A lot has to happen before I post a picture of Canada Geese here in the blog. We have them all year long in the Mississippi Valley and it is not really difficult to find some. However, they are always a good subject to practice and when the quality of the light is above average I can’t resist and will make the click.

This photo is still from last weekend. The sun had a very soft light and was reflected by the ice on the river. This gave the birds some additional light from underneath and in addition I liked the colors and soft appearance of the background. As I said above, a lot has to happen…😉

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, @ 600 mm, 1/500 s, f/8, +0.66EV, ISO200

NATURE CLICKS #419 - MOURNING DOVE

Today was my presentation about STORYTELLING IN WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY, hosted by the Friends of the Mines of Spain, in the E.B. Lyon Interpretive Center, Dubuque, Iowa. We had a great audience and the questions at the end showed how passionate many people are about wildlife, conservation, and of course photography.

One of the topics I was talking about is how we can make better photographs of the common species. You know, the ones that are present most of the time and not so difficult to find. Well, we can look and wait for good gestures or shoot from a more interesting angle instead of pointing the camera down to the critter, but I think the most important point is to photograph the common species in interesting light. Light that really shows their colors or texture of fur or feathers.

Such a common species here is the Mourning Dove. We have usually between four and a dozen of them around here in our woods. They come to the bird feeders once in a while but most of the time they sit on a branch, expose themselves to the sun, and try to stay warm. Not really exciting action, but if they come close and there is some good warm side light from the low sun I can’t resist and have to make a few clicks of these pretty wild doves.