It’s prime bird photography time, and my backyard chestnut-backed chickadees had eggs that hatched in a homemade nesthole May 9th. It’s a good photo-op, sunlit in the late afternoon, and with birds that tolerate my nearby presence. I shot a few “portrait-type” shots of the birds landing at the hole with bugs or grubs in […]
Photo Tip: Handheld Super-telephoto Lens Hood __ 04/2008
Another once unthinkable shift for outdoor wildlife shooters is handholding the big lens. Tripods have always been the rule for telephoto work, but in good light—even in the film days—handholding a medium-telephoto 300mm f/4 or 400mm f/5.6 for flight shooting was commonplace. Shoulder stocks or other aids helped smooth performance, as did electronic image stabilization. […]
Photo Tip: Patience in Bird Photography ___ 09/2006
You’ve found a wildlife shot to match your vision. Getting the shot often requires something more. Call it doggedness, tenacity, perseverance, or simply patience.For the last few August days, I’ve been photographing juvenile Green Herons that migrate through Seattle’s Lake Washington Union Bay each year. Most perches the Herons hunt from are crammed against the […]