GVP #40 to #48 - From http://natureandwildlifephotography.blogspot.com/2010/05/keep-exploring-more-vertical.html
A couple weeks ago I went to the Air Show at Andrews Air Force Base. This was my 5th year going, and I'm starting to get my fill of it all. The highlights of past years have been the F-15 which is awesome and so fast when they kick on the afterburners. The F-22 Raptor is amazing too. It can basically defy normal laws of physics, and hover, flip, flop, slide, go backwards, sort of crazy.
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The part that has gotten pretty old this time is the crowds. My basic routine for the past few years is to be on one of the very first buses from Fedex field so I can get a front row spot near the middle. Doing it this way makes it a very long day but there's not a better place to shoot from really. With no one in front of you, you can have an unblocked view of just about all of the show. They have restrictions on what you can bring to the base/show, but you're allowed to bring a chair, a tripod, and whatever camera gear you might want to carry (but bag sizes are limited to 1 cubic foot). The problem is that even if things go smooth it is a stressful day. Carrying around a couple cameras, a few lenses, a chair, a tripod, and being out in the hot sun on the tarmac takes a toll. Add to this the fact that the crowds are usually around 100,000 people, and being up front makes your space a target. Every one that was home sleeping at 7am now wants to stand in front of you. So it turns in to a defensive struggle to not get ousted from the front row, or just stepped on and bullied.
The other thing that I found some this year is that it is somewhat hard to get unique photos when you and 99,999 other folks are there too. I guess it is not impossible, but it is hard. My vertical project helped a little to keep me trying new stuff, but, more and more I want to keep advancing my photography and being where lots of other people are shooting isn't part of the plan.
Maybe next year I will take a different approach to it to keep it fresh - like sleeping in, or not bringing a big lens and tripod or chair, etc. Doing it completely the opposite way, and shooting the static display stuff more, or maybe the people of the air show.
(I realize that I am posting this to my nature&wildlife photography blog, but to me all photography is part of the same continuum - the learning, exploring, and processes involved.)
The sad news of the zoo's lions loosing their new born cub was a real downer. But the work involved in the zoo's effort to build a lion pride has been going on for around 5 years! The fact that they have a male, 2 females, they've settle in to the zoo well, and now are a pride of 3 - and there's been mating and a single birth (this recent one) is a success. And this setback is temporary, and I am still hopeful and proud of the hard work the zoo has done to come this far.
And now on to some WILDLIFE! Last year I went to Cape May New Jersey for the first few times ever. I stayed over night both times, and had a real blast. During Fall Cape May is a major hot spot for migratory birds. I saw hawks, and a variety of other birds but the Black Skimmers were my absolute favorites.
In October (2009) there had to have been 500 birds (black skimmers) along the beach - in just one or two groups. By November (2009) the group was down to roughly 50, and of those only a handful for adults. For reference as to how much I enjoyed watching and shooting them - I probably spent 50% of my time just with them on the beach, and maybe took 3000 shots. The hawks, raptors, etc which motivated me to go in the first place weren't my favorites or even a big highlight. Just this one image stands out - and the close encounter I had with a Cooper's that flew by me at around a distance of 5 feet and plunged in to a bush to try to catch a meal.
This weekend I went again but didn't find any Skimmers. There were some on the other side of the Delaware Bay in DE. The highlight of this trip was probably the Piping Plovers and Laughing Gulls. Much like the Skimmers, the Laughing Gulls are pretty common but they have some character and aren't too skittish.
I was keeping Cape May a "secret". Lol. The thing is that people do follow where I go, and I wanted to keep the spot to myself. But in actuality the spot is probably the most famous and known birding spots of all the east coast north of Florida. I realized this (obvious fact) and also that I should be able to get my unique images regardless of who knows I shoot there. I am still going to try to keep my smaller spots off of my publicly shared spots (just going to share the images themselves) - but a spot like CM, it's like Blackwater or Bombay Hook - the locations are very well known already.
Later in the weekend I checked in on one of the osprey nests I visit, and the female appeared to be sleeping when I got there. She woke up when some other birds chirped to alert the neighborhood to my approach. But she didn't fly off the nest, and just watched me for a few. There's gotta be chicks already or maybe by this weekend. I didn't see any feeding last weekend, and have high hopes for this nest this year.
I've been shooting video on and off, trying to keep at that. Here's a short clip of the osprey from above, sitting on the nest and yelling to the skies!
Those are some of my recent travels. My goal of late is to see and shoot differently as much as possible. The vertical thing has opened some doors. Going to new places like Cape May, and oh yeah, I took the ferry there this time. That was interesting.
Other ways I changed it up this year was in February when I took a day trip to Assateague State Park. That's around a 150 mile trip ONE WAY! I got there within 10 minutes of sunrise! I shot there for a few hours and had some fun/success. I went to Blackwater Refuge also that day. And to show just how crazy/motivated I can be - I went to Great Falls for sunset too - all in the same day. Was about a 15 hour day door to door. And I got some great shots. And because that day was so good at Blackwater, I went again the next day and probably got my best / most different Snow Goose shots to date. That weekend I drove around 500+ miles and "worked at it" around 25 hours.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Keep Exploring & More Vertical
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Get to know your subject and repeat visits to a location
I first started photographing these Red-Shouldered Hawks in 2005. They're wild birds that live at the US National Zoo.
My earliest encounters were the hawks hunting and working on their nest gathering sticks and branches.
Gathering Nesting Material
In Their Nest
Red Shouldered Hawks Mating
By going to the zoo often, I got to know some of their habits, where they liked to hunt and hang out. One reason I think I was able to spot them regularly and not spook them off is how they've become used to the zoo's visitors and don't just fly off when a human is present.
That's not to say that you could just walk up to them and they wouldn't care, but that relative to other birds that might see a few people a day or none, these two birds saw hundreds if not thousands of people a day. These birds help to teach me about how to approach and how to not disturb wildlife. It worked out well for me because of how new I was to wildlife photography, and they were very tolerant.
For comparison, I've seen some Red-Tailed Hawks and American Kestrals at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, and these birds won't let you get very close at all. They see much fewer people on a daily basis, their range is probably much larger, and they have to work harder to get food. The hawks at the zoo sometimes steal food from the zoo's exhibits, where these ones have to work hard for every meal.
Since my earliest encounters with these Red-Shouldered Hawks a few years ago, I've probably seen them over 30 or 40 times. I've learned their call, and can hear them from nearly a half mile away. Sometimes finding them was easy, because for example I learned a spot they liked to roost in, like this particular tree behind the outdoor bird aviary.
This year (2008) I got some of my favorite photos of them, and they were mating. The day I got the below images I went looking for the hawks because I knew early in the morning they might be working on their nest. When I got to the area I didn't see any hawks, so I took a few minutes to make sure my camera was setup right, and adjusted for the light, etc. Then a bit later I spotted on of the of hawks, and then shortly after that the second hawk flew by with something for the nest.
I knew it could happen, that they'd mate, and I waited. Moments later the male flew to the female and they mated for a minute or so.
Nikon D300, 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D VR - @400mm, ISO400, f/7, 1/400th, 0EV.
There were many days I went looking for these 2 birds and didn't see them. Other days I'd find them, but either they were too far off, or the light was drab, or nothing special happened. But by giving myself the chances, and learning some about their behavior I was able to be in the right place at the right time on multiple occasions.
I wouldn't recommend finding a bird's nest and just waiting there for the action. Nesting birds, or wildlife with babies should be respected and given some distance. That said, every animal is different and is used to different things and can cope in their own way. These hawks were so used to people, and possibly and even me in particular that I don't think I bothered or disturbed them. You'll have to use your own judgment, and try to do what you think is ok. Over time you'll gain a better base of experience to make more informed decisions from.
-Jon
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