Posts Tagged ‘Wildlife’
Monday, March 19th, 2012
A late winter wildlife project that I like to do is to try and locate fox dens, which I can return to and photograph after the pups are born. This time of year the female fox is in a maternal state of mind. During the course of her daily travels she will often visit her den site to check things out, do some digging, and other spring cleaning type chores. We just need to know where she is going to find this den site. In order to do this we must become one with the fox–we must follow her on her daily rounds. A tall order indeed, but as usual, there is a trick to it.
The trick is to wait until there has been a fresh dusting of snow overnight. Then go out the following morning into some likely habitat and find some fox tracks. Surprisingly this is easier than it sounds. Fox tracks are roundish, about the size of a fifty cent piece, and go in virtually a straight line one foot directly in front of the other. Once you find them follow along. Not only will you get to know a lot about fox and their habits but you will get some great exercise as well. It may also lead to some great photo opportunities too.
Be warned though, pay attention to where you are going. One morning, while following a fox I was pulled deep into an unfamiliar part of some state land. I foolishly assumed I would just retrace my own tracks back to my vehicle. Well, as the day heated up the dusting of snow melted and I was left with no “trail of breadcrumbs” to follow home. Kid of frustrating!
Good luck and good light.
Steve
Browse Steve’s images, read his blog, and learn about his workshops at his site www.stevegettle.com
Tags: fox, Wildlife, winter
Posted in Articles, Vision, Wildlife | No Comments »
Thursday, November 3rd, 2011
The rut is on, at least in the northern half of the US. Now is an excellent time to get outside and photograph whitetail deer. At this time of year the males look their very best, with beautiful new coats, nice polished antlers, and necks swollen with the rut. They also have other things on their mind so they are not quite so secretive. Another thing I really like about this time of year is you have a lot more opportunities to photograph unique deer behavior. The deer in this photo is checking a scent post as he walks along a deer trail. Some of the other possibilities include fighting, scent marking, and various mating behaviors.
I like to work deer in local parks and sanctuaries where they are not hunted. One reason is that with all the hunters in the woods at this time of year, it is a lot safer for me. The main reason however is deer that are not hunted are quite a bit easier to approach and photograph. Even though I am photographing deer that are more acclimated to the presence of people, I still make sure to take my time when approaching. Because I would much rather earn the animals trust and be able to spend some quality time with it than do a sloppy approach and get one shot of the terrified beast before he bounds off never to be seen again. So take some time and do a good stalk. Never walk straight at your subject. Pause often, and avoid direct eye contact. Tail flicking, head bobbing, foot stomping, are all signs of nervousness. If you see any of these things take a break and let things settle down, before you move any closer. If you take some time here and don’t push your subject I guarantee it will pay off with more photographic opportunities on the other end.
Browse Steve’s images, read his blog, and learn about his workshops at his site www.stevegettle.com
Tags: deer, fall, Wildlife
Posted in Articles, Wildlife | No Comments »
Monday, October 17th, 2011
When people look at my work, one of the questions I get asked more often than any other is how I get such nice backgrounds. The answer is I work very hard to control the backgrounds in my images. I like to get nice monochromatic, out of focus backgrounds because this type of background makes my subject stand out. These monochromatic backgrounds are also free of distractions that would pull the viewer’s eye away from the subject of my photograph.
The way I achieve these backgrounds is by making sure that there is separation between my subject and the background. This separation renders my subject sharp, and makes the background a nice out of focus blur. It also gives the image a sense of depth.
For the image of the Cedar Waxwing accompanying this post, the background is a line of trees 50 yards behind the bird. I shot this at f8 which is enough depth of field to cover the bird and its beautiful perch. But at f8 the trees are rendered as a completely out of focus blur of color.
Browse Steve’s images, read his blog, and learn about his workshops at his site www.stevegettle.com
Tags: background, Steve Gettle, Wildlife
Posted in Quick Tip, Tips and Tricks, Wildlife | No Comments »
Monday, August 15th, 2011
Whenever I am teaching nature photography one of the things I really emphasize is that, in order to be a better photographer, it really helps to be a better naturalist. The more you know about your subject the more likely you are to be able to predict its whereabouts and actions.
The images you see here prove that statement as true. Earlier this spring I was out photographing when I heard a bird calling that was not immediately familiar to me. Stopping to listen more, I decided that it might be a Prairie Warbler. Prairie Warblers are only occasionally seen in Michigan, usually during migration. I decided to spend some time searching for the bird, and ended up getting to spend the entire morning with this bird, a species that I had never had the opportunity to photograph before. All because I knew its song!
I was told by a couple of birders (who driven four hours just to see this bird) that this was the only Prairie Warbler that had been seen in Michigan this year!
Browse Steve’s images, read his blog, and learn about his workshops at his site www.stevegettle.com
Tags: Nature, warbler, Wildlife
Posted in Articles, Tips and Tricks, Wildlife | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 27th, 2011
I’m always on the lookout for photographs of different animals using camouflage to hide themselves in their environment. Because most living creatures on earth are food for other creatures, the use of camouflage has developed as a successful way of not being noticed, and therefore not becoming dinner. On the other side of that coin, many predators also employ camouflage as a means of avoiding detection by their prey. Probably the greatest example of the use of camouflage is the chameleon that can change not only its color but its patterns as well, to better blend into its environment. We have a creature here in Michigan that also has this amazing ability. The grey tree-frog can appear a mottled grey to match the bark of a tree like the one pictured below. It can also become a uniform medium green and blend in with the foliage as well.
Here are some examples of different creatures using camouflage to blend in with their environment:
Browse Steve’s wonderful images, read his blog, and learn about his incredible variety of workshops at his site www.stevegettle.com
Tags: camoflauge, Wildlife
Posted in Macro, Wildlife | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 24th, 2011
Here is a series of pictures I made a few years ago. The pictures show the main stages of a monarch caterpillar turning into a beautiful butterfly. This group of pictures was made over about a two week period. All of the action takes place at the beginning and end of that two week period. Near the end you can tell when the butterfly is about to emerge because just before the hatch the chrysalis becomes transparent allowing you to see the butterfly inside.
I came home early one afternoon and found a transparent chrysalis, I knew that the butterfly was just about to emerge. So I got my gear ready and kept a close eye on things. As the day went on I could see the butterfly moving inside struggling to break free. About ten o'clock that evening I had myself completely convinced that it was going to happen very soon. At midnight, (twelve hours in now), I'm quite certain that the chrysalis is just about to burst. By three in the morning I'm seriously considering using a razor blade to perform an emergency butterflyectomy. Well, five am comes and I certainly can't go to bed, I had already spent fifteen hours waiting for this thing! I could not imagine going to sleep and missing it at this point! The clock on the mantle announces eight in the morning, and still no butterfly, OK this is just getting ridiculous! In the end the butterfly you see here was 'born' at 11:00 AM on a beautiful July morning, after I had spent just over 23 hours on stakeout!
I can tell you that I took a much deserved nap that afternoon.
Browse Steve's wonderful images, read his blog, and learn about his incredible variety of workshops at his site www.stevegettle.com
Tags: butterfly, chrysalis, Steve Gettle, Wildlife
Posted in Articles, Vision, Wildlife | 1 Comment »
Friday, May 20th, 2011
Editor's note: Welcome Steve Gettle to the blog! Steve has been a professional wildlife photographer for over 25 years. Hailing from Brighton, Michigan, Steve has traveled the world to acquire stunning images and to teach a wide range of workshops. Steve's work has been featured worldwide as well, from the Museum of Natural History in London, to the National Center for Nature Photography in Ohio. Steve has been a multiple award winner in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest as well. Make sure and take some time to browse Steve's wonderful images, read his blog, and learn about his incredible variety of workshops at his site www.stevegettle.com!
A few years back I had the privilege of spending some real quality time with a Sandhill Crane family. I have photographed cranes on the nest on several different occasions but this situation was about as good as I could imagine. The nest was located in Kensington Metro Park (a park very close to my home). The nest was very near the Nature Center so the birds were extremely acclimated to the presence of people. This was a good thing because at times there were more than a half a dozen people enjoying the experience. Over the course of about a month I spent dozens of hours photographing this incredible situation.
I found the nest early on and was able to photograph the adults as they incubated and turned the eggs. The incubation period for Sandhills is about 30 days, during that time one of the parents was with the eggs at all times.
Finally after a month of waiting and checking, the first egg hatched. In this first image below the female is still incubating the second egg while bonding with the older sibling that had hatched earlier that morning.
I knew that the following day the second egg would most likely hatch, so I was out early to try and photograph this event. This was my favorite image from that morning. In this image the mother is helping the utterly exhausted chick out of its shell, as the older sibling watches on.
I am fairly certain that the younger sibling had no idea what he was in for. In true ‘survival of the fittest’ fashion the older sibling tormented the younger, smaller, chick for the first couple of days. The reason for this is that if he eliminates the sibling it means more food for him and a better chance at survival. This behavior stopped after the first couple of days when the younger bird got large enough to defend himself. I am happy to report that both chicks survived at least into the fall when I last saw them before they headed south for the winter.
Tags: bird photography, Sandhill Cranes, Steve Gettle, Wildlife
Posted in Articles, Wildlife | No Comments »
Monday, July 5th, 2010
In light of this country’s holiday weekend, we are proud to bring you products from our friends at Wimberley—a company whose products are made right here in the USA, and whose products set the bar for the highest standard worldwide.
Photographers all over the world know and respect Wimberley products for being the pinnacle in their category. Gimbal heads, flash brackets, lens plates and quick release clamps by Wimberley are procured by photographers who demand only the best.
The Wimberley story is a true example of the American Dream. David Wimberley started in 1991 with a unique idea of a tripod head. This gimbal mount design became so popular with nature photographers that Wimberley grew from a backyard project into a full-fledged company.
David was joined by his son Clay five years later. Together, their drive for quality precise solutions added new dimensions to their business, and pushed Wimberley to the worldwide stage, all while maintaining their American value of loyalty to their customers.
Wimberley takes a great deal of pride in the name that they have built for themselves over the years. Always striving for excellence, Wimberley has provided the global photography community with quality products—Made in the USA.
See the entire line of Wimberley products here.
Check out our Wimberley Resource Pages!
|
|
|
|
|
| Lens Plate Design Features |
Lens Plate Compatibility Chart |
Flash Bracket Systems |
Quick Release Systems |
Tags: equipment, Nature, tripod, Wildlife, Wimberley
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Sunday, May 30th, 2010
Luna Moth, Chatham County, NC
You may have noticed that when referring to the process of photographing something I use the verb “make” and not “take.” The use of the word “make” on my part is VERY deliberate. To me, “making” an image requires fore-thought, planing and skill. Yes we all get lucky from time to time and “take” a great image without much thought, but in order to consistently create great images you have to be disciplined, prepare, plan and pre-visualize.
Pre-visualization is a simple and effective technique that can help in providing direction and focus to your photography, whether that is wildlife, portrait, lifestyle or whatever other type of photography you are into.
All of us, wildlife photographers, have those destinations we dream about going to, whether it is Africa, Madagascar, Costa Rica, Yellowstone, Alaska, or wherever. Naturally we want to make the best of the time we are there, and be productive and effective at making pictures. This is were pre-visualization can help.
Pre-visualization is nothing more than creating, ahead of time, in your minds eye the images you want to create. In other words creating a mental list of those images that for you will constitute a successful shoot. This will provide you with focus and purpose when at your destination and hopefully ensures that your time is spent as efficiently as possible.
Let me give you an example using the image above. I had a very concrete idea of what I was looking to shoot, and in this case the location was not so much a factor. I have been fascinated by Luna moths since I first laid my eyes on one when I was about 12 years old at summer camp in New Hampshire. I learned about their behavior, their life cycles, their preferred foods (they only eat while in their caterpillar stage, as the moths do not have any functioning mouth parts), etc. Typically, Luna moths have 2 or 3 generations in a year, with one of those generations overwinter in their protective cocoons. I had noticed that those generations that overwinter had much more vibrant colors than those that only lived through the summer; and that in some cases the Luna moths around my home had a very vibrant purple band around the bottom edges of their wings, a vibrant purple that matched almost exactly the color of the blooming Redbud trees that are so prevalent around my home.
With that information I then pre-visualized this image of an overwintering Luna moth with the purple color resting on a Redbud branch. Without going into too much detail, I had to get very lucky to find a newly emerged Luna moth with the right colors during the brief period of time in the spring when the Redbud are blooming (the flowers last approximately 3 weeks). With this pre-visualization in my head I worked hard to find the right Luna at the right time for 3 consecutive springs. One year I got exceptionally lucky and got the image I had in my head all that time.
Where was this image taken? In my front yard! The only reason I was able to get this image was because I was prepared, I had studied this two species (Luna moth and Redbud tree), and pre-visualized the image I wanted to capture. This pre-visualization helped me persevere for more than 3 years to get the image I was looking for.
Here is another example. Having observed Carolina Chickadees for many years I had noticed that they appear to be very playful. So I set my mind to try and capture that playfulness. I had also noticed that when trying to perch on a thin, smooth branch they had a propensity to hanging upside down. I then proceeded to visualize this image of a chickadee hanging from a small flowering branch. I created a setup on one of my bird feeders trying to make this image. I captured lots of other great images, of many other bird species, but I kept at it looking to make that one image I had pre-visualized.
IAfter a few days of persistence I was rewarded with the image below:
Carolina Chickadee, Chatham County, NC
In summary, pre-visualization can help you in focusing your efforts, and make sure you make the most out of any shoot. Study your subjects, the location, and environment in order to help you conceive of compelling images.
As I like to say “Luck favors the prepared”
This article brings “Wildlife Week” to a conclusion. I hope you enjoyed these articles and that you got something from them!
Juan
Keep up with Juan on The Digital Photo Experience and learn about Juan's workshops at Wild Nature Tours.
Tags: Juan Pons, newsletter, Photo Tips, pre-visualize, prepare, Wildlife
Posted in Articles, Vision, Workshops | 1 Comment »
Saturday, May 29th, 2010
Pileated Woodpeckers, Chatham County, NC
No image, no matter how good, unique or special it may be, is worth stressing, endangering or otherwise harming wildlife. As wildlife photographers, we all need to be advocates for wildlife, after all, if we, who love to photograph them, are not, who will?
As wildlife photographers we need to set the example for others, we need to take responsibility for our actions and make every effort to lessen our impact on wildlife and the environment. There any number of organizations promote their own code of ethics for safe and respectful enjoyment of nature, and I will list a few of those at the end of this article.
Here is my basic set of guidelines that I follow. I’ve made these simple and to the point in an effort to make it easy to remember and stick to.
- First do no harm – The foundation of the wildlife photographers ethic. You must always ask yourself if the next action you are about to take will bring any harm to wildlife. Sometimes it’s is very clear cut, sometimes it’s a little more difficult to discern what consequences your actions make have. In any case you should always be considering the welfare of your subject first and foremost.
- Leave no trace behind – We have all heard this before. This means not to alter, modify disturb or destroy any habitat, food source or surroundings. Leave your location in the same state than you found it.
- Never harass wildlife – This means never to never taunt, bait or force an action out of your subject. Be patient! The most beautiful wildlife photographs result from natural behavior. Never interfere with animals engaged in breeding, feeding, nesting, or caring for young. Learn the habits of your subjects; Respect and protect your subject, look for signs of stress. If you notice your subject is altering it’s behavior as a result of your actions, stop. Learn to recognize wildlife alarm signals for the safety of both wildlife and yourself.
- Enjoy yourself – We all have to remember why we wake up early in the morning, endure mosquitoes, ticks, chiggers, leaches and whatever other nasties mother nature throws at us when we are sitting in a blind for hours on end. We are out there to enjoy wildlife, and if we are so lucky, we get to make some great images in the process. So enjoy yourself.
Eastern Bluebird Nest, Chatham County, NC
Keep up with Juan on The Digital Photo Experience and learn about Juan's workshops at Wild Nature Tours.
Tags: Conservation, Juan Pons, newsletter, Photo Tips, respect, Wildlife
Posted in Articles, Commentary, Viewpoint, Wildlife | No Comments »
|
 |
|
Wildlife Week: Respect Wildlife
Saturday, May 29th, 2010Pileated Woodpeckers, Chatham County, NC
No image, no matter how good, unique or special it may be, is worth stressing, endangering or otherwise harming wildlife. As wildlife photographers, we all need to be advocates for wildlife, after all, if we, who love to photograph them, are not, who will?
As wildlife photographers we need to set the example for others, we need to take responsibility for our actions and make every effort to lessen our impact on wildlife and the environment. There any number of organizations promote their own code of ethics for safe and respectful enjoyment of nature, and I will list a few of those at the end of this article.
Here is my basic set of guidelines that I follow. I’ve made these simple and to the point in an effort to make it easy to remember and stick to.
Eastern Bluebird Nest, Chatham County, NC
Keep up with Juan on The Digital Photo Experience and learn about Juan's workshops at Wild Nature Tours.
Tags: Conservation, Juan Pons, newsletter, Photo Tips, respect, Wildlife
Posted in Articles, Commentary, Viewpoint, Wildlife | No Comments »