This is my take on customizing my iPad.  There are a few fun stickers available for the back of iPads but none that really tripped my trigger.  What’s a guy to do….make my own!  I think it definitely has that “Josh” touch.  =)

When photographing at places like Lake Erie Metropark (LEMP) or Whitefish Bird Observatory (WPBO), one problem usually exists; everything is too far away!  Even serious photographers with 600mm or more complain about not having enough focal length.  We don’t always have control over this but one way to get around it is to know your species and place yourself in situations where the action is most likely to occur before it occurs.  Knowing the habitat and hunting patterns of Great-Blue Herons at LEMP can drastically improve your “image keeper rate.”  Sitting in areas with a cheap tent or simple covering can bring species like this much closer to you.  This research and “hide” technique works with all sorts of species.  Spending hours instead of minutes at the LEMP boat launch in fall can also bring nice opportunities for Forster’s Terns hunting.  Late in the afternoon the Terns are still active with good front lighting.  This can yield fast enough shutter speeds for their erratic hunting flights.  If lighting allows, strive for shutter speeds over 1200^th of a second and stop down a bit (f8-f11) which will give a larger depth of field and also yield clearer results with cheaper lenses.  Be careful not to overexpose these mostly white birds.

The same “hide” technique is also an advantage in and around the forested areas at WPBO.  Simply setting up near the feeders knowing where your light source is can mean the difference between good images and great images.  Also work on composing images where the subject isn’t always in the center of the frame.  Try to capture birds as they stage ahead of actually feeding.  This yields natural imagery of species many southern photographers can’t compete with.  The techniques are different when venturing to the deck at WPBO for Raptors.  Some of the best Raptor photography in Michigan is from WPBO.  Timing is the key.  A better time to shoot is when there is a westerly component in the winds which helps send the birds closer to the deck as they stage for the crossing.  Stronger winds can also be advantageous as the winds may force birds to mill around at the point longer, giving multiple chances.  The “hide” technique is not necessary here but time on the deck is.  Spend time practicing and getting proper exposures before good opportunities happen.  Being prepared is imperative.  Aiming for fast shutter speeds here is also very important.  In cloudy situations, if shooting in Aperture Priority, bracket (exposure compensate) up to ensure detail isn’t lost in the bird.  If shooting in Manual, watch your exposure and expose for highlights but also avoid underexposing as noise will show up in the shadow areas.

There is a major difference between a Birder and Bird Photographer but that’s not to say with a little work Birders can’t become more developed Bird Photographers.  Spending more time preparing and then shooting can make birding hot spots even hotter for photography.

Hey all, Dad and I decided to make an update to the look we’ve portrayed for years.  This look is the Viewpoints Image of the two of us shooting in the field that vividly shows each of our shooting styles.  Of course, we had to stay with the basic theme Dad came up with in the beginning (as its sweet!) but given that it’s been over 5 years since the original concept, we thought an update was in order.  This spring, I came up with an image of myself at sunset that I wanted to use as a part of my new Trips business with Glances.  Dad liked it so much; we finished it off with a great shot of him in similar light and came up with the new theme.  I hope ya’ll like it as much as we do.  It’s been a tough but fun 5 years and we aren’t planning on changing much else other than more sales and more great imagery.  Stay tuned…

Session 1 consisted of a short presentation displaying some of the settings and techniques on the camera that can allow the user to be more creative in the field.  While this was a formal presentation, all participants had their cameras out and all learned these techniques first hand, with their own gear.  My goal was to lay down a good foundation on exposure techniques for birds and using the camera properly for lots of shooting the rest of the sessions.  This proved to be very worthwhile.  The last 45 minutes, we played around with some Trumpeter Swans in amazing evening light.  The group went away with some great images while starting to put what they learned inside to use in the field.

Session 2 was all shooting and we concentrated on song birds.  The Kellogg Bird Sanctuary feeders worked great but the group learned some great techniques on how to get natural looking shots near the feeders, not on the feeders.  This included techniques on getting birds to land on natural perches and how to attract birds to those perches.  It was really great seeing the group learning on the fly and getting great shots right away using many of the techniques on exposure, composition and obtaining pleasing backgrounds.  A couple of the participants commented how they came early that day to get shots of song birds at the feeders and how much their shots during our session were improved and natural.

Session 3 was the last of 3 and we concentrated on Bluebirds.  This was a hard session as the birds weren’t real cooperative but we were lucky enough to get a beautiful male Eastern Bluebird to land on our perch with a grasshopper in its mouth with about 5 minutes of time left.  Phew!  It was a great learning experience on how patience plays a major role.  Most participants got shots of this opportunity and all agreed it was a simply amazing experience seeing the bird in its natural setting feeding young.  (Please note we had permission to do this; never approach an active nest without permission and the knowledge to do so without disturbing the birds).

All in all, the series was very worthwhile.  The Kellogg Bird Sanctuary was a gracious host and has amazing pockets of great habitat that make for great shooting.  Please go out and see why this place is so worthwhile.  It was great getting to know some new friends and spending more time with old friends. Stay tuned for the next workshops coming up where you can take advantage of another great learning experience with Glances At Nature.

When: Saturday, October 16th from 7:30am – 6:30pm
Where: Lake Erie Metropark (departs from the Battle Creek area)
Audience: Ages 12 and up (limited to 6)
Fee: $50 per person

Sit back, relax and enjoy no stress as Josh takes care of everything and introduces you to a wonderful Fall Hawk Spectacle. This exciting day trip to Lake Erie Metropark (LEMP) is a way to experience Hawk Migration at its finest. Each Fall, thousands of Raptors migrate through this area on their way South to their wintering grounds. October is about diversity and may include views of Sharp-shinned Hawks, Coopers Hawks, Northern Harriers, Red-tailed Hawks, Golden and Bald Eagles, Falcons and more! The day will be filled with bird walks through LEMP in search of song birds, time at the watch site enjoying and learning how to identify Raptors, and also includes a stop at the Marshland Museum on site. All hikes are on easy terrain and will be at a relaxed pace.

I DO NOT recommend trying to photograph Lightning.  It can be very dangerous being outside with a tripod and camera during an electrified storm.  My technique involves using an intervalometer.  I first set up my rig and tell the camera exactly the exposure I want (gotta love manual control).  I then use the intervalometer to repeat that exposure over and over automatically without me being present.  I set it up, turn it all on, make sure it’s going properly and head inside where it’s safe.  It’s a fantastic way to shoot dangerous weather shots.  Care does need to be taken in order to protect your gear if it starts raining heavily.  The goal is to shoot dangerous weather as it’s approaching.  When the real bad stuff is actually on top of you, the rig comes inside and your session is complete.

One of the most important things to realize with exposure is there isn’t one single exposure that is correct for a given situation.  There are actually MANY correct exposures for a given situation.  Exposure is based on 2 principles (3 including ISO):

1) Aperture  (determines your Depth of Field, how much is in focus)
2) Shutter Speed  (how long the shutter is actually open, letting in light)
3) ISO  (makes your sensor more sensitive, FASTER SHUTTER SPEEDS!)

The following chart shows many possible shutter speed/aperture combinations that will give the same exposure.  The major difference between all of those combinations is the Depth of Field (amount that is IN FOCUS).

Given that exposure is based on shutter speed and aperture, let’s dive into these individually to get a better understanding of how they both affect exposure.  Shutter Speed is all about time.  Every camera has a shutter and when you depress the shutter release button (main camera button to take the picture) the shutter opens for a set amount of time letting in light to record the image.  The amount of time the shutter is open is known as your shutter speed (i.e. 1/500th, meaning the shutter was open for 1/500th of a second).  Aperture, on the other hand, is all about the amount of light the lens allows in the camera.  The picture below shows what is going on inside a lens based on what aperture you choose.

When you choose a wide open aperture (i.e. f1.8, f2.8 or f4 depending on the lens) this lets in the largest amount of light possible which means the shutter is open for LESS time (faster shutter speed).  When you choose a “stopped down” aperture, the lens lets in LESS light which means the shutter has to stay open for MORE time (slower shutter speed).  The most important thing with aperture is not that it ONLY affects your shutter speed; it determines your Depth of Field (DoF).  In its simplest explanation, DoF determines how much is “in focus” in your image (from front to back).  A small DoF means that very little will be in focus in your image.  A large DoF means that more and more will be in focus in your image.  While this can be hard to comprehend at first, I’ve found that most 1-on-1 participants get this by the following rule.  The smaller the f-stop number, the smaller the DoF, the larger the f-stop number, the larger the DoF.

Now that we know what makes up Exposure, how do we put this to good use?  One of the quickest ways to get out of those dreaded AUTO Modes on the camera is to start small and go into Aperture Priority mode (AV on a Canon D-SLR).  AV is a great starting point because it gives you full control of your DoF which is so vital to your image.  In AV mode, you set the aperture and the camera chooses the correct shutter speed that goes with that aperture.  If you are after fast shutter speeds, set your aperture to wide open or close to it.  If you are after a large DoF for flowing landscapes, stop down to an aperture with a larger number and more will be in focus in your image.  This may or may not sound simple but with digital go out and play with these settings and review your images right away in the field to see what is happening when you choose different apertures.  Seeing is believing and digital allows us to see these affects right away.

ISO does play a role in exposure.  By making your sensor more sensitive, you can speed up your shutter speeds in low light situations.  ISO doesn’t play a role in DoF but a perfect situation where ISO can help is photographing delicate wildflowers when wind is a factor.  In some cases, you want a large DoF which as we’ve learned above, will slow your shutter speed down.  By increasing your ISO, the shutter speed will speed up and may give you fast enough speed to get the shot without the wind affecting your image.  That’s just one example of how ISO can help.  To read more on ISO, please see Lesson 3 on high ISO.

Top 3 things to take away from this lesson:
     1)  Aperture and Shutter Speed make up Exposure
     2)  Start by shooting in Aperture Priority mode to control DoF
     3)  Practice in the field; review affects of your changes RIGHT AWAY

Stay close to the Blog for Lesson 5, The Ins and Outs of Shooting at Night.

While in the area, we went through Tuttle Marsh like we always do and found some nice stuff.   The first thing was blooming Milkweed with Monarchs all over the place.  You couldn’t walk/drive 50 yards without seeing more.  Kara mentioned it’s probably the right time for the Michigan hatch Monarchs to be out.  I was able to position myself in such a way to get the best angle possible given all the junk in the way.  With a little work in post-processing, I came up with a simple shot of the species on it’s host plant.

As always, many Osprey were flying around but it wasn’t until half way through the marsh we found the nest that was very close for viewing, and at eye level!  In a way, this was exciting but we think it may have been built during a time when not many people were going through the marsh.  Seemed a bit too close to us and the birds did seem stressed.  Who knows the real story but the bottom line is there were 2 large babies in the nest and the adults were bringing back more fish than they knew what to do with.

While tons of Monarchs were present, there were also many Dragonflies flying around.  I found a Halloween Pennant that was quite content perched on some grasses.  This was one of those experiences where I tried to be fast and get a couple quick shots hand-holding my 500mm (hard to do on such small species, so close).  I managed a few shots but nothing I was that excited about.  While the Pennant stayed perched, I got out my tripod and spent some time really setting up with a better background.  Much nicer!  I managed a simple shot with a color in the background that goes well with the Pennant.

We ended the journey with a short hike where I found a Bittern (quite sure it was a Least) but the bird was so buried in the reeds, I could only see the eye, a quarter of the face and under the base of the mouth.  The bird was quite small and had very light coloration under the neck which leads me to the Least.