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Tag Archives: wildlife photography
Kurien Koshy Yohannan — Befriending a Robin
Two photography subjects closest to my heart are wildlife and nature. Whenever I do get the time, I love going outdoors to be one with nature taking in the sounds and photographing the amazing plant and animal life that makes our planet so very unique. Each and every season has something to offer from a photography point of view and Spring is no less. Spring represents the time of year when plants and animals come to life after their wintry slumber and it is such a great time to capture this through one’s lens.
The air is filled with sweet songs of birds – a herald to us all that longer and sunnier days are fast approaching. One bird that I have always wanted to photograph, and have never had much success due to its flighty nature, has been the robin. Hence it was a very special day when a robin gave me the privilege of befriending it and offered me the opportunity to enter its world and photograph it up close and personal. It was a humbling experience and one that will last with me for the rest of my life. I personally consider it a gift to have been given the opportunity to showcase the beautiful bird that is the Robin.
I initially started shooting these images with a Canon 70-200mm lens mounted on a Canon 50D but as time went on, and as I gradually befriended the bird, I changed over to a Sigma 17-70mm lens that helped to get really up close to the bird and capture some of the images you see showcased here. All the images were taken handheld and owing to the fact that the robin was more than willing to pose for the pictures, I was able to experiment with different angles to capture the optimal image. This showcases another important aspect of wildlife photography – investing time in understanding and building trust with your subject always pays off.
Kurien Koshy Yohannan is a Scottish based professional Corporate event photographer who in his spare time loves photographing wildlife, nature and aviation related subjects.
Posted in Behind the Image, Wildlife
Also tagged birds, Corporate event photographer, Kurien Koshy Yohannan
6 Comments
Michael Sargent — The Archangel Duck
Every once in a while, you will snap a photo that simply defines why we as photographers, spend so much time in the field in search of our next great shot.
The photo I am sharing with you today has proven itself as one of those pictures. This photo has been affectionately referred to as the “Archangel Duck” and with that in mind, I will share with you how this photo came to be.
As a rule, I spend a portion of my free time de-stressing from the week by going on mini photography safaris around my home here in Western New York. With the Iroquois Wildlife Refuge a stone’s throw away, I can often be found walking a trail or sitting near a pond, in anticipation for what may come in for a visit.
After spending the morning walking through the trails, it had become clear that the weather was not going to cooperate. With gusty winds and some precipitation, wildlife activity had seemed to come to a halt. Frustrated and a little disappointed I ventured to the wetlands of the wildlife refuge in hopes that maybe my luck would change. While moving through this area, I had snapped several scenic photos but still had not seen much in regards to wildlife. The winds had locked down the geese and ducks, and most of them were taking shelter in the reeds, and amongst the cattails that are vast throughout these wetlands. Having made the decision to abandon my efforts for the day, I proceeded to start the long walk back to my truck, and call it quits for the day. Reflecting on the morning, I found myself slightly annoyed because I had spent the morning in the elements, hiking several miles with nothing to show for my efforts other than a few shots of the terrain and a wet backside.
With my truck in sight, I had decided to take one last walk around a small pond that was between my truck and me and this proved to be a wise decision.
Feeding in this small pond were two ducks, and they had not noticed my presence, as I went into hunt mode, and slowly approached for a shot. My angle of approach was concerning. The sun although overcast skies were present was peaking through the breaks in the cloud formations, and one rule of photography is to always avoid shooting into the light. Knowing this, I decided that if I was going to make this happen I would need to break the rules, and prepared the camera. With a rain soaked backside, I made my final approach towards an area of the pond in which the reeds and cattails thinned out enough to offer me the best opportunity for a photo. As soon as I hit the opening, my presence was detected, and the female duck had shot up, and proceeded to fly off. Knowing that I had only a split second before the male followed suit, I quickly raised the camera to my eye, and imediatly the male bounded for the sky. Instincts took over at this point, and the shutter was banging, as the duck made his exit from the pond.
Uncertain of how the images would look, I quickly made the short trip home where I would be able to view them on the computer and determine if any of the shots would be worthy of saving. While viewing this one shot caught my eye, and I proceeded to import the photo into Adobe’s Light Room program for some very light editing. Pleased with the results, the shot was uploaded to Face book where it caught the attention of several of my friends and fans. In addition and most recently, I was asked to donate a copy of this photo to a local cancer research charity for a fund raising event they were hosting. To my surprise, I was informed that the photo raised quite a bit of money and they thanked me for my help. Being able to help and do something like this made the trails of that day all worth it.
Sometimes as a photographer, you will at times have days like this. Waiting for several hours, exposed to the elements, and walking away without one decent shot to show for your efforts. These days I like to refer to as paying your dues. My advice, stick it out and endure, because simply, in the end when you catch a shot like this, the feelings of frustration quickly disappear. Wildlife photography requires patience, stealth, and knowledge of how to break the rules when necessary.
Some tech data regarding the shot:
Nikon camera and lens combination, yes I said Nikon.
Iso 400 at 200mm @ 1/1000 of a sec with an f-stop of f-8
Edited in Adobe Light Room, for exposure control and image crop.
Michael Sargent is a top wildlife outdoor photographer in the eastern United States. See more:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/M.SargentPhotography
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/msargentphoto
Blog: http://msargentphotography.wordpress.com
Hummers at High Speed
Humming birds can be a difficult subject to photograph. The rate of speed they move makes it almost impossible to photograph while in flight. Your best photo opportunities present themselves while these fast flyers are feeding or they land to take that rare break.
Over the years, I have anticipated their seasonal arrival, and with camera in hand, I begin taking advantage of some great photo opportunities. The first time I attempted to photograph hummingbirds, I was not pleased with the results. My images were not in focus, and often times came out grainy and overexposed. Learning from these photos, a different approach was used in an attempt to improve the image quality.
After reviewing my errors, it was determined that first off, I was in a rush; I did not take the time needed to properly dial my camera into the environment I was shooting in. Secondly, I used the wrong lens for the situation. A super zoom lens was used and I did not need to employ such a lens for the situation. Based on these mistakes, I wanted redemption, and would not be denied.
On an early Saturday morning, I set up my camera near the hummingbird feeder and proceeded to patiently wait for these fast flyers to start their morning feeding frenzy. Surprisingly I waited almost an hour for some action and when the birds started to feed, they noticed my presence. Every time I would move to focus on the subjects, they would immediately fly away. To capture the images I literally had to be in position and motionless to snap the images. Over the coarse of the morning, the hummingbirds became more comfortable with my presence and even began to land on some of the existing vegetation’s we had planted in years prior to clean themselves. Although I was able to capture some nice images with their long tongues out, my position had some obstructions in place that took away from those photos. My advice when trying to photograph hummingbirds is simple. Patience and time, Allow them to become comfortable with your presence. Doing so will benefit you greatly.
The shots: Canon camera and Tamron lens combination. 270mm focal length with an aperture of f-8. ISO setting at 400 with a shutter speed of 1/500 to 1/800 of a second.
Michael Sargent is a top wildlife outdoor photographer in the eastern United States. See more:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/M.SargentPhotography
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/msargentphoto
Blog: http://msargentphotography.wordpress.com
Posted in Photography Techniques, Wildlife
Also tagged birds, Michael Sargent, photographers, photographs, photography, photos, techniques, tips
5 Comments
Brilliant Wildlife Photography
Take a look at the beautiful wildlife photography featured in the National Wildlife Magazine contest winners and finalists. Some startling shots of animals doing what they do. Brilliant!
MORE THAN 4,000 images were submitted during the past year to National Wildlife’s 35th annual photo contest. Selected by the editors on the basis of originality and execution, the winners appear here.
Source: nationalwildlife The winners of the magazine’s 35th annual photography competition
Posted in Notable Photos
Also tagged cool, fun, great photos, wildlife magazine, winners
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