Who doesn't love a booby? Red-footed Booby, Christmas Island (F6.3, 1/1600, ISO3200) |
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So time is flying by and we are already over half way through 2020. I hope that everyone is staying safe from Covid-19. The great thing about bird photography is that we want social distancing! In this edition, which I dedicate to Christmas Island (see my blog article, link below), I cover the essentials of Birds in Flight and which tracking options are the best for you. I have also set out the basic set and forget settings that I always have my camera on (and why), some links to free stuff and a new bird artist. I'll start with photo competitions currently open. Whilst we're on the topic of competitions, I want to apologise to my North American subscribers as I just realised that I hadn't included the Audubon Photography Awards in my competition list. Unfortnately, entries for 2020 closed in April, but there is always next year! I hope you enjoy this newsletter. Don't forget to send me your comments and suggestions for improvement. |
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CURRENT PHOTO COMPETITIONS |
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BirdLife Australia Photography Awards 2020 It's on again and you only have a couple of weeks left to enter!!! BirdLife Australia (Australia's largest bird conservation not-for-profit organisation) and BirdLife Photography have banded together again to run the BirdLife Australia Photography Awards 2020. Just to recap. The awards are open to ALL NATIONALITIES so long as it's an image of an Australian bird taken in Australian territory (as defined in the rules). The categories are:
Bird Portrait Bird Behaviour Human Impact Birds in the Landscape Creative/Fine Art Special Theme: Wrens Youth (under 18 years) Entries close: 3 August 2020 |
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Crikey! Magazine Photo Competition 2020 |
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I am delighted to say that I am going to judge this year's Crikey! Magazine Photography Competition, run by Australia Zoo, alongside Robert Irwin, Kate Berry and Harman Singh Heer. The Competition is are open to photographers from around the world. The categories are: Crikey! Magazine Cover Crikey! Kids Our Impact Australia’s Conservation 'Tails' Threatened Species (IUCN Red List) Entries close: 31 August 2020 |
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Lockdown 21 Photography Session with Quentin Mills |
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YOUTUBE VIDEO: Earlier in the year I was invited by Quentin Mills of Hunters of Light to participate in a video discussion about my bird photography philosophy: 'Learning the Rules like a Pro, Breaking them Like an Artist', part of his series, 'Lockdown 21 Photography Sessions'. There are a few other bird photographers' sessions in there too, so be sure to check them all out. The more you watch, the more you learn. |
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AUDUBON BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY ARTICLES |
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VIDEO: I have a confession to make. I can't do bird videos. I have a great camera but video, like flashes and tripods, terrifies me. Also, I know that shooting bird videos is the one time you need to use a tripod to stop horrible movement. But there is no doubt it's a great way to capture birds and becoming increasingly popular, so I thought we could all do with some tips about how best to do it. This article comes from Audubon's website. | | |
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WHITE BIRDS: I have talked, a few times, about exposure compensation and using 'blinkies', but it's always worth reinforcing the importance of knowing how to photograph white birds. | | |
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Lesser Frigatebird preening (F11, 1/6400, ISO1000). The same rules for photographing white birds apply to scenarios where there may be super bright light reflecting off light surfaces of a bird like this frigatebird's bill (which is more light grey than white). To avoid blowing out (overexposing) the highlights, I had to apply negative exposure compensation of between 4 and 5 stops (there was a LOT of contrast as the light was quite harsh). This had the added advantage of giving me a lovely artistic effect in a situation where most photographers would not have even bothered to take a photo. I will add more about how I took this photo in the 'How-To Photo Tips' in the 'Subscribers Only' section of my website (remember, the password is Albatross) once I work out how to do it (I am having a few computer 'issues' at the moment... in other words, my computer is in immminent danger of being thrown out of a top floor window...) |
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AUDUBON PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS |
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Okay. So you're probably wondering why I'm torturing you by showing you the winning photos that you didn't take in the 2019 Audubon Photo Awards. Well, bear with me, it is actually important. You need to look constantly at great bird images to help you develop a good 'eye' for bird photography, as well as build your store of inspiration. For example, you might not have thought to photograph a darkly-coloured bird calling on a frosty morning, backlit (or sidelit), against a dark background. But after viewing Kathrin Swoboda's winning image of a Red-winged Blackbird calling, the idea will be imprinted in your mind and next time you find yourself in a similar situation, you will be able to see the possibility of taking a similarly great photo (plus Audubon specifies the settings and gear used for all images). Imitating photos you love is not only ok, it is an essential step in developing your own style. So, yes, look at the winning images (and also at the entire Top 100 if you have the time). Be inspired. Imitate. |
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CHRISTMAS ISLAND: The Galapagos of the Indian Ocean Hands up who thinks that the only thing of note on Christmas Island (CI) is a very ugly and controversial detention centre? Yep. You would not be alone. ... Unfortunately, amid all the negative publicity surrounding its use as an Australian refugee/immigration detention centre, and then as a Covid-19 quarantine station, the true nature of this gem in the Indian Ocean has been lost to the world. For a gem it is... | | |
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TOPAZ DENOISE AI: I'M IN LOVE I know I mentioned it in my last newsletter but, since then, I have fallen in LOVE with Topaz DeNoise AI software - so much so, I am now an affiliate! What does that mean? It means I can offer my subscribers a 15% discount on the software (essentially, by sacrificing part of my own commission). The DISCOUNT CODE for the SUBSCRIBERS ONLY 15% price reduction is BIRD NERD (click on the link above and then apply that code at checkout). If you have friends who are not subscribers but are interested in the software, please refer them to my Blog article (link below), where they can get a 10% discount code. | | |
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Brown Booby (F7.1, 1/6400sec, ISO640) |
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Some camera settings, like aperture, shutter speed and ISO, I change from shot to shot but others, like metering and shutter mode, I almost NEVER change ("Set & Forget" settings) as part of my K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid) philosophy. Not everyone uses these settings all the time but it has worked well for me (mainly because I find that if I change these settings a lot, I inevitably forget to turn them back again). |
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Evaluative (Canon): the camera analyzes an entire scene and figures out a way to create the scene that it thinks you want. By always shooting in this mode, I develop an understanding of, or instinct for, how my camera will meter any scene and I make exposure adjustments accordingly. If you keep changing the metering mode, or only shoot in Spot Metering for instance, you will never develop that instinct. |
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RAW. RAW files are larger because they contain all the information gathered by the sensor whereas JPEGS are a compressed version (the camera discards the extra data). RAW are non-destructive. JPEGS lose quality every time they are saved. If you have the wrong settings (eg white balance or overexposure) it is not always easily or effectively rectified in a JPEG, unlike a RAW file. |
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Auto White Balance (AWB). This gives the best result 99% of the time, especially as I am always shooting in natural light. |
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Adobe RGB. Almost all cameras these days default to sRGB, which is the colpour space used by all digital screens. However, if you intend on editing your images - and particularly if you want to print them - you should change it to use AdobeRGB space, especially if you are shooting in JPEG. |
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Continuous high speed (a.k.a "burst" or "Spray & Pray" mode). |
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AI Servo (Canon) or 'continuous focus' mode. This mode is designed to track and analyse movement. The equivalent setting in Nikon is AF-C or auto-focus continual. In this mode, you can’t focus and recompose in the way that you can in One Shot mode. |
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"Blinkies". Enabled. Don’t rely on LCD images to give you feedback about exposure. LCDs have their own brightness and in bright sunshine it is hard to tell if an image is under or over exposed. The histogram is good BUT, unlike the blinkies, it won't show you which parts of the image are blown out. |
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Backbutton Focussing. I will explain this in an upcoming blog but, in the meantime, read this article to find out why and how to do it. |
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Standard. Whatever you do, do NOT set your camera on 'Vivid'. It might look good on the back of the camera, but it does distort and oversaturate colours and if you're shooting in JPEG only, you could be stuck with it. |
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Left: Red-footed Booby (F6.3, 1/4000, ISO3200); Right: CI Frigatebirds (F7.1, 1/4000, ISO500) |
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There are many ways to photograph birds in flight (BIF) and there are LOTS of articles and videos on the internet telling you how to do it. But how do you know which is the best advice for you? My advice is to look at the photos of the person giving the advice. Are they the kind of BIF images you want to take? If so, see what it is they do and copy. For example, recently I saw one video that said most BIF photos that you see are staged (eg by baiting birds to fly in a particular area) or highly planned. Hmmmm. That may well be true for some photographers, but it is definitely not my style. 99% of my BIF photos have come about through opportunity, not planning and definitely not procuring. But, setting aside creative blur or panning with the bird shots, what all good BIF photos have, regardless of who is taking them, is a FAST SHUTTER SPEED. Not having this is by far the biggest reason why most beginners' BIF photos fail. Below is a link to an article by Roman Kurywczak who gives the best advice on BIF I've seen on the net. |
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Photographing Birds in Flight by Roman Kurywczak. Roman is a great photographer with some fantastic advice. I highly recommend his article. | | |
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The above two photos of New Holland Honeyeaters were opportunistic - in the sense that I was wandering around my parents' property when I saw the honeyeaters hawking for insects from the top of some tall melaleuca trees. They did it repeatedly in a similar area so I knew that this would be a good opportunity to try and get some photos. I set my camera (Canon 1Dx Mark II, F4 600mm lens) to F6.3 and 1/4000 sec. This required me to use ISO 1000 even though the light was not too bad. The image on the left was taken shooting into the light (hence the bird and insects are backlit) whereas the one on the right was taken with the light at my back. For both images I was lying on my back, shooting almost directly upwards (the trees were quite high). I also had ALL AUTOFOCUS POINTS activated to maximise the chance of the camera picking up the erratic and fast-moving birds. All my other settings were as above (Set & Forget). If you remember just one thing for BIF photos, it should be this: set your shutter speed at not less than 1/1600sec. |
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TOP TIP: The most accurate auto-focus point (AF Point) is often the centre point. Therefore, in low light or when the camera is having difficulty acquiring focus, make sure you are using the centre AF point. Also, don't forget that the fast shutter speed rule applies to anything that moves, like this CI Flying Fox (F4, 1/4000, ISO 2500), not just to birds! |
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Juvenile Frigatebird. This image was taken from the Golf Course Lookout (which involves a walk down a hill, which is fine when going down but horrid when you have to go back up!) on CI. I used a Canon EOS-1D X Mark II with a Canon F4 600mm lens at F7.1, 1/6400, ISO640. |
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I got there at sunrise and photographed the birds against the morning light sparkling on the ocean far below. This has produced the lovely bokeh (round blobs) you see. The biggest challenge with this shot (besides getting up early) was to keep focusing on the bird. As the bird tracks over the ocean, the focus instantly wants to lock onto all those bright sparkling bits on the water. It's very hit and miss and the best chance of getting a decent shot is to narrow the focus points to a star-shape in the centre and then keep bumping focus to make sure it stays on the bird. |
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BIRDS IN FLIGHT - Tracking Options |
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Just when you thought bird photography was complicated enough, along come Auto-focus tracking options for BIF action. You can find these in the menu of most of the latest bird-photo friendly cameras. On my camera they are under the "AF" tab. Different brands will have slightly different options with different names (inevitably), but here's a basic rundown on how you should adjust them (courtesy of my genius friend, Ian Wilson), if your camera allows you to do these things: |
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Tracking Sensitivity (Canon) or Blocked Focus Response (Nikon) is the time taken for the system to respond to a change of AF signal. In flight photography, when the active AF point momentarily drifts off the bird onto the background we want the AF system to be slow to respond, giving a longer time for the photographer to get the AF point back on the bird. In other words DECREASE tracking sensitivity for BIF (For Canon -1 or -2, Nikon delayed response 4 or 5). However, when a bird is flying directly towards the camera at close range it is usually necessary to increase the response to +1 or even +2 (Nikon 1 or 2). |
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Acceleration/Deceleration (Canon). This controls the strength of the response applied when the AF system detects that the distance to the bird has changed. Leave it an neutral (0) but watch the results achieved when a bird is approaching the camera. If you find the plane of best focus is consistently behind the bird, then increase the accel/decel to +1 (especially do this if you have a long focal length or are using a teleconverter). |
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AF Point Auto Switching (Canon). This determines how readily the centre AF point will switch to another point if it drifts off the bird. We don't really want this, so set it to zero. We like the centre point because it's the most accurate. However, if there is a plain background (eg blue sky), you might like to try increasing it and see if you get better results. |
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Subject Motion (Nikon). This can be set to erratic, normal or steady. For tracking birds in flight the normal or erratic setting is recommended. |
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NOTE: I've got to say that, in very tricky light conditions, I've tried lots of different combinations and, to be honest, I can't always notice any danged difference in AF response. Sooooo, if that happens to you too, you aren't crazy! Or maybe you are, but at least you're not alone... ;-) |
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White-tailed Tropicbirds (White and Golden morph) (F8, 1/5000sec, ISO800) |
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So, in my spare time I've come across some free stuff that I thought I should let you know about. |
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PhotographyLife is one of the best photographic information sources on the internet (Nasim Mansurov is brilliant at explaining anything you need to know - check out his articles) and ... guess what? They have now put ALL their full-length video courses online for FREE! Yay! Videos go from Photography Basics (Exposure, Gear, Depth of Field, Autofocus etc) to Workflow and Post-Processing (including Lightroom modules, Capture One, Photoshop overview and Printing and Publishing!). | | |
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Audubon has a wonderful Online Bird Guide with text and range-maps adapted from 'Lives of North American Birds' by Kenn Kaufman © 1996, used with the permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. The Guide also has audio of bird calls. |
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"Art is an effort to create, beside the real world, a more humane world." Andre Maurois, French Author
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www. heidiwillis.com.au Heidi Willis is an amazing self-taught Australian watercolour artist specialising in Botanical, Bird and Natural History illustration. Her work intricately illustrates the beauty of native and exotic plants, flowers, fruits and seed capsules, but it was her stunning bird portraits that especially caught my eye. I'm sure that you will enjoy this brief introduction to her work. |
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Snow Pelicans – ‘Keeper of the Flock’ You can see more of this beautiful painting by watching it emerge in a time lapse clip on the artist's YouTube Channel. |
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Zebra Finch Illustration – Watercolour The fifth in a series of watercolour finch paintings. |
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‘Jacaranda Blooms – Blue Wrens’ Watercolour |
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Unsurprisingly, these beautiful and meticulous works can be found in significant public and private collections around the world. To find out more (or to make a purchase) go to www.heidiwillis.com.au (where the artist also has some art tutorials for sale) or FOLLOW her on Instagram at @Heidiwillisart and on YouTube. |
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Happy clicking everyone! I will be back with some exciting news and developments in my next newsletter but, in the meantime, please lend me your patience. I have some travel plans as well as family commitments which means that the next one may not be for a few months yet! As always, though, I promise it will be worth the wait. In the meantime I will, from time to time, add more resources to the Subscriber's Only section (password: Albatross). I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their ongoing support and to assure you that you will get some nice rewards for your loyalty sometime in 2021 (a.k.a secret projects I am working on). Exciting! In the meantime, please take care, stay safe and wipe wisely! |
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