Scenic Aperture

This video of sand hill cranes on the Platte River in Nebraska was shot with the Canon 5D Mark II and the Canon EF70-200 f/2.8. If you’ve got a fast internet connection check it out full-screen in 1080p.

Canon 7D with Canon EF600mm f/4.0

This year marks my sixth consecutive year photographing the spring migration of Sandhill Cranes in Nebraska. I just wrapped up three days shooting from Rowe Sanctuary, various points along the Platte River, and nearby cornfields. Rowe Sanctuary is owned and operation by the National Audubon Society.

Each year has certain similarities but also unique aspects. This year was unique for two reasons. First, it was really hot. I’ve never shot cranes in 88 degree heat!  Normally after an afternoon shoot your fingers and toes are numb from the cold. This year we needed a cold drink and a shower. Second, this year for the first time in my experience, the Rowe Sanctuary blind was not photographer-friendly. Never before have I felt unwelcome in the public viewing blinds. This year however, it was clear that serious photographers were to be tolerated but severely restricted. Granted, Rowe has specialized photography blinds, but for many photographers, the public viewing blind is a better alternative.

It’s not clear if the new photography restrictions were a result of new policy or just one over-enthusiastic volunteer. Rowe is clear about their mission – conservation of Sandhill Cranes and their habitat – not the care and nurturing of a photographer’s habit. However, in years past, I felt sanctuary staff  was welcoming and accommodating.  This year, in addition to previous rules, high-speed continuous shutter bursts were prohibited and LCDs were required to be turned off or covered. I’m no crane expert, but I find it hard to believe the cranes’ well being requires such restrictive measures. More importantly, disparaging comments from the Rowe Sanctuary staff  made the experience uncomfortable. I am fully aware the Sanctuary is privately owned by the National Audubon Society and as such they get to set the rules. I appreciate what they do and am grateful I have an opportunity to visit their facility each year. However, it seems to me they could further their cause by being a little more supportive and accommodating to nature photographers. Just one photographer’s humble opinion FWIW.

Ok, the rant is finished. Now on to more important matters; photography. Despite the heat and hostile attitude, I must say this year was quite productive. We were treated to some fantastic sunrises and sunsets and even though the number of birds were down about 50% from their peak a few weeks ago, there were plenty of photo opportunities. One of my goals this year was to capture cranes engaged in courtship dancing. Sandhill Cranes are monogamous and mate for life. They dance and call to to their partners during the mating season (and other times I’m told). The dance involves jumping, bowing, and extending their wings. You will also frequently see them throw a stick or corn cob into the air. I guess to a crane, all this dancing and stick throwing is quite a turn-on.  Any way, I wanted to come home with some quality images of these rituals, not only from the river, but also from nearby fields.

I spent considerable time cruising the back roads south of the Platte working on “dance” photos. I learned many years ago that cranes are quite skittish when approached. However, moving cars don’t bother them. Cars, even travelling at 75 mph on the Interstate don’t inhibit their dance. But getting out of ones car to setup a tripod and camera does disturb them. They will walk or fly away if you so much as open your car door. So using your car as a blind minimizes disturbance and gives you the best opportunity to capture their  behavior.  I’ve tried bean bags of many types for in-car camera support and until now have not found one that works for me (the top of the door is too low with the window all the way down or the support is unstable with the window partially up). However, a newly discovered gadget, the Puffin Pad, made shooting from a car a breeze, even with a 600mm lens. It is contoured to fit over the top of the door when the window is fully open (which is still too low for me) and it has a slit that fits nicely over a partially extended window for a very stable and sturdy support which of course allows you to adjust the height to suit your needs. The Puffin Pad worked great. It allowed me to get the shots I hoped for without disturbing the cranes. I highly recommend it to any wildlife photographer.

Here are a few 2012 favorites:

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Florida is a wildlife photographer’s paradise. Over the course of just two days (about 14 hours really) I shot over 20 species of birds – and I don’t mean I just caught a glimpse, rather I was able to spend considerable time photographing each of them. In this, my fourth and final post on the topic I will simply show a few of those species and favorites from two productive days of photography.

Possibly the most interesting (not necessarily the best photo) of the group is number two below; a Reddish Egret White Morph. I’m not an expert birder, but I’m told it is very rare. While shooting it I didn’t notice the pink beak and thought it was merely a Great Egret. Not until afterwards did I learn from a fellow shooter what it was. Cool.

As they say, even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then.

As always, thanks for looking. I’d love to hear from you about your Florida experiences.

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Snowy Egret - 7D with EF70-200mm f/2.8 @ 85mm 1/1600s -1.0 f/4.0 iso160

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Reddish Egret White Morph - 7D w/ EF600mm+1.4TC 1/1250s @ f/5.6 +0.67 iso400

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Bald Eagle 7D w/ EF600mm 1/1000s @ f/8.0 -1.0 iso200

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White Pelican 7D w/ EF600mm 1/2000s @ f/8.0 -1.0 iso200

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Osprey - 7D w/ EF600mm 1/1600s @ f/8.0 -0.67 iso200

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Wood Stork - 7D w/ EF400mm 1/1250s @ f/8.0 -0.33 iso200

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Oyster Catcher - 7D w/ EF600mm 1/1250s @ F/8.0 -0.33 iso200

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Great Blue Heron - 7D w/ EF400mm 1/1000s @ f/5.6 -0.33 iso200

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Ok, I’ve decided to blog some more about Florida birdies; the Great Egret this time.

Great Egrets, also known as Great White Egrets, range from Oregon to Mexico on the west coast, from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico along the Missouri and Mississippi river valleys, throughout the Southeast U.S. including Florida of course, and vast areas of South America. I have personally photographed them in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Florida, and Costa Rica. Although common, great egrets are beautiful and very photogenic, especially during breading season with their long feather plumes.

Here are some cool Great Egret facts from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

• The Great Egret is the symbol of the National Audubon Society, one of the oldest environmental organizations in North America. Audubon was founded to protect birds from being killed for their feathers.
• Not all young that hatch survive the nestling period. Aggression among nestlings is common and large chicks frequently kill their smaller siblings.
• The longevity record for a wild Great Egret is nearly 23 years.

White birds are particularly challenging to photograph. The camera’s exposure meter is easy fooled by a white bird on a dark background, losing important feather details to blown highlights, even on overcast days. It is even worse on high-contrast sunny days.

I almost always shoot in aperture priority mode and use exposure compensation as necessary for control. I will under expose the overall scene if necessary to make sure the white bird is properly exposed. To compensate, I frequently lighten background elements in post after the fact. As a general rule I expose to the right (ETTR) so that the histogram comes close to, but does not touch the right edge of the scale. A clipped histogram on the right side means blown highlights and there is nothing you can do in post processing to recover lost detail. With a bright white bird as the subject matter, this will sometimes result in under exposed or clipped shadows. Everything in photography is a compromise and it is usually better in my opinion to sacrifice detail in shadows in order to retain details in highlights.

Here are a few of my favorite Great Egret shots from two weeks ago. Thanks for looking.

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Canon 7D w/ EF 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 85mm f/4.0 -1.0 iso200

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Canon 7D w/ EF 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 155mm f/4.0 -1.0 iso200

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Canon 7D w/ EF 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 120mm f/4.0 -1.0 iso400

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Canon 7D w/ EF400mm f/5.6 1/2500s f/5.6 -0.33 iso 200

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Canon 7D w/ EF 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 190mm f/8.0 -0.67 iso200

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To follow up on last week’s post about Florida birds I thought I would blog this week on the Roseate Spoonbill, an exotic looking bird found along the coasts of Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. Its range also includes large areas of Central and South America. I have observed Roseate Spoonbills in Florida many times but this was the first time I’ve gotten close enough to get decent photographs.

The roseate spoonbill is a beautiful bird with a distinctive spoon-shaped bill with pink body and wing feathers. It is a large bird, about two and a half feet in length with a wingspan of about four and a half feet. Like the flamingo, the roseate spoonbill’s pink color comes from the crustaceans it eats. In the mid-to-late 1800s its feathers were used in ladies’ hats and fans. By the early 20th century, the population had shrunk to only a few dozen nesting pairs in the United States. Over time the population recovered and today the roseate spoonbill is no longer a protected species.

I made these photos at Alafia Banks Bird Sanctuary. It is recognized as Florida’s flagship sanctuary and  is the most productive nesting colony in Florida. According to Audubon Florida, “today the islands that make up the sanctuary are owned by Cargill Fertilizer, Inc. and leased to Audubon for operation as a sanctuary. Each year, up to 18,000 nesting pairs of 16 to 20 species of birds nest on the Alafia Bank Sanctuary, making it one of the largest colonies in Florida and one of the most diverse colonies in the continental United States. The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission has listed Alafia Bank as the most important colony in the state, due to its size (number of birds nesting), longevity of nesting activity, and species diversity.”

I was mostly interested in shooting the spoonbills in flight which was especially challenging from the rocking deck of our boat. My two workhorse lenses for birds in flight (BIF) are the Canon EF400mm f/5.6 and the Canon EF600mm f/4.0. Captain Terry was able to maintain optimum position so much of the time that the vast majority of my images were taken hand-held with the EF400mm. When a little more reach was necessary, I used the 600mm mounted to a Wimberly II gimbal head on a Gitzo GT2531 LVL tripod.

I used the Canon 7D exclusively on this trip. Its crop sensor came in handy for maximum reach. Set to aperture priority, exposure compensation from -0.33 to -1.67  was required to avoid over exposing the  the bird’s white neck and yellow head. I was constantly checking the histogram on the LCD to make sure I was not clipping highlights. Autofocus set to AI Servo and AF point expansion proved to be the most effective method for quickly locking onto and tracking birds in flight without losing focus to the background.

I find these birds to so beautiful and photogenic. I’m pleased to post a few of my favorite spoonbills here for your consideration and comment. Thanks for looking.

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Canon 7D w/ EF600mm 1/1600s at f/4.0 -1.67 iso400

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Canon 7D w/ EF400mm 1/1600s at f/8.0 -0.67 iso200

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Canon 7D w/ EF400mm 1/3200s at f/5.6 -0.33 iso200

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Canon 7D w/ EF400mm 1/1600s at f/8.0 -0.33 iso200

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Canon 7D w/ EF600mm 1/4000s at f/4.0 -0.33 iso200

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Canon 7D w/ EF600mm 1/2500s at f/4.0 -1.67 iso400