zcaley wrote:
Words cannot express the respect for the skill and the artistry shown here. The time you spend setting up the shots, that is true dedication to the art of photography and understanding the camera, the light and the scene. Awesome, and somewhat intimidating.......
dumb question maybe, but do you use a light meter?
Thank you ever so much Caley for your kind comments. Like anyone I appreciate it when someone likes my work.
Not a dumb question, but a very good one. I will try and explain my technique for metering. I do not use a hand held light meter, I use the spot metering built into the camera. Every situation is a little different and I approach it as such. Most digital camera's have their spot metering setup in areas of the viewfinder spaced out using the rule of thirds. Some may have more, some may have less. On my camera it is quite easy and quick to switch the metering point.
Spot metering can get to be a pain in the you-know-what when trying to capture birds in flight. At the Bosque with so many birds in the air, what I do is pick a single bird or a small group of two or three birds and set them up in my viewfinder and adjust my panning to keep the composition within the rule of thirds and switch my spot to the birds. On the snow geese or any other white bird I will also under expose between 1 to 2 f-stops as well depending on how bright it is. This can be determined by finding a bird on the ground with the same basic light that you will be shooting in the air. I take a picture of it and then check my histogram and adjust my f-stop until the whites are not blown out. Darker birds normally do not need any underexposure compensation. When it is overcast you may find that you don't need any compensation either. My method is a little unorthodox yet it has always yielded me with good results.
Many people use matrix metering will excellent results as well and most birders will adjust their exposure compensation for white birds as well.
One of the really nice things about the Bosque is that you get so much in-flight time shooting, that you can experiment and not have to worry about the shot that got away.
zcaley wrote:
Thanks for the informed reply.
Me again I also like the philosophy of keeping it simple (fancy gadgets) and knowing the camera and using the skill and thought to make the shot.
There are so many gadgets etc. you could spend all your time fussing with the toys and buying on a never ending spending spree of gadgetry, and not take the time to make/ take a good picture.
zcaley wrote:
Me again I also like the philosophy of keeping it simple (fancy gadgets) and knowing the camera and using the skill and thought to make the shot.
There are so many gadgets etc. you could spend all your time fussing with the toys and buying on a never ending spending spree of gadgetry, and not take the time to make/ take a good picture.
Don't rely solely on your equipment, our minds are the creative tool, if we just use them properly.
jmcfadden wrote:
You are in rare company Gary , in the midst of documentarians you are the Artist
bravo
J
Coming from someone that looks at his own work as a form of art and does not let his equipment limited his abilities to someone would doesn't know the difference between film and digital( ), that means a lot to me bud!
tom green wrote:
Wonderful job. I live only an hour or so from the Bosque and go there all of the time when the birds are there. Exceptional photography.
I am about the same distance from there as well. I hope to run into you sometime while I am there.
GSteele wrote:
...I limit my ISO to the lowest setting for the best detail and most of my lenses do not have IS/VR on them.
Both of these were taken using a 600mm on a tripod. No IS/VR and both were taken by manually focusing.
I spent a couple of hours following them with my camera trying to determine the best method to capture them and the area that would make them stand out the best in the picture.
Auto focus just couldn't keep up with them, so manual was the only way to go.
It was mid day and the light was strong, so I could get a nice DOF using a smaller aperture and still be able to use an ISO of 200 (lowest setting for the D2h).
The light level was very low, which makes auto focus a little iffy, so again I used manual focus. Fortunately the subject was very static and I was using a Kodak 14n with a ISO setting of 80. The shutter speed was 1/20 sec, a long exposure for that size of lens with no IS/VR.
I really do apprieciate the fact that there are many people on this forum (like yourself) who take the time to explain the whats, whys, and hows of what they do. Your shots are stunning and reflect the time and care you put into what you do.
There are some great tips here, I'm certainly going to try to remember them when I'm fumbling around, thanks again Gary.
It's shots like this that cause me to check my billfold to see if I can work out purchasing something Nikon. The color is to die for. Your expertise in photography shows through wonderfully, and coupled with that darned Nikon color saturation, it is simply stunning. That first shot radiate the reds in the wing unbelievably, and the background blur is so appetizing that I want to eat it up.
heathj1 wrote:
I really do apprieciate the fact that there are many people on this forum (like yourself) who take the time to explain the whats, whys, and hows of what they do. Your shots are stunning and reflect the time and care you put into what you do.
There are some great tips here, I'm certainly going to try to remember them when I'm fumbling around, thanks again Gary.
Thanks so much John and I am glad that there may be something here you give a try! I am not always the best at explaining techniques, whether they are familiar techniques or a different ones.
The internet has jush a broad range of people with different ideas and skill levels that at times it makes it difficult to know your audience. Sometimes you might start your explanation or reply with the basics, then someone may get insulted. On the other hand, if you skip the basics someone may go into a long dissertation about the basics you skipped over and tell you that you really don't know what you are talking about since you didn't even cover the basics. It's almost a Catch 22, but I won't let those people slow me down.
I always enjoy reading what someone is doing or trying, sometimes it just turns on that old light bulb in your head.
Hi Gary,
I sure miss you and THE place of Birds!! I know there is another guy that thinks he is THE Bosque photog, but those of us that know both of you, know that YOU are THE man!!!
Besides that. you are ALOT nicer!!!
Yep, old fashioned know how doesn't replace anything just because you have a digital....
As Ansel always said: "The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it."
Sure are going to miss everyone this year....the schedule just won't allow it
Please say hello to the Owl Bar (you can have my chilies on the fries) and everyone there from our group last year.
Please keep in touch and let me know how your new venture this year goes
I know you'll be in heaven even if no humans show up!!!!
I loved the snow we had on the hills last year.
Thanks again for all of your help and friendship and maybe next year I can bring a few more friends from my FM_NorCal group
Be well and say hello to Bosque for me... I'll be thinking of all of you the whole month of November!!!
Normcar21 wrote:
It's shots like this that cause me to check my billfold to see if I can work out purchasing something Nikon. The color is to die for. Your expertise in photography shows through wonderfully, and coupled with that darned Nikon color saturation, it is simply stunning. That first shot radiate the reds in the wing unbelievably, and the background blur is so appetizing that I want to eat it up.
Thank you Norm! I have a lot of friends that shoot both Canon and Nikon and each system has it's own strengths and weakness' and I see a lot of pictures coming out of the Canon's that is truly top quality. Looking at your sig line and with all that fine L glass you have, I would have a hard time telling you to switch and still keep a straight face.
BodieAngels wrote:
Hi Gary,
I sure miss you and THE place of Birds!! I know there is another guy that thinks he is THE Bosque photog, but those of us that know both of you, know that YOU are THE man!!!
Besides that. you are ALOT nicer!!!
Yep, old fashioned know how doesn't replace anything just because you have a digital....
As Ansel always said: "The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it."
Sure are going to miss everyone this year....the schedule just won't allow it
Please say hello to the Owl Bar (you can havemy chilies on the fries) and everyone there from our group last year.
Please keep in touch and let me know how your new venture this year goes
I know you'll be in heaven even if no humans show up!!!!
I loved the snow we had on the hills last year.
Thanks again for all of your help and friendship and maybe next year I can bring a few more friends from my FM_NorCal group
Be well and say hello to Bosque for me... I'll be thinking of all of you the whole month of November!!!
Now Nelcha, you are making me blush! You know I kind of wonder at times, since he spends most of his time teaching, that the love for photography has lessened in him. He seems awfully grumpy on occasion.
Well I know that everyone that will be there this year will miss you ever smiling face and great humor. Don’t worry, I will have them double up on the green chile on my fries just for you.
I am praying for a similar varying weather like we had last year even though it was a bit cold some mornings. In any case, I am sure that everyone will have a good time. How can you not have a good time with so many birds in one spot. I do hope that you can make it out next as well.
As usual, great shots, Gary. I'm going to be in AZ by the 15th of this month and would like to get over to Bosque by the end of the month. hope we can get together some time.
I also like the philosophy of keeping it simple (fancy gadgets) and knowing the camera and using the skill and thought to make the shot.
