What do you do when a 1,100 pound Great White Shark jumps into your boat? That was the situation shark researchers found themselves in while working near Seal Island in South Africa. It s a story of drama, heroics, and a very big fish. For a full account, visit the Shark Chronicles blog.
Sometimes they are as curious about us as we are about them.
This spotted hyaena was photographed smelling the bumper of our Landrover as it walked past. The image was captured using a Canon 1D mark 2, 500mm IS lens with a 1.4 teleconverter, at 200 ISO.
This is the first summer in five years that I will not spend some of my time in Africa. It is an amazing place and images like the one above remind me how much I miss it.
The image was captured using a Canon 1D mark 4, 120-300mm lens with a 1.4 teleconverter, at 400 ISO.
I always have fun photographing baboons. Their faces are expressive and their interactions remind me of a big family get together. Best of all, they travel in large troops, so if you miss a shot, you have several hundred more chances. Photographically, the problem is that it is easy to photograph baboons, it is hard to photograph a baboon. Removing all of the distractions and focus in on a single behavior or interaction is a serious technical challenge. The solution is a long lens and a lot of patience.
The large male baboon shown above is a good example. Using a long lens (300mm lens with a 1.4 teleconverter) I was able to narrow the angle of view, thereby removing the visual distractions. Next I focused on the face, which presented an additional issue, limited depth of field. Long lenses have reduced depth of field and it is essential to control which part of the scene will be in focus. Each twist of the head shifted the point of focus and changed the image. With wildlife, the key is to get the eyes sharp. From that point on, it became a waiting game for when all the elements come together: the head turned in the right direction, the expression interesting, and the eyes in focus.
The image was captured using a Canon 1Ds mark 3, 120-300mm Sigma lens with a 1.4 teleconverter, at 800 ISO.
I always get excited when photographing monkeys. Their appearance and expressions make it almost impossible not to see something of ourselves when looking at this. In this case, three young vervet monkeys were playing in the trees. Watching them jump between the branches, I realized that capturing an in focus image was going to be a challenge. Instead of tracking the monkeys with my camera, I sat back and watched what they were going. It wasn’t idil entertainment. I was looking for a pattern. After a few minutes, the pathway the three vervet were following became obvious and I set about taking my image. rather then chasing after the overactive monkeys, I pointed my camera at their favorite jumping spot. By prefocusing on the opening in the branches all i had to do was wait for a monkey to enter the frame.
The image of the vervet monkey was captured using a Canon 1D mark 2, 500mm IS lens with a 1.4 teleconverter, at 400 ISO.
It has been a while since I last posted to the blog. The school year has now ended and while busy, it went well. So, with that done, lets get back to photography. Today’s image is a banded mongoose photographed on safari in Tarangire National Park in Tanzania. These little guys are extremely difficult to photograph. They tend to stay in the tall grass and capturing a clean image is largely a matter of luck and timing. Occasionally they stand up to look around and that moment, as they lift their head above the grass, is the best photographic opportunity.
The image was created using a Canon 1D mark 4, 500mm IS lens with a 1.4 teleconverter, at 400 ISO.
This image of a lioness hanging out in a tree was taken in Serengeti National Park two years ago during one of my photo safaris. While they are not the best tree climber (too big), lions do occasionally climb to get away from the bugs. This female was kind enough to pose for use for over an hour before climbing down and leaving. The image was captured using a Canon 1D mark 2, 20-70mm lens (set to 34mm), at 200 ISO. After getting the closeup shots, I wanted to go fro the animalscape that included the beautiful habitat. The picture was taken from a vehicle and the camera was supported by a beanbag.
I admit it. I am an ISO snob. Most nature photographers are, especially if they started with film. 19 years ago I got my start in wildlife photography with a Nikon camera and a few rolls of film. As an aspiring nature photographer, I read everything I could find on the subject and one piece of advice stood out above all others. Real nature photographers use low ISO film. Of course, I wanted to be a real nature photographer (even if my pictures were mostly blurry black blobs, it was the thought that counts), so I used low ISO film. This was a time when Fuji Velvia had just hit the market and at 50 ISO, Velvia certainly qualified as slow speed film. After a few years, I switch to Kodak 100VS, another saturated film that provided the lightning speed of 100 ISO. For years I was happy shooting at 100 ISO. On rare occasions I pushed the film to 200 ISO. I even admit to once pushing it to 400 ISO, but I was dehydrated that day and not responsible for my actions. The idea of using high ISO settings went against my very core as a nature photographer. I either got a noise free image, or I didn’t get the shot. It was that simple.
Then things began to change. In 2003 I purchased my first digital camera. No, I didn’t rush out and immediately start using high ISOs, though I think I might have accidentally taken a picture at 800 ISO once. The shift was gradual. With film my default ISO setting was 50 or 100, so that is where I started with digital. After a year or two, I learned that most digital cameras are optimized for 200 ISO, which contains less noise then the lower settings. OK, no more low ISO settings. From then on I started shooting fast on a regular basis. Like 200 ISO fast.
The erosion of my photographic principles continued over the next few years as newer and better cameras were created. Noise reduction was one of the key advantages of these new cameras, but it just felt wrong to use those settings. Then it happened. I purchased a Canon 1D mark 4. This camera was making headlines in the photographic world for the low noise at high ISO setting and the temptation was almost too much to ignore. One morning on safari in Tarangire National Park, I decided to push the camera and see what I could do. The morning was heavily overcast and dark. When we came across a small herd of elephants, I decided to put the camera to the test. The light was so low I could hardly even see the elephants, much less photograph them. With nothing to loose, I changes the ISO setting to a heart stopping 12,800 and began to take pictures. Fortunately the camera did not explode in my hands. Above is one of the resulting images. I don’t know about you, but I’m impressed. Does the image contain noise? Of course it does. Is the noise a distraction? Not even close. Not only is this an acceptable photograph, but shooting with such a high ISO opens a world of opportunities that were not previously possible.
As photographers we often fall into the trap of doing the same thing we have always done. Taking risks is how we get better. It is how we push the boundaries of our craft and create new photographic opportunities. It took me 18 years to explore the limits of high ISO. Don’t wait that long. Find your limits and take a step past them. You might like the results.
The White-Bellied Go-Away Bird is a difficult species to photograph. During my repeated attempts the bird lived up to its name. Whenever I approached, it decided to go away. Seriously, it is a beautiful bird with a delicate crest on the top of its head and I was fortunate enough to come across a tolerant individual just as the sun was dropping below the horizon.
The image was created using a Canon 1D mark 2, 500mm IS lens with a 1.4 teleconverter, at 640 ISO. The bird was photographed from a vehicle and the lens was supported on a beanbag.
Does your life follow a certain pattern? Do you get up in the morning, go through the same routine, leave for work at a predictable time? If someone was looking for you, would they have a good chance of knowing where to look? Like humans, wildlife often repeats patterns. The more you know about these patterns, the better your chances of capturing the image you are after. Lets take Kingfishers as an example. Kingfishers are one of the the most difficult birds to photograph. They are extremely cautious and usually respond to the unknown by flying away. Chasing after a Kingfisher is bound to end in disappointment rather then a success. The world is full of images of Kingfishers flying away. Our goal is to capture something better.
So, how did I capture the Pied Kingfisher in the image above? I watched from a distance and found the Kingfisher’s favorite perch. It was a lone stick next to the water. Ever few minutes, the bird would fly over and perch as it looked for fish. After seeing two landings, I set myself up for the next pass. Staying in the vehicle (this was in Africa where lions are a reality), I focused my lens on the empty stick, leaving enough room for the Kingfisher at the top. In less the 10 minutes, the bird returned and the image was complete.
Can you thing of a time when preplanning helped you get the image you were after? If so, please share your story in the comments section.
The Pied Kingfisher image was created at Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania. The image was created using a Canon 1D mark 2, 500mm IS lens with a 2x teleconverter attached, at 800 ISO. The image was taken from a vehicle with the lens supported using a beanbag.