After perching in the wrong spot, a red-shouldered hawk is dive-bombed by a white-tailed kite. Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1/3: 1/4000 sec. at f/7.1
Occasionally raptors invade each others personal space, be it to encroach on their hunting ground or perch too close to a nest. They can engage in aerial battles, sometimes in dramatic fashion. Such was the scene I witnessed recently when a red-shouldered hawk perched on a tree, and a white-tailed kite didn’t like it very much.
I was alerted to the commotion by the screams of the kite, as it dive-bombed the hawk to drive it away from its perch. I was hand-holding my 100-400mm zoom lens at the moment, so I turned and ran straight toward the group of trees in order to get in better range. I didn’t worry about sneaking, because I figured both birds were probably too preoccupied to care about my approach.
After perching in the wrong spot, a red-shouldered hawk is dive-bombed by a white-tailed kite. Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1/3: 1/3200 sec. at f/7.1
The kite swooped down on the hawk about five or six times, each dive causing the hawk to fly straight up and wheel over upside down to avoid the kite (who was quite a bit smaller than the hawk). Finally, the hawk gave up the flew away over the horizon. The kite also disappeared from view, presumably to return to a nearby nest or favorite perch. As soon as the commotion began, all other birds in the area disappeared to let these two birds of prey battle it out alone. After the fight was over, the entire forest was eerily quiet.
A pied-billed grebe sinks his head and fluffs his wing feathers in a display of courtship. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1: 1/320 sec. at f/8
A couple of weeks ago, I witnessed a pied-billed grebe courtship display for the first time. These tiny birds are already pretty darn cute – but when they are wooing each other, they seem even cuter.
Pied-billed grebe courtship behavior is much more varied and subtle than the extravagant display of other grebe species. It has been witnessed year round, not just during mating season (which this is not.) To impress a female, this male pied-billed grebe ruffled his feathers and sunk his head and neck down flat against his body.
Fluffed wing feathers, sunken head, and calling are all part of the pied-billed grebe's courtship display. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3: 1/400 sec. at f/8
Circling his object of desire, the grebe called out into the air. I photographed this grebe for a short time, until I finally took my eye away from the camera (sometimes photographers can get tunnel vision) to see who else was involved in this ritual. It turned out to be none other than…
A female ruddy duck sleeps as she floats through the water. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1: 1/320 sec. at f/8
A female ruddy duck! And a sleeping one at that. Apparently she was thoroughly unimpressed with the pied-billed grebes advances. I couldn’t help but feel bad for the little grebe. He was definitely barking up the wrong tree, and wasn’t going to get lucky any time soon.
A confused pied-billed grebe shows his courtship display as he swims circles around a sleeping (and unimpressed) female ruddy duck. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1: 1/200 sec. at f/8
Normally, the next stage in this ritual would be for the female to repeat the behaviors of the male, joining him in calling back and forth. Sometimes the female then flattens herself against the water in a submissive posture, while the male raises his head and neck in a dominant display, referred to as the “triumph ceremony”. However, in this poor grebe’s case, he wasn’t getting the response he desired. After circling the ruddy duck a while longer, he evidently realized his misfortune, packed it in, and swam away.
A northern mockingbird perches atop a bush filled with berries. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3: 1/2500 sec. at f/5.6
Recently I photographed a Northern Mockingbird perched on a berry bush. It appeared as if he was gorging himself on berries, stuffing one after another into his mouth. Soon after this feast, he flew from the bush to a nearby tree. He began working his mouth up and down, and to my surprise, a berry emerged from his mouth and into his beak, as seen in the photo below. After he ate one berry, he again worked his beak up and down, and a second berry emerged.
A northern mockingbird perches on a small branch with a berry in its mouth. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 1/3: 1/1250 sec. at f/5.6
I realized that when I first saw the mockingbird chowing down on berries, he was actually stuffing them into his mouth for later consumption. I couldn’t find any notes about this behavior online, but it was quite a sight to see berry after berry magically appear in his beak. However, not every berry worked out so successfully, as can be seen in the photo below.
A northern mockingbird drops a berry as it tries to eat it. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 1/3: 1/1600 sec. at f/5.6
Ever get tired of all the ads that tell you that to take better photos, all you need is this new camera or that new lens? If so, this article is for you. Almost everyone has a camera of some kind these days – point and shoot, SLR, cell phone. The tips below will work with any kind of camera out there, and will improve the photos that come out of them without requiring the purchase of a single new item.
A typical snapshot - overall, pretty bad
A better shot, using some of the tips below
I took the photos of my brother above with my iphone. This camera has no flash, a crappy lens, and no controls of any kind other than taking the photo. Using some of the techniques discussed in this article, I was able to add interest and improve the quality of the photo.
1. Stabilize, stabilize, stabilize!
This is perhaps the most important tip here – do anything you can to keep the camera still while taking photos. This usually means using a tripod (and I’d definitely recommend that whenever possible – it’ll change the way you do photography!) But if you don’t have the funds (or the patience) to use one, there are many other ways to keep the camera stable. Get an old grocery bag and fill it with dry beans. Place this make-shift beanbag on anything you can find – rocks, tree stumps, table tops. This will give you a malleable surface from which to position your camera. If that isn’t available, lean up against a tree or wall and hold the camera tight against your face, bracing your elbows against your torso. Hold your breath and shoot.
2. Shed some light on the subject
The darker the subject, the longer the shutter speed required to get the proper exposure. Getting some natural light on your subject will improve the photograph dramatically. Indoor photography (even in the middle of the day), usually has less light than desired. Open some windows to bring in natural light from outdoors, or if possible, bring your subject next to a window. Strong directional light against a dark background can have dramatic effects.
Shooting outdoors with a harsh mid-day overhead sun? Try shooting your subjects in the shade to even out the light. Get a large piece of cardboard and some aluminum foil and build a homemade reflector. With a reflector you can bounce that harsh noon sunlight onto your shaded subject, giving you plenty of light to work with.
3. Find a new angle
Shooting your subject from a lower or higher vantage point can differentiate your shots from the rest of the pack. Think creatively about new ways to capture a subject you’ve seen over and over again.
By moving above my nephew with him looking up at me, I added interest to the photo
I took the photo of my nephew above for his family’s Christmas card. I found a fence to climb, and had him stand below me on some bright green moss. This new angle added interest to what would otherwise have been a mundane straight-forward portrait with a background of trees.
4. Don’t center your subject
Anyone who’s been around photography a while will immediately recognize the rule of thirds. But it’s important, so I’ll repeat it here. Using two imaginary vertical lines, divide your photo area into three equal sections. Now do the same horizontally. There should be four places in your photo area where the imaginary lines intersect. The rule of thirds says that the main subject of the photo should appear in one of these four spots. Unless your photo is specifically illustrating some form of symmetry, avoid placing your main subject in the middle of the frame.
The example below demonstrates applying the rule of thirds. Which photo looks better?
Here the mallard is centered in the frame
By moving the subject to the right, in keeping with the rule of thirds, the photo looks better
5. Edit ruthlessly
This tip doesn’t technically concern the “taking” of photos, but rather what to do with them afterward. Everyone takes crap photos. The pros just take fewer of them, and know enough to get rid of them when they do. Next time you’re reviewing photos from your last vacation or outing, don’t be afraid to delete the misses. In my early years of photography, I was as guilty of this as anybody. I kept EVERYTHING. And yes, with today’s storage, you can technically keep everything that ever comes out of your camera forever. But really ask yourself, do you ever want to actually go back and look at all the bad shots you took?
A friend of mine (I won’t name any names) once took a two week trip to Europe. When he came back, he asked if I wanted to see his vacation photos. “Sure,” I said, “how many do you have?”
“Oh, about 5,000.”
“What?!” We waded through shot after shot of the same subjects, taken as he tried to get the photo he wanted. Needless to say, we never got through them all. And the unfortunate part was that I missed all the gems that I’m sure were in there. So, throw away the crap, or at the very least, pick your winners and copy them to a separate location. When asking your audience to view your photos, having an edited collection will change their response from “Oh, do we have to?” to “Yes, please!” And I’ll bet you never look at your garbage folder again.
As the saying goes, all rules are meant to be broken. Such is true with each tip above. For each tip, there are situations in which they may not be the best choice for one reason or another. But by in large, keeping these in mind when I pick up my camera helps me focus beyond all the bells and whistles of the camera. It pays to occasionally get back to basics and remember the simple things we can do next time we’re out trying to capture that perfect shot.
