A belted kingfisher perches on a chain-linked fence, ready to take flight. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 400. Evaluative metering 0: 1/2000 sec. at f/5.6
This week’s photo features the ever elusive belted kingfisher. Its not that the bird is all that uncommon, but it can be quite difficult to get close enough to photograph. They tend to be very flighty, and don’t hang around the same area too often. Some bird photographers have done well using bait fish and photo setups to capture this bird, but this type of activity is best done on private land over the course of several days.
A belted kingfisher perches on a metal fencepost. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 400. Evaluative metering 0: 1/2000 sec. at f/5.6
I had two brief opportunities with this kingfisher. I first saw him land and perch on one chain link fence (not the most aesthetic of perches). I took several safety photos and tried to get closer. As soon as I moved, he was off and out of sight. I managed to track him down to a nearby second chain link fence, where I took the two photos featured here. I stayed low and crept forward slowly. I had the opportunity for a half dozen shots before he took off once again, this time for good.
A green-winged teal sleeps as it floats, its reflection cast in the still water. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/640 sec. at f/5.6
This week’s photo is of a sleeping green-winged teal, as he floated around a local pond along the bay. The green-winged teal is one of the many duck species that winter here, extending the color palette from the ubiquitous mallard. I liked this photo because of its simplicity, and the vivid colors reflected in the water.
Many days I am up at dawn photographing, just for moments like this. Not only is the light warm and slanting in low across the horizon, but water tends to be still and glassy, offering many opportunities for great reflections.
An immature white-crowned sparrow clings to a stalk
This week’s photo was taken recently at a local wetland area at the edge of the bay. White-crowned sparrows are among the more common sparrows in the area, along with song sparrows and house sparrows (though the latter are more likely to frequent the backyard bird feeder than flit around the bay trails). Juveniles are sometimes harder to spot because the crown of the head has yet to turn white, as seen in the photo above. Once this sparrow matures however, they are impossible to mistake.
It’s long been said that the eyes are the windows to the soul. That has never been more true than with wildlife photography. Capturing the subject’s eye helps the viewer connect with the animal, and brings a kind of depth to the photograph. Books such as Frans Lanting’s fantastic Eye To Eye are dedicated to this connection between the viewer and the subject. Achieving this kind of connection with your subject is something to keep in mind when out in the field photographing.
The photo above features a western fence lizard – very common in local open space preserves and urban green space. Recently I was out walking with my wife, and I was carrying (as I often do) my 100 – 400mm zoom lens. We came across this lizard, and given that the birds were not very active this time of day, I wanted to capture at least something fun with my camera. The lizard was only about 5 inches long, tip to tail. I’ve seen about a million straight shots of lizards from above, and knew I could easily fire off a few of my own – boring! That angle shows me nothing about the lizard – it might as well be a rubber toy. I wanted to get a sense for what the lizard might be thinking as he sat out in the hot sun. In order to do that, I had to get down to eye level.
Although the ground was covered in thick dust, I proceeded to get down on my belly, feet behind me (sometimes one has to sacrifice for one’s art!). I put my camera right onto the ground, to get as low as possible. Starting out at a distance with which the lizard seemed comfortable, I slowly crawled forward, taking pictures along the way. Once I got closer than the lens’s minimum focusing distance, I knew that was as large as I could make the lizard in the frame. I usually carry a set of Kenko extension tubes with me, but this time I didn’t have them, so that was as close as I was getting. The lizard kept me in his view the entire time, turning his head back and forth. After shooting for a while, I realized this lizard wasn’t planning on going anywhere soon. So I slowly backed away so as not to disturb him, and went on my way.
By getting eye level to a creature we don’t normally see that way, I was able to create a photo that does more than just document. There is a subtle connection made between the subject and the audience, which when achieved, can go a long way toward the success of a photograph.
