Quick Tip #2: Use a Polarizer to get the very best color in your photographs

Barrow's Goldeneye Drake - Stark Landing - Merrimack River - Manchester, NH 01-10-16

It is getting close to that time of year when many of us spend a lot of time by water in search of migrating ducks.  You all love ducks... don't you?  DON'T YOU??  I'm so glad I heard you all say yes!!  Many great species that either migrate thru here or spend their winters here with us.

I am going to show by 3 sets of examples what a circular polarizing filter can do for your images.  They take the glare off of water and other nonmetallic surfaces, and bring out the colors without effecting the color balance.  Thus are an important tool for the duck hunter hunting with glass.
You can also see into the water much better with a polarizer.

A circular polarizer is a split ring filter that screws onto the end of your lens, or, in the case of the big primes, drops into a special slot near the camera body.  It works on the same principal of polarized sunglasses.
As you turn the outer section of the filter, every 90 Degrees turns the polarization on or off.  You can adjust the amount you wish to obtain by viewing the image as you turn the filter.

I have used a few, but my go to brand on these are Pro Master CPL's  Be sure to check the diameter of your lens before you order one.  And trust me when I tell you... but the best one you can find.  They are not cheap.  But if you are putting a filter on an expensive lens, you want to make sure your filters have the same level of quality.

It is said that you should not stack filters and that before you attach your polarizer, take off your protection filter.  Um... you DO have protection filters on ALL of your lenses, right?  A heck of a lot cheaper to replace a $100.00 filter than a $2,500.00 lens!
I leave my protection filters on all of the time, and stack the polarizer on top.  But I have told you what you SHOULD do.  Now I don't have to worry 😊.

I had read recently that the best way to use a polarizing filter is at 90 degrees off the sun.  Today I put this to the test, and I am happy to tell you this is correct.  Normally we want the sun behind us, but when shooting with a polarizer, if you can, shoot 90 degrees from the sun, which will put the sun to our side.

In my first set of examples, I am shooting facing WNW with the sun 90 degrees to my left.
In this first image I have the polarizer at an off position.  Watch what happens when I turn the outer ring 90 degrees!

***The settings are identical for each pair***

Canon EOS 5D Mark III, EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
ISO 400, f/4.0, 1/1600th Sec., 185mm
Hand Held. Cropped for Composition.
Manual Mode, Partial Metering, Auto White Balance
Edit Flow: Selected and previewed in Adobe Bridge, Adobe Camera Raw with final editing in Photoshop

*** NOTE. For this entire series, all I did was some basic cropping and added my watermark. Otherwise these are as they came out of the camera.

Looking down into the water of Turee Pond with the polarizer 'off'

With ALL variables the same except for removing the shade of my lens, turning the outer ring 90 degrees then replacing the shade (Some lens shades have an opening with a sliding door.  This is to adjust the polarizer without removing the shade).

Looking down into the water of Turee Pond with the polarizer 'on'

Quite illuminating, wouldn't you say?

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***The settings are identical for each pair***

Canon EOS 5D Mark III, EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
ISO 400, f/3.5, 1/1600th Sec., 70mm
Hand Held. Cropped for Composition.
Manual Mode, Partial Metering, Auto White Balance
Edit Flow: Selected and previewed in Adobe Bridge, Adobe Camera Raw with final editing in Photoshop

*** NOTE. For this entire series, all I did was some basic cropping and added my watermark. Otherwise these are as they came out of the camera.
In my second set of examples, I am also shooting facing WNW with the sun 90 degrees to my left.

Shooting across Turee Pond with the polarizer in the 'off' position

Ready to see the REAL magic of a Polarizing Filter?

Shooting across Turee Pond with the polarizer in the 'on' position

Wild, huh?  All I did... to change from the first to the second image, was rotate the polarizer 90 Degrees!!

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***The settings are identical for each pair***

Canon EOS 5D Mark III, EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
ISO 400, f/4.5, 1/2000th Sec., 70mm
Hand Held. Cropped for Composition.
Manual Mode, Partial Metering, Auto White Balance
Edit Flow: Selected and previewed in Adobe Bridge, Adobe Camera Raw with final editing in Photoshop

*** NOTE. For this entire series, all I did was some basic cropping and added my watermark. Otherwise these are as they came out of the camera.
In my third set of examples, I am shooting facing the sun.  I wanted to see what a polarizing filter did when shooting into the sun... I can barely discern a difference.

Shooting in the direction of the sun with the filter in the 'off' position

There is a difference, but not enough to worry about if you don't use a CPL.

Shooting in the direction of the sun with the filter in the 'on' position

I also took some images shooting directly away from the sun, turning the filter on and off.
I was having difficulty determining which were on and which were off when it came time to select the images for this post from today's shoot.

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I believe that to gain the amazing quality of the top two image sets, a circular polarizing filter is worth every penny you spend.

I need to remember to use them more often!

MANUAL MODE; Taking The Fright Away From That Scary 'M' (Part 1)

Manual Mode?  Are you crazy?

I can remember in the early days of my photography work thinking how difficult it must be to totally control the camera using manual mode.  To me that M was designated for the high end professional.
I shot in Aperture Priority.  That M was a scary thought best pushed out of my mind.

Now, if someone asks me to help them learn to use their camera, I teach them Manual.  Even if they have never used a camera before.

Having control over what your camera is doing is critical for getting the best possible image.  You will set your camera for the situation in the field as well as the composition you wish to create.

A very accomplished professional photographer named Jim Block said this when I took a course from him.  I will never forget it and neither should you.
Regarding Auto and the other modes that may be on your camera like the sport mode Jim said:

 "The algorithms in your camera were written by some engineer in Japan who sits in an office with no windows... he has no idea what you are looking at or the conditions you face".
In other words, you need to take control of your camera to best capture the scene in front of you.

Sure, you can get a picture that is not terrible with Auto, but you are not going to get the best possible image.  Occasionally you can get a great shot because all the conditions lined up... but thats just luck.

There are many ways to get an excellent photograph.  One way is no better or worse than another.  Your own comfort zone will determine which mode you will use, how you set the various metering and other factors that all go to creating the best possible image.
In this series of posts I am going to teach you how I shoot.  You can adopt all or part of my method, or tell me I'm nuts and go back to whatever you were doing before.

But give it a try... you just might find that Manual is not so scary after all.

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Light is the essence of all we do in photography.  How we collect the light will determine how our photograph will look.  Light is your friend and light is your enemy.  You need to learn to harness light to work for you and not against.

A camera controls light in many ways.  We are going to be talking about the 3 main settings you will use in manual.  ISO, f/stop and shutter speed.  I call them the triad because when you adjust one, it affects the others; they are interconnected.

Before I begin discussing the triad in the next post, I'd like to run a few basic settings by you.  Again, this is how I set my cameras... use this, or experiment and come up with settings you like better.  It's how I came to use the settings I now shoot with.


METERING MODE

I at first shot almost everything at 'Evaluative Metering'.  This takes into consideration the metering of the target subject, and the surrounding area equally.  After testing with a friend, we determined the best image was achieved by using 'Partial Metering'.  Partial Metering uses the metering of your target subject, and then adjusts a bit due to the surrounding area, but more of the metering of the subject, less of the surrounding area is used.


WHITE BALANCE

This has a great deal to do with the quality of color your image will have.  It has to do with the 'type' of light.  We will only concern ourselves with 4 of the available settings.  Daylight (Sunny), Shade (Sunny, but your subject is in the shade) and Cloudy (Overcast).  The fourth setting is AWB, or Auto White Balance.  I have found that you loose a bit of the color, but not all that much when in AWB.  It is wonderful for days when it is partly cloudy, and the sun is constantly going behind clouds then coming back out... an outdoor photographers nightmare.  I used to try and change the setting each time... it drove me nuts... so I adapted to the AWB setting.  If the day does not have a cloud in the sky, then it makes sense to set for Daylight.  If your subject moves into the shade, you need to remember to change the WB to Shade.  I can't tell you how many times I ruined a great shot because I failed to change the WB.  Too many times... now I keep AWB on all my cameras all the time.  I suggest you do the same.


AUTO FOCUS MODE (In Camera)

The various modes available here could make for a separate blog post.  For now however, I'll simply tell you I keep my cameras on AI Focus.

I also have my cameras set to not fire unless focus lock is achieved.  This is a great feature to have and is a menu option.  You can overrule this by setting one of the 'back buttons' to fire on command as if you were in manual focus.  What I really love about this is that when shooting say a Raptor up above on a day without a lot of clouds... hand holding my 500mm can get a bit unstable.  This way, I simply hold down the trigger... and let my camera move a bit.  When the targeting box hits the bird, the camera locks focus and fires until it comes off the bird.  Go back to the bird, and it will fire again.

There are also 6 pre-set 'Case Settings' (Canon).  Best to leave them as is.  If you can remember to set these to the type of photography you are doing, your AF will function better.   I leave my cameras on Case 2, 'Continue to track subjects ignoring possible obstacles'.  A discussion on this area alone would require another separate blog post.  (And me learning the major differences between them beyond the descriptions).  Maybe some day.  Case 2 works well for me for now.


THE BLINKIES (Highlight Alert)

Most mid-range cameras and now some of the lower end bodies have a menu setting that turns on the Highlight Alert,  This is Canon's term.  I am not sure of Nikon or other product lines.
When you take a shot and there are parts of the frame that were over exposed, when you look at the LED screen at the image, the over exposed parts will flash black and white (thus the name, Blinkies).  If you see this while shooting, you need to make a change that will reduce the amount of light coming into the camera by changing one of the Triad settings.  Make an adjustment, and take another shot.  Keep doing this until the image no longer flashes.  If you have the luxury to creep up on this point, you will achieve optimum lighting.

As bird photographers however, rarely is time a luxury with our subjects.  This is why when I arrive on scene on a shoot, I always take a few test shots in the direction I am hoping to photograph my intended subjects.  This way, when that Black-backed Woodpecker flies from it's nest hole, you have everything set so that your first images will be excellent.


RELEASE SHUTTER WITHOUT CARD??
Cards & Batteries

One other setting I believe very important, is 'Release shutter without card'.  Make sure this is OFF.
Nothing worse than going thru a days shooting, coming home to download your awesome captures only to find out you shot but there were no cards in the camera to record the image.  Thankfully this has not happened to me.  Came close once, but the notification saved me.  When you turn the camera on, a notice that takes up 3/4 of the LCD pops up and says 'No Card In Camera'.

The night before I head out for a days shoot, I check to make sure there is a card in both slots of my cameras.  I make sure that if there are images on those cards, that they are downloaded to my computer.  I then, after confirming the images were all transferred, format the cards so they are ready for the days shoot.  I check the batteries and make sure I have already charged them.  I have battery grips on all my cameras.  Many benefits to these, but the largest one is that I have two batteries installed in my cameras that should last me an entire day of heavy firing.

Quick Tip #1: Gulls are great for BIF practice.

Use Gulls to hone your BIF (Bird In Flight) abilities.

Herring Gull
South of Odiorne Point State Park
Rye, NH USA 09-23-17


When I'm at the coast and there are no Shorebirds or ducks to be found there are always Gulls.
Besides the antics of Gulls on the ground, Gulls are very useful for BIF practice.

This is one of many I shot recently.  I cropped in and cut off the outer sections of the wings to bring in the face better... something I don't normally do... but after all, it's just a Gull 😉.

I may have some skill in BIF's, but I practice every chance I get... because you can never practice, or learn too much.

When practicing my BIF captures, I always start with my camera in my hands, but resting on my lap.
If on the monopod, I keep only my hand in the cuff on the camera body, with the entire set up away from my body.  The reason I tell you this is that part of the BIF technique is to be able to bring the camera to your eye and place the lens on target.  This takes a LOT of practice.
When I bring up my camera, I keep my eye on the target.  As the camera comes up, I sight the bird with the lens hood knob (I shoot an EF 500mm f/4L) and the hot shoe (Flash Mount) of the body which helps get the lens on target the first time.  I still occasionally miss; if you do, don't hunt around thru the lens.  Pull the camera down just a bit until you once again see the target and sight it in again.  It will get easier the more you practice.

One other tip to pass on... when shooting a bird in the sky, especially in a clear sky, there is not a lot for the camera to focus on.
When I practice my BIF's, I always start with the lens focused on something close as I'm probably shooting a Shorebird, Warbler or something else that is close in.  If you see a bird coming at you and you raise your camera right up, you may not even see the bird because the focal setting of the lens is on the close end.  I always try to let the camera focus on points further out as it comes up, finishing with something like a stand of trees that I estimate to be around the same distance as the incoming bird.  This way my lens is focusing close to where I need it to be.
I can't begin to count the number of BIF's I have missed because I was shooting something close in and forgot to let the focus travel as I raised my camera with the adrenaline of excitement driving my movements.

I have heard Gulls called French Fry Thieves, Flying Rats and a few other things.  I like to call them practice dummies.
Anytime I speak to a new birding photog, the first assignment I suggest is that they find some Gulls.
Practice BIF's on them.... so when that beautiful adult Bald Eagle makes a close in pass by your location you're ready to rock and roll.

'The Rule of Thirds' and Basic Composition as it Pertains to Birding Photography

There are no rules when creating art; when we compose a photograph we are doing just that... creating art.
While there are no set rules, there are certain guidelines one can follow to make their image more pleasing to the eye.
What I believe to be one of the most important guidelines when composing a photograph with a bird as your subject, or any live subject for that matter, is the 'Rule of Thirds'.  Along with this, I think it is important to also follow what I call the 'Centerline Rule'.

I am going to start with this image that I drew some lines on to better illustrate these concepts.

This is a photograph of a Northern Pintail (NOPI) Drake.  Notice I did not fill the frame with the duck.  If I want to submit this image for use in someone's guide book, I would crop in on the duck.  But I am creating an artistic representation of what I saw thru the lens.  I want to show the viewer what type of habitat this duck can be found in.  A body of water that was half frozen made a great spot for a small flock of NOPI's.

The Rule of Thirds

Notice the 4 solid lines drawn on this image.  2 vertical and 2 horizontal.  They are evenly spaced creating 9 sections.  The individual sections are not as important as the 4 intersections these lines create.  I circled the lower LH intersection where the duck is.
Normally, I would center the bird on the Int., but I liked it a bit higher.  Like I said... there are no hard rules in art.  If able, I almost always place the eye on a 3rd line... but that would have moved the duck too far to the edge in this image.
There are 4 intersections you can use in composing your image... but there are some guidelines I like to follow that help me select which I will use.

The first is that this is a duck on the water.  If I placed it on the upper LH intersection it would look odd.  If the duck were captured in flight up in the air, I would have moved it to the upper LH intersection.  If it were caught in flight skimming the water, the lower would be used.

For images where your bird takes up more of the frame, putting the bird on a '3rd line' would be the way to handle it.

This Bald Eagles (BAEA) head is on the upper RH intersection.  It's body's centerline is on the RH Vertical third line.
Again I chose to come off the eye a bit at the intersection because the slight adjustment felt better to me... but it's close enough.

This Great Blue Heron (GBHE) was so close to me that it was all I could do to fit it in the frame along with some of it's reflection.  Here the GBHE's body centerline is on the RH 3rd line.

This Piping Plover (PIPL) Chick and it's reflection are on the LH third line.

These Common Goldeneye (COGO) are flying along the upper horizontal 3rd line.

The Centerline Rule

One of the most important considerations when composing a shot and the one I see misused all the time is the Centerline Rule.

Here are the basic guidelines:

- A bird must not LOOK OUT OF THE FRAME.
- A bird must not FLY OUT OF THE FRAME.

I say basic because there are times this can not be easily done.
For the marked up image of the NOPI, notice I made a red and black centerline.  I have the duck looking INTO the frame... not OUT of the frame.  Meaning, the bird is looking at the centerline (CL) of the frame.  Thus the two RH intersections are not available to use because the duck would be looking OUT of the frame.

This is pretty straight forward... until the bird does not cooperate with you and you end up with a shot like this male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (YBSA).

His body is facing to the right, but he is looking to the left.  Thus because he is looking to the left, I placed him on the RH 3rd line looking at the CL.

Sometimes you just have too much glass and the bird is very close.  Such was the case with this Great Cormorant (GRCO).

I was able to put it's eye on the CL by cropping a bit off the back end.  I could have pushed the GRCO more to the left, past the CL and it still would have looked good.


And then there are the times when all of this is tossed into the river and you do all you can to simply fit the bird in the frame.

Such was the case of this BAEA, that flew by so close I was lucky to get it all into the frame.
Well, almost all... the tip of one primary on it's RH wing may have been clipped.

We are more concerned with images that tell a story... images that show the habitat... not guide book shots like this BAEA.

The COGO's above are all flying in one direction across the frame.  I could have cropped it so the lead bird was at the center, but they would have been very small.  Again... these are guidelines for you to use... do what feels best.


There will be times when you can't use the CL rule at all.  Take this Female Osprey and her chick who has yet to fledge the nest.  One hell of a wild thunderstorm was bearing down... I was shooting from the truck... I had been photographing this family for a week... I had a feeling this storm was going to do the trick for chick #2.

Mom took off... Jr here was bouncing up and down in the maelstrom as it had been doing for a few days... higher and higher it bounced... flapped, caught some air and hovered feet above the nest... and then.....

Off it went.  This is an image from this birds very first flight... it was very quick... I rose up into the sky, then slowly circled around down into the marsh by it's mother to take cover from the storm.

In the first image, they are both looking different ways.  Unless you want to cut out one of the birds, unacceptable here, you have to have both looking out of the frame.


We are concerning ourselves with images that show some habitat.  Take this male Baltimore Oriole (BAOR) sitting atop a flowering tree.

Once again, the body is one way, but it's eyes are looking the other.  So I put the BOAR's body across the center and had it looking towards the CL.