Early Morning Light Macro Photography

Macro photography is not about getting a macro lens its more about putting together a set of lenses and accessories to increase magnification, a lot of photographers don't want to do macro they just want to get closer and shoot smaller subjects.

Most macro lenses shoot from macro 1:1 and bigger, with accessories like tubes and teleconverters you can increase the magnification and shoot smaller subjects.

If you don't need to shoot 1:1 but want to take photo's of Dragonflies and Butterflies a lens like the 300 f4 is ideal, use it with extension tubes and teleconverters and you have some advantages over a macro lens, one is that you have a lot longer working distance, so you don't have to get as close to the subject and you have a narrower angle of view, this gives you smoother backgrounds.

If you do want to shoot small subjects like bee's, flies and other small insects and bugs a macro lets you get to 1:1 to start with and when you add accessories like extension tubes and teleconverters you can increase your magnification.

Photography technique is knowing what to do in each situation, what f stop to use, what kind of lighting and lighting setup from the basic to advance there is a technique for each photography situation, the purpose of this article is to describe the technique needed for going out in the early morning and doing macro photography.

The reason to go out in the early morning is twofold, one the light is at its best before the sun comes above the trees and the subjects are cold and don't move till the sun has warmed them. The drawback is the subjects can be hard to find, you have to comb the swamp for good subjects but once you have found one you get time to work it. The quality makes up for the quantity.

What you will need.

- A camera and lens, I prefer long macro lenses out in the field and use a Nikon 200mm f4 micro.
- Tripod preferably with spiked feet, I use a heavy tripod with four inch spikes and don't like macro tripods, they move to easy when focusing.
- A ball head, gear head any head that doesn't move on you when setting up the shot.
- Remote release.
- Small reflector.
- Knee pads.
- Small cutters.

And importantly you need a good place to hunt down critters, a swampy area, pond, fields near wetlands. My favorite spot has been the frog pond across the street, but over the years it has gone from loads of subjects to nothing, years of cold dry springs has killed of huge amounts of insects on Vancouver Island and there not coming back in the short term.

Now your out in the field and you have spent the last twenty minutes looking for something and found a Damselfly, these make great subjects so you setup, with your back to where the sun is going to rise if you can, guess how high you need your tripod and adjust it away from the subject, depending how warm out it is it could fly if disturbed enough. Now you will have to place the tripod as close as you can to almost fill the frame, going corner to corner works well for damselflies, once you have that close push down on the tripod to get the spikes onto something solid.

Make your fine adjustments and then it is time to focus, but before that make sure your at the same level as the subject, you don't want that top down look. Focus is super critical, you want from the eyes to the tip of the tail in focus, eyes always have to be in focus but for damselflies eyes to tip of tail is what separates the good from the great. You may have to move your tripod over a bit to get this be patient, get a couple of shots in then go for the perfect one, keep refining as you go along.

Was the subject low down, good thing you have the knee pads, now your working the subject and there is a blade of grass in the way, pull out your small cutters and snip this off, make sure this isn't going to start a chain reaction and your subject gets flung across the swamp, if you forgot the cutters try to just push it out of the way.

Back to focusing, use live view with magnification, scroll around your subject and check, sometimes you have to take focus shots at different spots and combine them later, its good to bracket focus just in case. Always check focus again when every you take your hand off the lens, this is why I like a heavy tripod, if when you remove your hand from the focus ring and focus changes you keep having to make fine adjustments.

Now your ready to press the shutter using your remote cord and maybe your small reflector in the other hand depending if the underside is to dark. Bracket f stops and expose to the right, once you figured you have the perfect one and some more move your camera to a different angle and start again, your first choice to set up usually isn't the best one.

A lot of times your next subject is found when your down on your knees working your currant one so look around before you get up.

One thing I didn't mention yet is and it is a drawback is that you can't have any wind, I get up and look out the window and if can tell the tree tops are moving I go back to bed, and its okay to go back to bed once you have been out, I am usually just in the yard or across the street so it can all happen quickly.

One cool thing you will see is the sun peak across the tops of the trees slowly warming your subject and they will wake up and fly off.

Pileated Woodpeckers along the Oyster River Trail

The Oyster River Trail is a popular walking trail on Vancouver Island that runs from by the old bridge to Salmon Point, it is not uncommon to see Pileated Woodpeckers when walking through the forested section, there are even old nest holes high up that I have seen Pileated's go into for the night.

One day after turning around and on my way back with my D200 and 300 af-s f4 lens and a small tripod I came around a corner and there was a family of Pileated Woodpeckers working an old log that was laying down right by the trail, so I set up to try for some pictures, I set up low since they were on the ground and its always good to get  at the same level as your subject. A lot of photographers don't like to use tripods but I find it is the best way to get sharp pictures, you can keep your iso down for clean pictures, it helps your composition also.

It was a female and two juveniles, one of the juveniles could forage on its own but stuck close by and the other was being fed by the adult and kept close to her. The juveniles have a washed out pinkish look to the tops of there heads compared to the bright red of the adults, juveniles also have dark eyes that slowly will turn yellow as they mature, young pileated's will stay with the parents for the summer, it takes time to teach them how to find food.

They rooted around that log for a bit and flew off, I thought that was it so I start walking down the trail again and there they were around the corner, so I set up again and watched them forage for food and took some photo's.

The other juvenile a male searched for food on his own, even a young pileated with it's sharp bill doesn't have any trouble making holes in logs.

Pileated Woodpeckers have strong muscular tongues with a sticky barb on the tip.

It was a bonus getting a second chance along the trail to see these amazing birds. They don't always show up on the trail in front of you, sometimes there up high or just on the other side of a tree so you don't see them, listening for there calls and the tapping noise of them excavating a feeding or nest hole is a good way to find them.

I have plenty other pileated pictures from a different location you can check them out here.

Martin

Mason Bee Houses that are Woodpecker Resistant.

I am losing larva to the woodpeckers, I still get lots I usually have well over a thousand cocoons every year. But if I run out of suet the woodpeckers are on the bee houses right away, there is one Hairy that you have to open the door and chase him away, banging on the window does nothing.

On the left is the style I like to make now, there is no direct access for the woodpeckers, the one on the right the front of the holes would be emptied even with the screen on. This style also has a lot more room for trays.

Use good thick wood since they will try to access the larva through the side.

I still haven't cleaned my cocoons yet this year, the houses are sitting where it is dry and cold, I found out that you can clean the cocoons anytime as long as you keep them cold, its nice to do it where it is warm so best to do them before December, after December warmth will wake them up. I also found out that if they get all moldy in the fridge you can give them a wash in the weak bleach solution and they will all be fine.

Martin

Hummingbird Photography Part 4

Over time my photography techniques and style changes, equipment changes also so I thought I would to a part 4, these can be considered more advanced  and harder techniques.

What I have been trying to do is catch the hummingbirds in the garden at the flowers, there is two ways I do this, one is sit and wait for one to come along and another is use an automatic trigger that the hummingbird trips when it goes to the flower.

Sit and wait technique

Sit and wait technique works well when there are lots of blooming flowers on and around the deck, so I am out there anyways and just have to pick up the camera when one comes by, you do have to crank up the iso for natural light shots like this, I don't worry about the thinner depth of field and wing blur myself but not every one likes it.

Sometimes I will sit out in the blind with one or two off camera flashes pointed at a patch of flowers, iso increased and lens wide open to get enough shutter speed, the 400 2.8 adds nice blur to the background when opened right up.

With all the gardening I have to do trying to attract hummingbirds I don't always have time to sit around taking pictures so what I do is set up my lighting and place a laser trigger for the hummingbird to trip the lights and shutter, works well if there is no wind and the light isn't changing all the time.

For this style I have been trying to get the whole flower stock in the picture, this style doesn't have the wow factor of the close up flight shots but they are a more complete picture, you don't just have a humming bird frozen in space there is no reason  for it being there, the new style that I have been using there is a reason for the bird being there its, feeding on the flowers and you know what it's going to do next it's going to the next flower.

And don't forget about other interests of hummingbirds, gathering nesting material is a good photo op as is perched, find a good perch and place it close to the feeder, if activity gets high one will try to guard the feeder and perch close.

This was taken through the window, very low light, I had to use a remote cord so pushing the shutter didn't blur the picture.

Keep experimenting and use what I have said for a starting point.

You can find more of my hummingbird pictures here.

Martin

Kitty Coleman Art and Bloom Festival comments

The Festival is over and I have had time to think about the experience, If I get a chance I will do it again along with some of the other shows in the area.

My pictures were well received and it was great watching the excitement as each picture was discovered and talked about.

One of the best parts of the experience was getting to hear the wildlife stories of others in the area, Pileated Woodpeckers, Sapsuckers, frog pond were some of the things we shared and is what makes our yards and neighborhoods special to us.

Overall it was a great experience, friendly people, quiet relaxing location, can't wait to do it again, maybe I will see you there in September.

Martin Dollenkamp

Kitty Coleman Art and Bloom Festival

I am going to be at the Art and Bloom Festival on May 16, 17 and 18th 2009.

There will be a lots of Hummingbird prints, and other nature pictures.

If your in the area this is a great show to go to and the Woodland Gardens with the Rhododendrons blooming makes for a beautiful setting.

Martin Dollenkamp

www.frogpondphotography.com

Kitty Coleman Woodland Gardens

Ruby-throated Hummingbird on Vancouver Island

On Wednesday August 27 2008 I looked out onto the backyard to see what Hummingbird activity there was and I noticed a battle going on in the Bee Balm there was a Rufous juvenile repeatedly diving at another Hummingbird that looked different, at first I thought it might be an Anna's as I had been hoping to attract one.

The different looking Hummingbird won out in the battle and proceeded to take over the yard running off the Rufous.

I have perches for the Hummingbirds by the flower patches and he would perch close to the flowers and this gave me a chance to get some pictures so I could identify him.

First day pictures.


After looking at the pictures I knew right away that this was no Anna's Hummingbird so I posted the pictures at the Hummingbird Forum knowing my friends there would be able to identify this bird.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird on Vancouver Island

I was told that this was a Juvenile male and that Black-chinned and Ruby-throated juvenile males as are very similar in appearance but that the bill length and wing length show this as Ruby-throated plus that the gorget feather shows up red in some pictures confirms this.



Second day pictures

I sent the pictures to a friend and he posted the Rare Bird Alert on the BCVIBirds forum, there was some debate between Black-chinned and Ruby-throated but once some more pictures were shown with the red gorget feather and some wing detail the debate died down.

I also gave The Backyard Bird and Nature store a call as they do the bird alert for the Nanaimo area and they put the sighting in there Nanaimo Bird Alert.



On the second day a couple of friends that just happen to be photographers came over and we sat on the deck watching the Ruby-throated, Rufous and the other birds visiting the yard, the Ruby-throated put on a good show and we got some good pictures, he kept control of the perches close to us and would feed on the flowers right close to were we sat, we never did see him go to a Hummingbird feeder he just fed on the flowers and hawked insects.


Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are eastern birds and rarely seen in British Columbia, I did find them mentioned in the British Columbia Rare Birds List and here is the part on Ruby-throated's.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubri
1.(1) adult male; June 11-21, 1951; near Vanderhoof
2.(1) adult male; May 4-late May, 1977; Stories Beach, south of Campbell River (ph)82
3.(1) adult male; April 28, 1979; North Vancouver
4.(1) adult male; July 21, 1981; Cypress Bowl Provincial Park, West Vancouver
5.(1) adult male; June 12, 1983; near Tupper, south of Dawson Creek
6.(1) adult male; April 1-2, 1992; Campbell Valley Regional Park, Langley
7.(max 2) adult male & female; June-July, 2000; near Valley View, north of Dawson Creek
8.(max 2) adult male & female; June-July, 2001; near Valley View, north of Dawson Creek
9.(1) female; August 16, 2002; near Dawson Creek
10.(1) adult male; June 5 - July 5, 2003; near Taylor, south of Fort St.John
11.(8) 4 males/ 4 females; May 20-June 28, 2004; near Taylor, south of Fort St.John
12.(1) adult male; June 12-16, 2005; near Taylor, south of Fort St.John (ph)
13.(1) adult male; August 8-11, 2007; New Hazelton, Bulkley Valley (ph)

And I found some more details in the Birds of British Columbia page 482.



Day three pictures.

The first two days the weather was dark clouds and rain, not the greatest for taking pictures but we made do, the Ruby stayed close to the flowers and was busy guarding them from the Rufous and didn't venture off for any lenth of time, pretty well when every you looked there he was.



By the third day the weather had improved and although he was seen in the morning till 8:00 am he disappeared for a few hours, two birder/photographers had made arrangements to come and see the Ruby and he did show up before they did, he didn't stick as close to the flowers though as the previous two days, with the sunnier weather he was out and about more but did finally put on a show for the visitors and some nice pictures were taken



After every one was gone and the light was too low for photography the Ruby would sit on the perch on the deck with me and we would have a quiet time, he would perch closer than a Rufous would although the Rufous would feed closer.



On the fourth day he was there in the morning and disappeared after 8:00 am and again, I was hoping he would show up after a few hours like the day before as there were a number of people coming to see him but that was the last I saw of him, probably continuing his migration to the wintering grounds in Central America.

I have no idea how he came to be here and we will never know, juvenile hummingbirds are left on there own to find there way south as the adults leave earlier in the season once the breeding and nesting is finished the young birds gain strength and fat stores before migrating on there own, they don't always go in the right direction.

It was a very exiting experience and I am still looking out the window constantly to see if he is back and I do miss him.