Arthur Morris / Birds as Art
Bulletins and Notes Archive
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Bulletins and Notes Archive
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BIRDS AS ART ON-LINE Bulletin 65 December 14, 2001
Snow Geese at sunrise. Canon 100-400mm IS L zoom lens at
approximately 300mm, Canon Elan 7E body, Evaluative metering +1/2
stop. Provia F 100 rated at EI 320 pushed two stops. 1/15 second at
f/22. (Linhoff Prophy II ballhead, Gitzo 1325 tripod.) Provia f/100
pushed 2 stops at EI 320
Snow Goose in soft light flight.
Canon 600mm f/4 L IS lens, 1.4XII TC,
EOS 1v body. Provia F 100 pushed
one stop. Exposure set manually to reading off of corn: 1/640
second at f/5.6
Bosque 2001
My first extended visit to Bosque Del
Apache NWR in New Mexico was in November 1994, just after the
death of my wife Elaine. I have visited there each year since,
as a pilgrimage to her memory, and plan to return for as long as
I am able, for it is truly a wondrous place. I stayed for 17
days this year, and found that photography was--on the
whole--excellent--far better than it was in 2000. I taught
three IPTs attended by 33 photographers.
The first IPT had great luck with Sandhill Crane flight
photography, but experienced no great sunrises or sunsets and
only a single afternoon of good flight shooting with the Snow
Geese. But they did have one massive blast off at the Farm
Fields.
Blue Goose in soft light
flight. Canon 600mm f/4 L IS lens, 1.4XII TC,
EOS 1v body. Provia F 100 pushed
one stop. Exposure set manually to reading off of corn +1/3
stop: 1/500 second at f/5.6
The second group had better luck with a
killer sunrise on the first morning and some excellent flight
shooting in the mornings as the geese finally found the corn
that had been knocked down near the road.
The last group seemed cursed as the first
morning was brutally cold with vicious NW winds. I herded them
back to Socorro before 9 am...
They were rewarded when the next day's windy
forecast fizzled and we were treated to a spectacular sunrise
filled with flocks of geese swirling about for more than ten
minutes during peak color. This was followed by two days of
incredible morning flight shooting for the geese as the birds were
landing on a road less than 40 feet from rows of photographers.
Here are the dates for next year's Bosque IPTs: NOV 18-20, 24-26,
and NOV 30-DEC 2, 2002. These IPTs will be formally announced in
February 2002 and we will be accepting deposits after that.
Snow Geese at sunrise.
Canon 600mm f/4 L IS lens,
EOS 1v body. Provia F 100
pushed two stops (rated at EI 320). Evaluative metering +1
stop: 1/20 second at f/13.
Boosting Your Creativity
Whether you are photographing at Bosque or
in your backyard, here are 13 things that you can do to get
your creative juices flowing:
#1-Push the envelope; try new techniques or expand on old
ones. This might mean trying very slow shutter speeds, or
using stacked 2X TCs. I often try to make pictures in
conditions that others view as totally impossible. Last year
I stood in the pouring rain for two hours in San Diego;
I didn't get one good frame, but with what I learned, I will
the next time!
#2: Take a walk down a beach with only a hand-holdable
intermediate telephoto.
#3: Try new perspectives. Many folks simply do not understand
that changing perspective is a way to control the
juxtaposition of the various design elements in an image. By
moving left or right, or up or down, you are able to re-design
the image that you are trying to create.
#4: Move your tripod. Too many folks put their tripod in one
spot and do not move it for hours. Watch a good shooter (like
me); I often move my tripod a thousand times in a morning,
even when shooting in a somewhat confined location like the
Venice Rookery.
#5: Get up early. Stay out late.
#6: Go to the same spots year after year. Learn the
subjects. Learn the light. Connect with the soul of the
place.
#7: Go to new spots. Your creative juices may just get a jolt
from the new subjects that you encounter.
#8: Look at as many great images as is humanly possible,
including and especially each year's BG/BBC Portfolio and the
Inner Reflections calendar. Some might think that this would
stifle creativity, but for me it expands my horizons
infinitely. I can often grab a concept or a technique from a
macro or scenic photographer or photograph and apply it to my
bird photography.
9: Use flash more in difficult or seemingly impossible
situations (a la Franz Lanting). I really need to follow
through on this one myself...
10: Look at the world and then ask, "What exactly is it that
excites me?" Then use a long lens to capture just that on
film.
11: Observe others and learn from what they are doing.
12: Be afield with a good friend, or better yet, with someone
you love.
13: Be with others if that is your style, be by yourself it
that is you or fits your needs on a given day.
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