Michael Despines Photography

Dec

31

Bright Bird

Shot of the Month Posted by Michael / 0 comments

Shot of the Month – December 2021

Capturing a good image of an all black bird is quite tough. Exposing properly to bring out the detail in the black feathers usually leaves the rest of the image overexposed. This image of a crow, captured in Wyoming, is one of the few times the lighting worked out.

I love the simplicity of the composition and the basic “primary” colors in this scene — simple but bold blue, black, and white. Of course these are not true primary colors – as we know from elementary school the three primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. But I think you get my drift.

I have to also note that I am only about 90% confident that this is a crow, which is a member of the Corvidae family. Also in this family is the Raven which looks very similar though ravens are usually larger, sound a bit different, and have a few other different physical traits. Here is a good video that highlights the key differences and clues on how to identify a Crow from a Raven.

Given the shorter, even-shaped bill, I am going with crow for my image.

As you may have heard, crows are incredibly intelligent and one of the few animals able to use tools. Watch the video below, it is one of my all-time favorites as it clearly demonstrates the mind- boggling problem-solving skills of crows.

There you have it – a bright image of a very bright bird.

Until next month….

Nikon D4S, Nikon 200-400mm (@400mm), f/8, 1/1500 sec, ISO 400, -0.667 EV

Nov

30

Wing It

Shot of the Month Posted by Michael / 0 comments

Shot of the Month – November 2021

This month a dash of color to help counter the winter doldrums – here we see a lovely female Ruby-throated Hummingbird investigating the flowering Liatris Spicata (Blazing Star) plant.

You will notice that the wings off the hummingbird are blurred in my images. I actually like this look as it acurately reflects how we see hummingbirds with our eyes. And it adds to the “fairy” look – And what is more fairy-esque than these wee flying wonders?

Hummingbirds are tremendous flyers and can fly horizontally, backwards, vertically and can hover – the smaller the hummingbird the faster the wing beat to keep them aloft. The Ruby-throated humming bird shown here beats her wings about 50 times each second. A rufous humminbird’s wing beat is about 52-62 wingbeats per second. The giant hummingbird of the Andes (about the size of a Cardinal!!) has a wingbeat of just 12 beats/second. The tiny bee hummingbird of Cuba, the smallest bird on earth at just two inches in length, beats its wings 80 times per second. (Source)

Capturing an image of a hummingbird with the wings motionless is possible but requires a very fast shutter speed or the use of one or more flashes. Some photographers are quite adament about taking images of hummingbirds with the wings motionless and will go so far as to create mini “studios” to make it possible. In these setups one puts a feeder on a table or hangs it from a stand, sometimes amongst or behind flowers. From here you surround the area with 4 to 5 flashes set to expose the scene so quickly that the wing motion appears static. Sometimes a painted backdrop is added to ensure that the background color is just right. Quite a bit of tinkering may be needed to deterime the proper location of each flash to ensure that the scene is properly lit. You also need to spend some time to dial in the appropriate power output of each flash to get the right exposure. The feeder is essential to ensure that the hummingbird comes back to the exact same location for the specific lighting setup that you have created. Here is an example of one home setup:

Source

In countries where hummingbirds are plentyful, say Costa Rica or Ecuador, you can actually book a photo tour where the guides will create elaborate hummingbird setups – all you have to do is show up, connect your camera to the flashes and snap away.

It’s all a bit much for me – I am not quite that motivated to get the “perfect” shot of a hummingbird and prefer to take my chances in the “wild.” In the images above I actually did use one flash but as you can see it didn’t do much to help stop the wing movement (I didn’t really know what I was doing).

Here we have a free range Anna’s Hummingbird that I shot with natural light in our garden:

But hey, who I am to judge? If you are passionate about hummingbird flash photography, go for it. If you want more information on how to set up such a setup, look here:

Hummingbird Flash Set-up Guide

And here is a video of a guy that walks you through how he puts together his setup.

And here is an example of a hummingbird photo tour to Ecuador.

There you go – the ins and outs of hummingbird photography. You can go hardcore studio lighting or you can just “wing” it, uh, so to speak.

Until next month…..m

Nikon 300S, Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 (@ 200mm @ f/4), ISO 800 1/250 sec.

Oct

31

Up Front for the Win

Shot of the Month Posted by Michael / 2 comments

Shot of the Month – October 2021

Any great image starts with great light. The best light for nature photography can be found when the sun is low in the sky so usually around sunrise or sunset. At those times the light is filled with wonderful warm hues that humans really dig. Common advice for beginning photographers is to position yourself such that your shadow is pointing toward the subject making it “Front Lit.” With the sun behind you the light will fall evenly on your subject and help avoid highlights or shadows that can complicate making a proper exposure. With the amazing technology in modern cameras it is almost impossible to get the exposure wrong on a front lit subject. So even in “Program” mode, where the camera makes all the exposure decisions for you, you are more than likely going to get a properly exposed image.

Which is not the same as getting a compelling image.

One critique of front-lit images is that they can be a bit flat and lack depth, especially for landscape images. So while shooting front-lit subjects helps deal with the challenges of exposure, a great image still needs strong composition and/or skilled use of contrast, color, leading lines, etc.

In the image above, late afternoon light is casting a wonderful warm glow on the giraffe. I purposely shot this image from below and waited for the giraffe to reach a point where he would stand tall above the horizon in sharp contrast to the dark, brooding sky in the background. The exposure was a no brainer but we worked pretty hard to find the right spot to wait for the elements of the composition to line up and elevate this front-lit shot to something a bit more special.

Generally you want to avoid shooting in the middle of the day as the front light at this time is harsh and will produce difficult shadows on your subject. Either go home for a rest until the light gets better or explore compositions that will work in black and white.

Outdoor Portrait Tip: Front lighting works well for portraits of family and friends though the bright light can be tough on your subjects. Two potential solutions:

Once your subjects are in place, ask them to close their eyes. This will avoid burning out their retinas as you set up the shot. Once you are ready ask them to open their eyes and smile. Click. Lovely image with no squinting.
Find some shade and have your subjects stand there. The even light will work well and no eye strain for your subjects.

When in doubt, use front lighting to get the shot. Once you have that shot, time to explore more dramatic light – back lighting and side lighting. These lighting situations are tougher to expose properly but when done right can provide stunning results.

We’ll shine light on those topics on another day (see what I did there?).

All the best…..michael

Nikon D5, Nikon 600mm, f/4, 1/1000 sec, ISO 100, EV -0.667

Sep

30

Art?

Shot of the Month Posted by Michael / 3 comments

Shot of the Month – September 2021

Is this image Art? And if it is, does that make me an “Arrrteeest”?

Photography was invented in 1826 (almost 200 years ago) and since that time the “Is photography art?” debate has raged on. This may surprise you given that photography is generally accepted today as Art, but this is a fairly recent phenomenon. How recent? Most museums only began to collect and display photographs in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Did you know that there are seven traditional forms of art?

Me neither. Photography is not among that list (scroll to the end to see the original seven).

So what is art? The Cambridge Dictionary says:

the making or doing of something whose purpose is to bring pleasure to people through their enjoyment of what is beautiful and interesting, or things often made for this purpose, such as paintings, drawings, or sculptures

I do strive to bring people pleasure with my images so perhaps I am trying to be an artist. Painting and sculpture use essential elements and principles such as line, shape, form, texture, balance, asymmetric balance, color, size, depth, light, positive space, and negative space.

Hmmn, interesting. I also consider many of these elements when I raise the camera to my eye. In fact, on an outing I may spend hours waiting to get the right mix of these elements in place before taking a single image.

As a photographer I spend much of my time trying to showcase the work of the world’s greatest artist – Mother Nature. Each day she throws together a fabulous mix of flora and fauna draped in captivating colors and hues. Every day, across the planet she is producing one masterpiece after another.

If I do my job correctly and get all the technical stuff right — set the right aperture, dial in the shutter speed, and compose the image well then Mother Nature will do the rest and we get some beautiful images that hint at the wonders of the natural world.

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines art as:

the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects.

I can say that I am a better photographer than I was 30 years ago – even this old dog has acquired a certain level of skill and creative vision to help capture Mother Nature at her best.

And some days I use a bit of “creative imagination” to manipulate an image to form something beyond what I witnessed. As in the photo above, converting it to black and white transforms a “mere” pretty picture of a cheetah into a portal that connects the viewer with feelings and mood a bit more universal.

In the color version we have a shared viewing experience as we all gaze outward at the beautiful scene. The B&W version may offer a more individual, internal journey and reaction that can have very little to do with a cheetah sitting in a driving rainstorm, on a continent far, far away.

The realistic color version connects us to nature, while the B&W version connects us to ourselves – perhaps reminding us of the storms that we weathered in our lives and how we persevered.

Wow, if I keep rambling like that I will have to get a turtleneck sweater, beret, and start smoking little French cigarettes.

Seems all a bit highfalutin for this small town boy (Art, Schmart). All I can say is, if you find joy, or a shared sense of awe, or brief respite from a troubled day with one of my photos, whether it be Art or something else, then I consider my time well spent.

Until next month….michael

Were you able to remember/guess the original, traditional forms of art? They are:

Painting
Sculpture
Literature
Architecture
Cinema
Music
Theater

Sources

Photography: Is it art?

What is photography?

Is Photography Art? – Both sides of the debate explained.

What are the 7 different forms of Art?

A Brief History of Photography and the Camera

Nikon D5, Nikon 600mm f/4 (@f/5.6), 1/1000 sec, ISO 2500

Aug

31

Venice is for Lovers!

Shot of the Month Posted by Michael / 1 comments

Shot of the Month – August 2021

Ok, so first of all, it isn’t that Venice.

And second, the star-crossed lovers are avian in nature, two lovely Great Blue Herons (GBHs), as shown above.

I found this pair of lovebirds at a nesting site (rookery) in the town of Venice, Florida. There is a small lake in Venice with an island of trees where the herons love to build nests and raise their families. It is a surreal to be in such a developed area and then if you turn down one particular quiet street, boom – you suddenly find nesting BGHs, snowy egrets, anhinga, and other assorted wading birds. The alligators in the lake help dissuade any predators (raccoons for example) from approaching the island so the chicks are quite safe in this urban oasis.

Standing up to four feet in height GBHs are the largest herons native to North America and they are one the most successful wading birds in the Western Hemisphere. Their highly adaptive nature allows them to thrive in a range of habitats and they can be found throughout North and Central America, northern South America, the Caribbean Islands, and even in the Galapagos Islands. Great Blue Herons rarely venture far from bodies of water but they can adapt to almost any wetland habitat and may be found in marshes (both fresh and saltwater), mangrove swamps, flooded meadows, lake edges or shorelines.

GBHs feed primarily on small fish but they can adjust their diet to capitalize on what may be found in a given habitat. They can prey on shrimp, crabs, aquatic insects, rodents and other small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and birds. For example in Nova Scotia 98% of their diet is made up of flounder while in Idaho voles make up to 40% of the bird’s diet.

These adaptable birds can even be found in highly developed areas, like Venice, Florida as long as there are bodies of water nearby with a food source.

I visited the Venice Area Audubon Rookery during a December when the birds were just beginning their nesting season. The GBH is normally a solitary bird but they breed in colonies that can include 5 to 500 nests. Males tend to arrive at the rookery first and begin building a nest.

Nest building — It all begins with a stick:

During the mating season the Great Blue Herons perform elaborate courtship displays to attract a mate and to build bonds between partners.

Here we see two males stretching their necks to display the glorious neck plumage that develops during breeding season to demonstrate how attractive they are.

Pick Me No, Pick Me

Once the birds pair up the male flies back and forth bringing nesting materials for the female who completes the nest construction ensuring that everything is just right.

When the male returns to the nest after each sortie the couple will often perform ritualized greetings, stick transfers and a nest relief ceremony where they birds erect their plumes and clap their bill tips together.

Ceremonial Stick Handoff:

Here we have some bond-building bill clapping (say that three times fast…):

If all this fancy courtship goes well you get, ehhhh, an adorable (??!!) bundle of joy as shown below:

Ahhhh, Venice — love is definitely in the air at this birding hotspot. If you dig bird life consider a romantic get away to visit the rookery between December to May for a fascinating view of the courting ways of the Great Blue Heron and their avian brethren.

Until next month…..michael

Nikon D4S, Nikon 600mm, 1.4x TC (effective 850mm), f/10, 1/500 sec, -0.5 EV

Sources:

Wikipedia

Audubon

All About Birds

All About the Great Blue Heron