Last Minute Wedding!!

I was unable to attend college yesterday evening as I had been asked at short notice to be a photographer at a friends wedding. My two friends were meant to be getting married in Las Vegas however due to the shut down of all UK airports due to a volcano they had their flights cancelled. There were no more flights till after the wedding day so the dream of a Vegas wedding was over. However they managed with a lot of help from family and friends organise a wedding in 48 hours. I got a call on Tuesday asking if I would be able to come to the wedding on the Thursday and be the photographer. This did not leave a lot of time for planning and also no time to look around the venue to discuss shots with the bride a groom. I knew the bride wanted to get some shots of her getting ready and a few "posed" photos but wanted natural shots too. I left with my Fiancee Early Thursday and drove to Essex and arrived at about 10.30am.

I then had an hour or so to walk round take some test shots and make some notes of where I could take some photos and what sort of photos I could try and get. I took with me the following equipment.

• Canon 550d
• 18 - 55 lens (for portrait and posed shots)
• 100 - 400 lens (for natural shots as I could stand far away and capture moments)
• Tripos (for family shots)
• Canon speedlite flashgun (internal shots)
• Spare camera and flash batteries (and chargers)
• 8GB of SD memory cards

All in all the day went well and I got some great shots, and the bride and groom were really happy with the results. I took 686 photos in the day so this should give them enough for an album.

I know this is not on my subject of natural history, however thought it would be good to show that I can take photographs when not at Twycross Zoo or Branston waterpark !!

To see a selection of images click here.

Bird portraits and in flight

Yesterday I spent the afternoon at Branston Waterpark trying again to get some shots for my portfolio. My aim was again small bird portraits and birds in flight.

The equipment I used was.

• Canon 550d
• Canon 100-400 lens
• Monopod

As it was a bright day I set the camera at 100 iso however as it gets darker when you are under the tree canopy I had to change this to suit and moved up to 200 iso. As the weather became more overcast later in the afternoon I then used 400 iso.

I set the aperture as large as I could at full zoom so this was f5.6 this would allow me to put the main focus on the birds and make the background blur making the bird stand out even more in the photograph. This was something i commented on earlier on one of Heather Angels photographs.

I then split my time to walking round the wooded area listening for birds then trying to locate them and then if able take some photographs. This can get frustrating as small birds are hard to spot in trees and as a rule as soon as you are about to take the shot they fly off. I also spent some time by the lake on a area called alligator point that is like a natural jetty. I spent quite a bit of time here to allow the birds to get used to me. I used this position to get the flight and action shots of the bigger birds. Again patience is key as generally the birds you are watching will do nothing and you will hear noises from birds behind you then have to turn and focus very quickly. I found it easier to stand and just keep scanning all around to catch some action or flight shots.

All in all I got some good shots again, however I need to speak to Steve on catching birds in flight as not entirely happy with these results.

To see the photographs click here.

Rosliston Forestry Centre Bird Portraits

I went to Rosliston Forestry centre with my Fiancee and Parents at the weekend to try and capture some photography I could use in my final portfolio.
My aim was to walk round and listen for Birds of different types then try and get close enough to take some shots of them with my camera. I took with me the following kit.

• Canon 550d SLR camera
• Canon 100-400 Lens

The long lens would allow me to get some close up shots of birds whilst still at distance. Before starting out I set the camera up to take photos at 100 iso. This was because it was a very bright sunny day so wanted to use the lowest iso setting possible as this would greatly reduce light noise and as I was not looking to take pictures of moving birds then would not have to use really high shutter speeds. I then set the lens to its maximum zoom of 400mm and then set the biggest aperture I could which at 400mm is f5.6. On the camera I set the centre AF point on the camera only as I knew I would have to focus in and around trees and wanted to reduce the camera trying to focus on branches and twigs and to focus on the subject. The issue with setting up like this is composition of a photograph as the main focus of the shot will be in the middle of the frame. So using "Rule of thirds" will be harder.

All in all the day went well and managed to get some good shots, however most of these were at the Hide that is set up at the centre. As the area in front of the hide had a lot of food put down the birds came quite close allowing for some good close ups. I will try and use some of these shots in the final portfolio as the two of the Dunnock I really like as you can see the eye very clearly.

To see the photographs of the day click here.

Twycross Zoo - Portfolio attempts

I went to Twycross zoo on Sunday and as mentioned in a previous blog I wanted to try and focus on getting some final shots for my portfolio. I went with the aim of doing close up work (well as close as I could with the lens and the obvious restrictions of the animal cages / boundaries. As mentioned in the earlier blog I took with me the following equipment.

• Canon 400d SLR camera
• Canon 100 - 400 zoom lens
• Monopod
• Spare battery

I then went about trying to get the best positions I could for taking pictures with each animal. Now the monopod was a great help during the day as was helpful to steady the camera with the large lens when using slower shutter speeds and easier to change positions when the animals moved that the tripod would have been.

With a lot of the photos I was taking I used a large aperture (f5.6 at 400mm) as wanted to focus mainly on the animals eyes / face and blur out backgrounds by using a shallow depth of field. Also with a lot of animals behind fences / cages I needed the shallow depth of field to help take this obstruction out of the pictures. The best way for this is to stand and get the lens as near to the fence / cage as possible and make sure the target animal is a few meters back from this too.

As it was quite an overcast day I was going to use ISO 400 for the shots, however as I knew these would be for my portfolio and wanted to reduce any light noise I decided to use ISO 200. This however did mean that I would have to lower the shutter speed to 1/80 and even 1/60 but in these cases I had the monopod to help steady the camera. On the few occasions the sun did come out I did sometimes end up with shutter speeds of 1/320 so this was easier for handheld shots.

Another issue I had come across before when taking pictures at the zoo is when the animals are behind glass you get reflections and focusing is harder. Luckily the lens has a lens hood which if you hold it up to the glass takes all reflection away.

All in all I am happy with a lot of the pictures I have taken and the fact I am getting quicker to adjust the camera to the changing conditions throughout the day. The picture of the Leopard is one I want to use in my final portfolio as I wanted to capture a similar image of the ........... taken by Frans Lanting.

To see all images click here

Heather Angel

"I strive to capture memorable moments within the natural world - be they aspects of animal behavior or fleeting dramatic lighting. My quest to seek simple, uncluttered images within the camera, rather than to improve on nature by digital manipulation"

Heather Angel

For more than a quarter of a century, Heather has been at the forefront of wildlife photography in Britain and her work has been recognised by many awards both in Britain and overseas – including an honorary doctorate from Bath University, a special professorship from Nottingham University and a top award from the USA BioCommunications Association. Heather Angel was President of the Royal Photographic Society from 1984-86. She communicates her enthusiasm for photographing the natural world via her prodigious writing, her workshops and lectures. Her exhibition Natural Visions toured the UK from 2000 - 2004 and was also on show in Kuala Lumpur, Cairo and Beijing.

Having looked at quite a lot of natural history photographers Heather Angels work seem to catch my eye. I think her statement at the beginning of this blog is really good and is what I want to try and capture from my natural history photographs. I think trying to capture that moment in nature as you see it for me is far more important than trying to manipulate the image into what people want to see.

From looking through her images I really like the portrait images she has captured and this is something I really want to capture in my final portfolio.

The picture below taken of the kestral really appeals to me. I like the really close focus in of the head of the bird which is also something I liked from Frans Lantings work. I think the 3 main colours of the Kestral take up the same amount of space in the picture which means that one colour is not too dominant in the picture which I think makes you focus on all three colours. I also like the fact she has used a shallow depth of field to take the background out of focus but she has used a colourful background which also helps contrast with the colours of the kestral and makes it stand out even more.

The next photograph of a puffin again is one that I like. I think the close up of the face really helps this subject and makes you focus on the colours in a puffins face. Again for me the background is really good as although a shallow depth of field has been used to blur it out the fact that it is half blue sky and half green and the join of the two is at eye level. This is something I need to also focus on when taking shots as not only making sure the subject is clear but also making sure the background helps make the shot and not detract from it. I will try and get some portrait images for my final portfolio (they may not be Puffins or Kestrals though!)

Silhouettes Portfolio Planning

This maybe one of the hardest area for me to get right for my final portfolio as there will be a lot of factors that need to be right to get a good image. The main factors I need to get right are as follows:

• Lighting (Sunrise and Sunsets would give great dramatic backgrounds)
• Animal shape (is it easily recognisable such as a swan, as I do not think a silhouette of a robin would work as it could be confused with quite a few small birds)
• Clear background (may need to get low down as the silhouette needs to be against a sky or water

I need to get all of these right to get a good silhouette and that will be the challenge. As for equipment I will need to use the following:

• Canon 400d
• Canon zoom lens
• Canon wide angle lens
• Tripod
• Monopod

I will also need to get up really early to capture a sunrise and this would limit me to branston waterpark as the zoo does not open till 10am. I will need to play about with this area of photography to see what I am able to capture and speak to steve to get some ideas for improvement.

Black and White Portfolio Planning

I am hoping that this type of shot will be the easier one for me to capture as I can take these images when I am taking the other images for the portfolio either at Twycross zoo or Branston waterpark. I just need to look at what I am taking photographs of and look at what I think would make a good black and white photograph. The obvious one will be the leopards at the zoo as the picture above shows they make a really good black and white subject due to the colour tones of the animal markings.

Close up Portfolio planning

I want to capture some close up images for my portfolio and try to capture the eyes of animals. To do this I will need to use the following equipment.

• Canon 400d
• Canon Zoom lens
• Monopod / Tripod

I can capture these types of images at Twycross zoo as I should be able to get there every couple of weeks as being a member I can get in for free. I will use the monopod or tripod to help steady the lens as will need to use it at its full zoom when taking these shots. I will aim to focus on the larger animals at the zoo for this as i think they give the most dramatic results.

Bird Portraits portfolio planning

This is another type of image I want to capture in my final portfolio to do this I will need to use the following equipment.

• Canon 400d camera
• Canon zoom lens
• Monopod
• Wild bird food

I can do these kind of photographs at the same time as taking the photographs for the birds in flight as I can capture these shots at Branston waterpark. To do this I need to walk round and stalk the birds listening for the calls and then trying to find them. I will use the monopod as it is quick to set up and will help keep the camera steady as I will be using the zoom lens to its highest zoom to capture these photographs. I then need to be quick to capture them before they fly off and also get close enough for the zoom lens to get them as big as possible in the frame. I may need to use the bird food for this to get them closer to me.

Small Birds in flight Portfolio planning

To try and capture these images for my portfolio I will need to use the following equipment.

• Canon 400d SLR
• Canon zoom lens
• Flashgun
• Tripod
• Wild bird food
• Bird hide (use one at Branston waterpark or Roliston forestry centre)
• Camouflage netting

As I live quite close to Branston waterpark I just need to keep a check out for a good day in the weather and set up the equipment above and try and capture the images I need. I may need to check the waterpark a few days in advance and bait the area to ensure the birds will keep coming to that area. This was the reason I did not get any pictures from this last time as all the feeders were empty.

Portfolio Ideas

Having thought about the images I want for my final portfolio I have a few ideas that I want to explore and images I want to try and capture. I am not sure if I will be able to achieve all of these for my final portfolio however will try to get as many as I can.

The reason for me having such a wide choice is that I want my final portfolio to show different types of photographs that show show different camera techniques. I also have spoken to Steve on my ideas and what I want out of my final portfolio and explained my reasonings, he was happy with this and said that if I did not manage to achieve one of the areas I had enough ideas to fall back on to help. My ideas for my final portfolio are as follows.

Small Birds in flight

Trying to capture smaller birds landing, this will show the use of fill in flash and fast shutter speed.

Birds in Portrait

Trying to capture common birds in their natural settings, I want to try and capture images of everyday birds but composed to make a good photo. I think this will be better than trying to capture rare birds as I would rather concentrate on getting a good composed shot of an easier subject rather than a poorly composed shot of a hard subject.

Face / Eye close ups

Taking inspiration from Frans Lanting try and capture some good high zoom pictures of animal eyes. I think this will show again good composition of a photograph.

Black and White

Looking at some work of Alex Steirn I think black and white images of certain subjects really brings out the texture and dramatic shades of some animals I think this would be a great area to explore.

Silhouettes

Again taking inspiration from other photographs I have seen this is another style of photographs I want to take for my final portfolio. It also means another skill in using my camera as I will need to set the exposure for the sky / background so the subject is under exposed to give the silhouette

Portfolio Plans

I need to start getting some photographs to put towards my portfolio. One of the ideas I want to do is getting some close up shots of faces and eyes of animals. I have taken this inspiration from Frans Lantings work in his book "eye to eye". I have written a blog on Frans earlier in my blog and really like some of the shots he has captured of close ups.

To try and achieve this set of photographs I am planning to go to Twycross zoo on Monday with the sole purpose of getting some close up shots of a few of the animals. Ideally I want to get some of the leopards and if they are out the snow leopards to. I will try and capture close ups of the following animals:

• Leopards
• Snow Leopards
• Elephants
• Giraffes
• Otters

A lot of this will depend on what the weather will be like and also where the animals are positioned in the enclosures. To help with the photographs I will be taking with me the following equipment.

• Canon 400d
• Canon 75 - 300 Lens
• Canon 100 - 400 Lens
• Tripod
• Monopod (this maybe easier to set up than tripod in some areas)

Also whilst at the Zoo I will take some other pictures of the other animals including birds to try and capture some action / movement shots. This is another area I want to put in my portfolio as have taken my ideas from Eric hoskins early work on bird photography showing movement.

Bird Photographs at Branston Waterpark...(if you could not guess)

I went out today with the aim of taking some more photographs of Birds in flight as I had done in previous blogs as I wanted to get some shots that I maybe able to use for my final portfolio. The issue I have is the last lot of photographs I took were lost due to my laptop being stolen a few weeks ago. Although the images are still on my Picasa web album these are not really big enough files to print off. So my aim for the day was to try and take some of these shots again. Fortunately for me I was able to borrow my Dads 100-400 zoom lens which would allow me to get close up shots of the birds.

I have also brought some more equipment to replace what I had stolen to help me with this. I have also got the use of a loan camera from the college which is a 400d SLR. Although not the same as the 500d I had stolen I knew it was still able to take the photos I wanted and also as it is a Canon the controls are very similar to my 500d. When I got up this morning I already knew from the weather forecast that it would be a clear and cold morning so made sure I wrapped up warm and wore my walking boots. I took the following equipment with me to help try and capture the photographs I was after.

• Canon 400d and spare battery (on loan from college)
• Canon 75 - 300 lens (on loan from college)
• Canon 100 - 400 Lens (on loan from Dad)
• Metz 36 AF-4C flashgun
• Hama CA-1 Wireless shutter release
• Velbon Tripod
• Wild Bird Food

I then went to the waterpark and set up at the hide as I have done a few times before, made sure the food was in a small area and after comments from Steve on my last shoot made sure the camera was even closer to get the birds to fill the frame more. One issue I knew I would come across was the flashgun as the one I have got is not able to deal with shutter speeds above 1/200 of a second so this would limit the shots I could get in flight as the wings would be more blurred than I wanted.

After setting up the equipment as above the issue was after about 30 minutes of waiting no birds arrived which made me re-think my strategy. I decided to leave some more food down to hope I could attract birds to the area while I went off to take some photographs of larger water birds in flight and also try and get some shots of smaller birds sitting in trees as I could use some of these for my portfolio too. I left the hide area and made my way to the waterside to see what I could capture.

After an hour or so I returned to the hide to try again but again although a few robins turned up nothing else did I had realised that all the feeders around the hide were empty after another 30 minutes waiting around decided to go back to hand held shots of birds in trees. At around 11.30 I decided to head for home and as I did a lady turned up to fill up the feeders so I will aim to get back there soon to try again.

To see the images i did capture click here