A Closeup Look at Croatia

Submitted by Sheila Reeves

Alan and Sheila Reeves travel the world and capture amazing photographs of their adventures. Please enjoy this video from their 2019 trip to Croatia. Filled with wonderful images of the best of Croatia's natural world, they also captured the essence of life in this tradition filled country.

The Story behind the Photo - The Photograph Does Not Always Reflect the Circumstances

Submitted by John Humkey

One of my personal favorite photo's was taken decades ago with a 2 megapixel camera. I was happy with the sequence of seven images where a moth appeared on the flower and to have captured its quivering antenna in the process. However, at the time it was one of those blistering 108 degree days and I was sweating bullets into my burning eyes as I was crouched near the ground.

A reflection from a nearby billboard at the entrance to Covington Woods/Paul Walker golf course darn near blinded me and contributed to the copious amounts of sweat running down my face. A good number of bees were also buzzing all around probably attracted by the perspiration.
Wearing shorts and having bare legs, the kneeling on gravel contributed to my discomfort.

 I believe it was the single most uncomfortable and quickest photo I have ever taken. Even so, the new camera was also my first digital camera and it was my first good weekend available to get out with it. 

Sometimes, you just never know what you have until you can get home and take a look.

Shoot the Moon

Sitting around now for close to two weeks because of the Corona Virus quarantine trying not to get too bored, so thought I would use some of the extra free time to create another post. The time of year is approaching when we will again explore and photograph the night sky. One of the easiest night sky objects to photograph is the moon.

The moon to me is one of the most fascinating objects floating around up there. Growing up during the early days of the space race and the race to get to the moon, triggered a lifelong love affair with all things related to the exploration of this amazing realm. What is so great about the moon is that is so close and big and for a photographer, so bright. Photographing it is actually quite easy to accomplish, but if you have never given it a try, then there are a few things you might need to know about how to do so.

You do not need a whole lot of fancy astronomical equipment to get started. All you need is a digital camera, a telephoto or zoom lens, a cable/remote shutter release, and a tripod. With this basic setup, you can capture some amazing images of our nearest celestial neighbor.

As far as camera's go, just about any digital camera will work. However, with the lens you will need a telephoto or zoom lens somewhere between 300mm and 600mm. Most routine 70 - 300mm 'beer can lenses' will work just fine. If you are fortunate to own something around a 400mm to 600mm lense you will be the better for it. I use a Sigma 50-500mm f/4.0 - f/6.3 zoom lens and have gotten good results with it, but I have also used a lower quality Minolta 75-300 f/3.5 - f/5.6 lens with good results. The rule is, just use the biggest lens you have.

A wireless remote or cable release is really a good thing to use as well because it helps to prevent vibrations that can blur your shots. In a pinch you can use the 2 second self timer to accomplish the same thing.

You do not need a high dollar tripod, but it does need to be sturdy enough to handle the lense you are using. Some of the bigger zooms are quite heavy and require a tripod with some beef to it to hold it steady.

So, how do you capture the moon? Well, contrary to popular belief, a full moon is not the best time to photograph it. Certainly under certain circumstances the full moon offers some amazing opportunities, but the moon is filled with all kinds of craters and mountain ranges than require shadows to be able to see them in detail. A full moon most often will washout the details. The best time is during one of the crescent phases when there is a shadow or terminator falling across part or most of the moon's surface. This also offers a wider variety of opportunities as the texture of the moon changes as the terminator moves across the surface.

However, should you desire to photograph the full moon, the best time is to catch it just after it rises above the horizon right at dusk. When it sits low in the sky, two things can happen. First it will take on a deeper richer color and can be almost red at times. This is because the light reflecting off it must travel through more of the atmosphere which imparts a yellowish or orange tint to it. Secondly, you can also include some of the natural world that may be found along the horizon like tree lines, or buildings, or mountains, or whatever. This can add a great deal of interest and context to you image.

Shooting the moon during a lunar eclipse can be one of the best times as the moon will slowly progress through a wide variety of colors and textures.

As far as exposure. There is no one way to accomplish this, but there are a couple of things you need to know. First of all, you should take your camera off AUTO for this can cause you all kinds of issues. You can shoot in Aperture Priority, but even this sometimes requires a lot of exposure compensation. The best way of course is to shoot in Manual Mode.

Another thing to remember is to use what is called Spot Metering instead of Matrix or Evaluative metering. Spot metering is where you set your metering mode to use a single point of reference in the field of view, usually the center point. This way you can meter directly off the brightest part of the moon. Matrix or Evaluative metering will get confused by all the darkness surrounding the moon and cause the camera to over expose the moon. By spot metering on the moon itself, you will achieve a much more accurate exposure value.

So here is what I do most of the time. I will use Manual Mode. I set my White Balance to Daylight, I set my ISO to 100. I set my Aperture to f/8.0ish most of the time, and I start with a shutter speed of 1/250th of a second. I find the moon using a smaller focal length like 200mm or something similar, then I zoom in to the maximum...in my case 500mm and center the moon in the viewfinder, focus then I lock the tripod head, wait for a few seconds for any vibrations to dampen, then using a cable release fire off a couple of shots. After looking at the results I may alter the exposure up or down.
Once I obtain the results I want, I load them into the computer and apply a small amount of post processing.

Photographing the moon is an easy way to break into photographing the night sky. It's easy, can be done virtually anywhere, and the results are always rewarding.

Using a Birding Hideout to Capture Fine Art Quality Backyard Bird Images

Submitted by Keith Bridgman

It was an ordinary tree limb about an inch or so in diameter lying on the ground with a graceful arch extending across and above the ground. Along its length a few smaller branches poked out here and there at random places. A  background of crossing brambles lay about thirty feet or so behind and caught the full sun. Around the arching tree limb were placed several cedar stump-like logs and other assorted greenery along with rustic looking logs to provide a sampling of natural habitat foliage. Here and there black sunflower seeds we scattered placed at strategic locations to attract the myriad of songbirds that made this small corner opening at the edge the woods home. Before long, a brilliant crimson Northern Cardinal landed on the limb and raised his crown as if to proclaim this perch as his own. I moved the camera slightly to my left, focused on his eye, then recomposed and fired off a series of images. The resulting final image could possibly be the single best bird photograph I've ever taken...all made possible by shooting from inside the confines of a simple birding hideout.

Birding is a hobby I've casually pursued off and on for many years. I have a decent bird sighting list I've kept up...sometimes, however, I've never seriously attempted to photograph these fascinating feathered friends until recently. Mostly I've just taken snap shots and spent time afield watching them, except on rare occasions.

My wife Kris has been the bird photographer in the family using a simple point and shoot zoom camera, she has captured some amazing photographs just by shooting them from the deck or through the bedroom window while they use the bird feeders. She and I both wanted something more, something that might offer the opportunity to not only see a wider variety of birds, but to capture them in their natural habitat. So I was prompted to construct a simple bird hideout.

Okay...I'll admit it...I sort of over-constructed this thing, but I wanted something that was semi-portable, yet substantial enough to provide not only a good hiding place for bird photography, but something that would provide a element of weather protection. It's not waterproof, but does protect from the cold winter winds.

Commercial blinds are available and they work quite well and are designed to be portable. In many cases all that is required is simply something bland to sit behind to disguise your movement. The idea is to reduce the distance between the camera and the subject thus making it possible to capture more detail and to allow the birds to act in their normal manner. I constructed this one using an old studio backdrop as the main covering, then covered it with two strips of brown burlap which I painted in a camo pattern using flat black and flat brown spray paint. The main covering was simply draped over a rope that was tied between two trees and then staked down at the corners to create a type of A-frame tent-like structure. The burlap was simply draped over it and held in place by using short pieces of twine to tie it together. I also used a couple of long branches wedged into the ground and extended outward to "inflate" the material from the inside to provided for more head room.

I covered the ground inside the blind with a thick layer of straw, to prevent it from becoming too muddy, and placed two short, about three inches tall, wood platforms to sit on. Holes were cut at strategic locations to allow for the camera lense to look through. The idea here is to be able to see and capture the birds at close to eye level...on the same plane...without looking down or up to them. This helps to isolate the birds against a suitable background and give the images a more intimate appeal.

About five yards or so in front of the hideout I placed a series of natural props including cut logs, natural logs, tree limbs, greenery, and other assorted things for a feeding area. The idea is to be able to change it up from time to time...add to it, remove things, re-arrange, that sort of thing to maintain a fresh look. It's also important to provide perching locations near the feeding station as the birds tend to briefly stop on perch's to make sure it is safe before dropping onto the feeding area. I've added to and modified my setup numerous times since the first installment.

Just as important as the props is the background which should be several yards behind and provide a solid yet diffused assembly of natural foliage. Treelines, brambles, bushes, brush piles, dirt mounds, a distant hill, a shaded area, just about anything natural will work, it just needs to be separated several yards from where you want the birds to land. You will also want the prevailing light to come from behind you in most cases. As with the props, you can get creative with the placement of your hideout to best take advantage of the light. In the summer, the area I use will also have a natural growth of wild flowers which will enhance the scenic value of the birding photo opportunity.

As far as attracting the birds, I use black sunflower seeds mostly which can be purchased at any location that sells birdseed, but I also use peanut butter mixed with ordinary birdseed to make a kind of suet that is wedged into small holes drilled into the props. Things like Mill Worms and fruit rinds also work and will attract a wider variety of birds and possibly other kinds of wildlife in the long run. Woodpeckers especially like old semi-rotting limbs that harbor insects and such, so by hanging them onto longer limbs wedged into the ground like a pole, you enhance the ability to attract those fascinating birds. You can even toss out some "road-kill" to attract birds like vultures and possibly even birds of prey. It can sometimes take a few days even up to a week for the birds to find the offerings and get use to the blind being there, so be patient.

Shooting from a birding hideout offers a tremendous opportunity to capture high quality, fine art level photographs of songbirds. The type of equipment to use depends a great deal on your budget, but realistically you will need a zoom or telephoto lens, something in the range of 300mm to 600mm. A typical 70 - 300 zoom lens will work pretty well. Having something that reaches out to 400, 500, or 600mm will simply allow you capture more closeup detail. You will also want to shoot using as fast of a shutter speed as you can. This of course depends on the light and f/stop of your lens. The f/stop also plays an important role. A relatively large opening like f/4 allows for nice blurring of the background, but it also reduces the depth of field making focus all the more important. I tend to shoot around f/6.3 to f/8.0 which at 500mm will still give a nice blurring to the background but allow for a bit wider depth of field and sharper focus. Pushing the ISO up to 800, 1600, or higher will allow for faster shutter speeds but it also generates a greater amount of digital noise, so it's a bit of a trade-off. Just experiment with your camera until you feel comfortable with its capabilities. Shooting from a tripod certainly helps to capture clear and sharp images. There is even opportunities to shoot video footage of your backyard birds.

Focus is also important. You should always focus on the eye of the birds using single point focus. Most cameras allow you to move that single focus point around to aide in composition, but simply using the center point as the focus point, you can easily recompose or crop your image to obtain the result you want.

So there you have it, in a nutshell, using a birding hideout can certainly provide a great deal of enjoyment and an often welcomed change of pace for your photography. Hope you can give it a try.