Today, I launched my new experiment to take pictures of birds and nature. I work hard at my photography, and I want to keep getting better. This is yet another way to do that, especially during the winter. I’m taking some Leica lessons in a month or so.
I traded three, possibly four, lenses for a particular used Leica 100-400 mm lens. It’s used, but that is rarely a program with Leica equipment, built to last longer than me.
I had to trade three lenses, four (maybe four). My rule is I don’t buy anything I can’t trade for, or that would increase debt. I won’t know about the bird photos until the new lens comes in two or three weeks. The lens I was using today had the auto focus going crazy while i tried to shoot through the glass in Maria’s studio. I’ll make a profit on this transfer.
I’m trying to figure out what photos I can capture; shooting the glass window in Maria’s studio will take some practice, more learning, and more patience. My new lens will shoot more precisely through the class than the one I used today, a Sigma 1.2.8.
Birds are astonishingly sensitive to movement. I have to learn how to be still.
So, I practiced today to gauge the bird speed, the settings, and the focus. I like the lack of digital clarity; it gives the photos more softness and appeal. But this is really the first serious effort I’ve made to shoot birds, who move like lightning and take a great deal. The new lens I’m getting (actually used) is a Leica 100-400, supposedly one of the best nature lenses available for a sane price.
The birds zip in and out like rockets; I must be lucky to catch one still. I might need a hand trigger. I took these photos in poor light from inside a bright room. That always makes focus shakey. But I like the way they came out.
Like my flower photos, I don’t want to take close-ups; I want to capture a feeling, an emotion, a softness.
I want the photos to be gentle and touching, something you might want to sit and look at for a while, something that captures the beauty and the detail of life. I want to add the bird people to the dog people, the cat people to the donkey people, and the sheep and curious and thoughtful and spiritual people who read my blog. I want to make these photos spiritual, softly and indirectly.
I love the symbolism of this kind of photo; they capture a feeling more than anything and are deliberately softer than conventional digital photography. These photos are not literal; they are an emotion of a kind. I need to figure a lot of different things out.
These five photos took an hour; I used a tripod and stood and waited, finger on the trigger, through the window of Maria’s studio. I think the one above is my favorite. I have no idea what the names of these birds are.
With my flower waters, I look to capture the soul of a flower, not the standard close-up details. I’ve yet to figure out what I want to do with my bird and nature photos, and the lens won’t be here for a few weeks.
Thanks for looking at these first bird photos. I need a tripod and more work on the exposure and clarity. Sitting in Maria’s studio is fun, which I rarely do, while she works on her quilt and sings and listens to the radio. When the lens comes, I’ll be there often for a while unless she throws me out.
I took a photo of her latest quilt in progress, an “Owl” quilt which many people already want to buy. The photo below is from the quilt today.
Above, from Maria’s new quilt, which is sold.
It will be fun to watch your bird series. I’m curious to see how the wild birds will reveal their spirit and personalities as they get to know you better. This is great Jon. As long as Zip doesn’t photo bomb, lol☺️well actually that would be pretty adorable.
Glad you are undertaking bird photography…….and experimenting with it! Yes, probably a hand held trigger would be a good idea (it helped me in the past when I was still regularly photographing)……. and on your new journey you will also learn much about bird identification! An added bonus! I eagerly anticipate the photos…….these of today are already piquing my interest!
Susan M
The four photos of the same bird: Titmouse. I know the header is a woodpecker, but not sure which one. Birds are hard to photograph close up. You’re doing great!
I like the first batch of bird photos very much! Anything you learn about how to focus through a window would be really useful — I’m not a serious photographer but that situation in particular has defeated me countless times.
I’m working on it Pete
The black and white bird at the top is a Downny Woodpecker, I believe. The other bird is s Tufted Titmouse, one of my favorites and a frequent visitor my feeders.
Love your bird photos. I get to see the Tufted Titmouse a lot at my feeders too. So beautiful. And that is a gorgeous Downy Woodpecker – only see one occasionally here in middle Georgia. Thanks for sharing.
I have a friend on Facebook, his name is JoPaul Cates. We grew up a few houses away, he’s maybe ten years younger than me. He’s a very good amateur photographer focusing mainly on birds, owls, ducks, eagles, hawks, etc. I’m sure you’d enjoy checking him out. JoPaul is somewhat handicapped. He works full time but doesn’t drive. Very smart in some ways, limited in others. I hope it’s ok that I shared this with you.
JoPaul Cates
Watching birds is one of the joys of my life, especially in spring when they are building nests and getting ready for babies. We would get some fur that we’d combed out from our cats (we didn’t use flea meds on them) and strew it about the yard, and within seconds, the sparrows would be all over it, taking bits and pieces to their nests. It was a hoot to watch, and the devil to photograph! I gave up with stills, and started videoing them, and took some stills from the videos. In early spring before nesting began, we cleaned out the bird houses, and would chuckle to see how much of the fur was in the nests. The things we’d find in the nests! Things like Tyvek strips from houses, wrapping from gum, tinsel, all types of feathers – all intricately woven into the nest. I love these pictures of birds, Jon, they do evoke a softness and a feeling, almost like you’re peeking into their lives.
There’s a wonderful free app from the Cornell University Ornithology Dept called Merlin ID which is a nice way to ID birds through sound recordings or images
I wait until I learn the names naturally, the kindly bird lovers let me know and eventually I’ll get it..For now, I’m just taking the photos.
I’ve been using the Merlin app to learn to identify birds by sound. It will pick up on the birds that are chirping/singing in the immediate area, and give you an identification. This is great for identify birds that you can hear, but not see.
Love the bird pictures!! Yes, woodpecker and tufted titmouse!!
Yes your bird pics are soft and lovely to just look at! I get a few tufted titmice at my feeders and downy woodpeckers too.
You must have quite a bit of patience waiting for the little critters! Thanks for sharing.
I have little patience that will need to change
I take a lot of bird photos with my 200-500 lens. I have it set up on a tripod near a window, overlooking a small manmade pond and stream. I can sit on the couch, open the window and take photos through the window in the comfort of my home. I was calling it “Couch Potato Photography.” I have a great ball head for my tripod that moves easily and holds it spot when you get it where you want it to be. Got a lot of great photos that way. I even won an amateur Audubon photography award with one of my photos.