Wildlife Photography_ From Snapshots to Great Shots - Laurie Excell [31]
• Before entering a warm room with my cold camera gear, I remove the batteries and cards so that I can begin charging batteries and downloading cards right away. I pack the rest of my camera gear back into my backpack. When I enter the room, I leave my camera inside the bag until it has had a chance to come to room temperature gradually, preventing condensation from forming inside the lenses or the viewfinder.
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Spring
Spring comes early to the southern states, so I often head from the cold weather of Yellowstone to the warm, sunny beaches of Florida. No, not to work on my tan but to photograph the life cycle of birds, from mating behavior to nesting and the raising of chicks to fledglings. Many species are easily accessible to photographers all over the state. Over the years I have accumulated a list of places to visit for the greatest bird photography opportunities. Fort DeSoto, Fort Meyers, Tampa Bay, and the Everglades are longtime favorites to name a few. The great thing about Florida is that the season is so long. You can view birds every month of the year, but the best photography is during the spring through early summer, which is nesting time (February through July). The birds are at their finest in their breeding plumage (Figure 5.10). Their attention is focused on finding a mate and thus are easier to approach to photograph their behavior, like the pair of Royal Terns courting shown in Figure 5.11. The male catches a fish and presents it to the female. If she accepts it, it means she has accepted him as her mate. They will then build a nest, incubate the eggs, and raise their young together.
Figure 5.10 A Great Egret grows ornamental feathers, and its lores (the area around its eyes) turn a bright green during mating season.
Figure 5.11 Royal Terns exhibiting courting behavior as the male presents the female with a fish.
There is no shortage of wildlife to photograph in Florida: The locations are easily accessible; the birds are usually habituated to people, allowing for a closer approach; and it’s a great locale in spring for the fair-weather photographer.
As spring nears its end and the temperatures climb into the high 90s or higher around mid-May through June, you’ll find me in south Texas visiting some of the ranchers who have joined the conservation effort and have created water habitats for birds to visit in the hot, dry weather. The saying “If you build it, they will come” is a proven fact in south Texas where birds flock to the water holes in the hot summer months to refresh themselves with a drink or a bath (Figure 5.12).
Figure 5.12 A bath cleans and refreshes in the extreme heat of a south Texas spring.
The setup in south Texas is simple yet genius. Blinds are strategically set up near the water holes to optimize either morning or afternoon light and are at close proximity for frame-filling images of the birds that visit (Figure 5.13).
Figure 5.13 A blind lessens the impact of your presence and allows you to set up much closer to your subject.
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Note
Blowing sand and sea mist are hard on equipment. Using rain gear to cover your equipment during a blowing windstorm or near the surf will help maintain a happy, healthy camera that keeps on working. When you are drying your camera and lens, pat them dry, don’t wipe. Wiping could force water into your equipment, causing condensation at the least and equipment failure at the worst.
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Summer
A visit to Alaska in the summer is like having two springs. I enjoy the first one in the lower 48 and then get a chance to enjoy a second one in Alaska. Whereas spring comes early to the southern states, it comes late in the northern part of the country. As summer approaches, the wildlife in Alaska is just getting going. I spend the first two weeks in June in Alaska photographing courting birds (Figure 5.14); eagles with their