The Importance Of Head Angle In Bird Photography - Part 2

In June of this year I made a post on this blog about making sure that the head position of a bird that is your subject in a photograph is at a pleasing angle in order to produce the best image possible, one that really invites the viewer into the photo. You can read the article here.

Just recently I was visiting the Fort DeSoto park in the St. Petersburg area where you can usually find plenty of interesting and colorful shore birds. When I got back home and was post-processing the images I had taken, I found an excellent example of how much the head angle of a bird can help make or break the shot, or at least change it significantly.

I had been patiently following a few American Oystercatchers along the shore and had several shots of them because they eventually got used to my presence and pretty much ignored me. These are very colorful and interesting birds so they are definitely one of my favorite subjects. Here are two shots of the same bird taken just seconds apart that illustrate how a bird's head angle changes the whole look of an image.

American Oystercatcher Photo 1

American Oystercatcher Photo 2

If you look closely in the above photos, you will see that the body of the bird is identical from one shot to the next. The only thing that has changed from one photo to the other is the head angle of the bird. So which angle do you like best?

Personally, I like the second shot because the bird seems to be more engaged with you as the viewer of the photo. It's as if he is looking right at you, and that just seems to inspire more interest in most viewers. Whether or not you agree, isn't it clear from this example that the head angle of your subject makes a huge difference in the feel of the image?

A head angle of anywhere from 45 degrees to 90 degrees is generally good for most bird shots. Interestingly, if the bird is facing you head on, the image is not as good in many cases because having the eye in good focus in the photograph is very important and it almost disappears in such a shot since the eyes of most birds are not close together, but instead on each side of their head.

Now of course, keep in mind that this is not a rule in bird photography, since there are always exceptions to the rule where art is concerned. But generally speaking, paying close attention to the head angle of a bird you are photographing will be effort well spent.

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See my latest nature and wildlife images at:
www.duanelipham.com
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Change Your Camera Angle For Better Nature Photos

One of the simplest changes that a nature photographer can make to increase a viewer's interest in the images they produce is to change the camera angle. What this means is that most people who use a camera instinctively look at a subject and bring the camera up to their eye level to take the photo. In other words, the angle of view that they choose for the bird or animal on the ground or in the bush is the same as they have while standing.

This is ok in some cases, but it doesn't present the photo's subject in an interesting way, especially if it is a bird or animal that is rather commonly seen. It usually results in a photo that is fairly hum-drum and boring.

Instead, lower the camera angle down to at least eye level with the subject, or maybe even flatten yourself out on the ground entirely. This does two things - first it makes for a fresh way to view the subject, and second it totally changes the background. If your camera angle no longer includes the grass or ground in the near vicinity of the subject, it doesn't compete for our attention when we view the photo.

It's amazing how this one simple tip can take a mundane and uninteresting image and transform it into something that our eye finds attractive. Here is a few shots taken this last weekend at Fort Desoto's North Beach area that helps emphasize the need to get eye level with your subject to spice up the photo:

A marbled godwit relaxing in the water

An american oystercatcher in the sand

Notice how both shots above are fromn low camera angles and as a result the background is moved far away from the bird making it go pleasingly out of focus. This draws our attention to the place where we as photographers want it to be - on the bird.

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See my latest nature and wildlife images at:
www.duanelipham.com
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A Great Source For Quality Used Camera Lenses

Nature and wildlife photographers are always on the lookout for ways to buy high quality camera lenses for as little as possible. Of course, we are always keeping an eye on camera bodies too, but we all know that it's the lens that actually makes the image, and most of us would much rather have a so-so camera body with a great lens than a great camera body with a so-so lens.

There are several places to buy used equipment online at good prices. I have bought a few lenses on Ebay with good success, but I always stick with sellers that are highly rated by their customers for selling quality photographic equipment. Amazon is another good source for used camera gear and again I recommend that you stick with sellers that are reviewed favorably by many satisfied customers. KEH is another source of good high quality photo equipment at a fair price.

But I recently bought a Tamron SP 150-600mm lens for my Sony cameras from a site called LensAuthority.com. This site is essentially a storefront for selling lenses that have been in rental service at LensRentals.com for a while.

So why buy from a place like this? Well, a photo gear rental site lives and dies by the quality of the equipment they are sending to their rental customers. If the equipment stinks, they simply don't get any return business or good word of mouth. In addition, when an article returns from service in the field, it has to be inspected and serviced to keep it in the best condition possible for the next rental. This means that the equipment has been repeatedly inspected and kept in tip-top shape by people who know what they are doing.

Before buying a lens from this company I did my research and found that they have a very good reputation from past customers who have taken the time to post on forums and websites about their buying experience with LensAuthority.com. So I took the plunge, and it has been a great experience thus far.

The lens itself was bought at a price that was over $100 less than I could find anywhere else online. They also sent the lens out to me the same day I ordered it and when it arrived it was packed very well. They kept in very good contact with me all the way, and I felt like I was working with people who valued quality and service.

The lens is in perfect condition, just as advertised, and even came with its original box. I am a happy camper and want to share my good experience with you. So if you are looking for camera bodies or lenses on the used market, give the folks at LensAuthority.com a look and see if they have what you want. If you get the same service I did, you will be very glad that you did.

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See my latest nature and wildlife images at:
www.duanelipham.com
Follow me on Google+

Super Telephoto Lenses And Nature Photography

It's usually not very long before a nature photographer realizes that if they want to fill the frame with richly detailed images of birds and animals, they are going to have to consider getting what is often called a "super telephoto" lens. This a lens that is at least 500mm or higher.

Not only does a super telephoto lens allow you to get shots of far away subjects more easily, but if you use it well, and try to get as close as you can, it will return images that display the subject in absolute sharp focus against a background that is pleasingly out of focus. This highlights the subject of your image and makes for spectacular shots.

So what lens do you choose? Well, the bad news is that many super telephoto lenses are unbelievably expensive and can cost as much as a decent used car. The Canon 500mm f4 and Nikon 500mm f4 spring to mind. These lenses are at the very pinnacle of quality and sharpness while also letting in a lot of light to work with in darker situations. But they are also HUGE, heavy and as I said, really expensive. In fact, they will set you back a good $6,000 to $10,000 or more depending on their condition.

Sony users like me don't have a lot to choose from in this area, but the Minolta 500mm mirror lens (not made anymore) is a fine lens and much less expensive than the ones mentioned earlier. However, it has a fixed f8 aperture that can be limiting, and the way that mirror lenses treat out of focus highlights in the background can be annoying or even irritating. It tends to turn them into donut shapes. Some people like these kind of images, but many do not.

So what are the other alternatives? Fortunately, Tamron and Sigma have entered this horse race and are making products that can fill the bill for those that are willing to make a few compromises in overall quality to get results that are still very pleasing.

Just recently I bought a Tamron 150-600mm lens for my Sony cameras and so far I am thrilled with the results I am seeing in my images. Sigma makes a fine 150-600mm lens as well from what I can tell, but at the time of this post, it is not available in the Sony A mount, neither the regular "Contemporary" lens nor the upgraded "Sport" lens.

This Tamron has a f6.3 aperture at its lowest setting and some may consider that an issue because of its lower light gathering capability, but honestly, I am most often using it in daylight conditions anyway, and it just doesn't bother me that much. And the difference in out of focus background appearance between f4 and f6.3 is not a deal breaker either, especially if one gets pretty close to their subjects anyway as I mentioned earlier in this post.

But the big feature of these lenses is their reach. 600mm! WOW! That really gets you close to the action. And if you are using a crop-sensor camera like most of us amateurs do, that means that your effective focal length is somewhere around 900mm. Now that is really WOW!

There are other super telephotos made by third party lens manufacturers like Tamron and Sigma, but these 150-600mm cannons tend to be the best deal out there overall in my humble opinion. The good news is that my Tamron does have some heft to it, but it can still be used successfully by hand without any tripod or monopod, although I highly recommend some type of support if you want the best chance of getting really sharp images. The Canon and Nikon f4 behemoths mentioned above are often only usable on a solid tripod due to their weight and size.

What about sharpness, you say? For me, the Tamron I have is plenty sharp. No doubt, the more expensive lenses deliver an even more impressive level of detail and sharpness, but for my purposes, this lens delivers enough to keep me happy. And there is certainly not enough difference that I feel impelled to part with many thousands of my hard earned cash to get the next higher level of  lens performance.

In fact, here are a few shots I made a couple weeks ago at a local lake that I think proves my point that this lens delivers highly detailed, sharp, and color-saturated images:

White egret in dappled lighting

Muscovy duck close-up

White ibis portrait

So if you are thinking about moving into the super telephoto category of lenses for your nature photography, why not give these third party 150-600mm lenses an honest look? For me, it's just what I was looking for.

---

See my latest nature and wildlife images at:
www.duanelipham.com
Follow me on Google+

Super Telephoto Lenses And Nature Photography

It's usually not very long before a nature photographer realizes that if they want to fill the frame with richly detailed images of birds and animals, they are going to have to consider getting what is often called a "super telephoto" lens. This a lens that is at least 500mm or higher.

Not only does a super telephoto lens allow you to get shots of far away subjects more easily, but if you use it well, and try to get as close as you can, it will return images that display the subject in absolute sharp focus against a background that is pleasingly out of focus. This highlights the subject of your image and makes for spectacular shots.

So what lens do you choose? Well, the bad news is that many super telephoto lenses are unbelievably expensive and can cost as much as a decent used car. The Canon 500mm f4 and Nikon 500mm f4 spring to mind. These lenses are at the very pinnacle of quality and sharpness while also letting in a lot of light to work with in darker situations. But they are also HUGE, heavy and as I said, really expensive. In fact, they will set you back a good $6,000 to $10,000 or more depending on their condition.

Sony users like me don't have a lot to choose from in this area, but the Minolta 500mm mirror lens (not made anymore) is a fine lens and much less expensive than the ones mentioned earlier. However, it has a fixed f8 aperture that can be limiting, and the way that mirror lenses treat out of focus highlights in the background can be annoying or even irritating. It tends to turn them into donut shapes. Some people like these kind of images, but many do not.

So what are the other alternatives? Fortunately, Tamron and Sigma have entered this horse race and are making products that can fill the bill for those that are willing to make a few compromises in overall quality to get results that are still very pleasing.

Just recently I bought a Tamron 150-600mm lens for my Sony cameras and so far I am thrilled with the results I am seeing in my images. Sigma makes a fine 150-600mm lens as well from what I can tell, but at the time of this post, it is not available in the Sony A mount, neither the regular "Contemporary" lens nor the upgraded "Sport" lens.

This Tamron has a f6.3 aperture at its lowest setting and some may consider that an issue because of its lower light gathering capability, but honestly, I am most often using it in daylight conditions anyway, and it just doesn't bother me that much. And the difference in out of focus background appearance between f4 and f6.3 is not a deal breaker either, especially if one gets pretty close to their subjects anyway as I mentioned earlier in this post.

But the big feature of these lenses is their reach. 600mm! WOW! That really gets you close to the action. And if you are using a crop-sensor camera like most of us amateurs do, that means that your effective focal length is somewhere around 900mm. Now that is really WOW!

There are other super telephotos made by third party lens manufacturers like Tamron and Sigma, but these 150-600mm cannons tend to be the best deal out there overall in my humble opinion. The good news is that my Tamron does have some heft to it, but it can still be used successfully by hand without any tripod or monopod, although I highly recommend some type of support if you want the best chance of getting really sharp images. The Canon and Nikon f4 behemoths mentioned above are often only usable on a solid tripod due to their weight and size.

What about sharpness, you say? For me, the Tamron I have is plenty sharp. No doubt, the more expensive lenses deliver an even more impressive level of detail and sharpness, but for my purposes, this lens delivers enough to keep me happy. And there is certainly not enough difference that I feel impelled to part with many thousands of my hard earned cash to get the next higher level of  lens performance.

In fact, here are a few shots I made a couple weeks ago at a local lake that I think proves my point that this lens delivers highly detailed, sharp, and color-saturated images:

White egret in dappled lighting

Muscovy duck close-up

White ibis portrait

So if you are thinking about moving into the super telephoto category of lenses for your nature photography, why not give these third party 150-600mm lenses an honest look? For me, it's just what I was looking for.

---

See my latest nature and wildlife images at:
www.duanelipham.com
Follow me on Google+