eagles

All posts tagged eagles

Alaska Eagle Diary 2013 – Part 2

Posted by scottbourne on March 21, 2013
Posted in: News. Tagged: , , , . 7 comments
Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons

Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons

The tides, the winds, the sun and the weather. Even if you know where and when to find eagles….even if you know how to photograph eagles….even if you have the right gear….there’s always the tides, the winds, the sun and the weather. These four fources impact everything you do as a wildlife/bird photographer.

Yesterday, the tides, the winds, the sun and the weather conspired against us and we were shut out. The sun and the tides are predictable. We have all sorts of iPhone/ Android apps to tell us where the sun will be and when the tide is coming in or out. But we can’t control the weather and the winds. When they are wrong they are wrong. And there’s nothing you can do about it. Bald blue skies with crisp cold temperatures, left us without cover as a horrible northeastern wind came up making bird photography impossible.

Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons

Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons

The tide was too low to take our boat inside the bay where we’re closest to the eagles so we beached and tried to do some perched shots, but the wind was strong and from the wrong direction so we headed in early.

When you are photographing eagles, you want the sun AND the wind behind you. The birds fly into the wind. If the wind and the sun are behind you, you get some of the great images you see in this post. If the sun and the wind are NOT behind you, you get nothing.

Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons

Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons

So the first two days were glorious and yesterday we got shut out. This weekend there is a light snow in the forecast. This is great news. As long as it doesn’t snow too hard or too long it could provide an amazing backdrop for photographing eagles.

Meanwhile I’ve already started the editing process, picking and saving my favorite images. What’s different about it this year is that I am for the first time, using a Windows machine. Yes, I know, I am supposed to be an Apple fanboy. But sorry, the Apple lineup just can’t keep up speedwise. My new Hewlitt Packard Elite Book is super fast. It’s a workstation-class laptop that is as fast as many desktops. Especially when it comes to the graphics chip. That’s important to photographers since most of the photo software we use today is GPU not CPU dependent.

Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons

Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons

The new HP True Color display is a joy to work on and render times for video are remarkably short. It’s taken some getting used to, but I am committed to using Windows now. Once I’m inside Lightroom/Photoshop it doesn’t matter much. I am used to that eco-system. And with the help of a few programs like “ObjectDock,” I can make the Windows seem more Mac-like.

That is the news so far. I will update at least once more. Thanks for sticking with me as I photograph the eagles of Alaska.

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Day One of Eagles in Alaska — A Newbie’s First Day with Birds

Posted by Richard Harrington on March 19, 2013
Posted in: Opinion. Tagged: , , , . 4 comments

A collection of photos and video clips from Day One of my Eagle photo safari. My first time making images of these birds, but I wanted to share these magnificent creatures with you.

Music: Sticky Bumps (featuring Debbizo) by spinningmerkaba

Mentorship: Scott Bourne & Robert O’Toole

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Alaska Eagles 2013 Diary Part 1

Posted by scottbourne on March 19, 2013
Posted in: News. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a Comment
Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons

Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons – Canon 1DX – Canon 300 mm f/4 IS L

I finally made it back to Alaska. This trip is a busy one. I’ll only be here 11 days total and I have two assignments and a workshop to teach. I’m also testing several video and still cameras and lenses, a new tripod and assorted other stuff I can’t mention yet.

The trip from Vegas is a long one. I got up at 6:00 am my time and didn’t get settled and in bed in Alaska until 1:00 am Alaska time. The next day I spent cataloging and checking gear. I shipped some gear ahead, brought some with me and had Borrow Lenses send some more. In total I have the following bodies and several supporting lenses: Fuji XPRO 1, a Panasonic GH3, two Olympus OM-D E-M5s, a Canon 1DX, a GoPro Hero 3, and a Sony NEX-FS100U Super 35mm Sensor Camcorder. I have a couple of other cameras I am testing that are pre-release. I’ll talk about those another time.

My team also has a Nikon D800, D600 and D4 along with a full compliment of lenses. We have 10 different tripods, heads and sliders as grip. As usual, no matter how hard I try, I always forget something. We didn’t bring a fluid head for the video camera. Sigh. Even seasoned veterans make mistakes and trust me I make plenty of them.

Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons

Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons – Panasonic GH3 – Panasonic 35mm to 100 zoom

Now for the good news. The weather is relatively warm. It’s getting up to 30 degrees (F) during the day. I’ve been here when it’s been 30 degrees colder and this is much easier to take. There are tons of eagles in the area, as well as the incredible scenery of the Kenai Mountains to keep us busy when we’re not after birds.

Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons

Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons – Panasonic GH3 – Panasonic 35mm to 100mm Zoom

My friend Robert O Toole and I are leading an eagle workshop and it’s been fun to introduce my pal Rich Harrington to his first real wildlife/nature photo experience. He looks like a giant kid in a camera store. If he would just stop grinning from ear-to-ear maybe we could get some work done. :)

We’ve already recorded three podcast/videos up here. And I’ve already had some good test images from most of the cameras.

Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons

Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons – Fuji XPRO1 with Fuji 35mm lens

The first image I made was with the Fuji XPRO 1 and a Fuji 35mm lens (EFL 52mm.) This is a popular and controversial camera. Many of my friends didn’t like the original X camera but Fuji seems to have listened to the feedback and the XPRO 1 is a step in the right direction. It’s a quirky, odd camera to be sure. And that’s why it is probably so popular. It uses a new lens mount and the glass (typical of Fuji) is first rate. The camera is still slow to focus compared to similar cameras, but the image quality (especially the jpgs right out of the camera) is flat out amazing. It uses an aperture ring on the lenses! That I like. It is a slow camera meant for contemplative shooting. Landscape, automotive, product, and portrait shooters will want to give this camera a serious look. It is deserving of your attention.

Next up I tried the new GH3 with 35mm to 100mm zoom lens and 100-300mm zoom lens. This is very different from my OM-D E-M5 bodies. But it is also an amazing camera. My first impressions are that if you’re looking for stealth, the Olympus is a better bet. If you like your image stabilization in the lens, the Panasonic gets the nod. The image quality is different from the Olympus but not better or worse in my opinion. Just different. The video may be (and I repeat MAY be) a tad better in the Panasonic, but I doubt most people would see the difference. The camera handles well and has a few features I’d like to see on the Olympus including a fully articulating LCD. In fact, I wish I could marry the two cameras into one super camera. Maybe in my next life.

Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons

Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons – Panasonic GH3 – Panasonic 35mm to 100mm zoom.

The eagles are in very good shape. Some years, we’re faced with eagles that clearly had a rough winter. Not this year. The birds are in excellent condition which means better images. I am very blessed to get paid to work in this environment and with every tick of the clock am mindful that I must get every drop out of this experience, because this is my last pro photo trip to Alaska. So far so good. I’ve peppered this post with a few images. Rich is posting a video of his first efforts (quite well done in my opinion, especially for a newbie.) We both hope you enjoy the ride. I’ll have more from Alaska in two days.

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2012 Eagle Trip Wrap Up

Posted by scottbourne on April 10, 2012
Posted in: Technique & Tutorials. Tagged: , , , , .

Photo by Scott Bourne - Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons

2012 Alaska Eagle Trip Wrap Up

This is my final post about this year’s eagle trip in Alaska.

This year’s eagle trip had the usual themes for me. I got to spend time in some of the most beautiful outdoor scenery in the world. I got to spend time helping a friend. I got to spend time with friends. I got to make new friends. I got the chance to tell the story of the eagles with my camera. I got to preserve moments in time that will last beyond my time here.

This year, I figured out that concentrating on type of shot, i.e., perched, flight, fight, prey, etc., at a time yielded the best results.

As with every trip I take these days, I discovered that taking less and less gear is always the best policy. I had lots of cameras and lenses with me but only took one or two into the field. This helped reinforce my policy of concentrating on one thing at a time. I’m doing some of the best photography of my career right now and I can tell you for sure that I am carrying less gear than ever.

In the past, I would have missed several shots due to gear wrangling and the associated hassles that come with that. This year, there were days where I simply went out on the boat with one camera and one lens and a card wallet and I got great stuff.

The irony is that I own every single photo gadget known to man, but I find myself using most of it less and less.

In fact, next year my plan is to bring not one piece of gear WITH me. I’m going to have Borrowlenses.com ship EVERYTHING I need for the trip. As they did last year, I had them ship backup stuff so in case something went south I was ready. But now I am convinced I can have them take care of all of it which means no hassle with planes, or worrying about gear being stolen or damaged by TSA, baggage handlers, etc.

I also did something this year that I usually advise people NOT to do. I took cameras that I was totally unfamiliar with and used them in a critical shooting situation. The good news is that the new cameras I was testing, primarily the Canon 5D MK III and the Nikon D4, performed so well there were no worries.

This year’s eagle trip was great. I continue to face medical challenges that makes these trips harder and harder but I feel worse if I do NOT go so – I go.

My admiration and respect for the people who live and work here full time continues to grow. It’s a tough environment with harsh weather, a difficult economy and a certain sense of isolation. Yet almost everywhere I went I was enthusiastically greeted and warmly received.

I have some of the best guides around helping. And I am now so confident in my abilities to get great eagle shots here that I plan to offer a workshop/tour this time next year with my pal Robert O’Toole.

We’ve done a great deal of scouting and secured permits, licenses, guide and outfitter relationships and can actually guarantee people that we can put them in close proximity to eagles.

If you like the pictures I’ve been posting from this trip stay tuned. I’ll guarantee anyone who knows how to operate their camera portfolio-quality eagle pictures if they come on my workshops here next year. I’ll have more information soon. I’m first making these workshops available to my core supporters. If there are any spots left I’ll mention them here. If you’d like to be notified by email, send me notice to photofocus@me.com.

I want to thank my guides and the people of Alaska for another great experience. And most of all, I want to thank the eagles who allow me to tell their stories and love them. It’s an honor to speak for the birds.

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2012 Alaska Eagle Trip Report – Part I

Posted by scottbourne on March 29, 2012
Posted in: Technique & Tutorials. Tagged: , , , .

If you’ve been paying any attention to my feed you’ve probably surmised that I am currently in Alaska. I am up here for the second year in a row to photograph bald eagles.

I’m here this time to accomplish different goals than the last time. On this trip I am helping a friend, reviewing cameras, working on an assignment, planning some new workshops and shooting almost exclusively on still cameras.

The last time I was here I shot more video than stills. It’s MUCH easier to just shoot stills. The experience from the last trip convinced me that the folks who shoot video full time deserve a bunch of respect. It’s hard, hard work.

On this trip I have been able to concentrate on various aspects of eagle photography. In this post I’ll show you some pretty pictures like I always do, but I’ll also show you some of the failures. I learned a bunch from seeing Scott Kelby do this on some of his recent assignments so I thought it might be helpful if I did the same.

I’ll have at least one more post wrapping up the trip but for now, look at what’s gone wrong :)
NOTE: All photos by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons – all photos imported into Aperture, cropped or straightened, edge sharpening added – no other post corrections made.

Eagle too low in frame.

Eagle correct height in frame.

Eagle wing clipped outside frame.

Eagle wing not clipped.

Eagle head turned off camera axis.

Eagle head turned properly in relationship to camera axis.

Shot flawed by nictitating membrane

Better shot minus nictitating membrane.

Eagle's head merges with horizon - not salable.

Eagle's head does not merge with horizon - makes it salable.

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