I’m often asked why I photograph a subject in a particular way or how I took a particular shot. John Shaw, who probably popularized wildlife and nature photography more than any other contemporary nature photographer, once advised in a lecture to take a moment before snapping the shutter and think about the how, the what, and the why of making the image. Doing so may elevate a snapshot into a compelling photo. Those hows, whats, and whys are what I’ll be addressing over the next several weeks. I’ll be giving you the story behind the photograph.
The answer to that first question, why did I, or anyone else for that matter, take a shot is generally pretty darn obvious — it was a neat, exciting subject, as was the case with the ospreys here, or it may have been the lighting, or a combination of elements that just made a great composition. The other questions may not have such obvious answers and may involve techniques, planning, or any number of other factors.
I have a confession to make. Back when I started as a professional wildlife photographer, back in the day when pros actually made a full-time living from their wildlife and nature photography, I was a bit lazy or presumptive, sometimes falsely assuming that I’d get another crack at some opportunity in the future. Sadly, I learned that wasn’t always true, and for some wildlife and nature events, you may be lucky to be there even once. Since then, I’ve learned to seize the day and take advantage of an opportunity when it arises. I strongly suggest you do likewise.
That was the case with a near-feeding frenzy of ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) off a little back bay on the Intracoastal Waterway of New Jersey, USA. A friend of my best shooting buddy told us about the spot and, after a four-hour drive, I arrived on location. The tide was in and the birds were… nowhere. The cloudless skies I had enjoyed during my drive had vanished, replaced by a western murk that would require higher ISOs and slower shutter speeds. Things didn’t look promising, but we were there and we waited.
As the tide shifted, the fish run that triggered the ospreys began. Ospreys gathered overhead, and soon birds were diving and catching fish. The winds were right, coming from behind us, so the birds dove into the wind and, upon catching a fish, flew in our direction. That’s a critical point to know when photographing ospreys diving and catching fish, as the birds, whenever possible, fly into the wind for the lift advantage.
Several other photographers were present and most had big glass at a fixed focal length, generally in the range of 600mm or 800mm. I think using a fixed focal length for this type of opportunity is a mistake. Birds may be far off to start, then catch a fish and fly close by, and if you’re not using a zoom, chances are you’ll be cutting off wings or a dangling fish. I recommend using a telephoto zoom in situations like these.
I think there’s too much of an obsession with many photographers about the quality and sharpness of a lens. Granted, there may be a difference in sharpness and true clarity between a name-brand lens and a generic, but is that difference really noticeable in your images? At 100-percent magnification, sure, you’ll probably detect that difference, but at the magnification you or others will be using for viewing, does it matter? Consider: Are you posting on the web where images often automatically get downgraded and most viewers are scrolling on cell phones? If you’re making large prints, what’s the viewing distance? In my opinion, assuming you’re still using a quality lens, getting a great shot (like the entire bird!) is more important than the hair-splitting difference in lens sharpness.
While the light was challenging, I did manage to capture scores of images as birds flew by with fish. Five days later I returned, and this time we had bright sunlight, opening up the possibility of some really challenging shots — catching the dive!
Now let’s address the “hows.” Ospreys, when drifting over water scanning for fish, fly at a reasonably slow speed, and keeping one inside a focus bracket and following it as it flies shouldn’t be too difficult. Once your subject spots a fish, however, the dynamics change. You’ll soon learn to recognize an osprey’s cue when a dive is imminent, and then the bird will set its wings and plunge. Catching the exact moment that an osprey hits, or is about to hit, the water is a real challenge, as it is extremely easy to keep panning just as the bird strikes and go beyond the bird. Many photographers, on the two days I photographed here, were shooting handheld, but I prefer using a tripod and a video head. On a tripod, I can comfortably keep a bird within the frame and smoothly pan, although the speed of the dive too frequently resulted in my panning past the strike. You’ll probably have more luck doing this if you zoom out for a smaller image size, as doing so makes it much easier to keep the bird within the frame.
In many cameras, the center autofocus point acquires and maintains focus faster than an array, but for the ospreys, I activated all of my autofocus points — essentially the entire screen. Since autofocus looks for contrast and generally locks on the nearest object, my autofocus wasn’t confused. I’ve activated Bird detection on my Olympus as one of the autofocus choices, and I recommend trying whatever your system provides that is similar. Most do a great job.
I almost always shoot with the aperture wide open, giving me the fastest shutter speed possible for the conditions. While some may disagree, I believe the increase in depth of field gained isn’t worth having a shot that isn’t sharp due to subject movement. I also used the fastest drive speed my camera offered, which was 50 frames per second via the electronic shutter, so there was no blackout as I shot. Most dives and subsequent flybys with a fish last only a few seconds, but it’s amazing what you’ll catch at a fast frame rate. While you may subsequently agonize over “the best shot,” it sure is nice to have a range of choices!
In all, I spent as much time on the road getting to the ospreys as I did shooting, but I seized the day and I’m glad I did.