NatureScapes Radio LIVE

On Tuesday, April 6, 2010, the second episode of NatureScapes Radio LIVE aired. Hosted by Dave Warner of Lensflare35, the episode featured NatureScapes founders Greg Downing and E.J. Peiker and guest host photographer Chris Dodds. Chris Dodds is a full-time freelance nature photographer specializing in birds. His images have been featured in National Geographic, Outdoor Photographer Canada, and Bird Conservation magazines, and Chris also lectures and teaches nature photography workshops throughout the world. To learn more about Chris, please visit his website at http://www.chrisdoddsphoto.com and blog at http://www.naturephotographyblog.com.

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Show Notes for NatureScapes Radio LIVE! Episode 2:

After initial greetings (0:10) by the returning members of the program, Chris Dodds introduced himself (2:23), and told about his background in studio photography and how he became involved with NatureScapes (3:52). He explained how his interest of birds inspired him to begin focusing on nature as the subject of his photography (5:30), and how his experiences doing event and studio work have influenced him as a nature photographer (6:50). Chris, Greg, and Dave discussed nature photography as a full time career (10:06) and how it has changed with the advent of new cameras and the internet making information readily available to a wide range of photographers.

Dave asked Chris about his popular Gannets Galore workshop and Bonaventure Island (11:10). On his website, Chris says that Bonaventure Island is one of his favorite places to photograph birds, and he explained how the journey to get to the island and non-stop action of the birds that nest on Bonaventure Island make it an exciting location for bird photography. Bonaventure Island is home to the largest breeding colony of Northern Gannets in the world with over 50,000 nesting pairs. Chris called the island “an endless canvas for creativity” (13:58), and cited the close proximity of the gannets, non-stop flight action on windy days, and breeding and courtship behaviors as excellent for a wide range of photographic opportunities of the beautiful birds.

Dave asked Chris if there was anything to photograph on Bonaventure Island besides Gannets (17:44). In June, Chris said, Razorbills, Common Murres, and Black-legged Kittiwakes are all regular species on the island, along with Grey Seals, Minke Whales, and occasionally other species of marine mammals. Atlantic Puffins are also present in small numbers.

Dave then asked Chris to tell about his coolest or most memorable photography moment (19:58), and Chris told of his first visit to Bonaventure Island, describing the smells, sounds, and sights of the massive colony. They took a related question from the chat room (21:41) by a listener named Greg who asked if Chris used any type of portable blind to photograph the birds on Bonaventure Island. Chris said that the birds are quite habituated to people and show no fear of the photographers so blinds are not necessary. He also said that two permanent decks were available for photographers to shoot from on the island.

In places that do require a blind of some sort (23:15), Chris uses pop-up blinds, such as the Ameristep Doghouse and Outhouse models sold in the NatureScapes.Net store. Chris usually uses pop-up blinds when doing set-ups while shooting in Quebec and Ontario, but finds that he is doing so less and less frequently. Greg also suggested using the Kwik Camo bag blind as another very portable option (24:40).

E.J. then began discussion on “What’s New” since the last NatureScapes Radio LIVE podcast on March 2 (25:30). He started by discussing an article he wrote for his quarterly newsletter Quack titled “We Need Lighter Gear” which addresses the bulk and weight of professional camera equipment. As a photographer who travels frequently, E.J. feels there is a need for lighter weight gear that can produce professional results. Chris mentioned that his new Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS Mark II lens is heavier than its predecessor, and he and Greg discussed differences between the original and Mark II version (27:32).

The men briefly discussed the evolution from film to digital (29:58). Greg said that these days, many of his workshop participants have never shot film. E.J. said that digital has resulted in many people nitpicking noise and grain in images, even though modern digital cameras perform much better in that regard than the film photographers used to use (30:48). As a result, many nature photographers are overusing noise reduction software and many images tend to have an artificial, plasticy look, said E.J. and Greg. The men all agreed that they process images different for presentation on the web than in print, due to these differences in popular opinion, by adjusting their shadow/highlight and sharpening settings differently for forum presentation than print display.

Greg chimed in next (34:00), and said he was glad to see spring. He said that feedback from the first podcast was positive, and said that one listener described the casual style of the NatureScapes Radio LIVE podcast as a “fireside chat.” He discusses a few new things on the website, including the April 2010 cover image of a rose by Rammohan Pai, and two new articles, one on creative “out of the box” nature photography by Marc Graf and another on photographing Great Falls National Park by Alex Mody. Greg also announced that he and Kari Post would be at the Florida First Coast Birding & Fotofest in St. Augustine, Florida from April 22-25 (37:44).

Chris brought attention to a particular Image of the Week selection in the NatureScapes Birds Forum of an American Avocet in flight (38:48), which he commended highly.

The guys dove into questions from listeners, received via email, Twitter, or the chat room (41:44). The first came from a listener who referred to Rob Galbraith’s Canon 1D Mark IV review, where Galbraith had commented that multiple AF sensors needed to be selected on the Mark IV in order to insure accurate autofocus. The listener asked if Chris, who is using the new Mark IV, agreed that using a single AF-sensor, which many photographers do, was the wrong way to go when using the Mark IV. Chris said that birds in flight may not require the same autofocus settings as sports, which Galbraith shoots. He found that, in his own limited personal testing, by expanding the AF point, the camera performed better in bright light, but in overcast conditions had a slight tendency to lock on the background. Greg asked if it was possible to select the level of AF point expansion, as on his Mark II, he had two settings to choose from (45:44). Chris said that, yes, it was on the Mark IV. E.J. clarified that on the Mark IV, it was possible to select a single autofocus point, and then, in custom functions, allow the camera to use a limited number of surrounding points to assist tracking. He cautioned that, on both Nikon and Canon cameras, by selecting too many points, it gives the camera too much to process and slows down the cameras autofocus. He said that the first expansion level beyond the single AF-point is generally best.

The topic then jumped to the new look of the NatureScapes Store (49:40). Greg said that the store was getting a lot of great feedback. He said the Tripod Comparison Guide was recently redone for the new store.

Dave asked if any of the guys had had a chance to try out the new iPad (51:28), none of whom had. Dave had been able to play with one, and said, that while he initially focused on everything the iPad was missing, after playing with it a bit, something about it got him hooked and that he plans to get one. E.J. has a 3G one on order. The guys discussed some early apps available for the iPad.

The guys then jumped back to questions (59:00). E.J. took the question “How do you decide when to use fill flash for bird photography?” E.J. says that while he has been using flash less for bird photography due to the excellent high ISO performance of current cameras, there are certain situations where it is needed. One, he said, is when a bird is in shadow with a brightly lit background. He also uses flash in very dark situations or when the light is very flat. Greg said that he avoids using flash in the hours of golden light immediately after sunrise or before sunset. When using flash as a main light, Greg usually aims for lighter backgrounds that way he can balance the flash and ambient exposure and still show the background. Some examples of this technique are available on his website at www.gdphotography.com in his Alaska and Florida galleries. Chris also suggested not using front flash on white or light colored birds, because the front lighting flattens the definition of the bird’s feathers (1:03:00). He also avoids using flash for birds with hollow feather structures, like Snowy Owls.

Chris takes the next question (1:05:00): “I have a new Canon 500mm f/4 IS lens, and I’m using it with a Canon 50D. My tripod is an older Bogen 3221 with an Arca Swiss ball head. I have trouble using the ball head with the lens, and I am wondering what the best upgrade would be for this set-up. I am 5’11” tall, and I want something light and stable.” Chris said he uses the older Gitzo 1325* and Wimberley II full gimbal head, which makes handling long lenses like the 500mm f/4 much easier. By correctly balancing the camera and lens around the nodal point of the setup, the camera and lens combination is rendered nearly weightless and is very easy to maneuver. This setup is very stable. Chris said he prefers to use the tripod whenever possible, but will hand hold a lens if it is the only option. *The Gitzo 3530LS tripod replaces the old 1325 model. Greg said that the full Wimberley head is the best option for larger lenses, as the sidekick, an attachment that can be mounted to a ball head to convert the ball head to a gimbal type head, mounts the lens from the side (1:07:35). The full Wimberley head, on the other hand, supports the weight of the setup from below, making it a more secure option. Greg also suggested investing in a bigger, stronger tripod with a short and stable short center column or no center column at all for larger lenses.

The next question was about backing up images, which E.J., the computer guru, took (1:10:52). E.J. believes in traveling with multiple copies of images stored in multiple locations. On his recent New Zealand trip, for example, E.J. brought enough compact flash memory cards to store images for the entire trip (126GB to be exact). He backed up those images to his laptop as well as an external drive. All three are stored separately for the trip home, so that in the event of a loss, he will still come home with one copy. At home, E.J. uses large hard drives that are automatically backed up in triplicate. One of these hard drives is an external drive that can be stored off site. E.J. said “If photography is your livelihood or your images mean a lot to you, keep an off site backup.”

For the final question, Dave asked each of the three photographers “What are your predictions for the next five years when it comes to digital technology?” (1:14:30). Chris said he thinks Canon will get the autofocus right and that there will be massive developments in video and motion picture technology. Chris expected to see advancements in ISO performance and lighter cameras and slower, lighter lenses as a result. Greg hoped that manufacturers will listen to consumer gripes and expected that image quality will continue to improve. He felt that optics need to catch up to what cameras can now produce in terms of higher resolution. E.J. expected to see the electronic viewfinder find its way into professional cameras, eliminating the mirror box, as has been done on the Olympus and Panasonic systems. Dave looked forward to 3-D cameras and “Frankencameras” like the one designed by Stanford University students.

The next episode of NatureScapes Radio LIVE will air on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 at 9PM EST and will feature Alaskan nature photographer and environmentalist, Carl Donohue, as guest host. Dave, Greg, and E.J. will also return and topics of conservation and the use of tilt-shift lenses will be discussed.

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NatureScapes Radio LIVE - Episode 2

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