Working with a Bird Photographer Mentor/Coach
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Why engage a bird photographer mentor/coach?
I’ve been into photography now for almost 10 years and over the course of that time I’ve taken a number of courses, workshops and just generally learning things through practice and experimentation. I really love photography and I can get lost in flow (losing track of time while immersed in an activity) when I’m out with my camera.
I feel that I’ve progressed and accomplished a lot of what I set out to do - even exceeded my expectations as I had no idea that I’d be using my photographs and my love of reading and writing in this blog, however I’ve been feeling like there is something missing - not quite coming together the way I’d like. I take some amazing images, and yet they don’t quite turn out the way I’d like or the way I envision them - or it feels a bit “by luck” or “by chance” that I get an amazing image.
I’ve worked a bit one on one with David DuChemin and I’ve taken a number of his course and read his books about creativity and how to create compelling images rather than “documentary images”. This has been really helpful, but there is still something I feel is off the mark.
A very lucky image captured as I was leaving Carburn Park and I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. (EXIF data f5.6, 1/2500s, 600mm, ISO2000).
For this reason I decided to look at working one on one with a bird photography specialist and I chose Isaac Grant (website) who I found through the Journal of Wildlife Photography (website). Isaac is lifetime birder and he definitely knows his bird species, their calls and behaviours which is key to capturing interesting and compelling images. We had an introductory chat and decided that we were a good fit to work together, so I decided to commit to 6 months of coaching.
What does a bird photography mentor/coach do?
Isaac’s approach is very open ended - I get to decide what I want to work on or what areas I feel that I could benefit from his expertise and we dive deep into those areas. He spends time explaining concepts, suggesting techniques and tools to achieve what I want or even how he captured an image or he goes about prepping for a shoot. It’s a pretty comprehensive approach.
Our first session was a critique of some of my images so that he could get a feel for how I shoot and edit as well as identifying some of my challenges. The good news is that at the end of the critique I learned that I don’t suck (my words not his) - he actually said that I have a very good eye for moment (meaning I capture interesting interactions/behaviours), but my images fall a bit short by not optimizing light, having background distractions and not optimum point of view (all key things that I’ve learned make for compelling images).
Now I’m not being overly critical of my work and neither was Isaac, but he really did nail what I’ve been feeling for some time - I have all the elements for great images, but they somehow don’t often come together. I felt very optimistic that with some honest and constructive feedback that I can improve my images through learning and practice.
With the images we reviewed there were some simple changes in editing that improved the images, but also tips on how to get a better image in the field (so go forward sort of tips). The first image we reviewed (gallery) was an Eastern Kingbird that I shot at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary a few years ago - I didn’t realize how unusual it is to photograph these birds (or at least Isaac was surprised that I’ve had so many opportunities over the years to shoot them this far west - he’s located outside of New York).
Before critique image of Eastern Kingbirds. (EXIF data f6.3, 1/1250s, 600mm, ISO2500)
In this image he really liked the action of the Kingbird posing with the second one flying in to perch although his preference would be to have the second bird in sharp focus. We discussed preferences and I indicated that I like the out of focus bird as to me it tells more story/implies motion - both of our perspectives are valid and it comes down to preference.
Two points that he identified were the lack of vegetation (birds seem to love to perch on dead and uninteresting branches) and the dark blobs from background branches that formed distracting elements in the image. He really liked the spider’s webs as this made for interesting lines, but he noted that it must have been an overcast day as the light was very diffuse. This is nice for exposure settings, but doesn’t make for very interesting or next level images.
Post critique edits to the image removing distracting black blobs from the background in top right and above bottom bird’s wings. (EXIF data same as above)
His suggestions to improve this current image were to edit the dark blobs and tone them down so that there was not so much distraction, but in terms of hierarchy to improve the image - look for opportunities with better light (pre-scout positions to photograph the birds in better angled light - so know where the sun will be at different times and seasons) and look for opportunities with better vegetation/flowers.
We both acknowledged that his suggestions are very valid, but showcase how difficult bird photography can be as birds don’t take direction well and getting all of the conditions right is very challenging combined with location of the birds. The key to increasing the chances of better images comes from knowing your area and birds (frequent and repeated shooting in the same locations) as well as going out with intention rather than opportunistic outings to shoot what I find (this is what I do most frequently).
Interestingly, the times that I go out with a plan to shoot a specific bird species in specific conditions (snowy owl blog) I get much better images. Also, the locations that I frequent and know well - net much better results as I know the area and the best shooting locations and angles. I felt good knowing that I have the right skills and approach, I just don’t always apply this knowledge consistently.
Exposure and editing
A second image that we critiqued surprised me a little bit as I totally missed something important in my editing. This image of a semipalmated plover is one that I shot in the early morning sunrise at Frank Lake (a local wetland area with lots of shorebirds). I particularly liked the side lighting of this shot and the eye contact as well as the raised rear leg. When Isaac looked at the image he indicated that the highlights were blown out (that means lack of details in the white areas due to over-exposure). I’m usually pretty good with exposure, but he was totally correct - have a look at the before versus the after correction edits image to see the difference in feather detail in the white regions on the left side of the bird.
Pre Critique image of a Semi Palmated Plover with blown highlights in the white areas. (EXIF data f5.6, 1/3200s, 800mm, ISO900)
In addition Isaac mentioned that while the globs of mud are interesting, the out of focus one in the bottom left is distracting and that I might want to consider cropping or cloning it out. We also got into a good discussion about light direction - he is a big fan of front light (i.e., the sun behind the photographer) which results in nice even lighting of the subject or backlight (i.e., the sun is behind the subject) which results in dramatic lighting. He is not a big fan of side light as it results in exposure challenges (one side is brighter than the other and there is the potential to lose details in the highlights or the shadows).
Interestingly, I love to shoot in side light and backlight, but am not the biggest fan of front light. I find it rather flat and less interesting, but I totally understood his point. One of the things I like about working with him is that we can disagree - however he provides great explanations for his position which makes it useful for me to mull over after our session.
Post critique edit brought back details in the white areas and removed the out of focus mud stack. EXIF data same as above.
After pulling up the original file for the plover I saw that I had indeed not blown out the highlights, but this was an older image and I had done what’s called a global edit (made changes to exposure that affected the whole image and not just part of it) rather than local edits using masks (this was an editing feature that was not easy to use when I first edited this image). As a result of my editing choice I brightened up the image, but overexposed the white areas and lost feather detail. This was easily remedied by masking the white area (that means selecting that area for editing and not affecting the rest of the image) and I pulled down the highlights (reduced the exposure in the whites) which brought back the details (see the before and after images in the white area on the left side of the bird).
Assignment From the First Coaching Session
It was interesting to note that a lot of what we talked about in terms of things I can do to improve my photography included a lot of non camera work - we spoke about going out with intention and having a vision of what I want to shoot rather than shooting what I randomly see. We also talked about doing pre-shooting scouting to ensure that I’m aware of the best locations for lighting, backgrounds and times of day to shoot in particular locations. Isaac suggested an app called PhotoPils for knowing where the sun will rise and set in any given location as well as the time. I use an app called Sun Surveyor which does the same thing - I highly recommend one of these apps for anyone serious about photography (especially landscape or wildlife genres).
An image I envisioned of a red winged blackbird, but under cloudy conditions - lacking the wow factor. (EXIF data f5.6, 1/1250s, 400mm, ISO640)
For my first assignment I decided that I would go out to the marsh behind our house and scout Red Winged Blackbirds and Wilson’s Snipes which frequent the marsh area. I had in my mind that I wanted to get an image of a Red Winged Blackbird perched on the bullrushes lit with beautiful golden light from the sunrise (expectations were running high - I needed the birds to still be there, non cloudy sunrise conditions and not too much wind).
The image was elevated to a new level when the sun came out from behind a cloud. (EXIF data f5.6, 1/1250s, 400mm, ISO320)
Before doing the shoot I went down to the marsh to scout the location and make some decisions around where to position myself - I made an interesting decision to cross over to the other side of the marsh (wading boots required for this) in order to have the sun at my back and allow me to shoot with front light (I know some are scrolling back up and saying - but you said you prefer side or backlight - what’s with the change of mind?). Well I made the decision after thinking about Isaac’s comments - one thing I’ve learned is that if I want to improve I have to take on board suggestions and experiment with them - otherwise there’s no point in asking for help.
Well I can say that I had a blast! I got into flow (the state where time has no meaning and you totally lose track of it) - I was shooting for several hours and enjoying spending time with a red winged blackbird pair (male and female) - the Wilson’s Snipes were nowhere to be found.
When I first arrived at the marsh the sun was hidden behind clouds and while I got some images I really liked, they were elevated to a new level when the sun popped out from behind the clouds. Next I focused on backgrounds and really started to be intentional about composition and lighting. I made some really lovely images that I’m very proud of.
My favourite of the session was a female red winged blackbird perched precariously on a reed bathed in beautiful golden light with a beautiful composition. (EXIF data f5.6, 1/1250s, 400mm, ISO320).
Am I getting what I envisioned from the coaching.
It’s still early days for me with this coaching as I’ve only had two sessions. One thing I have realized is that working with a coach really gets me thinking about what I do and why I do it. When I have to explain my workflow or my thought process it makes me feel more accountable for being intentional about those decisions and this is a good thing.
I also notice that I’ve been more aware of composition and background distractions when shooting and especially when editing. Rather than going out and taking images of whatever pops up - I am being more intentional about what I want to shoot and if something comes up I have the flexibility to shift and take advantage of the opportunity. These are all skills that Isaac and I have talked about.
For me the coaching is aligning well with my more mindful approach to photography, but it is taking this approach to new levels by giving me ideas for where to focus. I’ll keep you posted as I continue to work with Isaac.
Have you ever worked with a coach or mentor to learn or improve a skill that you are developing? I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments below or drop me a note directly by clicking on the Connect With Me button.
Sometimes the subject, light and background environment all come together and I get the shot that I was looking to capture. Female blackbird flying from one reed to another. (EXIF data f5.6, 1/1250s, 400mm, ISO320)
I hope you’ll come back soon, share a cuppa, relax and enjoy more of my musings.
