brian_small

Bill--I will be going to Kauai at the end of this month and then on to Midway in early March for a bird photo trip. Feel free to email me in mid-March for a trip report or any specific questions. On Kauai, be sure to visit Kilauea Point N.W.R. for the seabird photo opportunities (frigatebirds, tropicbirds, boobies) and take the daily guided tour of the red-footed booby nesting colony. You will only need a short lens (100-400 zoom is probably ideal) for the colony. For the endemic land birds, take the road to the end of Waimea Canyon and into Kokee State Park. Hike the trails around the headquarters and into Alakai Swamp and you are sure to encounter a number of the native honeycreeper species. They are often very accomodating as they feed but you will need a long lens because they're pretty small. Also, bring a flash because it's usually pretty overcast up there. This will be my first trip to Midway so I can't offer any personal advice yet but I'd suggest you try to pick up a copy of the January/February 2000 issue of "Nature Photographer" magazine and read John Gerlach's excellent article about Miday. April/May is an excellent time for all the nesting seabirds on Miday but I believe the sharks (though they're not Great White's) feeding on the young Albatross happens in July or August.

I recently purchased the full-size Wimberly head for my 600 f/4 and have very quickly become convinced that this is THE method to shoot with a lens this heavy. I had been using the Arca B1G and was happy with 90% of the time but there really is NO comparison to using the Wimberly head. The ease of manuverablity, the weightless feeling of the lens on the head and the end of ballhead "flop" all make this head worth every penny! I will never go back to a ball head for the 600 f/4. By the way Phil, I too shoot birds.

Elizabeth........I too think you have received a lot of good advice to get you started. My suggestion is that you try to start learning about light. Good nature photography is mostly about light and how it is recorded on film (or flashcards for some). Try to start noticing the quality of different light at different times of day or during different weather conditions or at differnt seasons of the year. Take notice of the direction of light during the day and how it affects shadows and highlights on a given place or subject. As my dad used to tell me, "If you understand light, you'll understand photography".

Am I the only one who thinks it looks like there is an avalance happening on the slope right behind the silhouette of the hiker? How did you get the avalance to go at just the right moment Struan?

O.K., so Nikon just now has these two new lenses out.........the

300mm f/4 AFS and the 80-400mm VR f/4.5-5.6. I have yet to see either

lens but am wondering if anyone has seen them and/or tested them?

Also, I've read some intitial user reports that the autofocus on the

80-400 is a bit slow because the lens lacks the AFS. I'd like some

opinions on the pros and cons of each lens as it pertains to it's

potential use as a hand-held bird-in-flight lens. When comparing the

two lenses, keep in mind that you can use the TC14E with the 300mm

f/4 and thereby have an effective 420mm f/5.6 AFS lens.

For what it's worth, my experience with the Arca ballheads has been the same as that of Bob Atkins. Both my B1G's have worked flawlessly since the day I got them and are still as smooth today as when they first came out of the box 3 years ago. I've never had a "lock up" problem nor has there been any change in the overall quality of any functions of the heads. Perhaps with Arca Swiss products it's just the "luck of the draw". There may be nothing we as consumers can do until there is a problem after you've already made your purchase.

Leo-one other possiblity you might want to consider is Nikon's excellent 600mm f/5.6 MF lens. You seem to be willing to accept a manual focus lens and this is kind of a "sleeper" that I hear very little discussion about(especially here on Photo.net). This lens is as sharp as any of Nikon's other fantastic MF telephoto lenses, it has a narrower angle of view than the other two lenses you are considering(better for birds in many instances), it has a respectable minimum focusing distance, it's about the same weight as the 500mm f/4P, it's nicely balanced and of course it matches with both the TC-14B and TC-301. With today's better quality, better pushing, faster films I think this could be an excellent choice for what you have in mind. I know this lens will do exactly what you want and as other's have said, you can never have too long a lens when it comes to photographing birds!

Jeff--Danny is correct...........the simple answer to your question is no. However, you should also understand that the "slave" flash connected via the SC 18/19 will do exactly the same thing as the "master" flash. In other words, whatever you program the "master" to do, the "slave" will follow along.

Michael,

 

You are overthinking this! The only place you might want to consider the tides would be at Ding Darling Refuge on Sanibel Island. However, even here there are usually plenty of good photo ops regardless of what the tides are doing. Florida (and especially south Florida) is so good in February for bird photography that I don't think you need to plan the whole trip around what the tides are doing. The birds are plentiful, they are big and often tame, it is breeding season when the birds will be in full-breeding plumage--what more can you ask for. Just go, have a great trip and don't worry about the tides. I guarantee you'll come home with lots of great photos.........especially if you've never been there before!! Your biggest concern will be where to buy more film after you've run out, not the tides.

I neglected to mention in my previous response that the upcoming February 2000 issue of Birding magazine (the membership journal of the American Birding Association) will have an extensive and very well written article all about birding Nome and vicinity. The article was written by Lana and Richard Harris who are referenced in a previous post. You can only recieve this magazine if you are a member of the ABA (it's not sold to the public) so if you know any members you might check with them in a month or so.

Jim--I spent 23 wonderful days photographing birds around Nome during the summer of 1998. I was very fortunate because I only had 2 days of rain. I will not expect the same when I go back. It's a fantastic place with unlimited potential for bird photography. A few words of advice: pick-up Nick Lethaby's book "A Bird Finding Guide to Alaska" and Brina Kessel's book "Birds of the Seward Peninsula, Alaska" (ABA Sales 800-634-7736 or Amazon.com should have them), bring a throw-over type blind, bring as much film as you can (plus 50 rolls more), be prepared for all kinds of shooting conditions (rain, sun, wind, cold, hot, mosquitoes,etc...). If I only had 10 days there I would go smack in the middle of June--say the 10th through the 20th. These dates will give you a chance to catch a few of the late migrants that nest further north still coming through, as well as a good chance to time it right for birds starting to sing on territories as well as some birds already on nests. Be sure to bring knee-high rubber boots for walking the tundra. I brought chest waders and never really needed them....boots were enough. Use common sense and good ethics around nesting birds. Be very careful about leaving your scent near ground-nesting tundra birds. Arctic Foxes can follow your scent right to a nest. Spend time on all three roads out of Nome--the Teller Rd., Kougarok Highway and the Council Rd. Each one offers different photo opportunites and different habitats. I would drive to the end of each one because there are things to photograph to the end of them. You might want to consider renting a camper while you are there as opposed to a motel or B&B. That way you could spend much more time in the field and less time driving to and from photo locations. If that doesn't interest you, I would suggest trying one of the B&B's because you should save a lot of money and you probably won't be spending much time in your room anyway. Motels are at least $100/night while I found a lady who let me stay for $40/night--unfortunately I can't recall the name right now. One last word of advice--make your reservations NOW!!! Rental vehicles and accomodations are quite limited, Nome is becoming increasingly popular and there are lots of birding tours there in June who take many of the rental vehicles and motel rooms. FYI, I believe well-known bird photographers Arthur Morris, Moose Peterson, Kevin Karlson and Jeff Rich are all going there this summer so you might be able to share and compare information with them. Have a great trip and I wish I were going with you.

I am planning a trip to Alaska for Bald Eagles the first week of

March, 2000 and am wondering if there are other good bird photography

opportunities that time of year you can share? I'll probably spend

about a week working on eagles and then have a couple extra days to

spend around the Kenai Penninsula or Anchorage area looking for other

birds to photograph. Thank you for your help!

Thank you all for your responses. However, what I have seen so far is just about what I thought I would see. That is, suggestions to go to Machias and deal with the very short time allowed and limited photo opportunities or to go to places like Iceland or the U.K. where there are better opportunites. Also, I have recieved a fair number of private emails from other photographers stating that they were quite frustrated with the trip to Machais because of time/freedom considerations. Because I live in California, I would find it really frustrating to travel all that way to Machais and then be told after 1 hour that time is up and you have to leave. Perhaps I am just barking up the wrong tree and there are no better places in NORTH AMERICA to photograph these birds but again I will ask the question are there any OTHER locations in the United States or Canada where you can photograph nesting alcids? Thanks again.

O.K., many of us are familiar with Machias Seal Island (see the

current "Northern Puffin" thread) and the opportunities to photograph

nesting seabirds there that includes Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills,

etc... However, the overall impression I have gotten from speaking

with many people who have visited Machias, is that the

photographers/visitors are only marginally tolerated by the

biologists working there and that the visitors are not really allowed

much freedom and/or time to photograph. And that's if you can even

get off the boat because of tide/sea conditions! Therefore, my

question is whether or not there are other locations on the Atlantic

coast of the United States or Canada where you won't have so much

restriction if you want to photograph these nesting seabirds?

Stanley--my friend, Arthur Morris certainly does not need me to defend his response to this question. However, where in his response does he state that Nikon is now years behind Canon? In fact, the word Nikon is nowhere in his response. All Arthur is doing is stating how satisfied he is with his system and how well it works for him. Fyi, I am a dedicated Nikon shooter and have no intention of switching and in answer to the discussion, the 600mm or even 800mm lenses are the only way to go for "serious" bird photography. I have found that you can just never have enough lens when it comes to photographing birds.

<P>

<I>[brian: I think Stanley was referring to an e-mail broadcast from Arthur Morris on Nov 16. I also received a copy of that e-mail from Mr. Morris in which he suggested that Canon IS would "likely put Nikon years behind yet again." IMO, while IS is a nice addition to the Canon long lenses, I don't think its impact will be as big as Arthur Morris suggests. In any case, let's not turn this into another camera brand debate. -- Shun Cheung]</I>

Nikon is now manufacturing their 300mm f/2.8 AF-S and 400mm f/2.8 AF-

S lenses in a light grey color that almost makes them look like

Canon's telephoto lenses. Any thoughts or comments on why they would

go to the trouble to do this? Also, do you think this may be the

only way they begin to make all their new lenses?

Cowan--all I can say is you seem to get it. Right On Brother!

Ryan--let me respond to your post this way.........I never meant to imply that park employees are ripping off the public, not working hard or have inflated budgets. I was trying to point out that it is the workshop leader who would do all the work and it seems unfair that the park get's a cut of that hard-earned money. I also am trying to understand the difference both hypothetically and in actual practice (i.e. my point about special access given for the permit dollars) between a group of friends without a permit and a workshop with a permit? Frankly, I don't see a difference. If the people in a workshop pay the same entrance fee as the general public, why should they have to pay additioinal "photography" fees? Does this make sense to you? Also, fyi, I have been to Dry Tortugas myself three times in the last 7 years and can certainly appreciate how much work and how understaffed many of our parks are. But just because someone is using a bigger camera and lens or better quality "professional" equipment, does that mean they should have to pay more money to photograph in our parks than the average visitor? Also, I too appreciate John Gerlach's stated ethics and desire to follow all the rules and I would never advocate skirting around them. The bottom line is that I think HE should be profiting from HIS work and not the park.

John--I know this may be a silly and redundant question, but what is the actual difference between a photo workshop in Yellowstone (or anywhere else for that matter) and a group of friends photographing together? Why should the workshop group have to pay special fees when the group of friends doesn't? I am assuming that the professional workshops aren't given special access in the parks to photo locations that the average park visitor can't get to. The idea that because a workshop leader is getting paid for his hard work and therefore the park should profit too seems unfair and ridiculous to me. Also, I'd really like to know what the money that is paid for these kinds of photo permits is actually used for? Stay in focus.......

JS, no problem..........here they are: Karlson chose Dry Tortugas, Churchill, Everglades, Upper Texas coast, Rio Grande Valley, Jamaica Bay, Ft. Myers Beach, Cape May, Jones Beach, Cayman Islands. Morris went with Pribilof's, Bosque del Apache, Sanibel, Churchill, La Jolla cliffs, Jamaica Bay, Venice rookery, Pt. Pelee, Ft. Myers beach, Anhinga Trail. Finnegan picked Dry Tortugas, Palo Alto Baylands, Santa Barbara area, Monterey, Hatteras, Salton Sea, Rio Grande Valley, Cape May, Attu/Pribilof's/St Lawrence Island and Churchill. As I said before, the only reason a place like Churchill wasn't on my list or Dry Tortugas wasn't on Artie's list is that we hadn't been to those places personally and we were asked by the magazine's editor to stick with places we had personally visited. As an experienced bird photographer, I would tell you that all the places on these lists are great for photography but don't neglect the many unknown or less famous places. I have so many little "secret spots" that are close to home and these are the places where I take the majority of my photos. The famous places are often easy to shoot at but you may have a harder time getting images that are truly unique. My advice is to sometimes take a chance, invest some time exploring new places and find some new bird photo hotspots. Like Clint Eastwood said in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly......."if the risk is little, the reward is little".

For those interested in bird photo locations, you might want to try and pick up a copy of the Feb '99 issue of Wild Bird magazine that has an extensive article on top bird photography locations written by myself, Arthur Morris, Kevin T. Karlson and Shawneen Finnegan. Many of the well-known locations like southeast Arizona, Churchill, Manitoba, the Dry Tortugas, Florida, the Texas coast, Alaska's Pribilof's, etc are covered in pretty good detail. You will also find a top ten list from each of us and it's kind of fun to compare and contrast the lists of the four writers. In case you are unable to find the magazine, here are the 10 locations (in no particular order) that I chose: Bosque del Apache, Dry Tortugas, Nome, Texas Gulf Coast, Rio Grande Valley, Bear River Refuge, Sanibel Island, Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona, Bolsa Chica Reserve/Newport Back Bay in southern California and Malheur N.W.R., Oregon. Interestingly, no single place ended up on all four of our lists. Although, my guess is that's because none of us had been to all the places on everyone else's list.

I am planning a two week trip to south Florida at the end of next February and am considering a visit to the St Augustine alligator farm. I am wondering if it will be worth the long drive up from south Florida to photograph at the alligator farm? Will this be "prime time" to visit and should the birds be in full breeding plumage by then? What species should I expect? What are the logistics of photographing there? I understand that you are pretty close to the birds........what length lens works best? Is it a morning or afternoon shoot? What other bird photo ops are in the are? Sorry for so many questions but any info will be helpful..........thank you.

Moose Peterson has written about (both in his newsletter and on his website) about changing a setting in the F5 that will increase autofocus speed by 50%. The setting can only be changed by using the Nikon Software that is purchased seperately from the F5. Is anyone familiar with this or has anyone done it and used the updated camera settings in the field. If so, what kind of results have you seen with wildlife (and particularly bird) photos? Many thanks.