Photography News Issue 35

Photography News | Issue 35 | absolutephoto.com

Technique

Talon contest

Whether you’re a fledgling wildlife photographer or a wise old owl, there’s nothing like the thrill of testing yourself by entering a competition. You might pick out a favourite shot fromyour archive or use a contest as inspiration to try something new, but either way, it’s great to be involved and you’re sure to grow as a photographer by doing it. Take the Bird Photographer of the Year competition for example; the contest is a partnership between the British Trust for Ornithology and Nature Photographers Ltd which ran for the first time in 2015. The competition celebrates the artistry of bird photography and supports conservation through the BTO, and there’s a prize fund of over £15,000 on offer from sponsors including Swarovski Optic and Alamy. 2016’s winners will be announced at the Rutland Birdfair on 20 August by chief judge Chris Packham, and there’s no shortage of interest with last year’s competition attracting entries from40 countries. The best of these are celebrated in a new photographic book published by HarperCollins this month. You can visit the competition website at

Oops! Too close… by Ramesh Chandar, Canada Species and location: Osprey (pandion haliaetus), Toronto, Ontario, Canada Category: Attention to Detail Kit: Canon 7DMark II with EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM, plus Canon 1.4x III teleconverter Focal length: 1/2500sec at f/7.1, ISO 2000 “Normally I photograph birds using a full- frame camera and an appropriate long lens, such as a 500mm with a 1.4x converter. But I had hurt my wrist so I switched to a much lighter 1.6x crop factor camera. However, I’d forgotten to remove the converter so the camera’s crop factor meant that in full-frame terms I was using a focal length of 1120mm! I was just about to remove the converter when an osprey started its dive sequence 30– 40 metres frommy position. It proved really difficult to focus correctly with such a long lens this close – but I kept trying. This was the only shot where most of the osprey was captured. The sharpness and level of detail was quite amazing. Though it looked good in colour, I decided to convert it to black & white to show its details in more dramatically.”

birdpoty.co.uk to view all the shortlisted images – and if you’re inspired to enter the next year’s competition, you can from20 August. To give you a taste of the competition, and some of the amazing work involved, here are some of the images whichmade this year’s shortlist and the stories behind them from the photographers themselves...

Tern of flight by David Gibbon, UK

Species and location: Arctic tern (sterna paradisaea), Farne Islands, Northumberland Category: Birds in the Environment Kit: Canon EOS-1D Xwith Sigma 15mm f/2.8 fisheye lens, Nissin Di866Mark II flashgun Exposure: 1/5000sec at f/4, ISO 200 “The Arctic tern has the longest migration of any bird in the world, flying around 70,000km each year. It is also one of the most-photographed species, and I wanted to capture a more dynamic composition of it. Armed with a fisheye lens and flashgun, my plan was to photograph this bird as it came close to me with the sun behind and alongside it. The day of my visit was perfect, with beautiful blue skies and unbroken sunshine. With the bright sun above the bird, the underside would be in dark shadow, necessitating the use of flash to reveal the detail in its white plumage. Balancing the tricky lighting and capturing my dream shot was not going to be easy, particularly as the Arctic tern is very fast and agile in the air. After two hours of failed attempts I finally nailed it, capturing the image I wanted.” Species and location: Dalmatian pelican (pelecanus crispus), Lake Kerkini, Greece Category: Birds in Flight Kit: Canon EOS 7DMark II with EF 100- 400mm f/4–5.6L IS USM II Exposure: 1/2500sec at f/5.6, ISO 800 “Mirror-like reflections on Lake Kerkini in northern Greece greeted us daily, and a backdrop of high snowy peaks and distant hills layered inmist provided backgrounds that blended into infinity. It was very cold, with freezing fog covering the lake, and the weather made for some pretty spectacular and atmospheric conditions. The benefit of photographing froma boat was the ability get close to the birds and at eye level. The reflections added to themagical experience.” Mirror image byDrewBuckley, UK

birdpoty.co.uk

Slowgulls byGraham Scarborough, UK

Dynamicheron bySueFlood, UK

Species and location: Black-headed gull (chroicocephalus ridibundus), Tees Valley Category: Creative Imagery Kit: Nikon D600with Nikkor 70–300mm f/4

Species and location: Grey heron (ardea cinerea), KiskunságNational Park, Hungary Category: Bird Behaviour Kit: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III with 600mm EF f/4L lens, Gitzo tripod Exposure: 1/20sec at f/7.1, ISO 320 “During a recent photographic trip to Hungary, I rose early onemorning to watch herons froman arranged hide. The light that morning was great and I took numerous images of the herons, using a fast shutter speed to freeze the water droplets inmid-air. It seemed the photos that froze the action didn’t really capture the spirit of themorning light and this lovely bird. I experimented with slower shutter speeds, and this shot was the result, for me, amore satisfying image that really caught the action.”

lens (at 135mm), two-stop ND filter Exposure: 1/2sec at f/38, ISO 100

“I visited the Bowesfield Nature Reserve in the Tees Valley where black-headed gulls tend to gather in large numbers on the lakes during the winter. The gulls loiter regularly near the waterfowl feeding points and erupt into a noisy, wheeling flock when bread is thrown in their direction. It was watching this behaviour that planted the seed for this image. Experimenting with a variety of exposure times and panningmovements, I eventually came up with this photograph. The shot was captured using a half-second exposure, the shapes created are evocative of themovement of the gulls.”

Ruby-throatedhummer byRickBeldegreen, USA Species and location: Ruby-throated hummingbird (archilochus colubris), North Carolina, USA C ategory: Garden Birds Kit: Nikon D810with Nikon 200–400mm f/4 lens (at 400mm), multiple flashguns Exposure: 1/160sec at f/14, ISO 640 “Ruby-throated hummingbirds are common visitors to North Carolina. I often sit inmy backyard in the early morning trying to photograph them. After years of experimenting, I’ve set up a ‘hummer studio’ amongst themany flowers we grow to attract birds and insects. The key component of the ‘studio’ is amulti-flash systemaimed at the flowers I hope the birds will feed on. Withmy camera on a tripod, it was pre-focused on a specific flower. At this point, it is time to watch, wait and enjoy the birds as they buzz in. Once a bird finds the flower I am focused on, it is time to click away.”

The competition celebrates the artistry of bird photography