NOTAS DE CAMPO: LA SRA. HELIODOXA 3 "YA NO ESTÁ"

Fotografiar la naturaleza y compenetrarse con esta es casi fundamental. Siempre he dicho que la fotografía esta apegada a las emociones de los individuos que la hacen y por esto, es única para cada persona. 

NOTAS DE CAMPO son el fruto de interpretaciones realizadas por observaciones directas, las cuales fueron realizadas durante trabajos fotográficos auto impuestos, con el fin de generar contenido de como documentar eventos naturales con la fotografía.

Las primeras notas de campo se la dediqué a la Sra. Heliodoxa en su nido. Esta colibrí conocida como Brillante Frentiazul (Heliodoxa leadbeateri) se puso en mi camino y me obligo a aprender mucho de ella. Lamentablemente, el domingo 29 de Abril, mi seguimiento vino a una parada total cuando descubrí que no estaba en su nido y que uno de sus huevos se encontraba quebrado sobre la hojarasca del bosque. La bella colibrí que cautivo a muchos ya no estaba y su nido abandonado, paró estrepitosamente mi investigación fotográfica de este animalito del bosque nublado.

Quiero compartir con ustedes una sumatoria del proceso que utilicé para documentar el evento hasta su lamentable final.

1) Determinar las temporadas o estaciones climáticas y como estas están relacionadas con los ciclos reproductivos de todo ser vivo ayuda mucho a tener éxito en el trabajo.

2) Saber donde buscar es clave para encontrar. Suena muy básico, pero es tan sencillo que puede ser muy difícil de hacer. En el caso de esta hembra de colibrí, el hecho fue totalmente al azar, yo solo caminaba un sendero en el bosque, como lo había hecho infinidad de veces y fue el vuelo súbito del ave lo que me permitió buscarla, ya estaba acostumbrado a a los sonidos de mi entorno, al punto, que al percibir un sonido fuera de lo común, este me colocó en modo de búsqueda hasta que dí con el origen del sonido.

3) Familiarizarse con el entorno: Hay que conocer bien los lugares que se visitan para aprender lo que ocurre en ellos. En el caso de las primeras visitas, lo mejor es documentarse lo mejor posible antes de ir, entrar en foros que hablen del sitio, llamar a lugareños si conocen alguno. En el caso de destinos en otros países, escribir un correo electrónico a servicios del usuario de los hoteles, hospedajes, operadores o cámaras de turismo ayuda mucho. 

4) Una vez en el lugar, apoyarse en un guía local es la mejor manera de asegurarse que la información es la adecuada. Esto es una realidad que debemos manejar, los guías de la naturaleza, cualquiera que sea su función, están mas cerca de nuestros objetivos que el resto de la gente en la región. Cuando visitamos lugares donde habitan etnias, que viven de su entorno natural, hay que trabajar con ellos, ya que su forma de vida usualmente esta muy relacionada con la naturaleza del sito donde viven.

5) En lugares urbanos y hasta sub-urbanos, todo el que trabaje en el campo sabe lo que ocurre en su entorno. Así que jardineros, empleados del mantenimiento de parques, avenidas y jardines públicos son una fuente muy buena para empezar a investigar el objeto que vamos a fotografiar.

6) Si puedes hacer un trabajo a largo plazo, hazlo! y si es muy corto documenta lo más que puedas. Asegúrate de cubrir tanto contexto como objeto  y usa al máximo el tiempo disponible para hacer las fotos.

Bueno seguiré con estas notas con nuevos ejemplos y espero que los actuales sean útiles.

Un saludo a todos

Leopoldo

NATURE PHOTOWALKS A TWO WAY CHALLENGE

CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO ENLARGE 

 “If your dare to teach, you better make sure you are always learning”.

Those of us who choose to teach, know all too well, how much we learn from our students. Presently, I am organizing photowalks in nature, which have become a great challenge, as I must help people hone their skills in outdoor photography and introduce them to the fine art of nature interpreting. Combining these skills with people from all walks of life, different objectives in photography, and a limited time of 6 hours to learn as much as they can, is not an easy task. However, I found, that if I limited the objectives to teaching people about natural light and composition, nature interpreting would become an added value, on how nature works for those who want to make natural history their main object in photography.


To start, a short intro is a most so one can break the ice, get some expectations feedback and plan how to juggle the different skills your audience may have. This enables you to use your skills and time in a way that is useful to all of the attendees. Once we get over the fact that the most used mode in digital photography is Automatic, it is important to let fletching photographers know, that manufacturers have gone through the trouble of working hard to make everyone shoot like “a pro”. So one needs to emphasize that they can really enjoy their compact cameras if they take time to learn the proper use of their Scene Modes. Yes one most read the camera's users manual. I am amazed about the extend that manufacturers and their R&D engineers have manage to squeeze the great number of applications or modes the cameras may have into the operating software of their products.

THE PORTRAIT

I start with portraits; people just love to photograph people! And having a pre-selected place where this type of pictures can get all the attention of your audience is very important. One great thing to do is placing everyone at both ends of their respective cameras. Why? Because one has to know the subject that one is to photograph, to make good pictures. And if one is faced with a person, who is not comfortable with having their picture taken, solving that inconvenience  is part of the photographer’s job. So photographers will be models and models will be photographers. 

North, back, and reflected lights make the first exercise on learning to see the light. Portrait photography is a good start point, as a natural light setting for portrait, allow your audience to appreciate both light and shadows, and how they work together. This exercise works well for beginners and serious amateurs.

By showing your audience, how a slight change in the framing of the picture changes it’s lighting and thus, its mood. It will begin to understand how to work with light will during the rest of the outing.

CONTEXT AND OBJECT

Following the teachings of Aristotle who said: "To learn about something, one should study it from as far and near as possible, as this is the only way to understand the nature of things". 

Context gives the photographer a broad view of his surroundings. This will show the WHERE in his picture taking. When the object of our photography is to document nature, one better make it a practice to capture images of one`s surroundings.

The object is a closer view of the same place and it may show why the WHO and the WHAT are combined into a single picture. Most of us feel this, but we are seldom shown how important these two concepts are in photography.

A change in perspective can make a big difference in our photography, no one has placed an inflexible rule that states that pictures most be taken while standing on your feet. Changing how we view things can be fun and offer us incredible results. Making fun pictures allows the group to have fun and share different views and photo opportunities.

Breaking away from the usual makes unusual pictures that at the end of the day will place a smile on your face when you go back to your files and review them.

THINKING DIGITAL

Why three is better than one. If you are to photograph landscapes, a wide angle lens is the glass to use, they come from extremes as fish eyes to moderate wide angles, as a 35 mm or even the supposedly "normal lens", that we used to call the 50mm, in times of film cameras. However, in the digital era, we most think differently, by embracing the tools available to us that can help our creativity move into new dimensions. The picture above is a panoramic made from three 20 MB pictures which are stitched into a 60 MB panorama. This could be called a high definition mosaic, as the amount of information gathered is much larger than what one would get from a single wide angle lens photograph. As digital photography advances into different fields, high definition seems to be one of the many forms of information gathering by today's photographers. Therefore, thinking in digital seems to be the way to go if you want to expand your horizons in photography. So today one has to think in the total workflow, as pre- thinking our goals will help us attain achievements that will surpass our imagination.

WHEN THE LOCATION EXCEEDS OR EXPECTATIONS

Using available light under the forest canopy can be challenging. As it turns out, only 1% of the sun's light touches the tropical forest floor as the sun travels over its zenith position at noon time. However, one can spend days or even years photographing the understory, and not even scratch the surface of its full potential.  

The objective of light studies can be turn into patch photography, where parts of the forest can become the subject of one's attention.

A good example can be lines, forms and textures. These pictures have two objectives, one is scientific and the other is to catch the colors and forms of the forest. Both objectives are well justified as one can document facts and the other beauty. 

Light and lines are a great way to exercise one's ability in making an abstract statement. The way light falls upon the vegetation is so random, that a picture may be available for a matter of seconds. This forces one to have a discriminating eye which can make the difference between having a great time in the forest, or becoming aware of all the harsh conditions a tropical forest can impose upon its visitors.

Look into fun things that nature provides you. A good example is an exercise of a nature ABC as shown in the picture above, where the curled leafs of a Calathea bend to make an "A", "V", and an "X". If you really want to challenge yourself, go on making the whole ABC in the forest, that will keep you busy for a while. To hone on one's tracker skills, do not let the ugly or unexpected go pass you. Stop, look closely, pay attention to details, turn things around or over (BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN YOU DO, EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED) and you may find how a group of caterpillars bind with silk a leaf to make their home and dining room at the same time. By doing this, they hide from view, protect themselves from the rain, parasitic flies and wasps, and eat in peace and rest in the same place.

Looking extremely down or high are views we seldom do in our day to day picture taking, however, it makes a difference once you incorporate these views into you picture taking arsenal.

By pointing the camera and a wide angle up to the canopy, one can record how biodiverse the forest is by recording the great abundance of leaf forms there are. Or by shooting down on a bromeliad inflorescence, one can record the great geometric forms nature has to show us, or how color is used as an advertising aide to attract pollinators.  At the very least, bot pictures are pleasing to the eye. So if a location seems overwhelming, make it work for you. However, study the most you can about the subject so you can be prepared to take pictures regardless of the place you visit.

MIDDAY SUN AND REFLECTIONS

"Madman is an english man sitting in the midday sun"

So we have to shoot at midday as part of our outing has a recesses, now who wants to rest when we are not tired of shooting! Its too hot! YEAH look at the hot shadows! Well, we want to make the best of our day, so harsh light can be useful. Look for alternatives and you will find them. Light reflecting from the pond's water help to place brightness in the underside of the Curcuma leafs, shooting a saffron cousin flower from above to get the bloom and its shadow works well for some. So do not write off harsh light.

REFLECTIONS OF YOUR MIND

Most photographers like water pictures. They are just one subject that most of us cannot pass bye. It may be a puddle in an urban setting, a tranquil lake in the high mountains, but one thing really stops people and makes the contemplate...reflections. 

I cannot say enough about seen light, taking your time, look and if it is not quite right...go and come back! it will surprise most of you how a seemly lifeless or not inspiring scene can change in hours. Its the magic spell that turns drabness into beauty. So embrace the technique. The photos above are from the same pond, the picture above is at noon and the one below just before sunset. If we look with foresight, we will enjoy the hind sites. Its a matter of timing.

And it can be a matter of looking from afar, as it is to look closely. A single change of angle can mean a different state of mind.

MAKE THE SHADOWS FOR FOR YOU

To finish off, I like to bring the subject of been in the shade. To get long shadows one has to rise up with the sun or wait for the sunset. Once the sun is just over the horizon is when the shadows come alive. Here, a tree does not make a good photo, however its shadow, well it gives you a lot to play with.

So look at light and darkness as in photography they are a joy. Plan outings with others, and share the views as you go.

See you next week

Leopoldo "Leo" Garcia

IDENTIFICANDO A LA FAUNA CON FOTOGRAFÍAS

HACER CLICK SOBRE LA FOTO

Bueno este es mi último aporte del día/año. Las fotos de esta pequeña palomita, que en Venezuela llamamos Tortolita Rojiza, fueron tomadas en la ventana de mi cuarto, donde vengo poniendo pan rallado para atraer a los Tordillos por más de un año. Sin embargo otros pájaros han aprendido donde hay comida y se les han sumado como comensales, siendo las tortolitas, las más audaces y fáciles de retratar. Les cuento, que hay ciertas aves que podemos utilizar para practicar como documentar a la fauna como individuos y las Tortolitas Rojizas son un buen ejemplo de fauna urbana con la que pude trabajar fácilmente para enseñarles este método.

Sucede, que en los tigres, jaguares, peces payasos, ballenas, orcas, tiburones, cebras, guacamayas y muchos otros animales con marcas en sus cuerpos, estas funcionan como huellas digitales. Y las tortolitas son un buen ejemplo de esto, ya que no hay otra de sus congéneres, con las mismas marcas. Así que para ilustrar esta técnica de documentar información de vida silvestre con fotografías, fotografié por ambos lados a mi visitante para reconocerla por sus pintas. Así puedo contar los puntos y rayas de cada lado, hacer un álbum de referencia y eventualmente, podré reconocer cada tortolita que viene a mi ventana a comer. Espero que para este año que viene, podamos empezar a identificar, con fotografías, a la fauna. Les recomiendo un proyecto con fauna silvestre de nuestras urbes, puesto que son las más accesibles para familiarizarnos con este trabajo. los invito a usar la técnica de fotografiar pintas y dibujos, para hacer un archivo donde podremos,hasta asignarles nombres, fechas en que las empezamos a ver, fechas de nacimiento en el caso de aves en sus nidos, en fin traten de recaudar un montón de datos,  que se que harán que estos seres incógnitos, se nos conviertan en elementos familiares de nuestro entorno. Este es otro pequeño ejercicio para que se conviertan en fotógrafos documentalistas de la naturaleza. Feliz Año a todos.

Leopoldo García Berrizbeitia
Fotógrafo Naturalista

Nota: Les agradezco se inscriban como seguidores ya que esto funciona como incentivo para saber quien lee mis artículos. Y no se olviden, si quieren convertirse en colaboradores escríban al email: leogarber@gmail.com o entren al facebook de Digital Camera Adventures.

DOCUMENTANDO ESPECIES EN PELIGRO DE EXTINCIÓN

HAGAN CLICK SOBRE LAS FOTOS

Hoy fotografiar celebridades, deportes, grandes eventos, lanzamiento de productos, guerras o actividades políticas le trae grandes elogios a los fotógrafos que las realizan, sin embargo, fotografiar el último sapito Arlequín que vive en Venezuela, no ocupa ni una nota en las partes más oscuras de la prensa.

Hay quienes piensan y se preguntan, que importancia tiene un sapito, cuando la humanidad está pasando por un sin fin de penurias, donde el valor de la vida de un ser humano vale menos que un par de zapatos. La verdad es, que bajo un punto de vista humanístico, la pregunta se contesta sola.  Sin embargo, el no responder a la pregunta, puede evitar que indaguemos algo mucho más que la extinción  de un sapito, y es la causalidad de que esto esté ocurriendo, a que responde la extinción de un ser vivo, que significado tiene este hecho para la poblaciones de otros seres vivos, en fin, caemos en separar al hombre sobre del resto de biósfera y justificar esta acción, creyendo que somos entes separados de todo lo que acontece en la naturaleza.

Documentar especies en peligro de extinción con la fotografía digital, congela en segundos un sin fin de información. En esta entrega, pretendo demostrar con fotografías, los aspectos que una visión holística del entorno tiene para dimensionar la historia natural de una especie, cuya población se encuentra en estado crítico de supervivencia.

El sapito en cuestión, sobrevive en un entorno muy específico y a desaparecido de la mayor parte de su zona de vida, que abarcaba la mayor parte de la Cordillera de La Costa en la parte norte de Venezuela. Las imágenes documentan desde el tipo de valle por donde cursan los ríos que en antaño acogían a las poblaciones del Sapito Arlequín hasta fotos del sapito.

Fotografiar los paisajes nos permite entender el contexto del hábitat en que se hospeda este diminuto ser de la fauna venezolana. Éstas montañas reciben humedad en forma de nubes orográficas o neblina que las mantienen con bosques siempre verdes en las partes más altas de las mismas. La humedad, que resulta de la evaporación del agua marina del Caribe, es transportada por el viento montaña arriba donde se condensa para formar numerosos ríos de que eventualmente devuelven las aguas al mar.

Es esa humedad tan alta, la que permite la gran biodiversidad de la región y entender, que todo esta atado entre sí, en un sin fin de relaciones vivas, donde todo depende de todo, es donde tratamos de hacer ver, que no solo se trata de un sapito, sino de un ecosistema que se encuentra entrelazado con otros, desde la costa hasta las cumbres más altas.

Estos sapitos requieren ríos de aguas cristalinas altamente oxigenadas que garanticen la supervivencia de sus larvas o renacuajos. Los adultos necesitan áreas rocosas con playas de grava para vivir. Los machos se quedan cerca de las orillas de los ríos alimentándose de hormigas y otros insectos y utilizan piedras grandes cubiertas de musgo para realizar los cantos con el que atraen a las hembras hacia las áreas donde la profundidad, velocidad de las corrientes, y es sustrato de los bordes del río son adecuados para garantizar el futuro de su prole.

La relación de estos animalitos con su entorno es tan íntima, que han evolucionado de tal manera para vivir cerca o dentro de éstas corrientes de agua, que sus renacuajos tienen ventosas en su región ventral que les permite adherirse a los fondos pedregosos del río sin correr peligro alguno de ser arrastrados por las corrientes.

Otra relación asombrosa es aquella en la que los machos usualmente cantan desde piedras cubiertas de musgo donde se mimetizan de forma muy eficiente. Estos sapitos son de hábitos diurnos, así que pasar desapercibidos es vital para su supervivencia.

Cualquiera que sea la razón que creamos, por la cual un organismo se extinga de la faz de la tierra, les puedo asegurar que se trata de un sin fin de ocurrencias, que al ser factores de cambio en lugares, relativamente estables, causan problemas tan grandes, que el cambio evolutivo no los puede superar y por ende, desencadena situaciones adversas que causan la extinción de ciertos seres vivos en particular.

Si en estas breves oraciones se manifiesta todo lo que se requiere para que estos sapitos vivan adecuadamente en su ecosistema, porque no deducimos que el cambio que esta acabando con sus poblaciones ha mermado a las mismas a números inviables tanbien nos puede afectar a todos, ya que nosotros no nos salvamos de estos hechos, y muy probablemente, nuestras respectivas calidad de vida, venga en una merma sostenida que eventualmente, nos afectará como especie de forma irreversible.

Estas imágenes no cubren ni el uno por ciento de todo lo que hay por fotografiar en un entorno para realizar un registro adecuado de un ecosistema, donde existe una especie icónica en peligro de extinción. Pero las imágenes y toda su metadata quedan para la posteridad. Así justificamos el registro digital de lo que alguna vez fue y de lo que es hoy en día.

HUMMINGBIRDS AND HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH THEM

Article and Photos: Leopoldo"Leo" García-Berrizbeitia

CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO ENLARGE

Photographing hummingbirds requires the same workflow that one uses for any kind of photography. It involves the three Ps: Preproduction, production and postproduction. If you think these words define a professional workflow, and that the regular, run of the mill photographer, does no have to deal with this sort of things, well, you are in for a surprise.

Whether you take pictures with a cell phone, a compact camera, a bridge camera or a DSLR ,for fun or profession, you will require the following:

·      A working camera.

·      A source of memory (Memory cards)

·      A source of power (Batteries)

·      Sufficient knowledge on how to operate your camera (An owners Manual)

·      A source of light

·      Knowing where you are going to take your pictures

·      And having a general idea what to expect from the object of your    picture talking.

·      Where to download your pictures and process them

·      A printer or printer services where you print your pictures or a place where you may want to post them for public view

If you take pictures in social events like birthdays, family gatherings, parties, time at the beach, visits to theme parks and so on, you will need to prepare yourself by getting all the adequate stuff to make this happen. And each situation will require extra batteries and memory cards, full knowledge of how your cell phone camera or compact camera work, so you would not have anything to falter your photo activity. Well, this is part of preproduction, this is the state of readiness which is the best way to get the best results, and the better you workflow, the better the results.

PRE-PRODUCTION FOR HUMMING BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY

Know you equipment: You can take pictures of hummingbirds at feeders with just any camera. Cellphones, compacts, and DSLR will get you great rewards photographing these little birds, who visit feeders in areas where humans are in constant view.

I am guiding photowalks in natural parks where my clients come from all walks of life that include children, teenagers, housewives, seniors and serious amateurs. This brings me to help people to make their pictures from cell phones, IPODS, compact cameras, and DSLRs. As each item used to make a picture, has its pros an cons, each one has their respective PPP. However, there are plenty of things that are commonplace. The one that I find as one of the keys for a great photo is know your subject.

SO HERE ARE A FEW THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT HUMMINGBIRDS

Hummingbirds hold the world’s smallest birds and vertebrate titles. This may seem unimportant, however, as far as natural wonders is concerned, to be able to flap your wings from zero to 30 wing flaps in fractions of a second, is a feat that can challenge the wildest imagination. They are the only birds capable of hovering back and forth, sideways, up and down, and as I have detected from my photos, move their wings independently to achieve unconceivable flying feats. They are found in the Americas from Canada down to Chile and Argentina, where there are 337 known species of these feathered jewels and the most diverse country in hummer species is Equator in South America. Venezuela, where I live, has 104 species and in Jardines Ecológicos Topotepuy, my current place of work, we have recorded and photographed 10 species in our 8 acres of gardens and cloud forest lot.

Venezuela’s hummingbirds can be found from the coast up to 12.000 feet above sea level, thus covering every thinkable neotropical ecosystem. As a nature photographer on a tight budget, who knows the wonders of traveling light, photographing these little birds with two zooms a 24-105 and a 70-300 has placed me in one of the nicest challenges in my life, both, as naturalist and nature photographer, and it is…becoming one with nature. This may sound, poetic, unprofessional or unbelievable, however, I cannot emphasize more on this subject, when people ask me how to make good nature photos.

As for wildlife and nature photography is concerned, long-term dedication to a subject can either make you or break you. So challenging oneself to the discipline of long term studies of nature really pay off. You may ask what does this practice have to do with photographing birds at feeders, well, why would you invite an important client to dinner? The best way to get acquainted is up close to your subject. So, I will try to convert you into a SIT AND WAIT predator and then,  I will take you through the paces of becoming an active-pursue predator, hopefully, you will enjoy both skills and apply them to your favorite place or animal.

To be seduced by a flash of colors flapping on your face, as you walk through the forest its easy, however, to have a tiny bird check you out by flying from your face down to your feet, and up again, while its feathers change from black to ruby, emerald and aquamarines as it flashes by you, is a different story. So lets get into photography.

THE SIT AND WAIT HUNTER

Snakes, spiders, crocodiles, and birds of prey have hunted this way for millions of years. And crocodiles are a good example. They know their territory very well, they can study their prey for days, and even months, they use stealth to get close or move away; they can make a long-term assessment of availability, time and space of their target species and these simple things has enabled them to lived on earth for 250 million years! So, what can we learn, from the sit and wait hunters…

TUNED ON NATURE

Phenology, this is the science that studies the relation of climatic change and seasonality with plant and animal’s biological clocks. This is a crucial part to learn. It happens in an hourly, daily, weekly, monthly and yearly bases, dictating

what happens in our surroundings and the response of everything that makes up the area as well. During this stage, study the light where the feeding stations are, what spots are easier to conceal you, and how can you get the best out of your gear in each situation. Make sure you learn who comes first to the feeding stations, what spots they like best, if there is a pecking order (dominance / subordination hierarchy) “who is who” at your place of study, and make a mental or a pictorial storyboard as a tool. This knowledge is crucial for a well-adapted sit and wait hunter.

As many of us do not have the funds to buy every lens in our brand’s product line, the next best thing is, to learn your prey and its habitat. Feeding, drinking and resting places, most be important goals to research in your study plan, therefore, one has to make time to learn all of this to become a successful image hunter. Only then, you will increase the CLICKs that will become keepers.

THE FEEDING STATIONS

There are two kinds of feeding stations: one is nature’s own, and the other, the man made kind. Both are very effective to approach wildlife. As all living animals are creatures of habit, and feeding, is key to survival, the best way to a hummer’s heart is through their stomach. In fact, this works for most animals. So one can give nature a hand or cheat it, ¿How?  By becoming an unlikely provider of food services to your photography objects. So, does that mean, that I have to become a chef, and run a catering service, YES it does; specially, if you will become a food supplier to the animal you seek to photograph.

If your client is a sweet tooth, you better know your deserts. 70% of the hummer’s food is nectar, the remaining 30% is small insects and if you can become a dedicated caterer, you will become a master of hummingbird photography.

4 parts of clean water to one part sugar in the feeding bottle is the best known recipe for the hummer feeder, however, what about protein. Well, first you need a clean mayonnaise bottle, recycling a small plastic one is great. If it is crystal clear, paint it a midtone green or brown, so it can be hidden well. Then you can get over ripe fruit (bananas work best) and make a puree out of it, do no eat it. It’s for the hummers. Place it inside the jar and take the latter close to the hummer’s bottle. What you have done is to make a fruit fly breeding ground. When fruit flies smell the sweet banana paste, they will make the jar a nursery and soon, you will see, how they mate and lay their eggs on your banana paste. Once they start emerging from their pupae state, they will fly out, and the keen eyed hummers, will se the fly activity very close to their drinking spot, hell, they will learn, that they can go to the bar, and then to the restaurant in the same spot. Once they spot the flies, they will switch from drinking to eating very often, and you will have. A very successful feeding station. The hummers will fly to the jar, flap their wings to stir the flies out of the jar and pick them at will. They learn to do this quite fast.

Habituation:

Becoming a hummer’s “part of their place” or one weird creature that roams around their habitat, with things hanging on our bodies will be very important for your goals: Yes, you have to become a creature that does not feed on hummers and does not compete with them for their food source.

The sit and wait hunter, does just that, it waits until its prey is within striking distance to attack, however, predators do not have it easy, as for every 10 attacks there may be one that is successful, and this will happen to you as well. You will run through a few memory cards until you get the method just right.

Photographing hummers at the feeders is the easiest way to start. Currently, the use of feeding areas, water sources and blinds are an acceptable practice for photographing wildlife, these methods are a great step in the right direction to learn and prepare oneself for the big challenge, to find and photograph wild animals in their habitat.

THE FEEDERS ALLOW US TO LEARN THE FOLLOWING:

·      To differentiate females, males and juveniles from each other.

·      Learn each bird by its personality, yes, they have different personalities.

·      Be aware of the pecking order, and how it affects the birds that visit the feeders.

·      How hummers behave between different species, or other animals such as bees, wasps and butterflies.

·      Where are their favorite perches are located

·      How long do they stay at the feeding station

·      Where are their flyways

·      Where do they hover and how log is the hovering time.

·      How does the light change throughout the day at the feeder

·      How can you prepare your shoot at the feeding station

Here are two photos of the Violet Fronted Brilliant. The male is in the left side and the female on the right. One can get photo-IDs to start learning about each species of hummingbird. Males of this species are difficult to photograph in its full radiance, as its feathers look black most of the time. However, once the proper light hits its beautiful feathers, its full radiance comes to shine. Therefore, learning how light moves throughout the day at the feeders, is what will make you pictures a success or a failure. So bird watching at the feeders is a great exercise.

Another important aspect about animal social behavior is territoriality. The unseen territories, display arenas, perching sites, and dominance/subordinate aspects of hummer conduct can help the photographer a lot. Its best to read and learn about your subject before approaching any kind of wildlife. You may be very eager to just get out and DO IT, well, most of us are, but it pays to learn as much as you can about hummers to get the best results photographing them.

The following picture is an aerial combat between Brown Violetears. The issue of the dispute has to do with territory and who is boss. Pay close attention to the birds’ body language:

 Both birds have their bills pointing at each other, indicating a serious threat in this behavior. Their tails are fanned, and their wings have a full forward flap, making a forward charge come to a full stop. Thus, downsizing, a frontal attack, to a stand off. This is a great strategy to prevent mutual harm. In territorial disputes, there are imaginary boundaries where both birds exercise individual ownership. As both birds are determine to stand their ground, they stop at a fine line, which keeps them, from a physical confrontation. Full body contact fights can result in broken feathers or harm to both birds, therefore, keeping these situations at bay is best.

The photo above is a confrontation between a Brown Violetears and a female Violet-Fronted Hummingbird. Intra-species territorial disputes are common at the feeders and flower patches. The degree of aggression varies within species.

The sound that hummers make with their wings may change with their mood, and they make an effective sensorial cue for its co specifics. Verbal communication is part of this repertoire, so learning their vocalizations helps one get ready for a memorable picture. Their repertoire includes territorial, feeding, warning, fear, and aggressive calls.

BEFORE AND AFTER FEEDER PICTURE GALLERY

As I you may expect, taking pictures at the feeders may be a put down, as the bottles are always on the way. Well, here is where thinking digital comes a long way. I hate to have the bottles in the way, but they are a necessary evil. So what you do is as follow:

1) Prefocus on the bottle
2) Place your lens in manual focus
3) Choose that flight path that is nearest your prefocused area
4) Use the flashgun/strobe at 250th syncronization (to stop wing motion)
5) As the bird passes bye, shoot the hell out of it! If the flash allows multiple flashes better.
6) Shoot as many pictures as you can.

At processing time:

1) Choose the pictures that will enable you to crop the bottles out
2) Adjust your composition with your crop tool
3) Save the image

Here are some before and after examples:

  

Well, I hope you enjoyed the reading and follow the blog for the next article HOW TO BECOME AN ACTIVE PURSUE IMAGE HUNTER FOR HUMMINGBIRDS.

Take care and keep in touch.

Leopoldo "Leo" Garcia

www.digitalcameraadventures.blogspot.com

ROMPIENDO LA BARRERA DE LOS 6.000 VISITANTES / BREAKING THE 6000 VISITOR BARRIER

Hola a todos:

Esta reseña es para darles las gracias por sobrepasar los 6.000 visitantes en digitalcameraadventures.blogspot.com

Sin ustedes nunca habría podido hacerlo. Aprovecho la oportunidad para invitarlos a acompañarme como colaboradores y

fotógrafos.Me encantaría que estén dispuestos a compartir sus imágenes y experiencias en LOS BLOGS. Actualmente, estoy

publicando en Blogger,Wordpress, Tumbler, Facebook y Twitter. De esta manera sus trabajos serán leidos por diferentes audiencias,

ya que cada BLOG, tiene su segmentación por edad y gustos. Los trabajos serán traducidos al inglés con el fin de expandir la base de

lectores.

 

Hello Everyone:

This post is to thank you for allowing digitalcameraadventures.blogspot.com to reach over 6.000 visitors. This would have never

happened without you. I like to take this opportunity, to invite all the brave adventurers and photographers, to become part of

this site, as gest writers/photographers making Digital Camera Adventures a place of opportunity for all the people who like to have a

place to tell their stories and show thier phtos off. This way, we will let DCA visitors enjoy places, that we only hope to see in our

dreams. I am sending the stats in spanish, but the images speak for themselves.

 

Gracias a todos / Thank you very much

Leopoldo "Leo" García-Berrizbeitia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Una Golondrina Sola Sobre los Rapidos

HAZ CLICK EN SOBRE LA FOTO


El rugir del río me hizo sentarme a admirar su fortaleza. Lo hago pensando en lo que está frente a mis ojos, una caída de varios metros, de una roca milenaria, que hace que el Caroní se transforme, de un espejo de agua a una turbulencia infranqueable. Ésta forma remolinos que se tragan todo, y cambia el reflejo del cielo sobre las aguas por espuma blanca siempre cambiante. Es aquí, donde Wiyú, la gran serpiente arcoiris descansa bajos las aguas y espera pacientemente a otro incauto para tragarlo sin compasión alguna.

De pronto, pasa volando una golondrina, la veo, y se que viene de muy lejos, de la Región Boreal y pronto, seguirá vuelo hasta la Región Austral. Sigue esta ruta mientras viva y en algún lado de ella morirá. Pero ahora vuela desafiando a Wiyú, y esta no la puede tocar, hace vuelos rasantes alardeando de su habilidad. Ella es muy pequeña pero logra hazañas que el hombre solo pudo lograr miles de años después de aparecer sobre la faz de la tierra.

La veo absorto, mientras sus compañeras, apenas visibles, vuelan muy alto camino al Auyantepuy. Ellas desafían a los vientos que dicen yauyan, la voz del jaguar, señor de las selvas, que sombra y luz al mismo tiempo lo hacen invisible a los demás. Medito en lo que aprendí a ver y me pregunto que ven los demás. Sin embargo, se que nada importa, porque el pensamiento se queda en el mismo lugar donde empezó y solo se hace transcendental, con acciones que otros entiendan y hasta puedan ver y palpar.

Más abajo, el río se para, no puede seguir a voluntad, Wiyú no tiene vida allí y al Señor de la Noche ya no se le oye roncar. Solo hay grandes aguas que a Guri y Macagua van a parar. Aquí, el pensamiento y la visión del hombre, en la figura de un Kanaimó, levantó varios embalses para arrebatarle al Caroní su cursó y energía, a Wiyú sus rápidos y al jaguar su rugir en la noche. Ahora rugen turbinas, las aguas bravas son de Kanaimó y la luz y la sombra que hacían invisible al Señor de la Noche son manejadas al antojo del hombre que también desafió a las alturas, conquistó el imperio de Wiyú, y le puso un sol muy pequeño a la luna en la noche, que hoy llaman... ELECTRIFICACION. Esa palabra no la conocían los Pemones ni Yekuanas, que en antaño, nombraron las tierras ancestrales cuyo origen, el hombre nunca vio.

Mientras, sigo sentado en la selva, y la golondrina de Wiyú se despidió, para volar junto a sus compañeras a conocer la Patagonia, de la que su abuelo tanto le habló. Sus ojos verán lugares que difícilmente vea yo. Por eso sigo pensado a orillas del río en todo lo que un pajarito vio y me digo, que importa lo que lo demás vean si aquí sentado lo vi yo.


® 2010 Leopoldo García Berrizbeitia

VISITING FRIENDS: HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH DIFFERENT RELIGIONS

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WELCOME!

Digital Camera Adventures’ fan and fellow photographer Omar Ponceleon is our first Visiting Friend to share his experience to our growing audience. He brings us a very especial adventure which is: How o photograph weddings from different religions. Omar has been a pro for many years and his line of work has covered: Commercial, fashion, religious ceremonies and teaching. Omar, like many of us, started with film cameras and he recognizes the versatility of the digital world as a new challange to our imagination.

As one may think, anyone who has devoted so many years to a job will have plenty of anecdotes and stories to tell. Some of us may feel that a wedding is a wedding, and once you get the hang of it, you are in good shape. Well, you may be in for a surprise, for instance, what would happen, if your would be client was from another culture and religion? Our story begins with a chat on a job Omar had just finished, where I worked as a second camera, paying my dues to learn wedding photography. The last job Omar worked on was the wedding of Venezuela’s ambassador to Japan (a Japanese-venezuelan and his beautiful Japanese wife).

As weddings have a especial requiremenst, the workflow most be done with care, as in other events with dated deadlines. Time is so important, that planning should be very detailed and each wedding has its own requirements, that may need to add or take off your check list.

As we are habituated to our own culture’s religions and ceremonies, we may think that our skills are enough to do any job we are used to do in a frequent way. However, a wedding photographer, as any other kind of photographer, will be challenged when he/she faces a job in a culture or religion other than his own.

CASE STUDY: A HINDU WEDDING

In accordance with Sastra Hindu culture, life is made up by four stages, where the Ashram Grahastha of life in matrimony is its second stage and as other stages in life, it has its own charm and duties. In India, as in other eastern cultures, arranged marriages are a common practice, where the parents of the wife and groom consider it as the union of the souls of their children and of their families.



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Without a doubt, no one, in western culture terms, could do the follow up of a religious ceremony that starts, when groom and bride’s parents choose the future couple. In fact, once the decision is made, the parents will meet with a priest who will choose the date of the future ceremony, which I presume, it will be a time, when the holy man thinks, it will be the most favorable day for the future spouses to get married. This ceremony is named Misri or the exchange of rings. How is that for a surprise?

As Hindu wedding traditions are so detailed, I will write about outstanding events in order to make a long story short.



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The most important ceremony in the wedding is the Saptapardi where a small fire is started which symbolizes Agniveda the God of Fire. This god sees that the couple commits to their vows and blesses them. The couple most go around the fire seven times which signifies the seven vows that will keep them together as a couple, and as a family ,for the rest of their life. Thereafter, the groom places the Bindi, a redspot in the middle of the eyebrows and gives her a Mangalsutra necklace. Married women wear the Bindi as a symbol of status and currently, Bindis are fashionable and can take different shapes and are made from different materials.



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As demanding as this ceremony is to a layman, getting one's information in advance can be of extreme importance, however, Omar was called the day before the civil ceremony. One would say, this could be expected and that it was the typical fate of someone trying to do a VENE-HINDU wedding.

The story goes as follow: Omar reached the place where the ceremony was going to take place. As he arrived, he found everyone dressed in traditional Hindu garments, including the Venezuelan groom. Omar was prepared for a typical Venezuelan civil wedding (Carried on by a civil judge). These weddings tend to be smaller than the religious ceremonies and lo and behold! It turned out to be both a civil and a Hindu wedding! Pure culture shock, thus, Omar had to talk to the bride as she was getting her makeup and accessories placed on. She told him the good news…you cannot take any pictures during the Hindu ceremony, as it is a solemn event that requires utmost respect. Therefore, the shoot was staged for after the ceremony. Fortunately, this enabled Omar to see what he was going to shoot later (an advantage of knowing your stuff).



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He fell in love with their lavish garments, sumptuous ornaments and wonderful colors. The result is part of what we can see in the article. After the shoot, there was a typical Venezuelan party, and the cross- cultural event was as much fun to photograph as the wedding. The crowd danced Salsa, calypso and limbo letting loose the Venezuelan Caribbean culture among everyone at the wedding.



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At the moment when the bride was to give part of the dowry, as is customary in the Hindu culture, Omar and his staff got theirs as the other guest. So at the end, Mr. Murphy (And his Law) did not make it to the ceremony or the party and all turned out well.



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Omar and I worked out a checklist for photographing religions other than your own hoping they can help you.

At the first meeting:

1. If you notice that you client comes from a different culture do no presume that they have crossed cultures and assumed your own.

2. Ask as much information about them and their culture as you can. Then, do your homework. One most do research on your would be subject, so both the photographer and his clients, can be comfortable with each other during the shoot. It pays to talk the talk and it shows that one really cares about your client and your work and then, you can walk the walk.

3. Talk to the bride and the groom separately. This will help you get vital information on how each person feels about the ceremony, their guest and their future spouse’s needs. If it is possible, try to talk to relatives and friends that live in the same city. This will enable you to get the inside story about your client’s personalities. Then talk to the couple so you get to know how they act when they are together.

4. Once you learn your customer’s religion you need to research as much as you can about it. We advise the photographer to meet with the person o persons conducting the religious ceremony. It is not the same to photograph a Catholic wedding than a Greek Orthodox one, even tough they are both Christian. In fact, priest, rabbi, monks may have their own feelings about photographers taking pictures of a holy ceremony. They will teach you the ceremonial etiquette that you should follow to the finest detail.

5. Visit the place of the ceremony to find out what logistics you will need to make the shoot. Study the LIGHT, the angles, where can you and you assistants place yourselves to be less intrusive. If there is going to be a rehearsal, BE THERE! As it will give you a great planning advantage.

During the Ceremony

1. Become invisible during the ceremony, nothing is more annoying, that a photographer getting in the way and blocking the ceremony from guest and friends.

2. Be fast and precise to make the shots.

3. Make sure that you know the symbols, moments and scenes that you can photograph.

4. Make sure you ID each important person in the ceremony. No one is spendable and you most make sure that everyone gets into the shoot. A picture with the best friend, a very old and dear relative will be memorable and get you very important PPRR pointers from your clients ;-)

5. Remember you are telling a story. Make sure you cover the pre-ceremony, the ceremony and the party. If there is a rehearsal, make a storyboard in your mind, so you can get the best out of your shoot.

At the Party

1. Adornments, table setups, buffets, church, temples, surroundings are important spaces to fill in. Make time for them. We usually visit the place after the set up and do the shooting of sitting arrangements, the religious icons, the adornments and so on. Doing this the day before the wedding works very well for your shooting plans.

2. Plan a moment alone with the bride and the groom. Make sure you tell them before the wedding to avoid misunderstandings and tell let the other people that they required this private moment.

3. Be a mentor, if you need a second camera or more, make a mentor program, as trainees are often very enthusiastic and will help you concentrate on the important issues, while they do fill in shoots for scrapbooks and videos. I work as second Camera for Omar's social and events photography and he enjoys my outdoors out of the beaten path photo-shoots. At the end, we are learning right from the source.

Thank you for visiting and let us have your input. We like to encourage you to share your digital camera adventures with us.

See you on the screen.
Best regards

Leopoldo García
Editor