Follow through is vital to catching great photos

I’m often asked how I get so many photos of wildlife doing something special, such as two birds dancing or a kingfisher diving for a fish and coming up with a delicious morsel. Like in baseball, it’s all about anticipation and follow through. In baseball you’re not done when the ball touches the bat, and in photography, that first strong photo doesn’t mean you’re done shooting a subject.

I do spend a lot of time waiting for something to happen. I wait for the sun to move the shadows, for birds to get into the perfect spot for the shot I envision and I wait for the birds to complete whatever action they may have started. If you don’t have patience, you may watch a perfect moment get away from you.

My photo of two birds dancing that was featured in the exhibit at the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature and that is included in my 2020 calendar, was actually part of a series of photos. It starts with a close-up of the male with the feathers up on his head, seemingly styled to attract a mate. The next photo is him bringing a fish to the female that caught his eye, then the dance begins, head to head and a foot in the air. While that’s the shot that is most popular, just like the male bird, I continued with the follow through and have a shot of him sealing the deal with the female bird, who he nests with for the rest of the season.

That series of shots tells a story. And that’s what makes photography interesting and allows your best work to stand out. This morning I watched an anhinga fishing for his breakfast. I know, I know, fishing shows don’t always have a lot of action. You have to be patient, but patient tends to pay off. I saw the anhinga come up with his breakfast and then toss it in the air, before he swallowed it. That was the shot I was hoping for, but I knew I wasn’t done. I stuck with him as he tried to catch the fish. This time it was a throw and a miss! The one that got away. He was one unhappy anhinga, but I walked away with a satisfying story.

Photography takes a lot of practice, and a little luck

As I headed out to Robinson Preserve with the dog and my wife this morning, I grabbed my 600 f4 telephoto lens. My plan was to shoot small birds. The small birds tend to be quick, so the long lens comes in handy.

I knew I was in luck when I heard the sound of a Belted Kingfisher soon after arriving at the preserve. I also knew I was in for a challenge. Kingfishers are among the fastest small birds out there. They can travel at 45 miles per hour and they can dive 20 to 40 feet into just inches of water. Trying to get a great photo of these birds in action is tough. Sitting on a branch is one thing, but as soon as they leave the perch all bets are off! That’s where practice and patience come in.

First the practice: I’ve been shooting photos for four decades (or so) now. So you’d think that was plenty of practice, but no. My subject matter has always been varied and I have had to learn how to shoot photos in various situations, sometimes with very little time or warning. Now that I am out taking photos in nature, I still have to practice constantly. I shoot landscapes, wildlife and birds — all sorts of birds and some are easier than others. So to stay proficient, I go out with my camera about five days a week and I purposely look for different subjects. And besides I like the birds doing what birds do, fly, fish, eat, flip, fight, dive or just do something besides sit there.

I love landscapes, seascapes, mangroves and still life. Making those photos come alive presents a far different challenge than trying to capture a Belted Kingfisher diving for his breakfast. There are different lenses, different camera settings, different shooting styles for those scenarios. I don’t want to get rusty, so I go out and make sure I’m looking for something different often.

Today’s skills test was all about quick action. With a bird like a Kingfisher, high ISO’s help with higher shutter speeds, tracking the bird is almost impossible as it heads to the water, so I take my best guess and hope I am close. The best advice: Be patient and shoot like crazy! Getting that perfect (or close to perfect) shot also calls for knowing your subject, observing behavior and habits can give you that extra edge, but remember it takes time, so be patient with yourself.

I came home with more than a few photos that weren’t sharp enough or not framed quite the way I wanted, or I just missed it completely. I could have stopped sooner, but I would have been disappointed with what I brought home because I didn’t take the time to wait for the perfect shot and to make sure I got it several times over.

My reward: I brought home a few photos that show just what a Kingfisher can do. It’s fun to see these little birds in action and it’s fun to share that with others — it just takes patience and practice.