Obviously, spring is an exciting time for nature photography. Our choices of subjects are everywhere, budding trees to blooming flowers, bird migrations and increased animal activity. The woods awaken from a winter sleep. If your time is limited to get out to photograph, it can perhaps become a bit overwhelming in trying to decide what, where, and when.
I have been spending a little bit of time with this particular Barred Owl because its home is fairly close to my own. I have been returning when I can because photographing a wild owl is not only a unique opportunity, but also highly unpredictable on where it may be roosting at any particular time. Sometimes it takes close to an hour of looking just to locate it.
Similarly, I have also invested time in the past under a blind at known fox dens that ended up very unproductive and a huge consumption of time. If I had spent the time elsewhere, perhaps I would have not come home empty handed. Putting in this time sometimes pays off, and other times it does not.
So during such a dynamic season such as spring, you are faced with some decisions on how much time to spend on any particular subject. For some, perhaps the number of shots you have already of any particular subject dictates the time. I think it is also important to consider that the more time you spend with any particular subject, the more you get to know it, its particular quirks, details, lighting or behaviors. But it can come at a cost of chosing time on a single known subject versus seeking out new ones. Like everything in photography, choosing your battles and subject matter are full of compromises.
Choosing ‘fruitful’ locations certainly help – where there is an abundant amount of subject matter. Spots like this are always a great find because you can shoot a great variety of subjects with a short investment of time. But quite often I find flower ‘x’ is no where near bird ‘y.’ So it helps to have a bit of a plan, and be considering in your mind possible backups. Keep an eye on the weather, because that may influence your decision to go one place vs. another and the kind of light that may be available to you.
I am interested in hearing others thoughts on this, and how they go about the process of selecting how they spend their time in the field.
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When I am driving to a spot before sunrise, or coming back from a hike – or simply out in the field waiting for something to happen – I get the munchies! I tend to eat a great number of Clif Bars – particularly the peanut butter kind. Healthy for you and pretty filling, easy to pack in a camera backpack or pocket. Recently I have been also buying LARABARS
They are made from 100% whole food, with no more than 6 total ingredients per flavor which they take a lot of pride in. I like their company philosophy, they even have a blog.
“Our company name comes from an ancient belief that food falls into two categories:
BECKONING FOODS
which beckon consumption again and again, sapping the body of energy without any real health benefits, Today, they’re called “junk foods.”HUMM FOODS
on the other hand, resonate with energy in a whole, natural state. When consumed, they cause you to feel vibrant and alive.”
With water of course, I could probably live off these things for a week in the wilderness.
I am just wondering what others bring along for snacks when out photographing, birding, or simply hiking in the woods. Please share!
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referrals to date for March 2007
I just wanted to post a thanks to some fellow photographers for their support of this blog and providing some traffic this way. This is not to ignore the many others that do not appear specifically here, thank you too. You are the “Others” and the “directs” and have a significant portion of the pie! I am sure these pie charts will change with your continued support as well. But I thought some of those that appear in my recent Google Analytics reports in driving some significant traffic this way deserve a mention.So a special thank you to..
Michael Brown – Macro Art in Nature – thanks for the continued inspiration, new techniques and past mentions
Howard Grill Motivation - for our common philosophies towards photography and pointing a few folks my way – your blog title says enough!
Cindy Mead – Woodsong – for your continued support, education on birds, helping spread the word about some of my enviro-rants
Mike Moats – Tiny Landscapes for the shared detective work on bacterial slimes, shared passion for leaves, and links back over here – your blog is already growing pretty quick! No surprise there.
But mostly to Lisa for putting up with this passion of mine, the time it tends to consume at times, and sharing in the love of nature.
YTD Referrals
So I suppose the gauntlet is laid down now for some of you new folks and returning visitors to get your name on those pie charts! 
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I suppose this post addresses two particular aspects of my photography – an interest in graphical shapes in nature – and diversity of subject matter that catches my interest. I know many nature photographers often have a singular goal in mind on any particular outing, and perhaps 25% of the time, so do I. Not that this is a bad thing, it leads to a lighter equipment load, and keeps perhaps a more focused effort.
Unfortunately I always have in the back of my mind that if I only bring my macro gear, for certain a once in a lifetime moment where I need my long lens is going to happen. And visa-versa, if I am only equipped with my long lens, I will most certainly find one of the coolest macro situations I have ever encountered. So I do tend to take whatever my backpack will hold for the day. If there is a lot of hiking involved, I may leave some items in the car where I can go back and get them if need be. As I grow older, my back isn’t as tolerant of my ambitions to be prepared.
To the other point, clear positive and negative spaces in an image always make for strong graphical emphasis. Finding clear situations like this can be difficult, but as you begin to sensitize yourself to them – I think they tend to ‘reveal’ themselves more often. I also like images where perhaps the subject is only a backdrop to a more direct emphasis on shape and form, such as the leaf image here.
Both of these images were made today during a morning shoot. They serve as a reminder to me that even if I go out for a particular purpose, it is good to keep an open mind for other possibilities and perhaps entirely different subjects if the original one doesn’t work out.
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Colbert has a comical paranoia about bears for those of you not familiar with his show.. (If for some reason all you get is a blue box above, some of your browser security settings probably aren’t letting this video clip display – you can see it at this link and scroll down to the Colbert video, it is pretty funny.)
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