Many bird photographers, visual as they are, focus on learning to identify birds by sight. But I am finding that learning to identify birds by sound can be a useful tool, too. On a recent bird photography outing, I ran into a fellow photographer while I was looking for birds at a local lake. My… Read more »

Low key bird photography, like high key, is a great way to add drama to your photos and create an instant piece of bird art. Contrast is an essential part of low key photography. Here’s the scenario for a low key bird image: early morning or late afternoon with the sun on the horizon and… Read more »

With all the birding festivals and hotspots closed this year while we are all sheltering in place, my chances of photographing a new warbler species this spring were slim. Many months ago I had made plans to be at Magee Marsh, on the western shores of Lake Erie in northwestern Ohio, almost every weekend in… Read more »

Great blue herons have long been one of my favorite birds to photograph. Not only the great blue, but all herons have always intrigued me. I think I have photographed all of the North American herons except the yellow-crowned night-heron. A few days ago, while photographing at my favorite lake, I crossed paths with a… Read more »

I have been asked if, as a photographer, I have a studio. My answer is always, “Yes, I do. The outdoors is my studio.” As we have been sheltering in place for a month now, I decided to organize my backyard studio. I have 28 trees in my studio: 24 oaks, 2 shagbark hickories, 1… Read more »

The warblers are coming! The warblers are coming! Okay, I’m not Paul Revere, but I have five helpful tips that will help you prepare to photograph the warblers that are coming this spring.  1. Pre-focus Most species of warblers are very active, and finding one perched ready for a photo is nearly impossible. But by… Read more »

Photographing birds in flight can be challenging, but attempting it on a cloudy day brings a whole new realm of hurdles. One cloudy day while photographing birds in flight with a photographer friend, I expressed discontent with my images. “I can’t get an exposure of the bird without blowing out the sky to white,” I… Read more »

Yogi Berra once said, “You can observe a lot by just watching.” It seems like a funny statement, but somehow it applies to bird photography. When I arrived at an osprey nest for the first time this spring, I was disappointed to discover there was not a location nearby where I could photograph the birds… Read more »