February 2007   Newsletter Links
Upcoming Events  /  How to:  Creative Light for Wildlife Photography
Photoshop Tricks:  Airbrushing Techniques for Portraits
Photo Hotspots  /  Image Gallery  /  Contact Information

     The last couple of months have been busy.  I recently got back from a shoot out to the California Coast for Northern Elephant Seals near Cambria, wintering Monarch butterflies at Pismo Beach,  and from my first trip to Bosque del Apache NWR in the Rio Grande River Valley of central New Mexico.  Both of these shoots not only filled my stock library with some stunning images, but filled my head with the beauty of nature. 

     The elephant seals, scattered up and down this section of California coast during their birthing/mating season, were just unbelievably large.  The largest males, with throats scarred by past battles, are known as beach masters and spend their days sleeping and driving off younger, smaller males.  The females were giving birth while I was there - though none right in front of me.  Some of the beaches had fences and decks to keep humans and seals apart, while in other areas we hiked out along the coastline and photographed seals on the beach or in small coves.  With a beach maybe two hundred yards long filled with hundreds of these large seals - the amount of noise they produce is amazing.   Constant fighting between males, and between females who come too close to another's pup, kept the action going non-stop.   We saw northern harbor seals, California sea lions, furry sea otters eating abalone - as well as a multitude of other birds and animals - like coyotes, foxes, hawks, kites, falcons, rabbits, and one burrowing owl.

     Just south of Cambria about 50 miles is Pismo Beach.  On the road to Pismo Beach State Park we came upon a protected colony of migrating Monarch Butterflies that had taken up residency in some towering Eucalyptus trees.  A local docent informed us that the butterflies won't fly below 55 degrees and that we were lucky to be there when the branches they had chosen were so low to the ground.  I've never shot butterflies with my 500mm lens before so this was a first.  We were shooting at about 40 feet, sometimes with fill flash - but the wind proved a limiting factor in the quality of our images.  It was 59 degrees and between the fluttering butterflies, blowing onshore breeze, and intermittent sunshine - several hours and thousands of images were whittled down to about a hundred - of which I really like about ten.  But it was an amazing moment to look up into those trees and see literally hundreds of thousands of butterflies hanging from branches in tight groups - heavy enough to make some of the smaller branches bend.

     After an all-day drive from California to New Mexico I spent three days shooting "the bosque".  This is a bird shoot extreme.  Tens of thousands of Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes winter along the Rio Grande River, as well as thousands more ducks, some Canada Geese, and numerous hawk species.  Dawn was the highlight of each day for me.  At the time I was there the snow geese were congregating in a 4 to 5 acre shallow holding pond a couple of miles before the entry station the the NWR.   Only about forty yards off the road, and after a brief climb over some RR tracks, I could shoot from a very short distance into this group of thousands of snow geese.  As the eastern sky began to lighten each morning thousands more geese came floating into this pond - packing it tightly with birds.  At sunrise the birds began to get nervous, with an event I liked to call "the wave" happening.  Birds at one side of the pond would suddenly jump up and begin cackling and that wave of birds and noise would spread across the entire pond in just a few seconds until they were all up.  Then just as suddenly they would all sit back down on the ice, relative quiet would ensue, and they would tuck their beaks back under their feathers.  It was about 10 degrees at that time of the morning.  Then, suddenly, during one of the "waves" the Grand Exodus would be begin.

     Its really hard to describe the intensity of watching this Grand Exodus of Snow Geese - truly one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in nature in person.  Instead of performing the wave and sitting back down thousands of snow geese begin to rise into the air - on the last morning I was there we estimated about 8000 in this flock.  The cackling and beating of wings drowns out all other noises and builds into a cacophony of geese.  Looking through my 500mm lens (two mornings) and my 80-200 zoom (one morning) I was overwhelmed but I what I saw.  I couldn't identify a single goose in this mass of geese rising into the sky.  It was an unbelievable blur of white.  No far off mountains or blue sky, no pond, trees, or ice - just geese.  From that point forward it was a "flock shoot".  Check out my description of "the bosque" from this link or from the link on my home page.  Incredible.  Its now two weeks later and its still hard to describe.

     I hope this helps wet your appetite to get out and do some shooting of your own.  There are always new places to see and new experiences to enjoy just around the corner.  BRP

Upcoming Events

How to:   Creative Light for Wildlife Photography

     There is a simple way to change the creativity involved in great wildlife photography.  Beyond just snapping images of a critter close-up - a typical wildlife portrait - you can use Light to change and improve the quality of that portrait image.  Photography's great variable, Light is something you can control directly through either time of day, season, or position.   Light is the medium of photography.  The quality of light determines the quality of the image and the impact that image has over people that view it.  Low-angle sunlight (when the sun is low to the horizon) found in the morning and late afternoon has a great deal of warmth to it.  Getting out early and staying out late while pursuing wildlife images will put you in a position to shoot during these "golden" hours of sunlight.  While considering the quality of daylight  there are three ways to use it: frontlit, backlit, and sidelit.

     Front lit subjects are traditional images with the sun behind the photographer.  The full quality of the light is revealed on the subject - whether warm or cold.  As a photographer you have to place yourself in the best position to utilize the quality of this light.  Keeping the sun behind you and maneuvering with the animal will allow you to sustain a favorable position while shooting frontlit subjects.  However, what is just as important is to put yourself in a location where you can be in the right position.  For example, certain areas of Yellowstone National Park are known as "morning" or "evening" locations.  That's because if you are in those areas at the wrong time the light is against you.  Anything you see will be backlit.  Maneuvering may be impossible due to road locations, cliff or mountain formations, or restrictions on movement.  Once you're in the right location, at the right time, its just a matter of fortune as to your luck with the animals or birds.  But the more hours spent in the best position will give you the most opportunities for that awesome image.  When you do run across subjects in that position you have the opportunity to make the most of the Light. 

     Back lit subjects can be powerful images.  Beyond just portraits, they can tie a subject to its environment.  While shooting against the sun will put your subject in shadow, reducing the detail shown, greater impact can be achieved because it concentrates the viewers attention on the animals shape and location in its environment.  Also, there can be advantages to shooting backlit subjects, especially birds.  Whenever you are shooting backlit you have a lot more light coming into the lens resulting in higher shutter-speeds.  Stopping dramatic action by shooting backlit is a technique used by many successful wildlife photographers.

     Side lit subjects bring in both detail, warmth, and more graphic shadow lines since the subject isn't completely backlit.  In the the Bull Elephant Seal image below, side lighting was unavoidable but created a better image.  In many cases side lit subjects will show the greatest amount of detail and texture.  Here are some recent examples from the shoot I described in the Newsletter opening:

Frontlit Sandhill cranes lifting off just after dawn.  Bosque del Apache NWR, NM


Backlit Brown Pelican in evening light.  Near Cambria, California Coast


Frontlit Burrowing Owl in early evening light.  Near Cambria, California Coast

  
(L) Sidelit Bull Elephant Seal near Cambria in late afternoon light.
    

     This is a common technique to smooth rough skin and improve the look of a portrait subject.  It can also be used to produce a "glamour" look, which is a high-key blending of skin - reminiscent of a 50's movie poster.  This set of commands works in both Photoshop 7 and CS2. 

     1.  Create a layer copy of your image.  On a PC, use CTRL-J,  or go to the Layers/Duplicate Layer command, or drag the background layer down to the Create New Layer icon in the Layers Palette..  Double click on the layer name and give it a new name.  I used BLUR.
     2.  With this new BLUR layer chosen, go to the Filters/Blur and select Gaussian Blur.
     3.  On the Radius Slider, chose 18 pixels, then select OK.
     4.  Next, you need to add a mask to hide the this new layer.  On a PC, hold down the ALT key and select the Mask Icon at the bottom of the Layers palette.  This is the square icon with a white circle in it. A black square box should appear next to the image in the Layers Palette window.  The BLUR Layer is now hidden.

     Remember, in Photoshop - Black conceals and White reveals.  The black mask has concealed the layer.

     5.  Select the paintbrush tool from the tool box and choose white as your color.
     6.  Select a brush Opacity of about 20%.  This can be lowered if you feel the blurred effect is being painted in too quickly.
     7.  With the BLUR Layer still selected (though not seen), begin to paint in the blur layer where you want the airbrushing effect to take place.  After a pass or two you will begin to see the blurred layer come through - softening and smoothing the skin.  Don't over use the effect.
     8.  Do NOT apply this effect to areas of the image that need to remain sharp - such as the eyes, lips, teeth, jewelry, clothing, etc.  It can be applied to rough skin, acne, specks on the image, stray hair, etc.
     9.  Zoom back to overview the image so you don't overuse this effect.
     10.  If you find you have done a little too much airbrushing, simply REDUCE the Opacity of the Layer.  In the Layers Palette, with the BLUR Layer selected, click on the arrow next to the 100% in the Opacity Box and back the slider off - to say 50% - or to whatever level you prefer. 

Photo Hotspots

     2.   California Coast - From Monterey on the coast in central California all the way south 300 miles to La Jolla Cove near San Diego - the coast is alive with the family Pinnipedia (seals)  and wintering shore and game birds.  Elephant Seals are along the coast birthing and mating near Cambria, while Harbor Seals are birthing around La Jolla Cove.  Sea Otters and California Sea Lions are present as well as a myriad of other animals.  The southern coast is alive with wading birds of every type.  Another good spot in Los Angelas is Bolsa Chica NWR near Huntington Beach.

    3.   Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge - Fall brings millions of migratory birds through the refuge just west of Brigham City, Utah.   Ducks, geese, mergansers, hawks, eagles, etc - come through the refuge's ponds and holding areas.  Shorebirds and songbirds are also plentiful.  Use your car as your portable blind and don't worry about the bugs - the first frosts take care of them.  But as we creep towards spring, especially in early May, bugs become an issue.
 

Image Gallery

Contact Information

Brent Russell Paull
American West Photography
495 South 200 West
Providence, Utah  84332
435-753-3235
brentrpaull@hotmail.com
www.amwestphoto.com