Updates - they're wild!

I decided that after posting an all-text article, it was time for some pics. (I'm still getting ideas for another "Back to Basics" article, so if you want to suggest anything, there's still time. Keep the feedback coming!)

I've updated the website with some new wildlife shots, so I'll post a few here as well.

This bird (anyone know what it is?) was thrilling to shoot. I was loving the light!

The King at rest: he was actually licking his paws, but the timing of the shot makes him look like a weary soldier laying his head down for a moment.

Awww! Why so sad, little guy? This Snowy Egret looks utterly dejected.

This spoonbill, on the other hand, looks downright hilarious. Well... even more than usual!

Enjoy, and keep the feedback coming!

Back to Basics: Idiot-proof your shoot

Since we talked about an idiot in the last post, we'll continue in the same vein. The idiot featured today: me. Or indeed any one of us, as we're all perfectly capable of being idiots. (Go on, admit it.)

The marvelous thing about a good camera (DSLR, or even advanced Point & Shoot) is that it has so many menus and dials and buttons and doohickeys. And all of them let you change your camera's settings... do you see where I'm going with this? There is no perfect, all-encompassing way to set your camera, that will work in all situations.

If you change your settings for one shot or one place and time: remember to change them back afterward!

There is nothing worse than taking some great shots (you thought), only to realize your settings were all wrong. Doh! This is compounded tenfold - at least - when you're off on a trip in a fantastic location, and you don't realize until it's too late that you messed up at that one amazing place. Yes, it's happened to me. And I bet it's happened to you, too. Uh huh, yes, you.

So to idiot-proof your shooting, I recommend running through a checklist every time you put the camera away, every time you take it out, and at periodic intervals while in use. It might take a minute each time - and it could be the most valuable minute of your day, even including that glorious sunset. Think of it like a pilot taking off on a flight: that plane isn't moving from the runway until the pilot has gone through their pre-flight checks. Religiously.

So here it is: Moira's Pre-Flight Checklist (I'm using Nikon terminology, your mileage may vary):

• ISO: I always set it back to 200 when I'm done shooting (the default for my camera). Outside the studio it will change almost constantly, of course.
• Exposure Mode: Outside the studio, I use Aperture Priority most of the time, so this is where I start. I also use Manual a lot, and occasionally Shutter Priority. Don't think I've ever used fully Programmed Auto, actually; maybe one of these days I'll try it just to see what happens.
• Aperture: Since I shoot so much in Aperture Priority, this one is crucial. Also known as the f-stop, I always set it back to f8 when I'm done.
• Shutter Speed: Even though in Aperture Priority the shutter speed is determined by the camera, I like to reset it (by going into Manual mode for a moment) back to around 1/200th. Why, you ask? It can take a few seconds to reset this, if you've been doing something wacky that requires a slow speed like 2 seconds / shooting sports at 1/3200th. If you suddenly have to jump into Manual mode to get the exposure you want, you may actually miss your shot by fiddling around too much to get back to a more usual setting. Do it ahead of time.
• Focus Mode: I frequently use both Manual focus and Autofocus (Continuous), but Autofocus (Single) is the go-to most of the time.
• AF_Area Mode: There are three main settings here: Spot, Area, and Large Area within the full frame (I'm not using Nikon terminology here, as it's too hard to explain otherwise). Basically they determine how much of the frame the camera will use to calculate correct focus. All are useful in different situations; I use the middle one (Dynamic-area AF, in Nikon parlance) as a starting point.
• Focus Point: This determines which part of the frame the camera will use to calculate correct focus. You want to aim for a point that will focus on the correct area, and necessitate as little recomposition as possible. I set mine back to the center point.
• Exposure Compensation: I always set this back to 0 (zero) when I'm done.
• White Balance: I like to set this back to Auto. That's not necessarily where I'll use it, but it's a safe starting point.
• Frame Rate: Most of the time this should be set to Single (one shot only, when the Shutter Release button is pressed). I do use Continuous though, for sports and occasionally for wildlife, so it's worth checking. It's not such a big deal if you forget, but it can eat up your battery power and it's a nuisance in post-processing to wade through all the duplicates.
• Quality: I honestly don't know why people would change this too frequently, but if you do then it's crucial to check it. I always shoot at least JPG Fine (highest quality, largest file size), and these days it's usually RAW + JPG Fine. Memory cards are cheap now, and they don't add to the weight you're carrying around.
• Metering: Most of the time I use Matrix Metering. It will change occasionally for special situations.

OK, that's a lot of stuff! But don't be put off. Some people will never touch some of these settings: in that case you don't need to include them in your checklist. (Although I'd still check them now and then just to be safe - especially if you start getting unexpected results.) Others may think I've left a lot of stuff out: feel free to add more to your own personal checklist.

It doesn't matter if your normal settings differ from mine, or from that guy standing next to you at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, so long as they work for you. But whatever settings you use - remember to check them frequently!

Good luck, and have fun.

Inaugural EEJIT Award

Let me preface this post by explaining "eejit" to those of you who don't hail from my part of Ireland. It means something close to "idiot" in English, but with an added twist, a local flavour, a certain je ne sais quoi that is impossible to translate. But you can think of it as being equivalent to idiot.

So... I just found this on the web, and literally howled with laughter. I had to post about it!

Should have checked them: Man caught smuggling geckos in his pants

Now, while I did laugh - loudly and uproariously - at the idiocy of this individual, I also feel extremely sorry for the geckos. They suffered for this fool's illegal and selfish transgression, and that's no laughing matter. But I would really have loved to be there, camera in hand, to document the security check and arrest procedure: all those geckos emerging from the guy's pants! I hope he had the good grace to blush profusely.

I don't have any pictures of geckos, but:

This little guy's suitably grumpy expression sums it all up!

And so the Inaugural EEJIT Award is given for sheer stupidity and unnatural cruelty to geckos.

RPU: Take the shot!

Today's Random Philosophical Utterance (RPU) is all about getting the shot.

We've all had those moments: you hesitate, back away from the shot, lower the camera because it doesn't look exactly the way you want it. You weren't going to get a good shot that time anyway; the light was too low and the shutter speed too slow. You tell yourself it wasn't quite right and you'll do better next time, or the light will be better, or something. And we've all seen other people do the same thing. But what if next time never comes?

You will miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

Who cares if you take a bad shot? OK, so you missed one. It was wacky, blurred, poor composition, wrong exposure, whatever. We're shooting digital these days - it doesn't cost you anything to have a bad shot processed and you don't have to print it. And maybe, just maybe, that shot will actually be good. So go on, get up close & personal with your shutter release button and let 'er rip!

This photograph is a perfect example of what I'm saying:

A precious, momentary gleam of bronze as the sun breaks through the clouds one last time; my last evening in Monument Valley.

This came at the end of a road trip, at the end of a long day after a week of not enough sleep. It was already almost dark, I was tired, on my way to dinner, and really looking forward to food followed by sleep. The sun had been glorious until late afternoon, then it clouded over almost totally and the light was dreadful: gray, flat and dull. And then there was a break in the clouds...

Could this shot have been better, if I'd had the camera already out and ready, if the tripod had been set up and available, if my hand was steadier, if I'd been just a bit quicker? Of course. But that's life. The light changes so fast, by the time I reacted to what I was seeing, it was already fading; my shot was "past its prime" at that point. But I don't live anywhere near Monument Valley, hadn't a clue when I'd ever be back, and I took the shot anyway.

Do I want to do better? You betcha. I'll just have to get back there whenever I can and hope for another such blessing. In the meantime, I'm left with an image that's a whole heck of a lot better than nothing at all; not pressing the shutter release is a guaranteed way to miss the shot.

Random beasties

Well, today it is pouring cats and dogs, so I thought I'd post a few pics of other creatures. You know, like buying a blue car on a Wednesday and naming it Ruby Tuesday just because (I had a friend who did that, don't laugh!)

Of course these come from the Wild Animal Park. Since it is so wet outside, and back home we say that's weather for ducks - here's a duck! In keeping with the daft theme of this post, it's a little strange which is what caught my eye:

The WAP also features interpretative dance performances - here we have an hommage to Martha Graham. This pose was so strange and tickled my funny bone so much, I just couldn't resist.

As I've said before, those darn meerkat get in everything. There's just no stopping them!

Just your regular barrel of meerkat.

And back to the duck weather: there was a small duck pond at the bottom of the steps to my apartment, earlier; that's how heavy the rain was. I half expected to see some visitors there:

I loved the colors on these guys.

More to come. I may or may not be in as whimsical a mood next post - no promises!

Happy New Year!

As we all slowly emerge from our holiday haze, I wish everyone a wonderful 2010. May it be better than last year, and nowhere near as good as next year will be!

Now it's fairly unusual to have a full moon on New Year's Eve, so of course I had to get out there with the camera. However, unless you have your camera hooked up to a high-powered telescope, the results are a bit blah, to say the least:

Even with a good lens, regular photography doesn't yield that great a shot of the moon.

So you know what that means: time to get creative!

Spooky! Shooting through the trees gives an image that might be more appropriate for Halloween.

Earlier in the day, I made a brief visit to the Wild Animal Park. (I'll be going back over the weekend.) Sometimes you just gotta do it.

Hey! Look at me! I have a twig!

No words. Just: "Awww."