Wildlife Photography and now video!
Jul//2010
Then in late April I was contacted by Laura Johnson President of the Massachusetts Audubon Society and asked to join the Advisory Board for Mass Audubon. Needless to say I was honored and pleased to accept the invitation. Besides when the “President” asks you to join and help you don’t turn that down. Also as a long standing member of Mass Audubon and someone that has been teaching for them for many years now and already on the Advisory Board for Mass Audubon Visual Arts Center this was yet another way for me to help an organization that I truly believe in.
Also in April I taught my first workshop for Boston University Center for Digital Imaging in Waltham. It was a three night workshop on photographing birds and other wildlife in Massachusetts. Which I thought went well, was well attended and now they have just asked me back to teach another workshop later this year.
As for an update on the shorebird video I spoke about earlier we have been working on this project for the last two years. This year Jim Grady and I (Migration Productions) made another trip to the shores of Southern New Jersey just outside of Cape May for the annual Red Knot migration. Our second year in a row to do this and once again we arrived at the peak of the migration and saw many thousands of shorebirds and Horse Shoe Crabs. The goal for this years trip was to get what we call “b-roll” footage of birds, crabs and other landscape video. Last year we did all of our interviews so we were all set with that. So now armed with my new Canon digital SLR’s that record HD video we were able to get some nice footage of Red Knots.
Here’s a link to a clip I posted on YouTube which is best if viewed at 480p or 720p HD of some Red Knots near Reed’s Beach.
Speaking of shooting video with my new camera I must say I am really enjoying it and learning what works best and what NOT to do when trying to record video. One of the things I did a few weeks ago was to purchase a Rode external on-camera microphone that mounts to the hot-shoe of any digital SLR camera body. It comes with a wind screen or what they call a “dead kitten”, sorry don’t blame me that’s just what it’s called.
So like the Red Knot “b-roll” I also spent time at Plymouth Beach in June and got some good footage of Piping Plovers. This was not an easy thing to do, their small birds on a VERY big beach and they don’t always sit still for very long. After four days of following some of these birds around I at least got a good workout! Here’s a link to YouTube of some Piping Plover I recorded at Plymouth Beach.
Back on June 30th I departed the Boston area at 4:15 AM and met up with a good friend and fellow photographer Tom Sayers at 6:00 AM to photograph nesting Kestrel in Connecticut. These birds are part of a nest box program “Northeast Connecticut Kestrel Project” that Tom has been working on for the last two years. With Tom’s help I was able to get some photos and video of these Kestrels that morning and by 11:00 AM I was back on the road heading to my home town of Erie, Pennsylvania for a visit with my family and friends for a few days.
Here’s a short video I posted on YouTube of the Kestrels taken that morning.
American Kestrel (male)
Canon Mark IV with 600mm f4.0 IS with 1.4x
Gitzo tripod, Wimberly Head
1/1600 @f11. ISO 640
Once in Erie I spent some time at Presque Isle State Park with life long friend and fellow wildlife photographer Scott Gorring and over several mornings we got some good photos and video of both Map Turtles and one Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle. Both of which I believe are turtles that are not found in Massachusetts.
You can see a short video I posted of the turtles on YouTube, once again best if viewed at 480p or 720p HD.
Map Turtle and Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle
Presque Isle State Park, Erie, Pennsylvania
Canon Mark IV, Canon 600mm F4.0 IS with 1.4x
Gitzo tripod, Wimberly Head
1/1600 @f9, ISO 640
So as you can see I have been plenty busy over the past several months and will continue to work on the shorebird video as well as other projects this year.
Finally below are links for web galleries of two of my favorite places to photograph in May and June. So get out and enjoy the rest of the summer and hope to see many of you this year somewhere on beach, field, forest or mountain top.
Shawn
Photos from Mass Audubon Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary from this past May.
Photos from Plymouth Beach from this past June.
Also in April I taught my first workshop for Boston University Center for Digital Imaging in Waltham. It was a three night workshop on photographing birds and other wildlife in Massachusetts. Which I thought went well, was well attended and now they have just asked me back to teach another workshop later this year.
As for an update on the shorebird video I spoke about earlier we have been working on this project for the last two years. This year Jim Grady and I (Migration Productions) made another trip to the shores of Southern New Jersey just outside of Cape May for the annual Red Knot migration. Our second year in a row to do this and once again we arrived at the peak of the migration and saw many thousands of shorebirds and Horse Shoe Crabs. The goal for this years trip was to get what we call “b-roll” footage of birds, crabs and other landscape video. Last year we did all of our interviews so we were all set with that. So now armed with my new Canon digital SLR’s that record HD video we were able to get some nice footage of Red Knots.
Here’s a link to a clip I posted on YouTube which is best if viewed at 480p or 720p HD of some Red Knots near Reed’s Beach.
Speaking of shooting video with my new camera I must say I am really enjoying it and learning what works best and what NOT to do when trying to record video. One of the things I did a few weeks ago was to purchase a Rode external on-camera microphone that mounts to the hot-shoe of any digital SLR camera body. It comes with a wind screen or what they call a “dead kitten”, sorry don’t blame me that’s just what it’s called.
So like the Red Knot “b-roll” I also spent time at Plymouth Beach in June and got some good footage of Piping Plovers. This was not an easy thing to do, their small birds on a VERY big beach and they don’t always sit still for very long. After four days of following some of these birds around I at least got a good workout! Here’s a link to YouTube of some Piping Plover I recorded at Plymouth Beach.
Back on June 30th I departed the Boston area at 4:15 AM and met up with a good friend and fellow photographer Tom Sayers at 6:00 AM to photograph nesting Kestrel in Connecticut. These birds are part of a nest box program “Northeast Connecticut Kestrel Project” that Tom has been working on for the last two years. With Tom’s help I was able to get some photos and video of these Kestrels that morning and by 11:00 AM I was back on the road heading to my home town of Erie, Pennsylvania for a visit with my family and friends for a few days.
Here’s a short video I posted on YouTube of the Kestrels taken that morning.
American Kestrel (male)
Canon Mark IV with 600mm f4.0 IS with 1.4x
Gitzo tripod, Wimberly Head
1/1600 @f11. ISO 640
Once in Erie I spent some time at Presque Isle State Park with life long friend and fellow wildlife photographer Scott Gorring and over several mornings we got some good photos and video of both Map Turtles and one Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle. Both of which I believe are turtles that are not found in Massachusetts.
You can see a short video I posted of the turtles on YouTube, once again best if viewed at 480p or 720p HD.
Map Turtle and Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle
Presque Isle State Park, Erie, Pennsylvania
Canon Mark IV, Canon 600mm F4.0 IS with 1.4x
Gitzo tripod, Wimberly Head
1/1600 @f9, ISO 640
So as you can see I have been plenty busy over the past several months and will continue to work on the shorebird video as well as other projects this year.
Finally below are links for web galleries of two of my favorite places to photograph in May and June. So get out and enjoy the rest of the summer and hope to see many of you this year somewhere on beach, field, forest or mountain top.
Shawn
Photos from Mass Audubon Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary from this past May.
Photos from Plymouth Beach from this past June.
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