Continuing to share my warbler photos along with information about each species, from my latest book: "Warblers of Arizona, A Guide to Finding and Photographing Warblers in Southern Arizona."
If you are interested in purchasing it, please email me at exclusivelywildlifephotos.com or info@azuregate.com.
About Photo Gear
What photo gear is necessary to photograph warblers? Interesting question, without a definitive and universally accepted answer.
Smart Phone cameras have improved immensely over the past couple of years. But simply put they just can't produce a good clear and large photo of a 4-6 inch Warbler flittering around in tree canopies. Small "Point and Shoot" cameras aren't much better even though they too have been much improved.
I used several cameras and systems in the 1990's (including an APS film camera). But it wasn't until 2000, when I upgraded to a Canon EOS 1V 35 mm camera that I really started to see a difference in the result.
And then along came digital. Simply put, Digital Cameras are a godsend for the Wildlife Photographer.
The advantages are significant. 1) Never again running out of film in the middle of photographing a Bobcat. 2) Never again having the wrong film speed when coming across a Grizzly Bear with cubs in the woods. 3) Never again having to take your film to be developed and then going back to get it the next day. 4) Never again taking a photo of a Bald Eagle in flight only to find that once developed, its wing covered its face at the moment the shutter released.
Being able to take 10, 20, 30 or more photos to get the one photo you want, the one you can sell, is the difference between success and failure. Also, with digital comes photo software and the ability to organize and label photos with events, locations, keywords, and ratings. This makes photos easy to find and print as well as easy to share or submit for publication. Books, greeting cards, albums are easy to make. What more could you ask for?
So, in 2007, I changed to the Canon EOS 5D digital camera (12.8 megapixels). In 2008, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II (21.1 megapixels) which allowed me to enlarge my photos to 13 inches by 19 inches for framing and get high quality prints. In 2015, another significant upgrade to the Canon 5DS (50.6 megapixels).
With a 50 megapixel camera you get a very large file and the ability to crop as much as 80%. However, a camera will only produce a photo as good as the Lens.
For years I used a 100-400 mm zoom lens. This was ideal when hiking and photographing large mammals. But for warblers, it just didn't have the clarity I wanted. And when Canon came out with a totally new design 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM in 2015, I took the leap.
It's that combination that has allowed me to get the clarity I want.
Tripod or handheld? I know some wildlife photographers swear by tripods for their 13+ pound 500 and 600 mm lenses. Many also use a telecoverter as well. That's a lot of gear to carry on a two-to-four mile hike up the mountainside looking for warblers.
Admittedly I own a tripod. And for stationary shoots of mammals or large birds -- like the 40,000 Sandhill Cranes that visit Waterwater Draw each winter it is the best solution. But I have found that trying to get a 4-6 inch warbler in the viewfinder of a camera/lens sitting on a tripod extremely difficult. I suspect that for those photographers who love their tripods they are much better at that than I am, which is why they do it.
I find that the much lighter Canon 400 mm f/4 DO IS II USM with its Image Stablizing system can be hand held with outstanding results. So, for me, I don't use a tripod for photographing warblers.
Flash photography: another "controversial" subject. Flash can reduce shadows. Flash can help bring out the wonderful colors. However, many will argue that use of flash with nocturnal birds -- such as owls or nightjars can damage their eyes. Some will argue that flash can hurt chicks whose eyes aren't fully developed yet. I think with today's digital cameras and their ability to go to an ASA of 6400 or higher, flash isn't as necessary and may do more harm than good. So Flash photography too is a matter of preference.
Playback: With bird song now so readily available to birders via Smart Phone, it is used by many birders/guides/photographers. If the type of bird you are looking for is nearby, playback will often ellicit a response. Alternatively, recording a bird song and immediately playing it back might bring that bird closer. Whether that is significantly disruptive to the bird -- or whether that should matter to you -- is debatable. It would seem that if all birders used playback on a regular basis, it would severly disrupt bird feeding/foraging leading to health and possibly mating problems. Note: Use of playback is illegal in National Parks and Wildlife Refuges -- which may be a good reason not to use it anywhere -- or only sparingly.
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