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Photography became a serious hobby for us in 2000, especially photographing birds and children, though we had been birders for many years before then. Now we are photographers first and bird watchers second. Because we are digital photographers, we have had to develop skills in the areas of:
We have both reached the "advanced amateur" level, and thanks to the Stony Brook Camera Club are still gowing in our photographic skills.
There has been a clear evolution in our photography over the past ten years. If you wish, you may just jump to the summary of our current camera equipment. However, over the years we have:
Printing I print all my photos using an Epson 1280 0r 3800 printer, though most Epson Stylus Photo printers are excellent (except the Epson Stylus Photo 2200 which I do not like at all, see more below). Some Canon printers are also excellent. I suggest using (at least at first) paper and ink from the printer manufacturer. I have bought paper (on occasion) from Red River Paper and via Ilford. In addition to a very wide range of papers that are cheaper than Epson, Red River and Ilford offer some unique papers (such as a silver-metallic coated paper).
When printing photos it is essential to get all the printer settings and options set properly. If the digital image contains in the range of 150 to 360 dots per linear inch (300 dpi is usually best) as printed on paper you should be able to obtain prints as sharp and crisp (or better) than you do at your local photography store. You need to work carefully to obtain good printer settings before you will be able to obtain consistently great prints.
I have read and recommend the book Mastering Digital Printing by Harold Johnson. It is long and tedious, but contains a great deal of useful information if you are serious about printing the best images possible with your inkjet printer. It can be bought at any large bookstore or via Amazon.com.
Note: All my web images have a vastly reduced resolution. When these photos are printed at high resolution on photo paper they are better than a "regular" photograph.
Lenses: After completing a trip to Australia and New Zealand, I became convinced that the lens used to photograph birds is a critical link for the equipment (skill, experience, patience and perseverance on the photographer's part are also necessary, as is a good camera and knowing where to go). In the end I purchased and am still using a Canon 400 mm f/2.8 lens, with auto-focus and image-stabilization, features that will work with an X2 extender. The X2 extender gives an effective focal length of 800 mm, and it is still hard to get close enough to the birds for a decent shot! Note: my choice of digital cameras gives me a 1.6 factor more in magnification, so 800 mm becomes 1280 mm. I assure you that photographing birds is a challenging hobby! Every mm seems to help, provided the lens remains portable (the Canon 400 f/2.8 lens weighs about 12 pounds, and I can carry it on a sturdy tripod for only about half a mile).
Still more equipment!
While in Trinidad I met Kevin Karlson, a professional bird photographer. He was very kind to sit down and talk with me for an hour about my equipment and things I might do to improve my bird photography.
Kevin suggested that I use a remote switch and a very sturdy tripod to take bird photographs. He also suggested the use of flash on all but the sunniest of days for any bird within 80 feet. To do so he suggested a Canon Speedlite flash unit and a Fresnel lens to project the flash (I bought a better beamer from Arthur Morris at www.birdsasart.com). Kevin suggested a Wimberley head for my tripod to properly support the large Canon 400 mm f/2.8 lens with extender and camera, and a Wimberley flash bracket (and extension cord) for the flash unit. Finally, Kevin stated that the IS (image stabilization) technology on the Canon lenses was a big breakthrough, and should be used even with the lens on a tripod. All his suggestions have proven helpful
I have also purchased the book by Arthur Morris, The Art Of Bird Photography, which I found quite helpful. It can be purchased over the internet at www.birdsasart.com.
I attended a two field courses given by Arthur Morris. Art showed me how to use the histogram available on digital cameras during picture review to really home in on the correct exposures. Art taught me more about composition, especially giving a lot more consideration to the background. By the time the field courses were over, I was comfortable using all my flash equipment. Art's assistant, Ellen Anon, also taught me a few Adobe PhotoShop tools, but most of all convinced me to purchase and try Breeze Browser (from Breeze Systems. This elegant piece of software (unfortunately there is no version for the Mac) vastly improves the speed and ease of reviewing photos, rotating photos, and the initial re-naming and deletion of photos. All these things can be done in Adobe PhotoShop Lightroom. Breeze Browser Pro also has some very useful scripts that help with websites.
"I can empathize with your frustration at this point. However, we feel that we know what it is that you are describing, and we have tried to explain why this is to you with as much specific detail as we can. The bottom line is that the ink formulation of the Stylus Photo 2200 is different from that of the Stylus Photo 1280, and your prints are going to look different on each printer due to this."
My original bottom line was to return to the 1280 because 7 years of a brilliant, crisp and clear photo is better than 75 years of a dull and hazy photo.
At last there is a good printer solution! For me it was the Epson Stylus Pro 3800 printer, but the Epson Stylus Photo 1400 is also a good solution. Both these printers provide images nearly as bright and clear as the 1280, and both have a shelf-life (under glass and out of direct sunlight) of over 75 years. The advantage of the 3800 is that it can handle paper up to 17 inches wide.
Last updated 07/11/2010, I will continue to update this file as we learn more about photography and our equipment.