Glenn's Nature Photography Blog

 
Great Sapphirewing

Booted Rackettail

Masked Trogon

Carunculated Caracara

Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan

Hooded Mountain-Tanager

Sword-billed Hummingbird

Blue-backed Conebill

Black-banded Owl

Masked Crimson Tanager

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I am very happy to announce that my latest E-book – The Guide to Tropical Nature Photography is now available!

This is a joint project between Costa Rican wildlife photographer Greg Basco and I. We have been working hard over the past year to come up with a resource that provides a tonne of useful information to anyone heading to the tropics for photography.

Why did we decide to write a book specific to nature photography in the world’s tropical regions? Isn’t nature photography the same anywhere in the world? The answer is a resounding no. Every area of the world offers a fresh challenge to the nature photographer, from weather to logistics to subjects. Tropical nature photography, however, is characterized by an amazingly high degree of difficulty. Simply producing a sharp, well-exposed, well-composed picture is an achievement.

Successful tropical nature photography is all about having a diverse photographic toolkit to ensure that you’re ready to deal with the technical challenges of each shot, freeing your mind to work on the artistic side of your photography. We’ll be taking you through the equipment you’ll need, and we’ll also teach you how to use that equipment in a variety of ways. And we’ll give you tips on finding your subjects and “seeing” images in the field so that you can produce a beautiful and colorful tropical portfolio.

Tropical nature photography is indeed a challenge but after reading this e-book, you’ll be ready to tackle it head on. What’s more, the techniques you learn here will open up whole new worlds for your photography back home and on future travels. We believe strongly that if you can capture great images in the tropics, you’ll be well-equipped to capture great images anywhere in the world!

Specific Chapters Include:

• Using Natural light
• Using Flash
• Telephoto Wildlife
• Knowing Your Subjects
• Outside the Box
• Tropical Habitats
• Equipment
• Post Processing

The E-book is available for download from our website at a cost of just $40.

For more information or to purchase the book visit – www.theguidetotropicalnaturephotography.com

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FORWARD

Bolivia is an extremely diverse country when it comes to birds. In fact, some say that if it wasn’t land-locked it would have more species than any other country. Endemism is not especially high but there are some stunners to search for such as the Red-fronted Macaw and Black-hooded Sunbeam. The country lacks a field guide and, perhaps because of this, has been under-birded compared to the other Andean nations. This can lead to some frustration when trying to get information about sites and species. The other side of the coin is that it makes it a very exciting place to visit as a photographer because there have been so few good images of the birds that live there. The goal of this trip was to find and photograph as many of the endemics and near-endemics as possible.

I will include some images with this post. To see more visit - www.glennbartley.com

DAY BY DAY SUMMARY

The trip began with an international flight in to the city ofSanta Cruz. Coming in from sea level it made a lot of sense to begin here in the lowlands rather than flying in toLa Pazwhere the air is notoriously thin.

My first destination was right in the city at the local botanical gardens. There were a surprising number of good birds to be found here and I visited the site several times while I organized the rental car and prepared to head in to the field. The highlights included: Red-billed Scythebill, Pale-crested Woodpecker and Bolivian Slaty Antshrike.

 A second site that was worth a quick visit was Lomas de Arena. At this site I had Guira Cuckoo, Burrowing Owl, Southern Lapwing and White-eared Puffbird.

The first “real” birding site was a few hours away along the old road to Cochabamba. Rather than waste a morning driving there I decided to visit the Santa Cruz airport and see if I could come up with anything. It turned out to be an action packed morning with Greater Rhea’s, White-bellied Nothura, Red-winged Tinamou and Wedge-tailed Grass Finch all giving great photo opps.

After an unexpectedly successful morning I hit the road for the Refugio Los Volcanes. About a 2-3 hour drive from Santa Cruz this lodge is positioned in a setting that is unlike anywhere I had ever been. Set in a clearing down in a valley the small lodge is surrounded by towering red cliffs on all sides. It truly is a spectacular destination! This site proved to be the best of the trip for nocturnal birds and on the first night there I managed to photograph Band-bellied and Rufescent Screech Owl. Fruit placed out near the kitchen provided exceptional opportunities to photograph Purplish and Plush-crested Jays and the edges of the clearing were good for a few of the other common birds including Rufous-bellied Thrush and Blue-fronted Amazon Parrot. After two nights at this wonderful lodge it was once again time to move on.

The town of Samaipata was conveniently located along the old road to make a stop for the night. Based on a recommendation I stayed at a Dutch run hotel called “La Vispera”. The grounds around the hotel were good for Black-capped Warbling Finch, White-tipped Plantcutter, Red-crested Finach and Lineated Woodpecker.

A few hours further down the road I found myself at the Red-fronted Macaw Lodge. This excellent site has been set up to protect the breeding cliff of the endemic and endangered species for which the lodge is named.  During the time of my visit the Macaws were constantly around the cliffs as were the endemic Cliff Parakeets. The third endemic to be seen here is the drab Bolivian Blackbird.

The habitat around the lodge is dry scrub and it is loaded with birds. Commonly seen species included Blue and Yellow Tanager, Narrow-billed Woodcreeper, Mitred Parakeet, Greater Wagtail Tyrant, Ringed Warbling Finch, Creamy-bellied Thrush, White-fronted Woodpecker, Golden-billed Saltator, Masked Gnatcatcher and Glittering-bellied Emerald. I spent three days here working on getting great images of the Macaws as well as the supporting cast of characters.

The next move took me further down the old road towards the town of Comarapa. This would be my base for visiting the higher elevation cloud forests of Siberia where I would search for the Rufous-faced Antpitta and Black-hooded Sunbeam. Lower elevations were good for the Bolivian Earthcreeper, Yellow-billed Tit-Tyrant, Olive-crowned Crescentchest and Great Pampa Finch. Although I missed the Sunbeam here we did find a great site for a territorial Red-tailed Comet. What a spectacular hummingbird!!

I spent several days in this area battling the sunny conditions and elusive birds before continuing on to Cochabamba. Along the way roadside stops turned up Fulvous-headed Brush-Finch, Brown-capped Tit-Spinetail, Grey-bellied Flowerpiercer, Brown-capped Redstart and Creamy-breasted Canastero.

For a bit of a rest morning I visited the Laguna Alalay which is right in town. Here I photographed Collared Plovers and spotted Rosy-billed Pochards, Red Shovellers and White-backed Stilts among other common waterbirds.

At one point while walking around the perimeter of the lake a brilliant red, white and blue bird emerged from the reeds. This was a highly unexpected colour palette to encounter here and it definitely took a few moments for the brain to comprehend that the bird I was seeing was actually a Cattle Egret that some local fool had painted with the colours of the resident soccer team. I seriously wish I could have found him and sprayed him with paint!

I was fortunate enough to have a local researcher to take me out to her study site the next morning to look for the Cochabamba Mountain Finch (another endemic). That morning I was lucky to find and get decent images of this species as well as Rock Earthcreeper. I was unlucky to back the car in to a rock. Crap!

That afternoon I visited the nearby San Miguel Polylepis forest and had an awesome encounter with Red-crested Cotingas as well as Puna Canastero, White-winged Diuca Finch and Slender-billed Miner.

 Missing the Sunbeam was not sitting well. Not one bit! Reluctantly I made the decision to drive back the 200km and 5 hours or so to the “site” for the Sunbeam and try my luck again. But once again luck was not on my side. In addition to the THREE flat tires that I got on the way, a huge protest had pushed traffic from the new road to the old one and there were so many cars and so much dust that any birds that may have been there had wisely moved on. Consolation prizes along the way included a cooperative Rufous Antpitta and Light-crowned Spinetails. But at the end of two more days I had to face the fact that it was strike two on the sunbeam.

The original plan was to spend the next 2-3 days along the Chapare road looking for all  the goodies there. Unfortunately the protest was raging on. Angry locals had blocked the road, flipped over police cars and set them on fire and the smell of tear gas was heavy in the air. It wasn’t that difficult of a decision to move on and skip this area even though it meant missing a few good birds.

I drove towards and past the town o fOruro and to the Lago Uru-Uru. Here I had a messy day of shooting all three Flamingo species as well as Andean Avocet and a few migrant shorebirds. Its always fun to get down and crawl in the mud. Well…as long as you get the shot. Otherwise it is just loco!

Onwards I traveled in the direction  of La Paz for the final phase of the trip. The first site to be visited was just a half hour or so from the city. Here up in the puna habitat I was able to coax out Streak-throated Canastero, Plumbeous Sierra-Finch before descending to the Cotopata Trail. The rain was looming so there wasn’t much time to search for birds. In the first 200 metres of the trail I was able to find some cooperative Three-striped Hemispinguses and a Rufous-backed Chat Tyrant and heard the persistent calling of a Diademed Tapaculo. Alas, the skies opened up and I retired to the town of Coroico for the night.

The following day there was a National census taking place and I was informed that I would not be able to drive anywhere. Great! Thankfully Coroico is set in an area where you can hit the trails and wander in to some decent habitat. Not too far out of town I was able to nail Black-faced Tanagers and Variable Antshrikes. This was a great relief after assuming that the day would be a total loss. Back at the hotel I had a good look at a stunning male Swallow Tanager and some Speckled Chachalacas to finish the day.

Sometimes on photo trips you hit patches of bad luck. It felt like I was just grinding it out for the past week or so. It’s not that I wasn’t getting good images. I was just having to work really hard for them and also deal with all of the protests, censuses, flat tires, smashed bumpers, etc, etc. Perseverance always pays off though and I always try to think that if you can just hang in there you will be rewarded.

On November 22 I had one of those epic days of photography that is sure to live long in the memory. Starting out before dawn in Coroico I headed up the main road to the infamous “road of death”. As the sun began to shine the first images of the day materialized as a pair of very tame Mountain Caracaras cooperatively posed for me on a gorgeous perch. A great way to start the day! From then on the pace of the day picked up to an almost dizzying pace. A roadside flock held Scarlet-bellied and Hooded Mountain Tanagers. Not one, or two, but FOUR Hooded Mountain Toucans emerged from the cloud forests to pose for my camera. Mountain Wrens, Band-tailed Fruiteaters and Black Thistletails were all giving amazing photo opportunities. It wasn’t even lunch yet!!! Next up was a charismatic White-collared Jay who cooperated nicely and I finished the day with Superciliaried Hemispingus and, better yet, Orange-browed Hemispingus. What an insane day!!!

After a day like that I simply had to return to this site again and see if the luck would continue. Of course you can never recreate a day like that and the action was indeed much slower. I was able to pick up Sickle-winged Guan, Plushcap, Barred Fruiteater and the other subspecies of Light-crowned Spinetail. Still not a bad day! In the late afternoon I stopped in at a lower elevation site and from the dense undergrowth pulled out a cute little Ochre-faced Tody-Tyrant before calling it a day.

The next morning I decided to try to finish up with the “Road of Death”. As a side note – this road earned its name because more drivers have lost their lives per km of road than any other. The dirt road is carved in to the mountain slopes and the consequences of slipping off the edge are indeed severe. Luckily the Bolivians realized this and worked hard to create a paved, and much safer, bypass around the old road. This is such a great gift for bird watching because now you can explore the Carraterra de la Muerte with virtually no traffic. It is a stunning area and is loaded with good birds. Hopefully the habitat will remain preserved here for generations to come.

My final morning produced very few new birds. The Cotopata trail was looking promising for the Diademed Tapaculo. However, as Tapaculos like to do, these birds stayed hidden and impossible to photograph.

On the way back to La Paz the weather was abnormally calm. The decision was made to stop at a highland site and hike up away from the main road to where I hoped to find some good birds. I was hoping for an Olivaceous Thornbill but there were none to be found. I did nail great shots of Puna Tapaculo (the only easy member of this Genus) and Scribble-tailed Canastero. Hiking at this altitude (4000m +) is always hard work but I had enough energy for one last stop at “La Cumbre” where I found some Andean Geese, Diuca Finches and a few more waterbirds before heading back to La Paz for the night.

My next mission was to travel to Lago Titicaca and try for the critically endangered Flightless Grebe. This was a poorly planned endeavour that miraculously worked out. After finding a hotel on the lake in the dark I somehow managed to find a canoe in the morning to paddle out in to the lake. Before long I had plenty of Grebes to look at.

The final site for the trip was near the town of Sorota where I had heard that the Black-hooded Sunbeams were reliable. This was my third and final chance for this species and the anticipation was intense. Driving down towards the town I spotted an area that was loaded with flowers and looked promising to search for hummingbirds. Sure enough I hopped out of the car, walked 10 metres and there he was – a stunning male Black-hooded Sunbeam perched at the perfect angle to show off its incredible blue back. Blasting away at 8 frames a second the moment came and went and as I looked at my LCD screen what I saw was one of the most amazing hummingbirds on earth and what I felt was euphoric relief. It was an incredible way to end the trip.

To see more images visit me online - www.glennbartley.com

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Greetings everyone!

I just thought I’d post a quick update as I am off toBoliviaon Wednesday. I am going for a 1 month photo shoot and will be focusing on the area betweenSanta CruzandLa Paz.Boliviais a big country so 1 month will not be a huge amount of time. Hopefully I can nail down a few of the endemics and some of the really stunning birds like the Red-tailed Comet, Black-hooded Sunbeam and Hooded Mountain Tanager.

Stay tuned as I’ll be posting some photos as soon as I get back at the beginning of December.

Until then, all the best!

Glenn

Beryl-spangled Tanager (Tangara nigroviridis)

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Building on my last post about the benefits of using a flash bracket I thought that I would post about some of the techniques that I use to “clean up” the eyes of the birds that I photograph using Adobe Photoshop.

Before moving forward it is important to recognize that, in most cases, the birds eye is where our attention is focused in the photograph. It is what is compelling and draws us in. So it is very important that the eye looks as natural as is possible. Let’s take a quick look at an image where two quick edits in Photoshop can really improve the eye of the bird.

Problem #1 – Strange catch lights from the flash

We often encounter problems from unnatural looking flash catch-lights in the birds eye. This can happen even when using a flash bracket. It may be that there is a natural catch light from the sky or sun and then a second catch light from the flash. Depending on the image this could look very strange. Luckily this is usually a very easy fix (especially if you used a flash bracket).

In Photoshop – Simply zoom in on the eye and clone out the undesired catch light. You could use the clone brush or the patch tool to achieve this. Note that sometimes you simply want to re-position the catch light and in this case you could use the patch tool but on the “destination” instead of the “source” setting. You would then select the area of the catch light, left click and hold, and drag the catch-light to a more desirable position. You could then switch back to “source” and remove the original catch light.

Problem #2 – Noise and “murky” looking eyes

One of the edits that I often make to my bird images is to remove the noise from the birds eyes. If you think about it when you look at an animals eye it looks clear and shiny. But because birds eyes are often black or dark brown they often accumulate some digital noise (due to the fact that they can easily become underexposed).

An easy fix for this is to simply select the birds eye using one of the various selection tools (perhaps the elliptical marquee tool). Next you will want to feather the selection by a few pixels. Then simply use the noise reduction filter on a moderate setting (Filter > Noise > Reduce Noise). This should really help to make the birds eye look more natural.

A second step that you may wish to perform here is to actually darken up the birds pupil. Pupils should look very dark and not have any noticeable noise. Because of this you may wish to select just the pupil, feather the selection, and then darken the pupil through a levels adjustment (Image > Adjustments > Levels).

Lets take a look at an example of a before and after…

Before - The image that suffers from all of the classic problems mentioned above. It has some funky catch-lights and also noise in the eye. The pupil could definitely be made a bit darker too.

After - With a bit of quick work with the patch tool, some noise reduction and darkening up the pupil we have a much more natural looking eye that draws us in to the photo.

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Coming to you live from my living room…Check out this video about flash brackets and which one I use…

Wimberly Flash Bracket – HERE

Custom Brackets Flash Bracket – HERE

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NOTE TO THE READER: I am going to be making an effort to post on my blog more frequently in the upcoming months. One aspect I thought I would introduce is more of a “how to” component for photographing various types of birds. There will also be more discussions about equipment, some more video and location profiles.

If you have anything that you would like to see me blog about please comment. I would love to hear from you!

Also, if you enjoy these posts please share them on Facebook, Twitter G+, etc. Thanks!

How To Photograph Woodpeckers

Woodpeckers are found throughout the world (except in Australia and Antarctica) and come in a tremendous variety of sizes and colours. They can be found from the deepest realms of the Amazon jungle, to the highest mountains, to our very own backyards. From tiny Piculets that are barely 10 cm (4 inches) long to several larger species that measure well over 50cm (20 inches) the world’s woodpeckers are a diverse group of birds. Some of the tropical species exhibit exciting and vibrant colours but most are more subtle shades of black, white and brown. These carpenters of the bird world are immediately identifiable and make great subjects for all of us bird photographers to strive to photograph.

Composition

For the most part, woodpeckers exhibit a similar behaviour where they work their way up a tree in their search for insects. This behaviour combined with their long body shape makes them best suited to vertically composed images with more space above the bird than below. The bird should be positioned away from the vertical center of the image such that there is minimal dead space behind the bird. Depending on the size of the branch / trunk that the bird is on it is great if you can see the entire width of the perch.

When it comes to composing woodpecker images it is also worth considering the relative position of the bird on the branch in relation to the camera. If the bird is too far on the back of the branch a part of the bird may be hidden from view. Too far forward and the shot will be more of the bird’s back than is ideal. Generally speaking the most pleasing woodpecker images are those where the midline of the bird is directly perpendicular to the lens. One thing to look for is whether or not you can see the bird’s feet. In a perfect pose you will be able to see the bird’s feet and perhaps some space between the its tail and the branch.

Feeder Setups

For many people who feed birds in their yards woodpeckers are a familiar friend. Especially in the winter months Hairy, Downy and Pileated Woodpeckers frequent seed and suet feeders throughoutNorth America. One great technique for photographing these backyard visitors is to set up a woodpecker post with large holes drilled into it. These holes can be filled with suet or peanut butter, which the woodpeckers will quickly discover. It is a good idea to have one post that the woodpeckers can use on a daily basis and a second that is your aesthetically pleasing post. Keep the attractive post in reserve as the interesting bark or moss will quickly deteriorate with all of the attention from the hungry birds. By keeping a post in place the birds will stay conditioned to the site and when you are ready to photograph them you can easily swap in your attractive post.

Using Recorded Calls

At certain times of the year some species will respond to their call. Some species are more aggressive than others, but most woodpeckers will respond. Many species of woodpeckers will respond most aggressively to hearing their drumming. As always with recorded calls it is vital to use both judgement and restraint and to never linger very long with any one bird.

Perch Choice

If you are doing a feeder setup or using recorded calls then you have more control over what perch the bird will come to. This is not an opportunity to be squandered and careful thought should be put in to what branch to use. My favourite woodpecker perches are those that are about half as thick as the woodpecker itself and that have character in the bark, mosses or lichen that cover them. Another idea is to try to find a vine that you can wrap around the branch itself. This can make for a brilliant image that incorporates not only the interesting branch itself, but also some leaves and interesting visual lines, but this is of course a personal choice. As I mentioned in the composition section it is great if the entire width of the perch can be included in the frame. It is also worth considering a branch that has some curve or shape to it so that the perch is not just a simple vertical line.

Conclusion

With a few tricks and a well thought out plan woodpeckers are among the easier birds to photograph. While North America has a limited number of species there are over 200 species in the Picidae family around the world: more than enough to keep us bird photographers busy!

Gallery

Here are a few of my favourite woodpecker / woodcreeper images from my travels throughout the New World.

Let me know what you think!

Glenn

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Usually when I tell people that I am a professional wildlife photographer they immediately comment on what a great job it must be. Well…it is! But I think a lot of people have very little understanding for what it takes to make a go of it in this line of work or of the sacrifices that must inevitably be made. So I thought I would do “5 best and worst things about being a wildlife photographer” list. Here goes…

5 Best Things About Being a Pro Wildlife Photographer

1. Freedom to spend lots of time with Mother Nature…
2. Visiting new places in Canada and around the world…
3. Being able to daydream about something beautiful, set goals for how to photograph it, and then achieve them…
4. Being your own boss, making your own hours, and not being chained to a desk (except while processing images)…
5. Being proud of your work…

1. Airplanes, airplane food, packing, waiting for planes, delayed flights, cramped seats, long travel days, baggage fees, and cranky gate agents…Can you tell how much I love airports??
2. Uncertainty and the stress that comes from being a self-employed entrepreneur…
3. Extended periods of time away from family, friends, and loved ones…

Feel free to comment on what you think would be good or bad about this job. Or even what you love / hate about your own jobs

Just another day in the life...

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Greetings everyone! I have just returned from a great month down in Costa Rica leading a few photography workshops. We had some really nice opportunities throughout the tours and many wonderful images were made. Costa Rica is one of those countries that is just so pleasant to visit. I could go back over and over again and never get tired. Especially of the Resplendent Quetzal!!

Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno)

Both trips started in the lowlands of the Caribbean slope. We spent three nights at a great rainforest retreat trying to photograph all kinds of fascinating subject matter. From poison frogs, to toucans, to strange insects there was lots to keep us all busy.

Green and Black Poison Dart Frog

Strawberry Poison Dart Frog

Red-eyed Tree Frog

Basalisk Lizard

Moss Like Stick Insect

Chestnut-mandibled Toucan (Ramphastos swainsonii)

During one of the days we took a short trip down the road to a new spot for feeder set ups. As much as I love the challenge of rainforest photography I always love a good opportunity to “set up” a shot. Selecting a good perch, background and just the right amount of fill flash allowed us all to get some sweet shots!

Green Honeycreeper (Chlorophanes spiza)

Crimson-collared Tanager

Red-legged Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes cyaneus)

Each of the two trips that I led this year had slightly different itineraries from here. On one group we traveled up hill toward a great little lodge in the higher country. Here we focused our efforts on the amazing variety of hummingbirds at this elevation. We did a lot of multi-flash hummingbird photography and came away with some really nice results.

Green-crowned Brilliant (Heliodoxa jacula)

Green Thorntail (Discosura conversii)

Violet Sabrewing (Campylopterus hemileucurus)

When I saw a few Chestnut-capped Brush Finches lurking around the lodge I couldn’t help resist setting up a nice mossy perch for them

Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch ( Atlapetes brunneinucha)

From thius lodge we travelled even further up in elevation to the Cerro de la Muerte region. For my other group this was the second stop that we made. On both groups we made a great stop off at a spot I know for Fiery-throated Hummingbirds along the way. They performed flawlessly!

Fiery-throated Hummingbird (Panterpe insignis)

Of course the star of the show in this area is always the Resplendent Quetzal. The magnificence of this bird can simply not be over-stated. They are without question one of the most beautiful birds in the world. Over the course of the time taht my two groups were in the area we witnessed amazing natural history events in the life of the Quetzal. We saw the birds building nest cavities, feeding young and even saw the baby Quetzal on its first day out of the nest. Just incredible!!

Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno)

Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno)

Other birds around the area were also fun to find and photograph. This valley is just such a cool place to spend a few days out exploring nature. I can hardly wait to go back next year

Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus)

Flame-colored Tanager (Piranga bidentata)

Magnificent Hummingbird (Eugenes fulgens)

Long-tailed Silky Flycatcher (Ptilogonys caudatus)

After leaving the Quetzal behind the final stop for my first tour was in the foothills of the Caribbean slope. This area is famous for some really stunning little hummingbirds including the Snowcap.

Snowcap (Microchera albocoronata)

Also in this area we spent a few afternoons doing some very productive multi-flash hummingbird photography and had some good luck at the fruit feeders. Add in a day trip to a nearby lagoon and we had loads to keep up busy clicking away.

Green-breasted Mango (Anthracothorax prevostii)

Boat-billed Heron (Cochlearius cochlearius)

Northern Jacana (Jacana spinosa)

Violet-crowned Woodnymph (Thalurania columbica)

Overall I would say that both trips were a huge success. Everyone came away with lots of nice images, new techniques and a few new friends. What more can you ask for on a photo vacation?

Happy group #1 at a wetland area

Happy group #2 up in the highlands

After the trips were over I stayed on for a few days to go shooting with my friend Greg Basco. Greg helped me lead the second tour and we are going to be leading another trip together next year. We wanted to go scouting for some new locations and found a fantastic spot up in the dry northwest part of the country. The lodge has some real gems hanging about like the Turquoise-browed Motmot, Cinnamon Hummingbird and at night a pair of Black and White Owls. Add in a trip or two to a nearby river and this area is going to be a great addition to next years trip!

Cinnamon Hummingbird (Amazilia rutila)

Turquoise-browed Motmot (Eumomota superciliosa)

Black-and-white Owl (Strix nigrolineata)

If you think you might like to join me in Costa Rica next year be sure to send me an email as soon as possible.

Here are a few things that this years participants had to say about our Costa Rica Photo Workshop together:

” I signed up for this workshop because I’ve been very impressed by Glenn’s website images, and wanted to learn his techniques for achieving such beautiful shots. From perching bird setups to hummingbirds with flowers, and even birds in flight and amphibians on mossy settings, I was very pleased with what I learned. Glenn is unique in his approach to photography workshops, in that he focuses on teaching and the participant, and rarely brought his own camera to a shoot. His constant feedback and advice made for both good images and good learning, and I returned with both. The workshop was well thought-out, with opportunities to experience quite a variety of nature photography techniques – macro, setups, flight, scenics. My initial focus was pretty narrow, and this helped expand my interests and approaches. I found both Glenn and Greg to be very supportive teachers, who have a common approach to most photographic situations, and work very well together. The sites we went to had been well scouted, the lodges were comfortable, the food was good, and our group was very congenial. I’d be happy to take another trip with Glenn.”

Bob L, 2012

” Simply one of the best photography workshops I have ever participated in. Not only was it extremely enjoyable but it was by far the most productive workshop I have taken in terms of the number of quality images that I was able to make. This was a result of the prime locations and/or special perch set-ups that Glenn arranged and that afforded us such extraordinary photo opportunities. During our workshop, most of his time was spent helping clients and not photographing. He is an exemplary teacher and focused his efforts on providing clients with the knowledge and opportunity to take their photography to the next level. Glenn is an extremely knowledgeable naturalist, birder, and gifted photographer whose expertise in tropical bird photography in Central and South America is unrivaled. He has spent extensive time travelling and photographing in various countries including Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, etc and speaks fluent Spanish. There are any number of photographers who have little experience in Costa Rica but will ‘take you there’. However, their knowledge and understanding of the country and its wildlife is as limited as their clients. Glenn is a consummate professional who is simply a pleasure to travel with and to learn from. Just a terrific experience.”

Keith K, 2012

” This was my second trip with Glenn. I had a great time with him and our small group in Ecuador last year and decided to sign on for his Costa Rica workshop this year. I can only say that I have not only no regrets but plan to be on his Peru workshop next year. The trip was a resounding success. We visited three well situated lodges with distinct ecologies and diverse bird life. The excursions from the lodges to well-chosen nearby locations that offered excellent photo ops were especially enriching and enjoyable. Some of my best pictures are from these sites, although the areas around the lodges also offered great opportunities to photograph not only birds but also frogs, mammals, and reptiles. Glenn knows a lot about photography and birds but kept his knowledge in reserve until called upon by any of us. He offered hands-on workshops on photo processing for those who were interested and patiently explained repeatedly the proper settings of flash from multi-flash rigs to fill-in flash. I especially appreciated his help in the framing and composition of shots and his insistence on a pleasing diffused background. I feel my pictures improved during this trip. Although photography is obviously an important part of these workshops, for me the most attractive feature is the fact that Glenn has scouted the tropics for me and put together an experience that, if I had to acquire it on my own, would take me months of trial and error. In 11 short days I was able to enjoy a highly concentrated menu of what Costa Rica has to offer. Thanks, Glenn. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Last, but not least, our experience was enhanced considerably by our Costa Rican driver, guide, and fellow photographer Jose who through his deep knowledge and generosity became a personal friend to all of us. We hated to say goodbye.”

Manfred K, 2012

Be sure to email me if you think you might be interested in my 2013 workshops to Costa Rica.

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The new Canon 5D mk III is here. The key stats are:

• 22.3 Megapixel full-frame sensor
• 61-point autofocus
• Up to 6fps continuous shooting
• Native ISO 100-25,600 sensitivity
• Full HD video with manual control
• 14-bit DIGIC 5+ processor
• Enhanced Weather sealing
• 8.11cm (3.2-inch) 1,040,000-dot screen

It seems like it will be a wonderful camera for photojournalists, wedding photographers and most certainly for cinematographers (perhaps the true intended target market). I guess what is troubling me with the direction of Canon’s recent releases is that both have been full frame cameras (The 1DX and 5D mk III). So where does that leave us bird photographers? I do applaud Canon for keeping the megapixel count down on both of the recent releases. This should yield real world improvements in image quality in images shot at higher ISO speeds. Nevertheless, moving from a 7D with a 500mm and 1.4x to one of these cameras would yield an incredible loss of effective focal length.

Remembering that effective focal length is a function of the squared focal length of the lens the calculations would look something like this:

• Canon 7D + 1.4x + 500mm = Effective focal length – 1120mm (squared = 1254400mm)
• Canon 1DX + 1.4x + 500mm = Effective focal length – 700mm (squared = 490000mm)
• Therefore the difference in the squared focal length is = 1254400 – 490000 = 764400
• And the resulting image would be = 764400/490000 = 156% bigger in the frame.

A HUGE Difference when photographing birds!!!

We will have to wait and see if Canon replaces the 7D in the upcoming months. Perhaps at Photokina in September? But if a new crop body is not released in the next year there are some big decisions for Canon photographers to make. The way I see it there are basically two options for bird photographers.

Option #1 – Buy a 1D mk IV and the new Canon 600mm lens. This would be an expensive proposition but would maintain (1092mm) the majority of the needed focal length for successful bird photography.

Option #2 – Switch to Nikon and hope that they continue to lead the way when it comes to camera bodies in the years to come.
At this point I am really hoping that Canon steps up with a good replacement for the 7D. I hate tough decisions!!
A wish list for the new 7D:

• Keep the megapixel count the same or even lower
• Show me at least a 1 stop improvement in ISO performance
• Full time auto focus for Video
• Dual CF slots
• Continue to improve build quality and weather sealing

Don’t let me down Canon!

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