| Greg
Downing Photography
Spring 2005 Newsletter - TEXAS TEXAS TEXAS!
CONTENTS
(click content's text to
jump to section)
Happy
Spring!
Texas Workshop Highlights
2006 Roma Texas Workshops announced
Texas Testimonials
Bosque del Apache Workshops announced
Big Lens Tips
NatureScapes.Net News
Inspiration
Happy
Spring!
I hope everyone
is having a great spring! After spending 34 days in Texas
I can honestly say it’s good to be home for a little while.
In my part of Maryland spring doesn’t quite get into full
swing until May anyway, so spending April
in Texas kind of allows me to enjoy spring twice!
As mentioned in the last newsletter, part of our time
in Texas was spent visiting some new ranches to get a
good feel for the diversity that South Texas has to offer
– and for the prospect of future workshops. Stay tuned
for some new Texas workshops down the road!
With each ranch we visited the common theme was hospitality.
To do them all justice, I plan to write something up on
each of the ranches soon. Meanwhile here is one of my
favorite images from Steve Bentsen's ranch,
Dos Venadas.
© 2005
Greg Downing, all rights reserved
When I saw yellow flowers on the other side of the
pond I had to set up a perch
with them as the background- previsualizing this shot
in my mind.
Great Kiskadee- EOS 1D Mark II, 600/4 IS, 1.4 TC
Spring is
my favorite time of year as the birds are the most active. The Eastern
Bluebirds living in my yard have already built a nest.
This will be about their 12th year nesting in my yard
- I didn't keep good records early on. Meanwhile, I
don’t think I have seen this many male Northern Cardinals
in my yard before. I counted seven the other day, in
one view - and with some of the reddest plumage I have
seen to date. I also have a drop-dead gorgeous male
Red-bellied Woodpecker coming to my feeders. The red
on his head is on fire so intensely that it is even
showing through in the face feathers. Perhaps I’ll share
his picture with you when luck turns... With that, let’s
talk about Texas!
Texas
Workshop Highlights
I’m proud to
report that our third annual trip to Roma was amazing,
and all three workshops were a great success. Participants
enjoyed unprecedented opportunities, a lot of fun and
even some good eating! Many thanks to Chris Klapheke
for helping with the cooking for the first group and
to Scott Bourne for giving some of us a demonstration
of the new PhotoShop CS 2 - now available. And of course
to Heather for her help with coordination.
Participants
benefited from not only great shooting, but from the
digital editing sessions at the ranch, which included
basic RAW workflow, working with layers, and tips for
such tasks as recovering highlights and making
digital prints (yes, I had a printer on site for real-time
learning and it was a big hit)– all from within a stone’s
throw of where we shot each morning and afternoon. What
more could folks ask for?
© 2005 Greg Downing, all rights reserved
Participants were quietly cheering as this woodpecker
perched
atop this prickly pear cactus, just as we had planned.
Golden-fronted Woodpecker - EOS 1D Mark II, 600/4 IS,
1.4 TC
One of the best
things about shooting on private land is that there
are no other people to bother us. No cars going by,
no people asking "what are you looking at" or saying
“wow that’s a big camera.” It's just us and over 1000
acres of prime south Texas habitat all to ourselves.
For a bird and wildlife photographer it’s pure heaven.
All three workshops
this year shared perfect luck with regard to the weather
and the birds. This year we counted over forty species
of birds photographed and many others seen about the
ranch. Next year will prove to be even better as some
of the blinds will be expanded and at least one new
afternoon blind added. Each time I visit I learn new
things about the ranch and realize new possibilities
for participants. I can’t wait to go back! Read on….
Roma
Texas 2006
Dates for the
2006 Roma Texas workshops have now been arranged and
just about half of the spots are already reserved. With
only 6 spots per workshop they are getting full fast!
There are only two spots available for the first workshop.
We may be adding more dates as these fill, but there
is no guarantee.
Very quickly
the Ramirez Ranch in Roma, Texas has become my
favorite workshop locale, for the privacy, guaranteed
subjects, ease of shooting (come on, we're sitting the
whole time!), complete flexibility and access to
everything we need. The small groups keep it manageable
and allow for more personalized instruction. A
“classroom” with a digital projector set up right on
the ranch gives participants a greater opportunity
to learn, without the hassle of most other "public"
locations.
Dates for 2006:
April 8-10, 2006 (3-day)
$975 (Sold Out- waiting
list here ) (weekend workshop!)
April 11-13,
2006 (3-day) $975 (2 openings - register
here )
April 8-13, 2006 (all
6 days) $1,850 (Sold Out - waiting
list here )
© 2005 Greg Downing, all
rights reserved
The Ramirez Ranch may be the best location on earth
to photograph
Long-billed Thrasher on the perch of your choosing.
Long-billed Thrasher- EOS 1D Mark II, 600/4 IS,
1.4 TC
Testimonials
Here is what
some folks are saying about the 2005 Roma Texas Workshops:
Judy and
I want to thank you for providing us with such a wonderful,
exciting, and informative experience in Roma Texas.
I want to thank you for all the information and instruction.
I was most impressed with how you seem to pick up on
the needs of each individual and offer instruction on
just the right thing. The small size was of course a
factor, but you and Heather were what made things go.
Again thanks for a wonderful 3 days.
-John and Judy Sturtevent, Albuquerque, NM
While I lead
workshops myself, I am not ashamed to say that I want
to always remain a student, especially when there's
much for me to learn… so I thought, what better way
to do that than to study with someone who is (in my
opinion) an expert?
Greg was
simply one of the best workshop leaders I have ever
seen. He was passionate, excited, and most importantly,
dedicated to seeing that we had great opportunities.
I made seven or eight photos on this trip that I really
liked.
Thanks Greg
for putting on such a great workshop!
-Scott Bourne,
Gig Harbor, WA
Bosque
del Apache, National Wildlife Refuge
Well,
I can't stay away. For the fifth year in a row I will
be visiting Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico this
fall. Bosque is an amazing place but has gotten crowded
in recent years during peak times, especially around
Thanksgiving. This year I decided to avoid the cowds
and go about 2 weeks early. While there may be a few
less birds around, what does it matter when the numbers
are in the tens of thousands? If we're lucky we'll get
a few warm afternoons followed by cold mornings - a
recipe for fog. Mix that with the possibility of beautiful
fall colors and it's an opportunity for
dramatic imagery!
During these workshops we will not only experience Bosque
as a location, but we will also concentrate some of
our off-shooting time on digital photography and digital
editing using the latest equipment and techniques in
a small informal classroom setting. This makes for a
unique upportunity to really hone your skills.
Dates:
Nov 9-11 (3 days)
$850 (4 openings - register
here )
Nov 12-14 (3 days) $850 (5 openings - register
here ) (weekend workshop!)
Nov 9-14 (6 days) $1,500 (4 openings - register
here )
© 2003 Greg Downing, all
rights reserved
When the light and wind cooperate it creates wonderful
opportunities for geese in flight at Bosque
Snow Goose - Intermediate - EOS 1D Mark II, 600/4
IS, 1.4 TC
Canon
Big Lens Tip – Focus Preset:
Many users of
Canon big glass (400/2.8, 300/2.8, 500/4, 600/4) don’t
fully make use of all the special features of the lenses.
I have been using the focus preset in a lot of cases,
particularly when shooting set-ups, such as in Roma,
Texas or my back yard.
The focus preset
feature can be very useful when photographing birds
at a fixed position – such as one or more
perches. In Roma we placed some perches close for small
birds while perches for larger birds were set up at
a distance. Setting the focus preset to one of the perches
allows you to be focused on perch 2 and snap focus back
to perch 1 in an instant should a bird land there instead.
The process is
simple:
- Make sure
you have the focus preset switch set to "ON" or "ON
with beep" – There are three positions for the switch
– “OFF” indicated by a line, “ON” indicated by a circle
and “ON with beep” indicated by a speaker icon “(((“
- I prefer “ON with beep”– indicating the lens beeps
when focus is set and achieved.
- Using auto-focus,
focus on the perch or place where you expect the subject
to appear.
- Press the
focus preset button on the lens (the button with “Set”
under it - if you have the beep turned on the lens
should beep confirming your setting).
You have now set that focus point in the lens’ memory.
To confirm that
this is working simply focus elsewhere and then twist
the focus preset ring which is the large knurled ring
in front of the manual focus ring on your lens (towards
the large end of the lens). If you cannot find it please
check your manual to be sure you have one, only the
Canon "super" telephotos do. You will again hear a beep
(if you have the beep function turned on) and the focus
will instantly jump back to where you initially set
it using the set button. Pretty slick and great for
set-up perches in your back yard or any time you’re
focusing on a fixed point. But here's a related trick
I bet you didn’t know:
When you snap
your focus to your preset point as above, and you continue
to twist and hold the focus preset ring it essentially
stops auto focus, locking on that preset spot, but you
can then tweak the focus manually on the lens – AND,
when focus is acquired (again manually because you’re
still holding the preset ring), the central focus sensor
should blink and you should hear a beep (this time from
the camera and not the lens – if you have beep turned
on) when focus is achieved (again with the central sensor
only). You do not get this confirmation while using
the focus stop buttons on the lens when in AI servo
mode. This can be useful when the desired critical point
of focus needs to be adjusted but you are in AI servo
as it won’t let you. The confirmation is especially
helpful if you’re not sure of your manual focusing
accuracy. It takes a little practice and isn’t something
I use every day, but it’s another trick to know for
when you need it!
© 2005 Greg Downing, all rights reserved
It's ironic that I grew up and reside near Baltimore,
yet I have to go to Texas to photograph this beautiful
specimen during migration.
Baltimore Oriole- EOS 1D Mark II, 600/4IS, 1.4 TC
NatureScapes.Net
News
Since inception
just under two years ago, NatureScapes.Net (NSN) has
grown incredibly fast and traffic continues to increase
each month - with great credit to all the staff and
moderators involved. We have introduced several columnists
over the past year, including Arthur Morris, Tim Grey,
Charles Glatzer, Scott Bourne and Rob Barbee, and our
editorial content just keeps getting better!
Late this winter
we finally introduced our new Member Portfolios. Members
of NSN can now upload a collection of fifty images to
be displayed alongside other nature photographers from
all over the world with different interests in nature
subjects using various media and formats. The pages
are elegantly designed and are detailed enough to take
the place of a small personal website. NSN Portfolios
is great for photographers who don’t have the time or
experience to create their own site, or for those who
already have a web site but want additional exposure.
Photo buyers can browse by photographer, category or
by our advanced search function. In just over a month
more than 100 photographers have already created their
portfolios on NatureScapes.Net!
To visit NSN’s
portfolios click the link below then click on “Enter
Portfolios”:
http://www.naturescapes.net/portfolios/portfolios.php?cat=0
Inspiration
Finally, I leave you with some inspiration from a dear
friend of mine, who just happens to live in Texas! To
say that Alan Murphy has given “bird on a perch” a new
meaning is an understatement. Since it’s spring and
it’s time (at least for me) for photographing birds
on perches I thought it would be appropriate to share
some of Alan’s work. I hope you find it as inspiring
as I do.
Visit:
http://alanmurphy.naturescapes.net
(Click “view all images in slide show” for a real treat.
Wait until you see his Belted Kingfisher.)
And thanks Alan
for all of your help this year!
Until next time,
happy shooting!
Regards,
Greg Downing
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