Digital Manipulation....

No.1 - Original Raw File

What a strange place the digital world is. I was preparing my selection for the British Wildlife Photographic awards before I finalised my selection I let my wife view them. This is always a good idea as it allows me to verify my selections and get feedback. We came to one photograph that, whilst was strong could just be a bit stronger. The photograph had come from a series shot in a few seconds so I had a number of very close variations. Sure enough there was a photograph that filled the brief so much better (No.1). Having checked the brief again I went to work processing the image to make it an acceptable photograph.

At this point it is worth noting the rules on digital manipulation:

"...Digital processing, such as contrast, selective exposure and colour adjustments, removal of dust marks, and sharpening is acceptable. Digital manipulation, including composite images and the addition and/or subtraction of objects is prohibited. Images should retain their naturalism and integrity...." - Entry Restrictions:

No.2 - Content Aware Scaling

A facility within Photoshop CS4 is 'Content Aware Scaling' (CAS) - this is an ability to remove areas of the image that are very similar whilst maintaining the size and integrity of the main items within the image. It is a very meat piece of software but it drives a coach and horse through the digital manipulation - or does it? When you compare No.2 and No.3 you will see what I mean. No.2 has scaling applied

No.3 - Conventional Cropping

What the CAS has done is remove a slither of sea between the two main birds in the photograph. By doing this it has made the photograph far more impactive. (This is very difficult to see on the photographs on the blog but in real life it is noticeable.) However, this is nothing compared to the crop of the original (compare No.1 with No.3) and yet cropping has been part of photography since the first Fox-Talbot negative. Now these two images are subtle and there will no doubt be much more blatant applications of CAS. It does, however, go to the false argument that a photograph never lies. This conceit has been around for as long as there has been photography and it is totally bogus. Photography only records what the photographer wants it to record. he/she makes all the choices and only shows the viewer what he/she wants them to see. Photography is a con - it always has been - it just that now it is so much easier for the '...Average Joe...' to partake in the con.

So what will I do? Well I will submit No.3 but in the knowledge that No.2 is a better photograph (in my view) - I just wonder if other contestants will be as conscious of the dangers?

Bempton Report

Is the photograph worth the risk?

It was sunny, hot and wonderfully chaotic - by the time I came away it was filling up with a lot of people.   Welcome to Bempton reserve on a hot and sunny Sunday.   Hot tip - avoid the place if you can on Sunday, and I would suspect Saturday as well.   By 10am when I called it a day there was no place at the best spots for photographs.  Fortunately I had got there at 6 am and so had a much better opportunity to capture the birds.

I have to say it was somewhat anti climatic.  This was due in part to the fact that few of the eggs had hatched and so the only opportunity was to take photographs very similar to the week before.   I found the most interesting birds were the tree sparrows and swallows.  I kept chasing after the kestrel but due to a combination of being in the wrong place, i.e. down wind and the mobbing by other birds I wasn't able to get the shots I wanted.  Maybe next time.

I found that the most interesting photographs I made are not of the sea birds but of the birds on the land of the reserve - an example is the tree sparrow and its newly fledged young.  To see more photographs click here.

Tree Sparrow

Now for the crowds.  Perhaps I am somewhat mad, I have noted this already, but the best time of day to get any reasonable photographs is first thing in the morning.  This is not just because of the light but also the crowds.  I can understand bird watchers or the curious member of the public not realising this but not serious photographers.   As I said before by 10am the places was really filling up, and one of the most conspicuous group who arrived at this time was a number of photographs with very long lens.  

Now I am in no position to say anything about this as I have 2 1D's with long lens attached, one on a large tripod.  However, I made the effort to get up early to get the best chance of a shot.  So why did these photographers not do the same?   After all some of the equipment cost as much as mine, so why not turn up early enough to make the most of this equipment?  I'm sure there are a whole range of reasons for this but I suspect that some of the reasons may not be the most charitable to the individual.  This is unfair as it does mean that I have the reserve to mostly to myself so why complain?  

One final thing on this subject.   If you wished to apply a feminist analysis there did seem to be an awful lost of men with very long lenses.  Boys and their toys I suppose.

And finally - fishing.   I was walking back towards the visitor centres when I saw two men with climbing equipment and some large poles.  Now I thought that they were RSPB staff members going down the cliffs for surveying purposes.  Little did I know that they were local fisher men who also are keen rock climbers.   As I stood and watched them decent the 300 foot + cliffs I just couldn't understand the need for this.  Surely the fish are just as good further around the coast where you don't have to climb down some of the biggest cliffs in England.  Each to their own?

So I won't be back at Bempton before the end of the month.   It will be interesting to see how things have progressed.

The problem with puffins

Puffin - Bempton

Puffin - Inner Farne Island

Puffin - Skomer island

First off some house keeping.   I took 2485 images this morning out of which I kept 418 which is a 17% hit rate - about right for the type of photography I was doing today.  I think I have got some very interesting images that I think I can make into first class photographs.  It is noticeable that my standards have risen markedly over the past few visits to Bempton.   Images that may well have been kept on my first visit only get the most cursory examination before being deleted.  This is especially true of Gannet images.   After a while one image of a Gannet flying overhead tends to look like the next.  This is progress and I have to say I am happy with the situation.

This brings me nicely to the question of Puffins.   The RSPB makes a big thing about the puffins at Bempton and yes there are a relatively large number of them.  However, the views are to say the least restricted.  They spend most of their day sitting on the chalk cliffs which on a very bright day posses some real problems.  Also even with a very powerful lens the resultant image is not that impactive.   To show this compare the the three photographs. I think the the Bempton is a distant third of the three.  

So what does this mean?  Well, first I have try harder to make the photographs more interesting.  One idea may well be to try High Dynamic Range (HDR)- the Bempton photograph has a shutter speed of 1/8000 th so this give plenty of scope to implement a HDR experiment.   This, however, is incidental to the main problem.  Puffins are just not as accessible at Bempton than at the Farnes or Skomer.  Can't wait to visit both site in the next month.

Boy am I tired

The first images out of the card...well sort of

I am officially mad.  Yes Mad!   The reason for this insanity?   Well I went to bed at 8 o Clock last night so that I could get up at 2am.  Why? you may well ask.   I wanted to get to Bempton Cliffs for dawn.  However, this is not the depth of my insanity - oh no.  Instead of waking up at 2am I woke at 12:30am and was on the road by 1:30am - 30 minutes before I was going to get up.  Was it worth it?   Yes it was and I would do it again - just not tomorrow!    I'm currently uploading the files as I write this and so I might be able to publish one or two today...then again this may well have to wait until tomorrow.   I may be mad but I feel very happy with my madness.

Bempton - some reflections

Puffin - Farne Island's not Bempton

Well I have had a good nights sleep, still feel knackered but that is another story, and time to reflect on yesterday's shoot at Bempton.  I have written in the past about the sea bird colony and that is still stunning.   Yesterday was a really windy day on top of the 300 foot cliffs and it was amazing to watch how the birds effortlessly exploited this resourse.  The lasting image for me was the way that Fulmar's backed into their nests.  They really are true masters of the air.   

Another thing that struck me about the people that went to Bempton was that they all seemed transfixed about the puffins.   Now you do get good views of the puffins but, and it is a huge but, they really are fleeting.  The birds dash out from their perch and are gone.  Perhaps the best way to describe this is that it is similar to the view you have a of kingfishers.  A brilliant turquoise blue flash and that is that.  So it is with the puffins.  They launch themselves into the air and all you are left with is a flash of orange.  That is it.   I am sure there will be better views once the birds have started nesting but at the moment it is very transient.

Tree Sparrow

Perhaps one of the less known but equally wonderful part of the Bempton experience is the large numbers of non sea birds.   From tree sparrows to kestrels the reserve is teaming with them and from a photographers perspective you can get some really close views.  It takes a while to get your eye in for these other birds given the frantic show on and around the cliffs but once you do it is really rewarding.  Considering that much of the reserve is no more than 100 metres in depth there is a wonderful variety of birds.  I even saw a deer, I think it was a roe, in the distance yesterday.  It is an amazing place to visit.

Now for the camera report.   Well the 1D didn't disappoint.  However there are a few things that I have to sort out.   The first is the focusing.  I still haven't mastered the way the 1D focusing works - not surprising has I still haven't read the manual - a common problem with me!   The second problem is that you burn through memory cards.  At 10 fps it doesn't take long to a 4GB card.  You also need to have really fast cards otherwise it can take what feels like an eternity for the buffer to clear.  Fortunately this is easy to fix and I have just ordered some new cards.   The combination of the 1D and the 100x400mm zoom is, for me, a winning formula.   The two work well together, well balanced and the results can be superb.

As for the 40D this is really good as a static camera on the tripod.   Here the lack of 10 fps is not an issue as I am not that good at panning with a long lens on the tripod.  The quality of the images, given certain constraints, are excellent.  As thing stand at the moment there is no need to change this.  Just to demonstrate this both of the photographs were taken by the 40D.

One final thought.   I have culled the 2700 images down to a more manageable 322.  It has been grueling but worth while process.  I have found that images that I would have kept in the past were jettisoned as the quality has risen.  One final final thought.  How much would this have cost if I had been shouting film!

Not everything went according to plan

Believe it or not this is a puffin.  Now these are fast flying birds at the best of time, when you add in a gale force wind they move at incredible speeds - much quicker than the auto focus, and me, could deal with.   Still I hope to get far better shots later in the season.

Some Early Bempton Photographs

So far I have uploaded over 1700 images - I have still got 3 4Gb cards to go.  This has been one of the most productive days I have ever had.  I really am looking forward to making some fantastic photographs.  Lets just hope my early optimism is well founded.

Just back from Bempton

Just got back from another fantastic day at Bempton Cliffs.   The wind blew and it blew!   The reserve is really special first thing in the morning when you are the only one there.   I have started to upload the files to Lightroom - 9 x 4GB cards and a 2GB card - quite a few images to process - this is the first of many photographs.  God I'm tired.

Not just Sea Birds

Still slowly working through the images from Bempton.   It is a wonderful place to see birds that you wouldn't necessarily associate with the sea.  Here is a selection of birds I captured whilst walking to and from the main sites.

Meadow Pipit

The fields that back onto the cliffs are full of Meadow Pipits, Skylarks and Reed Buntings.  They usually sit on the cliff edge fence and watch the world go by.  You can approach them to within a reasonable distance before they fly off.

Kestrel

We watched this Kestrel for some time.   As usual with any bird of prey they didn't seem to be doing anything but sitting with an uninterested air to them.  This Kestrel was in fact watching something just across the ravine.  Suddenly it was off and flew into the other side of the ravine  with a loud thud.   We couldn't see if it had caught anything as it flew off towards the sea.

Jackdaw

As with most other members of the Corvis family the the Jackdaw has an eye for the main chance.   This one was sitting on a fence by the main car park on the look out for scraps of food that may be thrown its way.  Whilst this is not a sea bird there are a large number of Jackdaws that nest on the cliffs next to Kittiwakes and Guillemots.

Seabird City

Staple Neuk - Bempton Cliffs

Visiting a sea bird colony is always an attack on all of your senses.  Usually, first there is an attack on your sense of vision.  Where to look?  How do you capture such a complex and magnificent vision?  What was that?  Which birds are where?   It takes a few minutes just to overcome the sense awe you feel.   Whilst you are doing this the next attack on your senses sinks in.   The smell and taste of the colony.   Once experienced never forgotten.  An intoxicating mix of fish and bird droppings.  The air becomes thick with this acrid atmosphere.  It imbues your mind so much that whenever you see a photograph of a bird colony suddenly you can taste and smell the colony all over again.

Gannet over Bempton Cliffs

As this sensory overload takes hold another layer is added.  The noise.  Usually it is the painful wailing of the Kittiwake, birds that seems to be in constant pain.  Of course they are not it is just the impression that their cry has on you saturated senses.  As your hearing settlers down you start to strain for different cries in the wind.   You identify a cry and make an identification only to realise that it was a trick of the wind.   If you are near a gannet colony then there is the endless bickering of neighbours who are protecting their few centimetres of barren cliff.   You stand and wonder how on earth are they able to cling onto such a precipitous nest site?  Of course to the gannet there is nothing wrong with this.  It is just what gannets do.

Gannet looking for nesting material

Then overhead you feel the wind rush as a Fulmar rushes by.   You look up and the bird gives you an imperious glance as glides effortless on the updrafts.  At that moment you know what it is like to see an angel floating in the clouds.

Gannet

Then at sea you notice more birds.  They bob and heave with the waves.  A small fishing boat slowly makes its way past the colony and you see a flock of screaming gulls following its progress to port.   If you have come to the colony on a boat these are the same gulls that hitch a lift on the captain's cabin, all the time their bright beady eyes scanning the horizon for the next feeding opportunity.

Fulmar

The first time you visit a sea bird colony it is unforgettable.  Something that makes you want come back again and again.  Each time you are never disappointed.  Each time seeing something new.  Then you realise that this an ephemeral experience.  Once the chicks have flown the colony empties until the next summer.   You have to move your attention to the autumn and winter natural spectacles.  All the time waiting for the days to lengthen so that you can experience the assault on the sense once more.

The first reflections on my day at Bempton

Well it has been 24 hours and I have just culled a 1000 images from the 1275 I took yesterday at Bempton.  This sounds like a disaster.  What went wrong?   This was indeed my feelings last night as I had a quick run through the images whilst they were being uploaded to Lightroom.  So many duds - what went wrong?   Luckily I was so tired last night after being up for nearly 24 hours I didn't have time to reflect on this problem as I fell asleep.  A new day and a fresh perspective and suddenly things are not as bad as they first seemed.  Indeed I am now feeling very satisfied with my days work.  So why the change?

I think the answer lies in the conditions you work in at Bempton.  On a bright day you tend to get incredible changes in light, from bright reflected sunshine over the sea to dark shadows near to the cliff face.  You are also trying to capture fast moving birds at really close range.  These birds also tend to be predominantly white which does play havoc with any metering you might do.  The cumulative effect of these problems is that an awful lot of images are, well there is no other word for it, crap.

However, when you start to work with the images you find that amongst the dross there are some real gems.  In fact given the challenging conditions, the only way to really guarantee any chance of capturing something good is to blast away.  It is not pretty, and if I was shooting film hugely expensive, but is works.  

An example of this is the photograph of the Fulmar above.   Now I have a love hate relationship with this bird.  When you are shooting at a cliff face you can almost be sure that there will be a Fulmar darting around, usually just above your head, you can almost imagine they are taunting you to try and capture a photograph.   Despite this they are a wonderfully graceful bird, almost making no effort to fly past you at great speed, using the updrafts from the cliffs to propel them along.  So to capture an image of this bird I have to take an awful lot of photographs.   It could be argued that I need to rethink my approach but there really is nothing more to do than blast away at every opportunity.  When it works it is great, but it doesn't work very often and can be very frustrating.  In short, as with most other wildlife photography, you have to put the hours in to get the shot you want, this is so true at Bempton as well.

So I will plough through the remaining images to see which can be turned into worthwhile photographs.  Looks like it will be an interesting few days.

Bempton Cliffs

The first of hopefully many

As I write this I am almost falling asleep at the keyboard.  We have had an extraordinary day at Bempton.  The weather was brilliant, sunny and clear.   The birds, as usual, were superb it was really worth getting up at 3:30 in the morning.   Even the sunrise this morning was exceptional, I just wish i had the time to stop and capture a few photographs, but we were on a time table - we must get to Bempton early to get the best light and views before the crowds arrive.

I will publish more details as I finish processing the photographs, and hopefully after a good night sleep.  For now I have only been able to work on one photograph - not bad seeing that this was only taken this morning and I had to drive 100 miles back home before I could do this.

Bempton Cliffs

Just found this photograph of Bempton Cliffs.  It gives you a better feel for the scale of the cliffs - I just hope the weather is better than this day.

Off to Bempton in the morning

We're off the the Bempton Cliffs RSPB reserve in the morning, and when I say morning I mean it is a 4am start.  Why such an ungodly hour to set off?   Well it takes nearly two hour to get there so we should arrive around about 6am.  The reserve at this time is deserted and you get the pick of the photographic locations.  As the day wears on then you get a lot more people there and you don't have the freedom to roam that you have earlier in the day.   Also the light starts to become too harsh, it is, after all nearly May and so the sun is getting quite high in the sky.

Gannet

So what do we hope to see in the morning.  Well there will be an ever increasing Gannet colony and if we are really lucky we should see the first Puffins of the season. 

Bempton Cliffs

The Bempton reserve is a strange place.   It is about a mile from the village and when you arrive all you can see are fields and the sea, there is no indication of a bird colony at all.   However, as you walk to the sea you start to become aware of noise of the birds, yet very little sign of them. Then wham you are on top of some of the tallest chalk cliffs in the country and below you are all the birds stacked high up the cliff face.  This stretches for miles along the Yorkshire coast and is a fantastic spectacle in its self.   Lets just hope the weather holds.