Posted by Richard Ditch on September 5, 2013 at 5:16 PM
...busy BG but that's where the bird lives...
Just saw this as a comment in Avian and wanted to offer an alternative point of view.
Yes, birds are often found in brushy tangles that can make busy backgrounds in photos, but that's no excuse for taking the photo at that time and place. That bird may "live" in such habitat, but not all of the time.
One of the best tools that a nature photographer can have is patience. By spending time with a bird in a busy setting you may just find that it moves to another spot with a better (less busy) background.
I personally love bird-in-habitat shots and have been a champion of that style of photography since before joining NPN 13 years ago. But visual clutter should not be written off as unavoidable. Don't short change your images by thinking that as a photographer of wild nature subjects you don't have a choice over when you press the shutter release.
Posted by Carol Nichols on September 5, 2013 at 7:09 PM
I spent a couple weeks this past summer photographing with a group of serious and very good bird photographers. They did not take photos of birds wherever they happened to land. They only wanted photos with a nice setting and background and actively searched for those opportunities. For example - they would find a tree where there was bird activity, then locate a branch on that tree that would make a nice perch and had a good background, and then stand there hoping a bird would land on that branch where their camera was focused and ready to shoot. I saw them stand for up to 2 hours hoping the bird would land in this ideal spot so they would get a photograph with a good perch and background. I had never seen so much patience in my life! Sometimes they got a good photo with the beautiful perch and background and sometimes they got nothing, but regardless they still enjoyed being out in nature and watching the bird activity. I realized on this trip that I could never be a serious bird photographer - I don't have that kind of patience - but I will still enjoy taking photos of birds wherever they may land.
Posted by Luke Ormand on September 5, 2013 at 8:08 PM
Agreed Rich - and I have the same feeling toward the "explanation" of it. Even if you want to take the picture, or feel compelled to take the picture, there's nothing forcing you to post it. And if the comments you get on the posted image are "it has a busy BG" then that should be a point taken to avoid for the next time.
The only time where I think an "explanation" is warranted when posting is if it is a rare bird and/or circumstances which prevented one from getting a neater shot. So if you have a photo of a very rare bird and the BG is busy - well that's OK to call out yourself as an "excuse" if you otherwise wouldn't have made the shot. That should be a launching point to critique other areas of the image that were executed well or that could use improvement as well as potential tips or otherwise to getting better shots of rare birds.
Posted by Jim DeWitt on September 5, 2013 at 8:21 PM
These two comments are not mutually exclusive. Sometimes, I take as many as three kinds of photos of the same bird:
- Documentation - show that you saw and photographed the bird. This is especially important in the case of rare, out-of-range or unusual birds. Example: a leucistic Canada Goose in a distant flock of Canada Geese.
- Habitat - a photo or photos showing the bird in its natural habitat, especially if it is doing something interesting. Example: a bird feeding on bugs or berries, even if the shot is cluttered.
- BOAS - the classic bird on a stick or other perch, with a nice background, perfectly lit, nothing in the shot to distract.
All three are perfectly valid photos. Rich is right that excusing a habitat shot as the only thing you can get is valid. Carol's point about patience is absolutely crucial. But it's also true that waiting for a week won't necessarily get you the shot. Unless you are extraordinarily lucky, you will grow old and die waiting for a Ruby-crowned Kinglet to give you a BOAS shot. Planning and patience and luck and knowledge of a species' behavior all go into a bird photo; in a BOAS shot more than any other.
Posted by Lon Overacker on September 6, 2013 at 2:42 PM
All the reasons above why I stopped trying to photograph birds and wildlife many years ago and went to large format. I get to pick the bg and my subjects don't fly away!
But I do so appreciate the time and effort in the craft of wildlife photography.
Posted by Ed Cordes on September 8, 2013 at 9:46 PM
BOAS are nice and I have a lot of them. I also like environmental images. They, in a way, are harder to do as you need just enough BG and FG info without being "too" cluttered.
Posted by Stan Rose on September 9, 2013 at 10:10 PM
I like visual clutter--you should see my desk!
Posted by Martin Dunn on September 10, 2013 at 3:23 AM
My thoughts.
If you see a bird you have not seen before, or a bird you particularly want to photograph then of course you will take the shot irrespective of the background. Just to make sure you got at least one.
Then, with that objective met, wait for a better shot that you can exert some compositional control over.
If you end up with only the first shot and it is noting more than a sighting record, there is no obligation to post it.
Posted by Brian Gatlin on September 10, 2013 at 10:17 PM
Charlie, IMO it's posts like Rich's that are what give beginners "their money's worth." Just because "it's where the bird lives" doesn't mean it's an attractive image. Learning to strive for (and eventually how to achieve) excellent shots of difficult species was one of the most valuable lessons for me. A shot of a bird in it's habitat (no matter what that habitat is) can be beautiful, or it can be something less. If the surroundings detract from the overall image, I think it's a valuable thing to point out.
Posted by Jim Erhardt on September 13, 2013 at 7:56 AM
Discussion
10 repliesJust saw this as a comment in Avian and wanted to offer an alternative point of view.
Yes, birds are often found in brushy tangles that can make busy backgrounds in photos, but that's no excuse for taking the photo at that time and place. That bird may "live" in such habitat, but not all of the time.
One of the best tools that a nature photographer can have is patience. By spending time with a bird in a busy setting you may just find that it moves to another spot with a better (less busy) background.
I personally love bird-in-habitat shots and have been a champion of that style of photography since before joining NPN 13 years ago. But visual clutter should not be written off as unavoidable. Don't short change your images by thinking that as a photographer of wild nature subjects you don't have a choice over when you press the shutter release.
The only time where I think an "explanation" is warranted when posting is if it is a rare bird and/or circumstances which prevented one from getting a neater shot. So if you have a photo of a very rare bird and the BG is busy - well that's OK to call out yourself as an "excuse" if you otherwise wouldn't have made the shot. That should be a launching point to critique other areas of the image that were executed well or that could use improvement as well as potential tips or otherwise to getting better shots of rare birds.
- Documentation - show that you saw and photographed the bird. This is especially important in the case of rare, out-of-range or unusual birds. Example: a leucistic Canada Goose in a distant flock of Canada Geese.
- Habitat - a photo or photos showing the bird in its natural habitat, especially if it is doing something interesting. Example: a bird feeding on bugs or berries, even if the shot is cluttered.
- BOAS - the classic bird on a stick or other perch, with a nice background, perfectly lit, nothing in the shot to distract.
All three are perfectly valid photos. Rich is right that excusing a habitat shot as the only thing you can get is valid. Carol's point about patience is absolutely crucial. But it's also true that waiting for a week won't necessarily get you the shot. Unless you are extraordinarily lucky, you will grow old and die waiting for a Ruby-crowned Kinglet to give you a BOAS shot. Planning and patience and luck and knowledge of a species' behavior all go into a bird photo; in a BOAS shot more than any other.
But I do so appreciate the time and effort in the craft of wildlife photography.
If you see a bird you have not seen before, or a bird you particularly want to photograph then of course you will take the shot irrespective of the background. Just to make sure you got at least one.
Then, with that objective met, wait for a better shot that you can exert some compositional control over.
If you end up with only the first shot and it is noting more than a sighting record, there is no obligation to post it.
If your subjects (and mine, too) fly away, we've got bigger problems than a busy background.
In my opinion, photography, regardless of subject matter is an exercise in extracting order from chaos. I am still learning how to do this.
I agree with Lon: I also appreciate the time and effort in the craft of wildlife photography.
--P