The Zen of birding Vs. delayed gratification of photos (1 Viewer)

- I lave learned recently after being loaned a nice Cannon D20 , that the zen of birding and the delayed gratification of phtotgraphy do not co-exist. Today was a perfect example when I came upon a male Black-throated blue warbler. I didn't even bother to raise my binoculars as I was thinking photo -first. After I took a few shots with the click,click.click of the shutter release the bird soon fled. :-C Needless to say when I returned home I found the photos to be horribly under-exposed. I was kicking myself thinking of how nice it would have been to simply take in the bird and observe it's behavior rather then think about what the iso speed and apperature should have been at the time. I was wondering if any of you folks have had a similar experience and if I am better off just leaving the camara at home sometimes? :stuck:

danehower said:

- I lave learned recently after being loaned a nice Cannon D20 , that the zen of birding and the delayed gratification of phtotgraphy do not co-exist. Today was a perfect example when I came upon a male Black-throated blue warbler. I didn't even bother to raise my binoculars as I was thinking photo -first. After I took a few shots with the click,click.click of the shutter release the bird soon fled. :-C Needless to say when I returned home I found the photos to be horribly under-exposed. I was kicking myself thinking of how nice it would have been to simply take in the bird and observe it's behavior rather then think about what the iso speed and apperature should have been at the time. I was wondering if any of you folks have had a similar experience and if I am better off just leaving the camara at home sometimes? :stuck:

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I feel your pain. I birded for ten years without really trying photography. The time in the woods with birds being so precious and the learning curve so steep (especially back in the days of film).

I bird for that zen as you call it . . in fact I still tend to avoid lists . . I just don't want have my nose in a notebook or figuring out exposures and risk missing some of that special time. Heck, it takes me a couple hours to get in the zone sometimes but when I do, it's worth it! I've had birds land on me I become such a part of the landscape.

The only "advice" I have is spend a lot of time with the books and cameras during those long winter evenings.

Now I do photograph these days, twenty years as a birder now but I look and enjoy first, if the bird blesses me a with a longer moment I try for a shot.

I write lists at the end of the day . . I decided a long time ago that if it was a bird worth noting I would remember it when back I got to the car . . purists will squirm I'm sure, but this has always worked for me, and in fact, has improved my memory.

Cheers,

Kolya

Better to get a good eyeful with the bins i reckon, always got that image in your minds eye

valley boy said:

Better to get a good eyeful with the bins i reckon, always got that image in your minds eye

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I've had this dilemna too, especially when seeing lifetime firsts on a holiday overseas.. In the end I sacrificed the photos for studying the birds, then if they hang around long enough, go for the photo.
Digiscoping and digital photography have changed the rules slightly in that you know the results instantly, any of you remember the days of taking a photo with film.. creeping a bit closer, taking another photo, and winding up with a full film of photos of the same bird, starting with a dot in the distance all the way up to a half decent pic. then changing film and creeping even closer! Digital photography has saved me a fortune!

Definitely in the Zen category. My bins are always there whereas my camera is...well around somewhere. The only time I wished I had a camera was in NZ this year when I twice found a group of three black stilts.

I recently acquired a Canon Digital Rebel, which has enabled me to take some good shots with minimal effort. But it did detract from my birding at first - I would be so intent on getting a picture that I wouldn't actually pay attention to what I was trying to photograph until it was too late and the bird had flown. Now that the initial exuberance has worn off, I try to study the bird first, and get pics later - because as an "advanced beginner," having a photo to confirm or deny my in-the-field impressions can be invaluable. So anyway, I typically have the camera on a harness and the bins on a wrist strap and can use both easily.