Use The Weather To Your Advantage - Wind

As we all know, it has been very windy an unusually high percent of the time in the Tri-State area lately. While this makes it tough for Wildflower photography, it can help in some ways for bird photography. Different birds prefer different habitats of course, but they also prefer different heights. Windy conditions can make these canopy dwellers come down lower (as can rain), where we stand a much better chance of seeing and photographing them. The photo above is of a Great Crested Flycatcher. They are fairly common in the Tri-State but usually prefer the upper canopy of the trees.
I credit the wind more than anything else for me getting to see and photograph this bird. It's not likely that I would have seen him if he was at his usual height above the ground and even if I had seen him, I would have had no chance of a decent photo. Great Crested Flycatchers,Yellow-throated Warblers,Baltimore Orioles and Scarlet Tanagers are just some of the birds that are in our area, but we seldom get to see or photograph because they prefer to be in the canopy or at least a long way up on tall trees. So don't let the windy days keep you from going out on a nature photo safari. You stand a better chance of seeing some kinds of birds because of the wind.

Shopping Closer to Home

Like everyone else, I sometimes buy photo equipment from some of the big places on the web. B&H, Amazon and the like. I also like to visit and shop at an actual camera store and have been known to spend quite a bit of time in Merrill's Photo Supply in Charleston WV and Midwest Photo Exchange in Columbus OH. Often however I feel a bit like Goldilocks selecting a chair. Sometimes the big is too big, the small is too small. Often I find the photo businesses listed below to be "just right" for what I'm looking for. The fact that they are generally smaller businesses and closer to home is a plus for me too. You may not know of some of these, so I thought I would pass the info along. None of these business have in any way paid me to list them here. In fact,as this is posted, none of them even know they have been mentioned.
They are just places I have bought different photo items, was very happy with the goods and service and wanted to pass along.

Lens Rentals.com is by far the most appreciated and helpful photo equipment business to me at this point in time. Need a certain camera,lens,flash,tripod,filter or about anything else for an upcoming shoot or trip? They probably have it.
Located in Tennessee.

KEH Camera Brokers.  I've been dealing with them for over 20 years. I buy used equipment here. Sometimes because what I want can't be bought new. Sometimes just to save money on something that could be bought new. I don't get the absolute lowest price possible on things here, but I don't worry about the item not being in the condition it was advertised to be,the seller not responding to problems with the item or any other worries one has when buying from places like Ebay.
Located in Georgia

Flash Zebra  Slightly odd name for an exceptional place to buy any flash related item like off camera cords,optical triggers, hotshoe adapters and the like. Helpful,knowledgeable staff. Great service. As far as I am aware, this is the best place for anything related to this niche segment of the photo world.
Located in Kentucky

Outdoor Photo Gear This online store carries many items, some that are hard to find elsewhere. Prices seem to be inline with the "Big Boys" and the service,attention to detail and concern about customer satisfaction has been very good.
Located in Kentucky

So, Your Lens or Camera Has Image Stabilization ?

I.S.,V.R. or whatever your camera or lens maker may call it
is indeed a wonderful thing. It is not however a substitute
for a tripod,monopod,bracing against a wall or tree to get your shot. One of the easiest and cheapest ways to improve the sharpness or clarity of your photos is to use a tripod or other means to brace or steady your camera.
   My longest telephoto lens for my dSLR has I.S.,it's great and I like it a lot. I still shoot the lens mostly from a monopod. The difference between shots using the monopod and I.S. and just I.S. is readily noticeable. My compact camera has very good I.S. built in. If I'm taking anything more than a snapshot, I use a monopod with it or a tripod. Again, the difference between a braced shot and an unbraced one is easy to see.
Many nature photos fall into one of the following three groups, and each has its reasons for using a tripod, monopod or some other form of brace.
Telephoto shots of birds or animals. That telephoto lens or super zoom on your camera can make it seem like you are a LOT closer to your subject than you are. It also makes any movement by you much easier to see in the form of blurry shots.
Wide landscape shots where you want the entire scene to appear in focus from the front of the shot to the back. That usually requires stopping the aperture down, which in turn lowers our shutter speed making any movement by you more noticeable.
Macro's or closeups. These shots are taken so close to the subject that any motion will blur the shot. These shots usually require stopping down the aperture as well, again resulting in a slower shutter speed and requiring more stability on your part to keep the images sharp.
    Most of us have a camera in mind that we would like to move up to. We are sure our photos would be better if we just had that camera. Get and start using a tripod or monopod instead. Your shots will improve instantly. You will get in the habit of using them and carry that habit on when you do get that new camera. It's one of the best photo habits to have. There is a lot of info out there about choosing a tripod. One rule of thumb to remember is a lighter camera can get by with a lighter, usually less expensive tripod. My light tripod bought at a "big box" store works fine for my compact camera. I wouldn't even consider putting my dSLR with a telephoto lens on it. On the other hand, if I'm only going to be shooting the compact, I don't need to be lugging my heavy tripod around. Choose your tripod for what your needs and uses are. But do get one and start using it if you want to improve your photos. A sharp shot from a $200 camera is far better than a blurry one from a $2000 camera.

4 Wire Ties And ...

4 Wire ties and an old laptop bag shoulder strap, or some such strap is all you need to make it a LOT easier to carry your tripod,monopod or a light stand with you when you're out shooting.
A few years ago I saw an article on drilling holes in your light stand and putting rings in those holes to attach a shoulder strap for easy carrying. I'm sure that would work for many types of light stands, and would have for one of mine, but I didn't want to drill holes in it nevertheless.
Beside drilling holes in my equipment, that solution would be irritatingly noise with the metal rings clanging against the metal legs of the stand. So I used the solution pictured above. 4 wire ties. No damage to my light stand and no metal on metal clanging noise. It worked very well. So well in fact that I soon had the same setup on my tripods.
Just wrap a wire tie around a tripod leg,put another wire tie through that loop before you tighten the first one down all the way. Make your loop in the second one, Tighten the first down as tight as you can get it to keep it from sliding easily. I usually use pliers for that task. Repeat the procedure on the other end of the tripod or light stand, snip the unneeded ends off of all 4 wire ties. Attach your shoulder strap and the job is done. I haven't had very much problem with the wire ties sliding when in use, but if you can't get the tie tight enough to prevent sliding, adding another wire tie around the leg and as close as possible to the first should stop any movement issues.
A quick,convenient and quiet solution that doesn't damage your equipment and lets it function as it normally would.

The Warblers Are Coming

In fact, some of them are already in the area. Migrating Warblers pass through the Tri-State area in early Spring, some stay for the Summer. The migration starts slowly, builds up, then fades. Mid April is usually the beginning of the best time to see and photograph Warblers in our area. Different kinds of Warblers prefer different habitats. If you have a certain Warbler you wish to find, learn their preferred habitat, then find a location that has that habitat type.
If you live near or are going to be traveling near a certain habitat type, learn what kind of Warblers prefer that environment. Many sites online offer excellent information on the likes,dislikes and locations of birds, especially Warblers. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's site, All About Birds is a great place to get started.

    The New River Gorge area in WV is a good place to find numerous Warblers this time of year. The Kanawa State Forest near Charleston is known for it's "Warbler Waves", Beech Fork State Park for Cerulean Warblers,Green Bottom Wildlife management is one of the most likely places locally to see
Prothonotary Warblers.
     In Ohio, Crane Creek State Park and the surrounding area is nationally known and renowned for it's number of migrating Warblers. May is the best time for them at this location. Shawnee State Forest & State Park as well as Lake Hope State Park are all excellent places to find Warblers in April and also far fewer "Warbler Watchers" than Crane Creek.
       Kentucky, like Ohio and West Virginia has many worthy locations for getting a glimpse of Warblers. There is even a Warbler named after this State.  The Red River Gorge area of Kentucky is a good place to start your search, as is the University of Kentucky Arboretum in Lexington, Carter Caves State Park and Greenbo Lake State Park.

Now Is A Good Time to Photograph...

This is not my favorite time of year for photography but like almost any time of year it does present unique situations that can improve photos or give you a chance at a shot you wouldn't otherwise have.
    Due to the warmer temps yet lack of full foliage, it's a great time to photograph the Arches and Natural Bridges of the Red River Gorge in Kentucky. If you have never been there, you should go. If you have been you should go back.
I know it's expensive to travel these days, even on a short trip. Instead of putting off trips to places you want to go I would suggest getting a friend to go along and split the cost. It isn't hard to find someone who shares your interest in nature or nature photography. It gives you some companionship, another set of eyes to spot interesting subjects, increases your safety and gives you a 50% off sale on your trips.

    Waterfalls are also a good subject now. Cloudy days are excellent days for waterfalls both of the large and not so large variety. Among other advantages, the less bright days allow you to use slower shutter speeds to get that silky look to your flowing water shots.The rains of this time of year also produce waterfalls and water flows that won't be available at the hight of a dry Summer. There is no shortage of Waterfalls in the Tri-State area and you don't have to go  to a huge waterfall to get a good shot. Go.Look.Shoot.Experiment.

     Flowers, both the wild varieties or a potted plant moved out to the yard for some photo ops are another good cloudy weather subject. The cloudy sky acts like a huge photographers softbox to give you a more even highlight/shadow mix in your shots. There are some tips for finding Wildflowers this time of year in the earlier post on Spring Ephemerals, or go hit your local park or garden. The main thing is go shoot some photos, try new things and have a good time.

How I Clean The Sensor In My dSLRs, And Why

Sensor cleaning is a chore most photographers would rather not have to deal with. In the early days of digital slr cameras, about your only choice was to send your camera to the manufacturer and have it cleaned.  It took a few weeks and total cost was usually around $50. A number of photographers still have their sensors cleaned this way.  I don't have the patience for that.
  Then camera shops got in on the act and you could get your camera sensor cleaned a little quicker and for perhaps a little less money.
Finally, products became available for us to be able to do the work ourselves. Lots of different products and methods sprung up but many photographers were and still are, afraid to tackle this task. I first tried "The Wet Method". That requires putting a liquid cleaning solution on "swab", brushing it across your sensor,testing for cleanliness and most likely repeating numerous times. It did get the job done for me, but it was time consuming, was pretty much a pain in the butt,frustrating and ended up being pretty expensive. I looked around for a better way and found one that works for me. The folks at Lensrentals.com posted a video on sensor cleaning. My thoughts were that someone who owned dozens of cameras of each of several brands, and had to keep the sensors clean, would probably have a pretty good "workflow" for getting this done. I watched their video a couple of times so that I understood it. It all seemed to make sense. I finally ordered the equipment I needed, cleaned the sensors in both of my dSLR's in a fraction of the time it used to take me to clean just one and have never looked back. This works well for me and I like it. You of course, may not. Take a look at their video and see what you think. Currently, I use the equipment mentioned in the video except the sensor brush. That may change in the future. There is a LOT of other valuable information available on their site as well. Things like their impressions on lenses and cameras. Of course, they are also a great place to rent a lens or camera from. If you need a certain lens for an upcoming shoot, or just want to try a lens or camera out before you buy one, or you need a tripod or a flash for a few days, this is a great place. I haven't found nicer or more helpful people to do business with. The link to their video on sensor cleaning is here

Quick Sunday Visit

I spent a couple of hours at Green Bottom WMA today. It is a pretty unique Wildlife Management Area North of Huntington. What makes it unique is it is a fairly large, mostly undisturbed  wetland. Plants and animals not often seen in the Tri-State area can be found here at Green Bottom.
    Today I saw Great Blue Herons,Red-winged Blackbirds,Tree Swallows, An Eastern Bluebird, a couple Belted Kingfishers, some Sparrows, a Northern Cardinal, Canada Geese and a couple Turtles sunning on a log. It isn't unusual to see any of these at Green Bottom. Of course some days you might not see anything. The surprise visitors of the day were a tree full of Cormorants and a LOT of American Coots. The Cormorants were too far away for a decent photo, but then again, I wasn't there long nor did I try to get any closer than I was. The Tree Swallows and Eastern Bluebird cooperated nicely and I did get some shots of them. I go to Green Bottom WMA often. Like I mentioned earlier, I have went there and spent a good bit of time and found little to photograph. On the other hand if you look hard enough you will most  often find photo subjects and many times you'll see things here that you wouldn't even expect to see elsewhere in the area. I've had pretty consistent luck here later in the year with Green Herons. Great place for Dragonfly shots as you might expect and is the only place I know of in the area that has American Lotus plants in the Summer.

Spring Ephemerals, What They Are & Where To Find Them

Spring ephemerals are the earliest blooming wildflowers. In general, they sprout,bloom and die off before Summer gets here in earnest. They provide the Nature Photographer with the earliest chances of getting wildflower shots in the "wild". Virginia Bluebells, Twinleaf and most Trilliums are considered Spring Ephemerals along with many others. Different areas of course have different types of these flowers and some places are known for the variety of them that they have. Great Smoky Mountain National Park is widely known for their wildflowers of all kinds, including Spring Ephemerals. A trip there during late March into April will almost certainly yield a large number of these early bloomers for you to photograph. Another place well known for their Spring Ephemerals is The Core Arboretum/WVU Arboretum in Morgantown, WV.  April is usually a good month to visit the Arboretum for Spring Ephemerals. Another good place for Spring Wildflowers is The Whipple State Nature Preserve in Ohio. I always find interesting flowers here in the Spring and enjoy myself there. Parking is VERY limited however and the trail gets quite steep in places. Not usually a problem for nature photographers because we are stopping every few yards to take more pictures anyway :-)

Where You Can Get In Some Nature Photography Even With This Weather

 This time of year can be frustrating for Nature Photographers. Many plants aren't up and blooming yet. The weather is often cool and cloudy at best, and we all have a serious case of "cabin fever".
There are a couple of answers to these problems without having to drive too far. The Conservatory at the Huntington Museum of Art has quite a few Orchids in bloom right now along with their other plants like Hibiscus, Plumeria and Bleeding Heart.  I've visited there several times in the last two weeks and been able to sooth my photo addiction nicely. I used a tripod and natural light for most of my shots there. I would suggest that method but if you don't have a tripod, increasing the ISO setting on your camera would work also.

Another place to get some photos of outdoor subjects, while you are nice and dry is the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, Ohio. I visited there on March 31 and enjoyed a huge display of Orchids and of course, the Butterfly exhibit. The Orchid display will soon be gone but you will be able to see and photograph the Butterflies until early September. This is a good place to ease your nature photo craving even when the weather is bad. There is a "Desert Room" with plenty of Cacti to photograph, a "Palm Room" with a Palm plants of all sizes, and other rooms, and areas of interest to a nature photographer.........and it doesn't matter if it's cold or raining. You can get Butterfly shots on natural backgrounds or like the one above, on blown glass sculptures if you want a little bit of a different look to your shots. There are plenty of non Nature related items to be photographed here as well.