We are now into late April, and it’s very scary out there. I don’t mean scary from bears, wolves or other man-eaters, but from a virus. The Covid-19! In my last column I had mentioned that going out into the outdoors, most specifically, the woods, was a safe place because of the lack of encountering people. I still feel safe outdoors, but the rapid spread of this virus has me a bit on edge.
I have now limited my travels to shorter hikes, and less encounters with people. During this time I’m sure it’s hard to get excited about going out and taking pictures. In fact, it’s scary just going out! One of my remedies is taking pictures from the safety of my home.
I have mentioned this many times before, and it really works. Not only to get some great images, but to give you a sense of security. Today, I looked out at my feeders and there sat a white-crowned sparrow. This is a sign of spring for sure. They always show up at my feeder in early spring. For a sparrow they are, shall we say, cute. Their white streaked head that reminds you of a football helmet. (It does to me anyway)! It’s a cheer-you up kind of bird!
This is a spring that we will not soon forget. Seeing a beautiful returning songbird or a newborn animal will certainly cheer us up. Getting a nice image of the subject may cheer you up all year! This morning there was only one bird at my feeder. It was a beautiful, bright red, male cardinal. A dull rainy morning with that patch of brilliant red is always a cheer you up moment.
The weather has turned rainy and dull in our area. This could be good. It will keep most people indoors. This will bring your photo skills to a real-life test. The test is simple. How can I get the best pictures without venturing outside? Simple, shoot more from your window, with clean glass ,of course, and edit more. All without venturing outside. You have the time now, so go over all your images, weed out your mistakes, and find out how to fix them. Read the book that came with your camera. These books seem very complicated when first read, but the more you read and understand, everything will soon fall into place. In wildlife/nature photography you might only have that split-second to get that shot. Be prepared! Or, you can look at your images and say, wow, that would have been a great shot if only I would have done…….??
In short, spend some time photographing the wildlife inside. Your spouse, kids, pets, can all serve as subjects to improve your photography. Learn shortcuts, lighting, where to find the most interesting shots, read up on subjects, become an expert. I’m still learning that last one!
In time, this virus will hopefully pass. In the meantime, stay safe and become a better photographer. Looking at your beautiful images will definitely brighten your day. I remember the old film days when, if I got one good picture from a 24 print roll, I was on top of the world. In this new age of photography, photographers have sometimes hundreds of images to look through from maybe only half day of shooting.
Photography has changed to become easier, thus making the jobs of photographers much more rewarding. Remember, you are only going to get better. Just be smarter than your camera. After going through hundreds of images you will soon realize that you can, indeed, outsmart your camera. You will soon realize after looking back on some of your old photography that you have improved. Another good thing to do in this down time is to go through your millions of images, and start deleting. (Seriously)! Images that you will never use are just taking up space! Be safe on your camera travels, or lack of! When this virus is over, you might just be a better photographer. Until my next adventure ………………..
Questions or wildlife sightings – email me at – rocky.holland1@verizon.net
