Snow Bunting

Below is an image of a Snow bunting. This young female bird spent much of this winter in Guntersville, AL.

(Click on the above image for a full-screen view of the bird.)

Technical information: Nikon D700 camera, 300mm/F2.8 lens with 2x teleconverter (to yield a 600/F5.6 result.) This shot was made at ISO 400 @ F6.3, and a Nikon SB-900 flash was added at -1.3 stops to add sharpness, color, and contrast. It also aided in separating the foreground from the background. Once again, the camera was mounted on a Manfrotto 055CXPRO tripod for stability. (May I hasten to add that if you're attempting to do quality wildlife photos while hand-holding your camera, you're most likely just fooling yourself.)

This bird -- only the second or third ever recorded in history in Alabama -- was certainly a hard-to-get item, but unfortunately, no points are awarded to the photographer for degree of difficulty. Regardless how rare or hard to approach a subject is, no matter how cold or wet the day, or how long the drive, the image must stand or fall on its own merits. The photographer must apply the best possible techniques to each shot in order to generate shots that are more than snapshots. So get your exposure and white balance right in the moment. Don't just center the subject -- compose the shot. Use a tripod and steady the camera before shooting...and you might want to consider a remote release if you shake the camera during the moment of exposure. Good technique overcomes expensive equipment and poor technique every time.

An important rule to follow for generating better photographs is this: Get closer. You are almost invariably too far away from where you should be. About the only shot that can't be inproved by getting closer is the Grand Canyon. So approach until you no longer "see" your shot; then back up until you do see the shot you are after, and then take the photo. Nowhere is this rule more true than wildlife photography. I generally try for the "insurance" shot, then begin the process of cautiously approaching the subject until I'm satisfied with the shot. But be mindful and considerate of the subject: endeavor to leave the subject unpreturbed and undisturbed.

Wildlife is different when it comes to getting closer. Your subject may spook and depart, or at the very least, alter its behavior when it notices you attempting to approach. It's a zen kind of thing, but you should practice and develop a method that enables you to get close to wildlife. My advice is to avoid direct eye contact, to make as small as possible a figure in the field, and to avoid  appearing "sneaky." You need to develop a persona in the field that seems as though you are benign, merely wandering in the general direction of your subject. It takes a while but it does pay off.