A Warbler (+ an Audubon Magazine article about little ol’ me)

Yesterday I was once again impressed by how well using a vehicle as a mobile blind works when compared to shooting on foot.

 

yellow-rumped-warbler-5336-ron-dudley1/6400, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in

Late in the afternoon I visited a local park near my home to photograph Yellow-rumped Warblers. These birds use a mostly dead tree next to a pond as a launching platform to hawk insects flying over the pond and yesterday that tree was literally dripping with butterbutts. In order to photograph them I have to park on the edge of a road and shoot over a high wooden fence (a smaller, lower vehicle wouldn’t work in this location) and these birds are so acclimated to traffic on the road they pay no attention to me in my pickup even though I’m quite close to them.

But three times during the hour I was there someone came along on foot and walked very close to my pickup. Each time the birds reacted by either flying away or burying themselves in the far side of the tree and it would take them a few minutes to return to closer shooting distances. And as I was ready to leave I opened my door slightly as a test to see if the birds would react. Just as I expected – most of them vamoosed. If I had been trying to photograph these birds on foot I’d likely have been spittin’ into the wind.

I’ve been crowing about the advantages of shooting from a vehicle for years – long enough that Audubon Magazine got wind of it and published an article in their current issue about the techniques and equipment I use for doing so. Here’s a link to the online version of the article if you’re interested.

There’s also a link in the article to a more extensive and detailed blog post I’ve published on the subject.

Ron

Note: My shutter speed for this shot was incredibly fast. But I’ve learned from shooting in this location as these flitty little birds richochet in and out of dark and light places that I’m better off erring on the high side so I have enough shutter speed when they’re in shade. Two days ago the image that was potentially my favorite photo out of 900+ images was soft because I didn’t have enough shutter speed for the situation.

 

45 Comments

  1. Congrats Ron. Great write-up and great photography method.

  2. Those YRW sure are striking. Just makes me Happy seeing your pictures of them. As for your techniques and Audubon recognition, the society and you might consider taking a marketing page ~ “Eddie Bauer” and “King Ranch” versions by your favored pick up manufacturer. Time for a marketing analysis of an F150 Audubon, Ron Dudley model?

  3. Ron, beautiful warbler, love the profile of the bird and how it’s looking back over it’s shoulder. And congrats on the Aududon article! That’s great recognition. I still need to find some locations more suited to shooting from the car, try my hand at it.

  4. Beautiful shot Ron!
    charlotte

  5. Loved the Audubon article and the picture of you ‘at work’.
    One of my sisters-in-law refers to our own red-rumped parrots as bum birds, since she claims to be unable to remember their name. If we had your warblers as well she would have to stretch her memories cells further and call them yellow bum birds.

  6. Way to go Ron!! I love the shot of the yellow butt. Also the picture of the Eagle is fantastic!

  7. On revisiting today’s blog, as I always do, I think that bird should be called a “melted butter butt”…..makes me yearn for lobster!!!!

  8. Ron, Nice blog and Audubon articles. I have limited mobility and do vast majority of my photography from my car. Check out my website. Your camera rest on window looks like a great idea do you mind if I talk about it? The camera rest on console looks like something I will try to copy as I use passenger seat now. Would like to communicate with you.

  9. Ron, thanks for the tips and pics. I read all of the articles and appreciate the info. I have wanted more about techniques for good pics from your blog and today you came through. Thanks, Stephen

  10. Hi Ron, I keep my responses to you short however I hang on to every word you write. You photos inspire me to become a better photographer- so thanks for all your postings!!

  11. The Audubon article made me smile. All familiar territory. Love the “Butterbutt” photo. Even though the background is a bit busy, the bird stands out very nicely from it. (And for once the busy background doesn’t mess with my eyes…_

  12. I’m confused??? How do you shoot with 6,400 shutter speed in shade and not get a black picture??? Your picture is exposed perfectly!!!!

    • Marina, that bird wasn’t in shade, it was in full sun. But I was constantly swinging back and forth between warblers in sun and in shade. One reason for the high shutter speed in that shot is also the bright areas in the background.

  13. Ron – Congratulations on the article and thank you for sharing your tips and lessons learned from trial and error. I noticed that you have the tripod foot forward and resting on the noodle. Is this your primary way of shooting from the truck? My foot points towards me and I’ve rested the barrel of the lens on the window. Thinking about switching it up to mimic you. Thoughts?

    • Zaphir, I have the foot oriented that way for two reasons: 1, it feels better in my hand in that position and I think it might even help in stabilizing the lens a litte more and 2, You’ll notice that I have the tripod foot plate attached to the foot. That’s so I can use the tripod at a moment’s notice if I have to. If I had it reversed I couldn’t and still have the lens well-balanced on the tripod.

      But I’ll admit that it’s probably also just a habit and I have a hard time changing my ways… 🙂

  14. It’s wonderful that you share your hard-won techniques freely–and maybe that knowledge will cut down on the number of photographers who use
    the ” bait, call-in, etc. etc. techniques ” because you’ve illustrated ( literally ) that there are better and equally-if not more-successful ways of going
    about the process of achieving beautiful and interesting images. Congratulations on that Audubon recognition ; a proper honor for dedication !

    • Kris, I’ve used that “not baited, set up or called in” line in my image techs for years. I’m sure some readers get tired of seeing it and perhaps some even think I use it so much I’m being sanctimonious about it. But I have no plans to change it, largely for the reason you mention. Thank you.

  15. It sure does help to have a mirror that folds forward out of the way! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve let loose a string of blue words because the GD thing was in my way! Nice to see “little ol’ you” and your gear and loved seeing the image of the airborn eagle feast again…one of my all time, most amazing favorites!!! (That gear looks heavy enough to tip your truck on its side!!! )…

    • It’s very heavy, Patty – that thick glass weighs a lot. But thankfully this new version of that lens is much lighter than the old version (about two pounds lighter if I remember right and that’s a lot).

  16. They are such little beauties. I love that you just headed to a local park. 😀 Find the joy everywhere and it’s a beautiful world!

  17. Congratulations on the article Ron! Great info and insight . Is it alright to share the link on my FB page ? Be well.

  18. Congratulations, Ron! Spectacular photos, too!

  19. Wow! That picture of the eagle at the end of the article is amazing! Enjoyed the article too.

  20. Congratulations on the recognition in Audubon magazine. You certainly deserve it! Applause (standing ovation, actually)!
    And what Elizabeth said. Thank you for taking us outside to where the vast majority of the world’s beauty resides–the place we need to protect with our lives–with everything we’ve got. Just thank you! You ROCK!

    • Yes, we do need to protect it, Laura. Soon I hope to publish a post about a new environmental threat to one of the most pristine areas of northern Utah. I photograph there often and the plans of politicians for the area disgust me. If those plans come to fruition it will be disastrous for birds, wildlife and people who enjoy nature – everyone except for greedy politicians and business people.

      • Sigh…Ron, I’ve mentioned before how I just don’t GET what these people are doing to our world. I’ll never get it. I will, however, fight till my last breath against it!

  21. Congratulations Ron on the Audubon articles and once again on a beautiful photo of a warbler. You keep reminding us that the world is still a beautiful place.

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