11) What type of accessories are a must to have on the field when you are out for photographing birds? What are those items that one should bring with her in order to take quality photos and not to miss a scene?

To photograph birds, you need a long lens of 300mm or more (in some cases a 70-200mm zoom will work with a crop body, but I would consider 300mm a minimum). You will most likely need a focal length closer to 500mm, so depending on the crop factor of the body you are using, you will probably need to add a teleconverter. Long telephoto lenses greatly magnify objects in the viewfinder and tend to be pretty heavy so a sturdy tripod and head are a necessity to get a sharp image when using long lenses. Many telephoto lenses now have a feature that is designed to reduce the effect of camera shake and mirror vibrations and allow photographers to shoot at slower shutter speeds than possible without such technology. I would recommend using a lens that has this feature if at all possible. Canon’s Image Stabilization (IS) technology is available on all their long glass; Nikon only features their Vibration Reduction (VR) technology on their 300mm and 200-400mm lenses (and a few other lenses not suitable for avian photography).

Often adding some light to the shot will improve a bird image, whether the light is used to fill in the shadows or just add a catch light to the eye. Because bird photography usually requires long lenses and a bit of distance, it is necessary to buy a flash extender (such as the Better Beamer by Visual Echoes) to extend the range of your flash to cover the distance of your telephoto lens. Fill flash can make a big difference in an image, and a flash extender is relatively cheap so I certainly consider one a worthwhile investment. I use my 580EX equipped with a Better Beamer FX-3 for adding fill light to my subject when necessary.

One way of attracting birds is using recorded tapes of singing birds. This is often frowned upon by birders and some naturalists who claim that the tapes aggravate the birds therefore causing them to burn excess energy, weaken, and become prone to disease, but there are also ornithologists and biologists who feel that recordings, when used with discretion, are not harmful and may actually benefit some birds by strengthening their responses. I do use calls, but try not to play a single call for a long period of time and stop if a bird seems distressed. I have loaded bird calls onto an iPod and use a set of portable battery operated speakers from radio shack and 30 feet of audio cable to call birds. Calls will not work with all birds and may only work at certain times of the year, but I find them a valuable tool.

You can also get closer to birds if they don’t know you are there. Blinds or camouflage fabric can make you blend in with your surroundings. I have photographed birds from permanent blinds and plan to use portable blinds and quick blinds in the future. Vehicles also make excellent blinds, as birds and wildlife tend to be more accustomed to them and feel less threatened by vehicles than people. I have taken many shots from the comfort and safety of a vehicle. Just be careful not to make too much noise or move too suddenly while in a blind or vehicle, especially with the windows down, or you risk scaring off your subjects.

Because I don’t own a laptop and can be on photo trips for days at a time, I use a portable storage device to transfer memory cards to while on the road or in the field. I use a HyperDrive HD80 because of its compact size and speed. Other models, like the Epson portable storage devices, have screens that allow you to see your images, but the Hyperdrive is supposed to have faster transfer rates and having a model without a preview screen suits me just fine.

I have an inverter for my car which plugs into the cigarette lighter and converts DC current to AC current so I can plug a battery charger into the outlet at the end of the inverter. This little device is very handy when car camping. I also bring all of my chargers whenever car camping or staying at a location for more than a day.

I always make sure to have excess high speed memory cards, extra rechargeable AA batteries (which my speakers, flash, and HyperDrive use), and an extra camera battery. I prefer Sandisk high speed compact flash cards (Ultra II, Extreme III, or faster) in sizes of 4GB or 8GB.

For landscapes, I always have a cable release, Hoya Moose Peterson warming circular polarizer filter, and Singh-Ray 2 stop soft graduated neutral density filter in my bag. For macro shots, I make sure I have my cable release.

12) Now with a change in your gear while you’ve switched to a Canon digital camera instead of a Nikon, What do you think has made your photos superb, your proficiency, your talent, or your equipment? Or a combination of all? We believe you are a professional bird photographer in what you do, let us know more about the experience you’ve gained within the gap between our last interview.

My photographs are what they are because I put a lot of work into my photography. I would not have gotten the images that I have without hours of hard work. I research the subjects and locations I wish to shoot, and often travel by car hours in the early morning hours long before the sun rises to reach a spot. For some shots, I have hiked for miles carrying heavy gear, trudging through sand, or wading through streams. I’ve camped in a car or tent for days to get an image. I regularly read online forums to learn about new techniques and tips, and hold my work to an incredibly high standard. I am always willing to learn and improve, and I have the type of attitude in which I always want to strive for something new or different or better. I carefully process my shots on the computer with the hopes that I can make them look real enough that the viewer can imagine being there and seeing the image as it unfolds. Above all else, my desire and determination has enabled me to reach the point of success where I am today.

Shooting with Canon equipment does not make me a better photographer. Many of my favorite images are those I shot with Nikon, but I’m getting more and more shots with my new equipment that I absolutely love, and tons of shots at ISO 400 and ISO 800 that I never would have attempted with my D200. What Canon gives me is confidence in my gear. When I’m photographing shorebirds at sunrise or a warbler in the woods I know that my images will have the detail they need to look good, and I can focus more on getting the shot I want than on whether to compromise my shutter speed, depth of field, or detail to get an acceptable image. With Canon I’m confident that years from now, I’ll be able to purchase gear featuring the most up-to-date technology and by which all other standards are based. I didn’t have that with Nikon.

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