modern wildlife photographer magazine

Modern Wildlife Photographer Magazine May 2011

Wildlife Photographer Combining Science, Nature and

Technology to Create Art

May 15, 2011

The King of Lenses Known to nature and wildlife photographers as the king of lenses, the Canon 600mm f/4 is the second largest lens that Canon produces.

It has the reach needed for - and is commonly used for - bird photography, small and distant animal photography, surf photography (from shore), long distance sports photography and many other similar pursuits. If you can get past its size, weight and price, the Canon EF 600mm f/4.0 L IS USM lens, does not leave much to be disappointed in.

Eliminating background distractions is generally desired when photographing birds and similar subjects. Combining a relatively wide 8-

blade aperture with 600mm telescopic compression can turn a background into a beautiful, smooth blur.

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. And in the hands of a good photographer, the Canon EF 600mm f/4.0 L IS

USM Lens will create pictures that generate lots of admiration.

The Amazon is the most bio diverse area in the world, home to 1,800 species of birds, 403 specials of amphibians, 462 kinds of mammals, 395 reptile species, and

900 species of fish.

What’s Inside:

The King of Lenses

4 Great Rainforest

Photography Tips

Bird Photography

in Tambopata

Macro Photography

in the Rainforest

Read about the newest member of our lens inventory

Learn to take great photos in the rainforest

A fantastic array of bird species waits for visitors to

Tambopata

5 interesting subjects that

you may have overlooked

Did you know?

Modern

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4 Tips for Great Photos in the Rainforest

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Rainforest Photography Tip #1:

Find a subject.

From colorful macaws and parrots

to iridescent butterflies the rainforest is filled with amazing photo opportunities. There are so

many different things to see that your senses can be overloaded. Be patient and look for an object that

stands out from all the rest.

There is beauty in everything; it is the photographer’s job to find the angle that best expresses that beauty.

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Isolate the subject

When you find your subject ask

yourself what makes this subject beautiful. Get close to the subject to remove all the distracting

elements from the frame and capture the element that really speaks to you. Stay away from

taking photos at eye level. Use different angles to make the photo interesting.

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Pack light

Many photographers carry a tripod

when out shooting but it is best to pack light. A combination of lenses that have an f/stop of 2.8 and

lower, high ISOs and image stabilization will eliminate the need for a tripod. If you still need

support you can always use a tree.

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Don't forget the little guys.

Many photographers concentrate

on photographing large macaws and hoatzin when in the jungle. It is good to remember that one

square kilometer of rainforest may harbor over 50,000 insect species. To capture all of these amazing

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creatures it is recommended to

carry a macro lens capable of photographing subjects at least a 1:1 ratio. Some lenses have a

5:1 ratio and one can even mount microscope objective lenses to cameras for amazing close-up

shots. Everybody has a photo of a bird, but who has photographed the teeth of an ant?

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Microscope objective lenses can be mounted to cameras for amazing close-up shots.


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One such mega diversity spot is the Tambopata region of southeastern Peru. Over 600 bird species have been found there including the likes of somber, forest understory hummingbirds, glittering, jewel-like tanagers and cotingas that keep to the tall canopy, and shockingly gaudy macaws and parrots. As with any forest habitat, dense vegetation and dim lighting conditions present challenges to bird photography but proper equipment, perseverance, and a good local guide can result in amazing shots. The following situations or habitats will also help you in getting excellent images of a large number of Amazonian bird species: Canopy towers- These work wonders for getting amazing, close captures of birds that keep to the treetops. Many species even perch within twenty feet of the tower because they fail to recognize people as a threat when seen high above the forest floor. Mixed flocks of exotic looking birds such as nunbirds, jacamars, cuckoos, trogons, tanagers, flycatchers, barbets, foliage-gleaners and others occasionally pass near the tower for exciting shots that would be otherwise very tough to get.

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Oxbow lakes- These aquatic habitats are great for capturing images of waterbirds such as Sungrebe, Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Kingfishers, and Hoatzins, whereas their open nature also makes them an excellent sire for seeing raptors, flyover parrots and macaws, and a number of bird species that occur at the edge of the forest. Flowering and fruiting trees- Many bird species in the Amazon tend to congregate around locally abundant resources. Setting up near flowering trees can result in high quality images of rare hummingbird species while focusing on a fruiting tree such as a Ficus can turn up dozens of photogenic parrots, cotingas, trogons, manakins, pigeons, and other birds. It takes a big field guide to adequately cover all 600 of the bird species that have occurred at Tambopata, Peru but here is some useful, basic information on some of the most emblematic and exciting bird species that occur in the area: Macaws and Parrots - Tambopata, Peru is famous for the large numbers of macaws, parrots, parakeets, and parrotlets that live in its forests. When the conditions are appropriate several species can be seen when they visit the large clay lick at the Tambopata Research

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Center. The birds eat clay from the river bluff to obtain minerals as well as remove toxins acquired from ingesting fruits and seeds. The six species of macaws are particularly impressive.

Bird Photography in the Peruvian Amazon

Home to more species of birds than anywhere else in the world, Amazonia is

bird central. Over 500 species of birds occur at most Amazonian sites and even more species have been recorded in the

most biodiverse corners of this incredible forest.


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Dozens of huge Blue and Gold, Red and Green, and Scarlet Macaws fill the air with their screams and brighten the surroundings with incredibly colorful plumages as they fly around the clay lick, visit it, and perch in trees above it. Hundreds of Chestnut-fronted Macaws, Mealy Parrots, White-eyed Parakeets, Blue-headed Parrots and other species also come to the clay lick in noisy flocks to make mornings here one of the globe’s top avian spectacles. Harpy Eagle - One of the largest eagles in the world, the Harpy Eagle reigns as the top predator of the forest canopy and is often at the top of birders “most wanted” lists. Tambopata is a good place to see this rare bird it’s also an excellent place to get photographs of it when they are nesting. Hoatzin - This strange bird has claws on its wings when young, eats leaves and ruminates like a cow, and locals call it “stink bird” because it sports a foul smell. They are also easy to see at oxbow lakes and make fantastic subjects because of their bizarre appearance.

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Toucans - These comical, colorful birds with huge bills and clown-like attitudes are common in Tambopata and easily seen from canopy towers and forest edge. Seven species occur here including the uncommon, exotic, and appropriately named Curl-crested Aracari. Cotingas and manakins - Cotingas are, for the most part, brightly colored birds of the forest canopy. The breathtaking plumage of Spangled and Plum-throated Cotingas literally shines like polished turquoise with patches of dark iridescent amethyst. Manakins are likewise beautiful and brighten up the understory with their shining black, red, yellow, and blue feathers. Tanagers - A large number of these small, finch-like birds with glittering, jewel-like plumage occur at Tambopata. Some are easy to see and photograph at oxbow lakes and at forest edge while others are only found in the forest canopy. The Paradise Tanager in particular is fairly common and striking in appearance. Its mix of black, red,

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shining green, and purple plumage often earns it a nomination for being one of the most colorful birds in the world. Caciques and Oropendolas - These are large, social bird species with striking black or russet coloration highlighted by bright yellow tails. Whether large flocks captured in flight against an evening sky, displaying birds photographed in flowering trees, or captured in their colonies of long, hanging nests, caciques and oropendolas are frequently seen and wonderful to photograph. The incredible number and fantastic variety of bird species in Tambopata, Peru make this biodiversity hotspot a dream come true for birders and bird photographers. To make the most of your trip to Amazonian Peru, take a tour that provides the equipment and guides necessary for getting the type of incredible shots that such a trip of a lifetime deserves.

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Wildlife and nature photographers will be coming to the right place when taking tours to the Peruvian Amazon because these forests are some of the most biodiverse terrestrial habitats on Earth. They degree of biodiversity harbored in the Peruvian Amazon is simply astonishing. For example, one square mile of rainforest may harbor more than 50,000 insect species (!).

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A night walk will give a hint at this (especially the incredible variety of Katydids) but most people can’t help but notice the sheer number and types of ants.

Ants could actually make up 30% of the biomass of the Amazonian rainforest and come in countless varieties and shapes. Because they can’t fly away, and have interesting behaviors, they also make excellent subjects during photography tours. To make up for being easy to catch

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though, most also bite and some have horrible stings so care should always be taken to not get too close when photographing ants in the Peruvian Amazon.

Army ants - These nomadic, top

predators rustle through the forest floor and move up the trees in nomadic swarms that number in the tens of thousands. They bite anything that moves and thus one would expect that these insects would be the worst thing to run into

High Insect Diversity = Endless and Incredible Photographic Opportunities In the Peruvian Amazon


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on a photography tour to the Peruvian Amazon. Just the opposite is the case, however, because they scare every insect and small creature out of hiding, attract rare birds, and make for exciting portraits as they take down a scorpion, tarantula, or walking stick. They are also easy to avoid as long as one stays on the edge of the swarm and watches where one steps or places a tripod. Getting the chance to photograph these uncommon ants as they forage and attack everything in their way is an amazing experience.

Leaf Cutter Ants - Unlike Army

Ants, Leaf-cutter Ants are common and easy to find in the Peruvian Amazon. They are active at all times but are most industrious during the dark of the night. Their habit of following obvious trails as they carry small pieces of leaves to their underground nests makes Leaf-cutter Ants great photography subjects and especially so for kids and beginning photographers just learning how to shoot with macro lenses.

Leaf-cutter Ants make especially nice portraits when they carry bits of colorful flowers instead of the usual green bits of leaves. A good way to increase one’s chances of getting photos of Leaf-cutter Ants carrying flower pieces in the Peruvian Amazon is to place some flower bits near the trail for them to find and then take photos as they carry them back to their nest.

Morpho Butterfly

The shining blue upperwings of this large butterfly make it look like something from another, more

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magical world as it flutters along streams through the rainforest. It can be difficult to capture the electric-blue colors on its wings, though, because this butterfly shows gray and brown underwings with an intricate, camouflaged pattern when it alights. Nevertheless, patient photographers may get good captures of Morphos (and other butterflies) by putting rotten fruit out for bait (their preferred food source) and waiting for Morphos to come and feed.

Whip Spiders – Also known as

Amblypigids, these miniature monsters resemble something from nightmares or creatures from another planet when viewed with a macro lens. They have very long, pincer-like front legs and a pair of whip-like legs used to find prey. Despite their frightening appearance, they aren’t venomous or dangerous. Photographers on trips to Peru should search for these interesting Arachnids in damp, dark places such as underneath logs, in caves, and in hollow tree trunks.

Katydids – There are literally

thousands of katydid species in the Peruvian rainforest and participants on tours to the Peruvian rainforest will regal in taking their photos because every single one looks incredible. Many have antennae that are twice the length of their bodies, and they resemble the foliage in color and appearance. Their adaptations for camouflage are among the most amazing in the world as many have wings that look exactly like leaves (including markings and shapes that resemble rot, fungi, and insect-chewed foliage).

Continued

Robots, Computers and Ants

Macro-photography is a fascinating sub-set of the photographic world. It brings to life detail that the human eye all too often misses. Unfortunately macro photographs often suffer from a narrow depth of field. depth of field is smaller (shallower) for objects nearer the camera, so if a small object fills the frame, it is often so close that its entire

Focus stacking is the art of digitally combining a series of images with a narrow depth of field into a single image using a software program such as Zyrene Stacker. The resulting image with a greater depth of field (DOF) than any of the individual source images. Most macro photographers are familiar with using a macro rail to adjust the camera’s position relative to the subject of interest. These macro rails allow the distance to be roughly adjusted and provide a crude manual method for taking the series of shots required for focus stacking. To make the process easier robotic focus stacking devices are used to automate the process of moving the camera on the rail and triggering the camera.

www.perunature.com [email protected]

www.peruphototours.com [email protected]

www.cognisys-inc.com [email protected]

www.gigapansystems.com [email protected]


Photograph The Best Places In The Peruvian Rainforest

Have access to professional and research grade photography equipment and learn to combine science, nature and technology to create art.

Each day includes a photography workshop in covering a specific photography topic such as basic camera usage, bird photography, Photoshop, macro photography, book making etc. while having a professional photographer at their side.

Professional guides travel with the group speaking about different animal and plant subjects that are encounter and also give information about the rainforest ecosystem.

Photo review sessions are held and images are constructively complemented and critiqued so that each traveler takes home the best shots possible. A final workshop introduces visitors to Photoshop and bookmaking software and teaches visitors how to create and print their very own coffee table book filled with photographs taken on their trip. Contact: [email protected]

Rainforest Expeditions Peru Photo Tours

Gigapan Systems Cognisys Inc.

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