Bird Photography - How to photograph the dipper.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ธ.ค. 2020
- Bird photography in the woodlands of Denmar. Photographing the dipper in a small river. Behind the scenes after the video. Open full description for more information.
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Location: Denmark
Date: December 2020
Day: 4°C (39°F)
Night: 2°C (35°F)
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This is the first time this season I am photographing the dipper. This is a quite new location to me, and I have to get more used to it, so that I know where to expect the bird.
I love doing wildlife photography in the forest, and especially near this little stream, because it gives me some new possibilities with the moving water. I am going to experiment more with the combination of running water, sitting bird and long exposures.
A few questions:
1. Why are you using the Manfrotto 502 Video head instead of a gimbal head?
The Nikon Z6 is so light that even with a battery grip I am having a hard time balancing it on my gimbal head. Further more, the fluid head that I am using in this video lets me do more smooth movements when shooting video.
2. How do you get close the the wildlife?
It is very difficult to give a simple answer since all species are very differen. Even the same kind of bird, can be very different depending on their experiences with humans. In this case with the dipper I am very lucky. Not far from where I am photographing people often walk with their dogs, and it seams like the dipper is quite comfortable as long as I keep a decent distance. So on this trip I could photograph it on around 40 meters without problems. When I was laying near the fallen trees, the dipper got very close to me. I guess it was very curious.
3. What software are you using for editing phots and video?
I use Adobe Lightroom Classic for organising and editing my phots. For video editing I am using Final Cut Pro and DaVinci Resolve. At the moment I almost solely use FXPX.
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Camera gear:
Camera:
Nikon Z6
Nikon 600mm f/4 FL
FTZ adapter.
Tamron 150-600mm G2.
Nikon 24-70 s f4
Samyang 14mm f/2.8
FTZ adapter
Gear list on my website.
These are Amazon affiliate links:
mortenhilmer.com/my-gear-list/
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Music:
Gone by Galvin Luke
From Epidemic Sound - get 1 month for free by using my affiliate link:
bit.ly/ep-music
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Nothing better than watching Morten Hilmer while having dinner with the family
I've never had such a great life goal. Happy for you and your family
I love how they bop their heads, kind of like kingfishers. They are really fun to photograph
I love how he casually says "bird shit"
Great video Morten and the moral of the story is.
When you go to photograph a dipper be prepared to get dipped yourself 😉👍
Every good soldier keeps their rifle out of the muck. Muscle memory never leaves you. Phew. A wonderful video. The real world is so beautiful.
Maybe the little Dipper is thinking "Oh look at that guy, he likes to dip himself in the creek just like I'm doing" :-)
Very interesting thanks for sharing my friend👍👍👍
Loves this already. Looking forward to see more.. :)
I love the little dippers I think it was the bird that got me into bird watching and then photography.
When you said "Dipper" I though you were talking about the bird and not yourself 💦😂😂😂 Great video, love the pictures 👍👍
Heehee... Yeah, deeper sounds similar to dipper unless English is your native language. I remember my friend correcting me when I said "CD" and he thought I meant "city".
😄
Yes yes Bagus Banget
Lmao
Firstly I Say Love❤ from India 🇮🇳....
What a Talent You Have Morten Hilmer, Once I opened your Video its come on my account by Impression of TH-cam Policy.... For that Time🕐 I'm watching your Videos Continuously since last 7-8 month..... I again say You are BesT 💯, Very Talented person in Field of #PhoTographY.......
I always keep supporting You. Have a Nice Journey of #PhoTographY
I more thing i want to say that you always shoot in Too Heavy Grassy🌱🌱 area Just Keep YourSelf Safe from Insect or snake of any #WildAnimals....
Under lockdown's strain some fresh air with you in nature. Thanks
The sign of a true photographer, save the gear at all costs. Thanks Morten, glad all survived.
Your videos just makes me wanna grab my old camera and head out in the woods. Please dont stop making videos, these are some good quality.
After listening to all the “ahhhss” after drinking your coffee. I decided to buy myself a thermos for coffee when I go out on my wildlife photography walks. 😂😂 its worked pretty well.
Nothing like caffeine to help with a little inspiration.
Essential kit!
That's quite a fall. Glad you and your 600 mm baby are okay! Great photos of course, what a little beauty.
Aww . . . Barely 15 seconds into the video and into the drink you go! What a bummer Morton ;))
Morten's Passion for wildlife motivates me a lot.
Excellent imitation of the dipper!!! 😂
Wow. I am so relieved to see that an expert deals with the same stuff as I do here in southern NJ, USA. Lots of brush that makes getting a clear shot difficult. And to photograph a little bird... Not a great raptor or owl or something. Just a neat. Little bird. And the end... Falling in. That just happened to me too. Standing on the bank it suddenly have way and I rolled in just like you. Only I dunked my camera which is not weather proof. Ended up replacing it but it was an entry level canon T5i. Hot a 6i and new lenses. Fortunately my 150-600 Sigma was safe. Anyhow thank you for your great teaching and your honesty. Makes me feel like I'm not alone!!!
Awesome video, man. Showing the back of the camera screen is amazing to see your thought process. Also, what a catch!
Красивая птичка!!!!👍
My favorite wildlife photographer 👍👍
Oh wow! Good reflexes, Morten! 👍🏼 I’ve never seen a dipper. Quite a cute little fisherman. 😉 There is an American dipper but its habitat is in the western U.S. and I live in the Northeast. And yes, that advice to photograph birds at their eye level, your explanation will help my future compositions. Thank you and have a wonderful time outdoors! 👋🏼
Amazing dedication Morten. The fact that you remain to photograph the dipper even though you are soaked through. Absolutely brilliant. Cheers Keith
Morten really your creation is much worthy. I love you man learning much from the contents who you do share. 🙏
activities related to nature have always been my dream, hopefully one day it can be achieved. 🙏😇
Finally! Some wilderness again, thanks Morten for bringing this to us ❤️
Stay safe out there!
Your videos are always so nice to watch. Very beautiful pictures every time.
Love your video and the dipper. I live along a medium sized river in the middle of a city and I can watch and photograph this magnificient bird almost everyday. Also kingfishers sitting and hunting from a branch right under my window. Im very blessed and although i see those kinda birds so often, it still makes me happy everytime I spot one of them! Great content! Thank you!
😱😱😱😱
you ended up in the water .....
I am really happy that you are fine.
Nice video and photos. I love your work.👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Such a wonderful and peaceful place
You were really lucky with the lens... Happy to see, my heart stopped for a second when you and the 600mm fell 😂😥
Thanks Morten for sharing your experience and tips. So glad to see you & your setup were OK in the end. I’ve been capturing videos and photos of the extremely cute and charismatic White-throated Dippers for several months. They’re not nearly as shy as Common Kingfishers and will happily go about their business; sometimes ignoring or even creeping closer and closer to me when I’ve been down by the riverside with the lens pointed straight at them. As you recommended, ‘try using a slower shutter speed depending on how still the subject sits, being eye level with the subject, shallow DOF, awareness of the background’. Thanks again & keep up with your uploads!
Glad you and your equipment survived your swim..... Thanks for the video!
If those dipper shots end up on 2022 calendar considered 1 copy sold. Glad to see you were not hurt in the tumble .
I found Dippers will turn up when you are not looking for them but are hard to find when you want to.
The density of dippers on a stream is quite low and they can have a territory of up to a km of river.
Good luck with this project, they are really interesting birds,
Thank you for not adding music. I love your pace and silence. Thank you so much from Ohio.
Wow! Love the bird photography. The dipper is a neat species.
Sorry for laughing behind my screen about your accident. At least no equipment was broken. Always a pleasure to see your videos on TH-cam
Ooch sore one. I was thinking that riverside looked slippery. Glad everything OK.
You could be the next goal keeper for Denmark. Great save Morten! I'm really glad you didn't get hurt.
you're THE most inspirational.
I first watched this video before Christmas. The day after Christmas, I went out with my presents, canon R5 and RF 800mm. I started to climb down a steep bank, but remembered your video and climbed back up, figuring that if I fell, I wouldn't be as lucky as you were.
A true wildlife photographer. That fall was epic but glad you and your equipment are safe and well. 👍
You Sir, are a true champ.
Hermoso video
Saludos desde Latinoamérica
Great advice as always! My heart skipped a beat when I saw this 600 falling towards the stream :O Glad you're both ok! See you out there
I can tell you that my heart was also galloping 😳😳
What a beautiful, natural forest. Great story. Many years ago my 500 mm lens and camera dropped also in the water. Unfortunatly wheather sealing was not that advanced during that time.
Oh Captain My Captain... your lifestyle touches our hearts and soul.. god bless you :)
I wish one day I get an opportunity to meet you in person and be it in any time in life! :)
Cheers
Wish you very happy new year!!!!!
Hi Morten thanks for a very interesting video .Maybe you are very glad that the mic gable came out .Thanks for going through all the effort to share your time with us.
Excellent videos. I haven’t thought about the angle of background. Good information to consider. I personally like getting eye level with my subjects. I find it gives my subjects more power or strength in the shot. I have shot down on grizzly bears and elk and it makes them feel like prey in the shot. At eye level or shooting up it makes them more majestic and powerful. Really enjoying the videos. Thanks. Stay dry.
Awwww i feel so sorry for you when you fell in the river
The wild is beautiful and pristine. I also want to go to places like this!👍
Oh no - that moment when you found the water. The images of the dipper are quite stunning - your persistence I am amazed by. I just don't have that kind of persistence or patience. Or time! Thank you for sharing the enjoyment of a little bird.
Another great video, thanks Morten. My wife and I always watch them together, but this time the sound of the trickling stream sent her straight to sleep! Bjorn looked very snug and cosy at the end, such a good dog.
Thanks for another inspiring video Morten. For a better perspective of the little Norwegian national bird, I think you should get a pair of waders and get out into the little river. See how Cameron Roxberry did this with his Mallard Ducks.
Thanks to you, now I really feel like driving out and photographing waterfowl... see you out there
Cool how the dipper's eyelid flashes white when it blinks! Thanks for your efforts, Morten. Always brightens my day when I watch your videos!
Please please please please do more podcast episodes. I love listening to you talk about photography, nature, even coffee!! It would be fun to hear some stories from the dog sled patrol, interesting photography trips, encounters with animals, literally anything! I loved listening walking my dog and I’ve listened to the two that are out many times over. I am hoping so much that you put start doing them again!!!
Excellent story behind the scenes of your photograpohy of that little "Dipper" bird Morten. The video of you walking through the woods, getting your shots with the Nikon Z6 is very appealing and nice to watch. Your dedication to your photography is very much appreciated. Thank you for your very interesting story of how you shoot and what you want to do in the future to shoot the little Dipper bird. I know the perils of carry a Nikkor 600mm F4 lens around in wet and inclement surroundings. That is no light weight lens and it always needs to be handled with the greatest amount of care. I was glad to see you kept it out of the water. Too bad about your back-pack, but I am sure you and the pack dried off OK. Thanks again, and I hope to see more of your reviews.
Wow - what a lucky save for your photo gear :o Thanks for this presentation
"Big dipper meets little dipper" Top marks to you Morten for including this and showing that us wildlife photographers don't always have everything going our way.
you should come over to Western Australia some time and check out our Splendid fairy wrens and countless other birds and animals.
Oh my, Morten. You nearly gave me a heart attack when I saw your lens tumbling down towards the water. That was a lucky save! Very nice tips in the behind the scenes as always 😊 Nice to see you try and photograph the smaller birds. The dipper looks very fun to observe.
Could have been much worse, I'm glad you are fine. Very important discussion about perspective, Thank you!
Hi Morten,
Just wishing you a Merry Christmas and happy new year. I’ve enjoyed your videos for years now and just wanted to thank you for being such great company through lockdown here in melbourne Australia. Have a wonderful 2021. My kids and I look forward to each and every video you make.
Cheers,
Joseph
And you showed that footage. Glad you are safe but I did chuckle
Great save with the camera and lens Morten! You must have been a goalie in another life.😀
Glad to see you and your equipment okay after the fall! Thanks for the video. They are always so peaceful.
Glad your 600mm survived the dip in the icy water. And you weren't injured. Always enjoyed your frank talk about bird/animal photography.
You're so inpspiring morten! Thank you so much :)
hey Morten, what a pleasure to watch - as always :-) I tried to photograph ducks a few weeks back and used piece of used, old insulating foam ( maybe 10cm thick, and 30cmx30cm surface ). I placed my D750 with the 200-500 on it and put it in the water. That gave me a really good perspective on the birds. I got wet feed tough but I was better of as you I imagine :-)
Great idea👍
Morten, I admire your skill & patience. Thanks so much for sharing.
Great vid and one of my favourite birds to photograph, even if often it's dark around my local river because of the dense tree cover. I take a bean bag and lie down to photograph them, the closer to water level the better. Give it another month or so and they'll be displaying and singing and sometime in Feb start nest building and once the wild garlic is blooming they're usually feeding a brood. This year I was lucky enough to see the youngsters leave the nest and follow them for a couple of weeks as they went from being totally reliant on a parent to foraging for themselves. Take care.
Wonderful video. I have the experience of stalking the American dipper, what fun. Love following your work and experiences.
sorry you fell man,i know how that feels.. glad you didnt lose any equipment and also didnt get hurt =) Great video
i love Morten's photo and video! Beutiful wings😁
Thank you Morten. Again your vlogging brought me to the scene very instantly. I am glad that you are alright from that fall and your camera rigs are safe. Looking forward to your future dipper videos in the coming weeks. Cheers 😊
Thanks Morten. Very good information and instruction!!
I felt so sorry for you when you fell in, Morten. It happened to me recently. I put my foot into a swamp and went in up to my knees. 😱. I loved the images. The dipper is a favourite of mine. Such a sweet bird. I hope you do more. 😍😍😍😍
I always look forward to seeing your videos Morten, they are so inspiring and helpful, not just in a photography sense but also uplifting in these difficult times we are all going through. Good save with the 600mm!
Denmark looks so gorgeous.
Fantastic story about the accident!
Great video once again Morten. Beautiful images of that little Dipper. What a cool experience.
Thank you as always for sharing and the inspiration! Glad you and the camera/lens were safe!
Hello Morten, your videos are like meditation. Pure and serene.. it’s like dream sequence!
I respect your dedication to your Art, Morten. Great video and tips.
Really enjoyed watching you setting up your camera and explaining your techniques. Thank you.
Always awesome
Hey Morten, I will just say thanks so much for all of your hard work and the great videos! I enjoyed all your videos and looking always forward for new ones. Your videos give my mind some peaceful moments and a perfect break to come down. Thanks again and stay healthy... All best
Malte from Berlin
I struggle with eye level because getting down or up for me is a struggle, and it takes me a while. Especially getting back up. But I often do what you did in this video. It is nice if you can find a spot where the bird or animal is going to be, get set up, and wait for them to come to you. But sometimes you have to go get them. Both approaches work, but I find the first more likely to yield the shots I "see" in my head, but the latter much more fun. I'm heading out to try them both in a few minutes. :)
A new Morten Hilmer video on my birthday (such a treat). I honestly appreciate how your focus shifted towards that bird right when you were talking about the annoying feeling of being wet and cold. Your videos are truly very inspiring and capable of becoming the highlight of the day. The other day i was showing my mom how you were extracting honey from the bees and preparation of berry jam. Everything you do is absolutely lovely. Be safe out there. Love from India !
What a delightful video! Thanks for sharing your challenges and inside info with us. I just love your videos!
Long time subscribing. I really love your videos. A real tonic for the soul.
Great video, as usual. I find dippers very entertaining to photograph. I, like you, gave up on using a tripod for them, crawling seems to be the only way I can get them by surprise 😂
Great BTS and awesome photos. Can't wait to see when you get it lower. Thanks for sharing and sharing your thinking process.
Nice work Morten. After my Christmas break is over, I'll also get right back out there!
Stunning work!
Glad both you and your camera are fine after that brief splash. Thanks a lot for sharing this story
Thank you for the informative video. You are such a great inspiration and your tips with perspective are so helpful. I am glad that you were not injured and that there was no damage to property.