6 Steps to scouting wildlife for photography, including the green woodpecker.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 มิ.ย. 2024
- In this video I will share with you my process of scouting for wildlife whilst I carry out a scouting session for juvenile green woodpeckers.
These are techniques I have used over a number of years and which I find an effective way to get close to the wildlife I want to photograph.
0:00 Introduction
1:58 Previous green woodpecker photos
2:19 Step 1 - find your location
4:12 Step 2 - observe
5:54 Step 3 - research your subject
7:06 Step 4 - get closer
8:14 Step 5 - test shoot
9:45 Step 6 - plan your final shoot - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
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Great video and I learned a lot about Green Woodpeckers. I am probably quite lucky that I get them in my garden early mornings. I am hoping to apply your approach to the local owl population. Thanks for posting.
Hi Mike. I hope it works out for you with the owls. Thanks for watching.
I haven't seen Green Woodpeckers in my neighborhood in over 30 years time and all of sudden 2 juveniles appeared from nowhere.
Went home, grabbed my camera gear and came out again, followed them both until the female allowed me to get closer. We were probably 2.5 meters from each other and she didn't mind me being there at all while she ate those ants from the kids playground. Went home with over 300 images of them and happy as never before. Now I need to find them again as adults so I have good pictures of them in this stage as well.
Greetings from Stockholm, Sweden!
Excellent. They’re great birds and that sounds like a wonderful experience. Thanks for watching and best wishes from the UK.
Very useful for new players . Been using similar methods for years. Also a good refresher
Thanks for watching.
I found this genuinely helpful. Most of the wildlife photography videos I’ve watched on TH-cam are more general in nature, so I appreciated the detail you went into.
Thank you Stephen. Glad you found it helpful. It’s useful to get feedback like this because I’ve been wondering if I go into too much detail sometimes. Much appreciated, and all the best.
That information is very helpful, thank you. I’m getting to that stage now with my photography where I’m wanting to plan and prepare more to get the shot I want.
Hi Jonathan. Glad it's helpful. You'll definitely find that a bit of planning pays dividends and it's very rewarding when you get the shots you want. Thanks for watching.
I really like your style and this channel. I had a long "relationship" with a family of green woodpeckers and I have to say I spent so much time trying to find when, understand when and enjoy in the end. Your advices are are perfectly working in my opinion, I whish you good luck with the juvenile.
Keep on sharing your passion and I am still wondering why the rabbit was not interested on chatting...
Greeting from northern Italy!
Mille Grazie. They’re wonderful birds aren’t they? Best wishes from the UK, and thanks for watching.
Another very enlightening and informative video. Once you have identified a place the birds will show up, how do you determine the exact location to wait for a shot? 1) do the birds return to the exact spot repeatedly? 2) how long do you wait for the birds to be close enough to get a good shot? 3) how far is typically close enough with a 200-600 lens for the detail you want?
Hi David. Good questions. 1 - it varies from species to species, but most of them have habits. Green woodpeckers, for example, as in this video eat a lot from ant hills. So if there is a particularly active colony they'll keep going back to the same one. But you mostly pick that stuff up by just watching them. 2 - as long as it takes really. Nature doesn't perform on command, so it becomes a numbers game - the longer you wait, the more likely it is to happen. 3 - that's a hard one to answer because so much depends on the size of the bird, but with something like the green woodpecker I'd like to be no more than 5m away, ideally 4m. Thanks for watching.
@@WalksOnTheWildSide thanks so much for the clear answers.
Wonderful advice. Thank you. Would you consider filming a short series, from start to post production on photographing a species. Like the Woodpecker or maybe a common owl in your area. Show your initial research, scouting what you might be after like nesting, immature, mating, feeding (hunting), etc. show what you bring into the field with you, how and when you use it. Show baiting techniques, use of decoys, etc. Show your camouflage, what chair you find best (comfy, light weight, appropriate). Show what you lay on when your prostrate like a tarp, yoga mat, etc. Show what food you bring for long shoots. Show how you might coordinate with park officials to let them know when, where, and how you’ll use a hide. Show how you transport all the gear like a little wagon or large backpack. Etc.
This would be for a day shoot or 2 -1/2 day shoots, am-pm for different species.
No other vloggers are running through a full shoot. They talk about technique but don’t really show a full start to finish shoot. Most never talk about days wasted because the birds don’t cooperate. 🙂
I’ve been doing what you described in the beginning- photographing on a nature walk. I get variety mostly but I’m now progressing to a more focused and purpose driven shoot. I’m starting to think more like you and asking “what are my intentions.”
Sorry! I’m totally thinkin out loud.
Hi Jonathan. Thanks for watching and for your idea. I will put some thought to it. It sounds like a really good idea - if I can do it justice then I’ll make it. And congratulations on progressing with your thought process and planning. It make a huge difference. Those days where it all comes together and you get lots of great photos, or even just one brilliant pic, makes it all worth it. But as you say, it doesn’t always work. The key is to not think this was wasted time, but it’s part of the process to get closer to what you want. Good luck.
Thanks Scott for another great video. I learn a lot from watching your videos, and you give great advice about how to improve our photography. All the best to you
Many thanks Stephen. That’s so nice to hear. Thanks for watching again.
Thanks for the great advice Scott 👍
Thanks for watching.
What a gorgeous bird.
They are beautiful birds. I think wherever woodpeckers are in the world there are some beautiful species of them.
@@WalksOnTheWildSide Yes. On my side of the pond I see Red-Bellied and Downy Woodpeckers. I know there are more at the refuge, I can hear them, but I haven’t found them yet. I will.
Thank you for your great videos and your stunning photos.
They are very usefull .
Sorry for my english
I’m glad you like them. Thanks for watching.
Great content Scott
Thanks Marc
How ethical is baiting?
Good question and I might make a video on that topic one day. But for now here's a video on another channel where I talk more broadly about ethics: th-cam.com/video/work9cGSquo/w-d-xo.htmlsi=BAzWnm0Fkd_rKU-k&t=1090 and specifically about baiting: th-cam.com/video/work9cGSquo/w-d-xo.htmlsi=ocxiOd7413UdRXra&t=1255 I hope that helps in the mean time. Thanks for watching.