23.03.10

Advice on how to photograph UK seabirds

Wildlife Photographer Ben Osborne has spent the last 25 years photographing animals the world over. Here he reveals how to take stunning images of UK seabirds.

What’s your creative inspiration?
The birds themselves. It is amazing to see how these species survive in such wild places — they seem to thrive in the storms and put up with wind, rain and cold while nesting on ridiculously exposed cliff faces. It is such an alien lifestyle to us humans that you can’t help but be impressed. I also just love being by the sea. Who doesn’t like gazing out over the ocean and watching the light, the waves, the sky? It is all there and is constantly appealing. Can’t think of a better way to spend my life! The changing weather means that the light is very variable, and for a photographer, this is a constant source of creative inspiration. Just when you are thinking that the bright sunlight doesn’t do a white seabird any favours because of heavy dark shadows, a cloud will cover the sun and you discover that close-up images look far better in a softer light. It is a life-long education. Also, the changeable light keeps you interested in the wider view — one moment it is overcast and dull, the next there are dramatic rays of sunlight pouring through gaps in the cloud, illuminating a distant flock of gulls.

Tips for successful seabird photography

• Find the right location
• Go at the right time of year — April to July is best. This means now is the time to start researching and booking your photography weekends.
• Allow yourself lots of time to shoot.
• If possible, visit the same location several times and get to know it intimately.
• Wait and watch. The key to successful wildlife photography is know your subject. There is no substitute for spending hours watching birds to find out what they do and how they behave. This will provide you with ideas for images and will give you a sense of how you might achieve these goals.
• When shooting images of birds in flight, look for repetitive behaviour. Birds often cruise the same flight path several times before coming in to land. This gives you a chance to be ready and in a good position to photograph the place you know they are going to appear.
• Always have two camera bodies ready to shoot — one with a long lens for frame-filling shots of distant birds (I use the 10-frames-per-second Canon EOS 1D series fitted with a 300mm or 500mm telephoto) and another fitted with a wide zoom for more general colony shots (eg a Canon EOS 5D with 24-105mm lens)
• Concentrate on one image at a time — it is very easy to be distracted by lots of activity happening all around you in a seabird colony. However, the best images are obtained if you focus on one thing at a time and then, when you are happy with the results, move onto something else.
• Try different techniques — if the light is poor, go for slow shutter-speed abstract flight shots. Or use fill flash to create dramatic lighting. If it is sunny, go for big wide landscape shots of the colony.
• If it is overcast, try close-ups when the shadows aren’t too harsh.
• As well as looking for that single ‘award-winning’ image, it can be useful to try to build a portfolio of images that tell the story of a particular species or an aspect of bird behaviour (‘flight’ would be an obvious subject).
• Enjoy it (which is difficult if you aren’t wearing the right clothes and haven’t bothered to pack sandwiches and a flask!)

LOCATIONS

England

• Farne Islands
• Bempton Cliffs
• Durlston Country Park (near Swanage in Dorset, which sounds like an unlikely location for seabirds, but if you live in the south of England, this is the nearest option)

Wales

• Skomer Island
• South Stack

Scotland

• Orkney
• Shetland
• Fowlsheugh
• Bass Rock
• Handa Island

Ireland

• The Skelligs

Northern Ireland

• Rathlin RSPB Seabird Viewpoint

 

Post production tips
I tend to use Lightroom for most of my processing, keyboarding and cataloguing. The adjustments I’ll make will probably include some of the following:

Create a slight ‘S’ shape in ‘curves’
Use a bit of ‘Clarify’, ‘Vibrance’ and ‘Saturation’ (and occasionally go for a greyscale conversion)
I might adjust specific colour channels in the ‘HSL’ options
Use a modest amount of sharpening (about 60 at 1 pixel radius)
Crop to change the aspect or composition

I use Photoshop for dust removal and any selective adjustments — although these can now be achieved in current versions of Lightroom.

Biography
Professional photographer Ben Osborne specialises in wildlife, landscape and environmental photography. He is a former Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year and has worked all over the world. His images have been published in numerous magazines including National Geographic, BBC Wildlife and the Radio Times. He is best known for his images of Antarctica in the book of the BBC series Life in the Freezer, and has shot publicity and editorial stills for other wildlife series including Planet Earth.
www.benosbornephotography.co.uk

Kit Bag

• Canon EOS 5D MkII
• Canon EOS 1D MkIII
• 17-40mm lens
• 24-105mm lens
• 70-200mm F2.8 lens
• 300mm F2.8 lens
• 500mm F4 lens
  
  The long lenses are specialist items and relatively expensive. I would recommend hiring them before you buy one. Even if you do eventually buy one, hiring first gives you the opportunity to see what suits you best.
• 1.4x converter
•  2x converter
• 100mm F2.8 macro lens
• Extension tubes
• 580 flashgun
• Gitzo tripod G1327
• Manfrotto 190CXPRO3 tripod (when I need to be lightweight)
• Gitzo fluid head
• Gitzo ball head
• Nodal Ninja 3 panoramic head for multi-frame panoramas
• LowePro Computrekker rucksack and a couple of Apex 60 AW pouches on the waistband — one for a small digital sound recorder (Zoom H2) and the other for a Canon G10
• Memory cards (4x 8GB SanDisk compact flash cards)
• Spare (fully charged) camera batteries
• Storm cover for camera and lens — this keeps off the rain and spray and can be particularly useful if you are working from a boat
• Peli waterproof cases to carry it all
• NCanon TC-80N3 wired remote control trigger
• Sunglasses

Personal Kit Bag

•  Waterproof and windproof clothing for cold and wet conditions — I use Páramo kit, which is robust. The company offers a good range in subdued colours — essential for wildlife watching. I use the Velez adventure smock, Cascada trousers and Torres overlayer smock.
• Warm inner layers — I try to find something that wicks sweat away when you are walking, but also keeps you warm when you stop.
• Hat
• Gloves
• Really good boots — if you are photographing seabirds you may well be near cliff edges and you want the best grip possible. (I would advise against being anywhere near cliff edges, but good boots are still very useful.)
• Thermos flask
• Food
• Sunscreen

Ben's Words of Wisdom
“For me, photography is all about the subject matter. It is obviously important to understand the technicalities of the equipment used and the photographic process, but ultimately, it is all about sharing my passion for the natural world. I am never happier than when I am visiting wild places, either alone or in the company of family, friends and other photographers. It is this love of wilderness and wildlife that drives my photography and inspires me to create new images.”

This feature is from the March 2010 issue
Back issues can be ordered by calling 01858 438840 or by sending an email to photographymonthly@subscription.co.uk
 

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