Commotion of Coots

March 24, 2023

While I was in Amboseli, I saw large flocks (often referred to as a commotion) of coots near the water edge. They were feeding at last light so I decided to capture some creative blurs of the tightly positioned Red-knobbed coots. My favorite from that evening was the image above. I used a shutter speed of 1/4 second and relied on the movement of the birds. However, if I’m honest, one of my clients Marilyn Toomey killed me with her coot pattern shot! I am hoping for another chance this year <wink>, because of course they will be in the exact same spot waiting for me, LOL!

Some Bird Groups: I am always looking to add to this list, if you have a suggestion, leave it in the comment section below. thx.
Bitterns - A sedge
Buzzards - A wake
Bobolinks - A chain
Chicks (of many species) - A brood; clutch
Coots - A cover, commotion
Cormorants - A gulp
Cranes - A sedge
Crows- A murder, horde
Dotterel - A trip
Doves - A dule, pitying (specific to turtle doves)
Ducks - A brace, flock (in flight), raft (on water) team, paddling (on water), badling
Eagles - A convocation
Finches - A charm
Flamingos - A stand
Geese - A flock, gaggle (on the ground), skein (in flight)
Grouse - A pack (in late season)
Gulls - A colony
Hawks - A cast, kettle (flying in large numbers), boil (two or more spiraling in flight)
Herons - A sedge, a siege
Jays- A party, scold
Lapwings - A deceit
Larks- An exaltation
Mallards- A sord (in flight), brace
Magpies - A tiding, gulp, murder, charm
Nightingales- A watch
Owls - A parliament
Parrots - A company
Partridge- A covey
Peacocks - A muster, an ostentation
Penguins - A colony
Pheasant - A nest, nide (a brood), nye, bouquet
Plovers - A congregation, wing (in flight)
Ptarmigans - A covey
Rooks - A building
Quail- A bevy, covey
Ravens- An unkindness
Snipe - A walk, a wisp
Sparrows - A host

Spoonbills- A bowl
Starlings - A murmuration
Storks - A mustering
Swallows - A flight
Swans - A bevy, wedge (in flight)
Teal- A spring
Turkeys - A rafter, gang
Widgeons - A company
Woodcocks - A fall
Woodpeckers - A descent

A Guide to Creative Blurs

by Denise Ippolito

Icy Frost Feathers

March 22, 2023

I was photographing in eastern Hokkaidō, Japan this past February. I couldn't help but notice these ice feathers that lined the banks of Lake Kussharo. The attraction was overwhelming and I saw patterns and feather-tipped edges everywhere. I must have captured at least 200 images (that’s a lot for me). My favorite image, the first shot I took- LOL.

I’m pretty sure this is hoarfrost. When I did a search of frost, I found that there are many different types of frost.

ISO 1250, F/2.8, 5 second exposure at 12mm.

Capturing the Aurora

March 20, 2023

Capturing the aurora aka the polar lights, northern lights, or the aurora borealis, whatever you want to call the display is not quite as easy as you think. The dancing light show with an array of swirls and flares with vibrant colors, a star studded backdrop, and endless patterns of greens, magentas, reds and purples are even more impressive in person. However, getting focus at night, making sure you have the right settings, working your camera dials (in the dark and cold) etc.. can be daunting, especially with so much going on and the excitement of capturing it all.

My gear:

Camera, I used my- Sony A 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera but you could use whatever camera you have, I do prefer a full frame sensor, one that is good in low light conditions.

Wide angle lens f/2.8 - I used my Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 lens

Sturdy Tripod - I used my Induro GIT304L Grand Series 3 Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod but any sturdy tripod will do.

Flex-Shooter Pro mini Arca Ballhead, or any ballhead will do, I liked the flexibility and freedom of movement I had with the Flex -Shooter head.

My settings: (I do vary them, depending on conditions)

Manual mode—everything in manual mode

Manual focus

Aperture- f/2.8

ISO 1000- that is my staring point, but I do change it depending on the light intensity and how dark the area is.

Shutter speed- this varies depending on how fast the lights are moving. If the aurora is fast moving I speed up my shutter speed. If it is slow moving I slow down my shutter which allows me to reduce my ISO.

Fast moving- 3-10 seconds (these are approximate)

Slow moving 10-20 seconds, I don’t go slower than 20 seconds as the stars will start to blur.

White Balance- I like my Kelvins set to 3500 but you can decide what you like, it is a variable that can be changed in post processing so don’t panic if you forget to do it in the field.

It is important to practice on a night sky in your backyard before going out to shoot the aurora. This is really important as you need to be able to acquire focus in the dark. If your camera has focus peaking you may want to enable it. You will need to know where your camera setting are and be able to change them in the dark with gloves on. You don’t want to spoil other’s images by using a flashlight to see the back of your camera every few minutes.

The most important thing to do in the field, is to take a test shot, magnify your capture and check for sharpness. Also, check your histogram.

Post processing for me starts in Lightroom. I work in the basic adjustment area and tweak it the best I can globally. Then, I bring the image into Photoshop, duplicate my layer, and bring it into Camera Raw (aka-back into LR) and make more selective adjustments. I add a bit of contrast, clarity and a small amount of dehaze— if needed but be careful with that adjustment as too much creates a vignette and adds noise and can create a garish look. I add noise reduction as most of these night images get a bit noisy. After I save my Tiff file, I create a jpeg then I sharpen the jpeg for the web. For the image above I had to use the Transform tool to straighten out the buildings as I pulled up on my lens too much. The lens correction in LR didn’t work as well.

*The aurora borealis is visible from areas around the Arctic but can on rare occasions be seen in part of the US. The lights are the result of disturbances in the magnetosphere. You can read more about them here if you like.

Join me in Lofoten, Norway in 2025 for my next Aurora workshop. JANUARY 31- FEBRUARY 7, 2025

Norway Trip Report

March 13, 2023

I just returned home from a fantastic trip to Lofoten, Norway. Lofoten is absolutely beautiful in the winter. I love the snow-covered mountains with soft arctic blue skies; there is a sense of peace to the scenery that is hard to describe. Aside from beautiful vistas around every corner, there is a night sky that can explode with color and dancing lights. Each night as the sun set we checked the weather for news of an aurora; It’s a thrill to even hear the words aurora.

During our visit we had a hell of a snowstorm on our first morning shoot. The situation was bleak as we pulled up to the beach area. With strong wind gusts and near blizzard-like conditions, we looked at each other with doubt.

What fun it turned out to be even though the photography was difficult. The mountains continually faded into the background and it was a true challenge. Not only did we have trouble just standing our ground, we struggled with our cameras and tripods. It’s amazing how hard every small task becomes with gloves on.

On one quiet, early morning we were treated to pink mountain peaks as the sun rose over an incredible cracked ice extravaganza. I told my guide the day before that it would be nice to get some reflections. Then I added that it would be nice to get some reflections with the cracked ice. Because he knew I liked pink morning light he said, “so you want reflections, cracked ice and pink light, right?” I answered of course, so you can imagine my face that morning…

My group and I stayed in traditional red fishing cabins that have been updated to accommodate tourists. It’s a small waterfront setting with a quaint Norwegian flair. These cabins are part of the charm of this tour. They are quite spacious with three en-suite bedrooms that are connected by a large foyer with a shared kitchen and living area.

During our visit we went to shoot the famous Hamnoy village scene from the bridge. It was darn cold! We also went to Reine (it’s not pronounced like it looks) for an incredible panoramic scene. We walked around Sakrisoy and shot some of the well-known scenes and hiked up a snowy hill for another overlook shot of the village. We ate at one of the local restaurants that is famous for their fish burgers. I had a pulled salmon burger- yummo!

In addition to the many peaks and beaches that we photographed we made time for things like a small red boat house in the snow, a church at blue hour, fishing cabins, harbors, and tide pools, and so much more…

On our last day in Lofoten- -jackpot! We hit the mother load with an Aurora that went on and on and even had the corona show above our heads. Epic is the word I’m using to describe that night.

As I reflect on my time in Norway I can’t help but look forward to my next visit. Our guides were knowledgeable, friendly, helpful and lots of fun to be with. We experienced a bit of the culture, tasted some of the local cuisine, saw many gorgeous landscapes and got some great shots along the way. What’s not to like…

All images shot with my Sony A 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera and Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 lens or Sony FE 24-105mm f/4, G lens. Manual mode and manual focus for most.

If you’d like to join my next adventure to Lofoten January 31- February 7, 2025 you can sign up or read about it here.

Japan Trip Report

February 27, 2023

January 29th-

I’m on the plane heading to Japan now. I’m anxious to get to the snow monkey park since I heard there has been lots of snow. I hope it doesn’t melt by the time I get there. Snow is a great backdrop for the monkeys. I especially like it when it snows while we are there, so fingers crossed.

I’m also hoping for snow at the crane sanctuary. The Red- crowned cranes are beautiful but a snowy background gives an artistic edge to the photos.

United airlines bumped me to one of their Polaris seats; I guess they didn’t sell out. It’s pretty comfortable up here in the front of the plane.

We arrived at our Japanese ryokan near the snow monkey park. Here we enjoyed some traditional cuisine and had a bit of fun learning about their customs. After 2 1/2 days with the snow monkeys, I’d say everyone got tons of great photos and really enjoyed themselves.

January 3rd:

We leave our traditional ryokan today and head to Hokkaido via a domestic flight. In Hokkaido we will photograph Red-crowned cranes, Whooper Swans, Ezo fox, Ural owls and more.

January 4th:

The day started and ended with sunny conditions, not so great for white birds. We left the crane sanctuary and opted to photograph the Ural owl which was tucked into a tree cavity in a shaded forest.

Dinner was fantastic as are all of our meals at the lodge. Our chef prepares lightly dressed salads and about four assorted side dishes and at least one main course and soup.

January 5th:

Another sunny day… more owl photography. We visited a marsh area looking for fox and some landscapes. We photographed most of our favorite landscape places as the light was better in those locations than at the crane sanctuary.

January 6th:

We got up early and photographed at the famous bridge with fog and hoarfrost. We left extremely happy as conditions were perfect for the cranes in the mist. We finished the day off with an afternoon shoot with the cranes.

January 7th:

We went to Lake Kussharo for the Whooper swans. When we arrived in the early morning we were treated to beautiful pink light and loads of hoarfrost covered trees. There was even an iceberg! It turned out to be a fabulous day with a visit to a famous ramen restaurant.

January 8th:

A morning shoot with the cranes followed by an afternoon shoot with the cranes.

January 9th:

We went to Rausu to photograph the Stellar’s sea eagles and White-tailed eagles on pack ice from a boat. Lots of pack ice and eagles!

January 10th:

Back to Lake Kussharo for an early morning shoot with the swans. We left and had lunch again at our favorite ramen bar then found four fox on snow covered hills. Three males trying to mate with one female, a couple of fox interactions and some lone tree photography rounded out the day.

January 11th: our last full day together. Crane sanctuary for an early morning shoot. We were blessed with snow. The cranes rejoiced and danced in the snow... it was a good day for all.

Long-tailed tit drinking from maple icicle.

My obsession with trees continues…

January 12th: we head back to Haneda and say goodbye to our fellow photographers and get a good night’s sleep before meeting our next group. I have included some images from both trips here.