The PhotoWILD Podcast podcast | Listen online for free

Available Episodes

5 of 25

Episode 25: Photographing the Great Gray Owl Irruption and Mastering Depth of Field
Every few years various species of birds come spilling out of the far north into more southerly locations in mass. Most of these birds are specialists, species who are so finely tuned to life in the boreal and arctic world but whose survival rests upon finite food resources. In the far north, where the perils of winter dictate all, when natural boom-and-bust cycles occur, the populations of species as diverse as great gray owls, boreal owls, northern hawk owls, snow owls, black-backed woodpeckers, three-toed woodpeckers, pine siskins, white-winged crossbills, evening grosbeaks, and boreal chickadees, ebb and flow with those cycles. And when a bust occurs, when that food becomes scarce, these birds will make a mass exodus from their circum-boreal haunts by the tens of thousands in what is known as an irruption. This year, the winter of 2024/2025 has proven to be one of the biggest irruptions for both great gray owls and boreal owls in over a decade. And in Episode 25 of the PhotoWILD Podcast, Jared Lloyd and Annalise Kaylor discuss the science behind the irruption and how wildlife photographers can use this knowledge to set themselves up to photograph one of the greatest bird photography opportunities across the Northern Hemisphere. But just because the owls are easy to find, if you know where to look, doesn’t mean creating amazing photographs is easy. Secretive forest owls such as the great gray owl are some of the best camouflaged species on Earth. And making this species stand out from environment is one of the biggest challenges wildlife photographers face when working with these birds. https://photowildmagazine.com https://photowildworkshops.com
--------
1:02:42
Episode 24: Lessons from Predators and the Art of Concealment
In season one of the PhotoWILD Podcast, we talked about how we prefer not to use camouflage in the field, relying instead upon our body language and behavior to help keep animals calm. However, there are times in which camouflage is a necessity in wildlife photography. Whether it’s working with animals that experience hunting pressure or photographing sensitive situations such as nests and dens that require the upmost stealth and concealment for the protection of the animals, camo is a tool that should be used strategically. Not all camouflage is created equally, however. Most of it is completely useless for wildlife photographers. The vast majority of mass marketed camouflage works only inside of one extremely specific situation. Outside of this scenario, it works against you. In this episode we take a look at the art of concealment, how predators make a living by staying hidden from prey and how wildlife photographers can emulate the tactics of predators to get closer to wildlife. But to understand how and when to use camouflage first requires an understanding of how our subjects experience the world. Humans are unique in how we see the world around us. Very few animals see what we see. And to assume that what looks “good” to us will offer concealment from other animals is a recipe for failure in the field. https://photowildmagazine.com
--------
46:37
Episode 23: Tundra Swans and Mastering Birds in Flight
For birds, wind dictates everything Studying wind speed and direction can have dramatic impacts on your photography if you pair that knowledge with an understanding of light and your backgrounds In order to move beyond creating cliche and trite images of birds in flight, we have to begin exorcizing creative compositional strategies Sometimes the most beautiful images come about as we are forced to overcome challenges in the field Kicking off season 2 of the PhotoWILD Podcast, Jared and Annalise discuss spending a week immersing themselves in the world of tundra swans along the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Each winter, around 100,000 tundra swans descend upon this region after migrating from their breeding grounds along the edge of the Arctic Ocean and Bering Sea, creating one of the greatest wildlife spectacles of the eastern United States. The swan migration can offer wildlife photographers non-stop birds in flight opportunities with these visitors from the arctic each year. In season 1, Jared and Annalise discussed photographing birds in flight on several different episodes from how artificial intelligence is changing the face of flight photography, to rarely considered impact that contrasting colors have on the success of birds in flight. But mastering birds in flight requires so much more than just sophisticated autofocus systems and matching the background to the color of the bird. In fact, of all the many facets of this style of photography it is perhaps understanding the interplay of wind direction, light direction, and backgrounds that will do more for your bird in flight compositions than anything else. Bird in Flight Episodes from Season 1 Episode 4: Pelagic Seabirds in Panama https://www.photowildmagazine.com/episode-20 Episode 16: Artificial Intelligence and how it's revolutionizing birds in flight https://www.photowildmagazine.com/podcast/episode-16-artificial-intelligence-and-how-it-is-revolutionizing-birds-in-flight Articles The Best Lenses for Birds in Flight https://photowildmagazine.com/free-articles/the-best-lenses-for-birds-in-flight
--------
1:06:18
Episode 22: Understanding Wildlife Behavior is the Secret Sauce
Ethology is the study of animal behavior. As wildlife photographers, what could be more important to our success in the field? Things like autofocus systems and exposure, while important, are the most rudimentary aspects of the craft. The ability to create in-focus photographs that are properly exposed only means you are now able to properly use the equipment in your hand. This doesn’t translate into a compelling or beautiful photograph any more than learning how to hold a paintbrush and mix paints allows you to create the next great masterpiece. In this episode of the PhotoWILD podcast, we discuss animal behavior, the importance of educating yourself on the subject, and how understanding our subjects allows us to anticipate their behavior and set our selves up for success in the field. Understanding our subjects, their behavior, their ecology, what makes them tick, and therefore where we can find them and photograph them, is the secret sauce of wildlife photography. To put it simply, if you can’t consistently and predictably find and approach wildlife on their terms, then it really doesn’t matter how sophisticated your autofocus system is or how expensive your lens was because you are going to have a very difficult time being a wildlife photographer if you can’t put yourself in front of wildlife. While the importance of understanding animal behavior cannot be overstated, so to is understanding how our own behavior is being interpreted by animals. Every time we step into the field, forest, tundra, or whatever habitat or ecosystem you wish to substitute into this statement, we are entering into a two way conversation with every sentient creature within eye, ear, or smell (?) shot. This episode discusses all of this and more. And for that reason, it may be one of the most important episodes we have done thus far. PhotoWILD Magazine The PhotoWILD Podcast is brought to you by PhotoWILD Magazine, where we take the discussion in these episodes much further. If you are serious about your wildlife photography, if you are someone who realizes this is not just a hobby but a way of life, then PhotoWILD Magazine is for you. photowildmagazine.com Workshops Would you like to join us in the field? We offer small group hands-on field workshops designed to not only put you in front of incredible opportunities, but to help you take your wildlife photography to the next level. photowildworkshops.com
--------
1:03:25
Episode 21: Photographing Bald Eagles and why Manual Makes Everything Easier
Highlights Photographing birds in flight happens one of two ways: incidentally or purposefully. If you are serious about creating these types of photographs, then you need to set yourself up for success first. Eagles come together in huge aggregations based around the two primary driving forces on Earth: food and sex. It’s these aggregations that give us the best opportunity for photographing eagles, especially in flight. To be successful at photographing birds in flight, we need to simplify everything we are doing. Using exposure settings like aperture priority or auto-ISO sets us up for failure with birds in flight. Manual exposure makes everything easier. In Episode 21, Jared and Annalise discuss photographing one of the most iconic species of birds across North America: the bald eagle. Large, majestic, and one of the most acrobatic species of raptors in the Western Hemisphere, bald eagles spill out of the northern latitudes in the fall and winter as they follow their food sources south across the continent. Come late winter, the whole process happens in reverse. As such, bald eagles often arrive in mass aggregations that can total hundreds, if not thousands of these birds in different places. And one particular area of Alaska plays home to the second largest concentration of eagles in North America. After spending ten days photographing eagles on the wing, creating nearly 150,000 photographs each, your hosts discuss what it takes to return home with such high success rates with birds in flight. Cutting through all the confusion about best practices, Jared explains his methodology for simplifying the process to set yourself up for success. Want to Go Further? Manual Makes Everything Easier The Best Lens for Birds in Flight Want to join us on a workshop to photograph eagles? Epic Eagles of Alaska Mastering Birds in Flight In the upcoming Spring 2024 issue of PhotoWILD Magazine, we start our series of feature articles on Mastering Birds in Flight. From breaking down the best autofocus settings to field techniques that are guaranteed to significantly improve your success rate, this series will be a tour de force of all things birds in flight. Learn More
--------
52:48