I know Puffins like to get around holes near rocks and on the ground. Sometimes you find some of them pupping out of holes or near shade. For the subjects in direct sun, black and white is the best choice.
Photographing wildlife at noon - any tips?
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O
Well-known member
Nothing wrong with being a DSLR shooter LOL.
I would shoot raw and JPEG fine set up in mono, the raw file will still be colour.
a) i always shoot -0.7 ev as default in DSLRS even on my Z9 i had.
b) in this case i would shoot for the whites like i do for the surfing also in middle of the day.
Often this can go to -1
c) move of matrix and go to single dot exposure, this will prioritize exposure on the actual subject more than the whole scene.
d) do a couple of tests on a beach of shore line in the middle of the day
e) a club member took stunning puffin shots of the coast of Ireland on a old 70-200 F2.8 G and his loving D3S, he is 83, he had no issues with the whites and it was a sunny day ??
I don't know what his settings were or how he did it so there must be a way.
f) if you can sit and wait for them to come into land close by, your I Phone could also deliver great results as the shots are stacked
g) play with bracketing and -EV is another common option.
h) when surfing starts early and the sun is a back light making the subject darker, i usually move left or right till the back light is no longer an effect, often its about 45 degrees either way.
In the spirit if helping
Only an opinion
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Sounds like you are going to Alaska so there is always a good chance of cloud cover .But if it is not overcast, and you are shooting from a boat, try to get on the shady, or least sunny, side of the rocks that the puffins are on. The steep, craggy rocks can produce isolated areas of shade on themselves. Also, you might want to consider shooting bracketed exposures and edit accordingly when you get home.
@Fenrir '
Here some photos that I took last Summer in Newfounland, in the middle of sunny days, where the light was really very harsh.
I am going back again this summer. Using also polariser filter on your telephoto can sometimes help. These photos were taken without polarizer and you can adjust yourself to the conditions,, by negotiating an angle where you can avoid harsh shadow. as I did.
Of course, when I compare the photos I took for them in the golden hours, with the of harsh sunny day, there is a big difference in the quality of the image. We all know that the light makes big difference but there is always a way to take memorable shots in middle day sun, because at the end it is what your eyes see and the experience of the moment which it matters the most.
As Karen said before. if the conditions are not good, focus on enjoying the trip.
I also suggest for you, is to observe the group of Puffins who are still single and looking for a mate. These are the funniest birds you can watch. and witness their amazing behaviour. They will make you laugh and you won't forget these moments.
I spent last Summer 5 days with them, from the blue hours in the morning until the blue hours in the evening. All what we got is very sunny conditions. I Kept shooting all days, but also I took time, just to sit with a cup of coffee and watched these amazing birds.
Enjoy your trip.
Here some photos that I took last Summer in Newfounland, in the middle of sunny days, where the light was really very harsh.
I am going back again this summer. Using also polariser filter on your telephoto can sometimes help. These photos were taken without polarizer and you can adjust yourself to the conditions,, by negotiating an angle where you can avoid harsh shadow. as I did.
Of course, when I compare the photos I took for them in the golden hours, with the of harsh sunny day, there is a big difference in the quality of the image. We all know that the light makes big difference but there is always a way to take memorable shots in middle day sun, because at the end it is what your eyes see and the experience of the moment which it matters the most.
As Karen said before. if the conditions are not good, focus on enjoying the trip.
I also suggest for you, is to observe the group of Puffins who are still single and looking for a mate. These are the funniest birds you can watch. and witness their amazing behaviour. They will make you laugh and you won't forget these moments.
I spent last Summer 5 days with them, from the blue hours in the morning until the blue hours in the evening. All what we got is very sunny conditions. I Kept shooting all days, but also I took time, just to sit with a cup of coffee and watched these amazing birds.
Enjoy your trip.
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PhotoLover
Well-known member
In the area I live, shooting at midday during the summer, especially, the light is absolutely going to be horrible unless you have cloud cover. Strong direct light coming straight down, harsh shadows ... If you know how to manage that light, please tell me because I sure don't. I can get decent shots of things in shade, but if there isn't shade or cloud cover, there will be no good pictures in that situation.
And that's without heat distortion.
You go with the light you got, but I've found midday light almost uniformly difficult.
Doomrider74
Well-known member
I was in a similar situation last year when I did a boat trip to view whales and sea otters off Vancouver Island. VI Island in Spetember? Should be a little cloudy, at least, right? Wrong!! Bright blue skies with not a cloud in the sky was what I had. At that point you just have to accept you won't be taking anything that will get you in the pages of Nat Geo and enjoy the moment. It's doesn't mean your photos have to be throwaways, just not award-winning.
I still.enjoy looking back at those photos because of the experience.
I still.enjoy looking back at those photos because of the experience.
SCoombs
Well-known member
I can make no claims that any of these are the best pictures ever taken, but they're all what I'd say are worthwhile and usable, and all were taken in bright, harsh sunlight in the middle of the day. Several of them are from the summer, though not all. There's been a little bit of editing on some of these, but nothing that I think substantially changes the original scene. In any case, I'm not really sure what my point here is other than to show some examples of how harsh midday light can still be used for photos that aren't awful.
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PhotoLover
Well-known member
And I like those shots, but I find here ... let's see I mentioned in another post I was going to Texas, the area I live in is not Texas, but has often similar weather (hot, humid, etc). And in the summer at midday wow, I would have great trouble getting any pictures as good as the ones you have here. Maybe I'm doing something differently/wrong. It's the directly overhead harsh light that kills me. I'm not blowing the highlights, etc. They just look ... bad. It's almost impossible for me to get detail when the sun is coming straight down like that.
I take a lot of Heron pictures for example, and I truly have no idea how I'd get a shot as nice as the one you have there in midsummer taken mid-day with no clouds.
But doubtless there are tricks I don't know. I need to go back and look at the harsh light video somebody posted. I have read various things on how to deal with the problem. I will say it's much easier in the winter here .. the sun is not directly overhead and the light quality seems to be much better, plus the number of really awful hours is less due to the sun being lower in the sky.
EricKlees
Well-known member
I generally don't shoot from 10am till about 2pm the earliest unless it's overcast or straight up cloudy. I can play games and I'm post make it OK but never something i truly like.
I'm a also generally not a guy that posts questionable quality images and hide behind the "content over quality" caveat.
I'm a also generally not a guy that posts questionable quality images and hide behind the "content over quality" caveat.
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Turberticus
Well-known member
I refuse to take photos in harsh high overhead light. I find when the shadows are 1:1 (45 degree sun angle), that's my limit. Anything higher than 45 degrees and I personally run the risk of the beak casting a beak shaped shadow on the throat, shadows that can't be recovered, washed out colors, bright spots in the background, and more. Even if I have the sun directly behind me then maybe I can make it work, but to me that light just looks off and is nowhere near the same as overcast/bright overcast, or sunrise/sunset light. To those posting photos taken in harsh light, do you recall the sun angle or the date/time/location they were taken?
I think the op is getting good advice here. The only thing I'd add is that how a subject is lit has several elements all working together. Not just the sun. The position of the light source, the shape, angle, and position of the subject, and the position of the camera/observer. In the OP's situation he can't wait for the sun to change position, but he can wait (possibly) for the subject to occasionally be at a more favorable angle to the sun. Looking for opportunities where diagonal or horizontal positions rather than vertical might be interesting and less harsh. Also the op can change the camera position, maybe if the sun is not fully straight up a slightly back-lit angle can be found. So I'd say walk around a lot if given the opportunity, trying to circle a subject and experimenting with camera height, and be observant of how the shadows are falling. Life gives you lemons......
Awesome Shots! Lina, where at in New Foundland were you shooting.
Just a few tips I've picked up through the years:
It's not for everyone, but I avoid Auto ISO in bright contrasty conditions. I set up my Auto ISO setting with +2 compensation and use it for full shade - especially covering backlighting. I set my Manual exposure for full sun. The camera will ignore your Exposure Comp setting in Manual mode if you are not using Auto ISO. These settings are not perfect, but are a good starting point providing a full sun and full shade option. It also allows you to shoot manual and make a quick adjustment to Auto ISO when necessary and have a good exposure.
- Look for even light on the face of your subject - total sun or total shade. Avoid situations where half the face is in sun or one eye is in sun.
- Shoot tighter to avoid background distractions
- Choose a picture control or photo setting with less contrast - Neutral or even Flat. Shoot Raw.
- Use a Circular Polarizer if its sunny. Of course, this may not be available for all lenses. But it can make a big difference.
- Take advantage of any clouds or lower contrast opportunities.
- Always use your lens hood. Sun hitting your front element can cause artifacts and loss of contrast.
It's not for everyone, but I avoid Auto ISO in bright contrasty conditions. I set up my Auto ISO setting with +2 compensation and use it for full shade - especially covering backlighting. I set my Manual exposure for full sun. The camera will ignore your Exposure Comp setting in Manual mode if you are not using Auto ISO. These settings are not perfect, but are a good starting point providing a full sun and full shade option. It also allows you to shoot manual and make a quick adjustment to Auto ISO when necessary and have a good exposure.
Mitch
New member
Check Flickr as there are many Machias Island photos with exposure data, many great mid day photos. I'd be more concerned about bad weather, our trip was canceled last June during a 2+ week span of wind, fog, and rain. We will try again in July hoping for better weather as it's an expensive trip. We're experienced Maine visitors, but wouldn't normally go mid-summer, too crowded. Also, have you considered 3-5 shot brackets?
Thanks Ralph! It was at Elliston, Bonavista.
i remember last year you suggested many places to visit in Newfounland, specially for iceberg. I loved everything you and Karen told me to visit. I loved it so much being there last year. Even after spending 7 weeks there, it was still not enough for me. So we are going again this Summer. We will be leaving from Montreal on the 1st of July, going through Quebec province. Then Labrador, where we will spend maybe a week and after thst we will take the Ferry to Newfounland. We will spend the remaing time there until the 20th of August, where we will start our way back home. I know, you visited this Island two times ( I believe). If you want to visited this Summer, let me know, so we can meet somewhere there and photograph together.
they are a lot of opportunities for birds photography, and people there helped me a lot to find some species. Chris, who works at cap Sainte Mary, was amazing. I spent all 5 days from sunrise To sunset in horrible cold , wet weather and wind with the bird nesting. Chris, used to come and check on me and keeping me compagny. My Husband, would make the coffee and my lunch and hike the 2 km to get them to me. I was so spoiled and I loved that area so much. So I decided that this trip, I will spend at least 10 days, at Cap St Mary, at least a week at Elliston and the remains around the island.
i have a lot of memory cards, batteries and backup drive. So I photography from the fist ray of Sun until the last one. Even in harsh light I keep shooting, because sometimes opportunities present itself at any moment and I prefer to get the shot than not doing it. some shots, I take them for my own pleasure and I know I won’t share them with others. Not everything we take, we have to post it.
when I travel to places so special to me and see species, thst I rarely see it, I prefer to take advantage and take as much shots as I can.
hope to meet you one day Ralph and take care
Lina
Lina,
Sounds like you had a great time. It’s a magical place. Hopefully one day I’ll get back there and if I do I’ll keep you updated .
Flyboy
Active member
That's one of my Bucket List places and birds, but with advancing age and balance problems, not likely to happen! Reading the posts, it seems there is a great and unnecessary fear of broad daylight, Midday, no clouds and overhead light. 
Matrix metering (evaluative) is a real delight for most situations... but, most cameras have center-weighted options, with narrower fields of measurement. That will be a better option than Spot or matrix metering.
Like Eric suggested, take a CPOL, and FEAR Not! If your photeaux don't please you, there will be several that do. Perhaps use something like a gray card to set your exposure. Set your picture control before you start to shoot. Shoot some preparation shots beforehand. Standard might not be the best option, and when the action starts, you won't have much time to be fiddling with things! Something will work! Write down what that is, or you'll forget!
PRACTICE BEFOREHAND!
Find the nastiest, beautifulest cloudless summer midday you can imagine, and go out and shoot! After all, you are paying all that money for what may be the trip of a lifetime, soooo go prepared! If you can't find willing Seagulls, rent a stuffed one, or something similar.
Remember...WE ARE PHOTOGRAPHERS! We bend light to our will, confound our electronic masters, and overcome...most of the time!
Matrix metering (evaluative) is a real delight for most situations... but, most cameras have center-weighted options, with narrower fields of measurement. That will be a better option than Spot or matrix metering.
Like Eric suggested, take a CPOL, and FEAR Not! If your photeaux don't please you, there will be several that do. Perhaps use something like a gray card to set your exposure. Set your picture control before you start to shoot. Shoot some preparation shots beforehand. Standard might not be the best option, and when the action starts, you won't have much time to be fiddling with things! Something will work! Write down what that is, or you'll forget!
PRACTICE BEFOREHAND!
Find the nastiest, beautifulest cloudless summer midday you can imagine, and go out and shoot! After all, you are paying all that money for what may be the trip of a lifetime, soooo go prepared! If you can't find willing Seagulls, rent a stuffed one, or something similar.
Remember...WE ARE PHOTOGRAPHERS! We bend light to our will, confound our electronic masters, and overcome...most of the time!
O
Well-known member
Tend to agree somewhat, sometimes we anticipate issues that at times don't eventuate, or if they do there often easy enough to deal with.
Having good skill sets is what gets you out of so many challenging situations.
Only an opinion