Wood anemone. Nikon D300, 105mm Micro Nikkor, 1/25 sec. f2.8, iso 200, mirror lock-up.

And here’s how I did it while photographing this chalkhill blue butterfly. There were numerous factors which forced me to use a relatively wide aperture. The proximity of the background and the nagging breeze. Chalkhill blues are tiny so, once again, it was essential that the focus was very accurate. Unlike the shot of the anemone where, due to the depth of the image, I didn’t have to parallel the camera to the flower, in this instance, I simply had to get the camera back completely square on both the vertical and horizontal axis, if I was to be certain of edge to edge sharpness.

CHalkhill blue butterfly. Nikon D300, 105mm Micro Nikkor, 1/25 sec. f5.6, iso 200, mirror lock-up.

After much jigging around of the tripod, I composed the image and got the camera as parallel as I could. I then activated  LV.

Using the + (magnify function), as if you were magnifying the image when reviewing, I zoomed all the way as far as it would go and then, using the scroll wheel, moved the magnified area to the head of the butterfly. With the lens on MF I carefully focused on the eye. When this was done, I scrolled to the tip of the wing.

If the wing required a focus adjustment, I knew the camera wasn’t quite parallel so, depending on whether the wing tip was closer to or further from the plane of focus, I would adjust the tripod accordingly. This exercise was repeated on all parts of the butterfly until I was happy it was pin sharp throughout. Now, if the conditions were perfect….still, background several metres away, I could have used a smaller aperture of, say, f16 and allowed a little for parts of the wing to be fractionally out of alignment since there was every chance the depth of field would have taken care of it. But, with such a wide aperture, you just can’t take those kind of risks. Once you are done with LV, de-activate it and, if you have it, use mirror lock-up. If you take a picture with a slow shutter speed of around 1/15 sec with LV activated, there is every chance your image will have signs of vibration, resulting in a soft image. There are few disciplines in photography more technically demanding than close-up. Technique, technique, technique. A photographer with inferior equipment using a solid tripod, utilising LV focus, mirror lock-up and a cable release will invariably produce superior results than a  photographer with the most up to date gear using a sloppy technique.

LV for landscape work can be equally useful. For the most part, AF works perfectly well on focusing on a specific spot that you want to be sharp. But, when light levels are low and the subject you want to focus on lacks contrast (AF lenses require contrast or an edge to lock-on), autofocus struggles! So, all you need to do is the same as above. Turn off AF and activate LV, magnify the image, scroll down to the part of the scene you want to focus on and do so manually. De-activate LV and use mirror-lock up. Simple! Below are a few more examples where I used Live View to be sure of accurate focusing.

Dungeness at twilight

Yellow iris at sunrise

Ox-eye daisy. Since the stem occupied more of the frame than the flower's head and, indeed, makes the composition, I felt it was more important to get that sharp as opposed to the petals.

Bluebell at dawn.

Female glow worm, glowing. LV really proved it's worth here in enabling me to focus accurately on the head of this insect.

The more followers I get, the more regular the postings!

My first one, here, is of a sunrise over Oare Marshes, in Kent, taken just a few days ago. It’s a spot I know well and have visited many times over the years. When planning the sequence I wanted it to run longer leading up to the sunrise than after since this is when you get the most subtle changes of colour in the sky. 10 minutes after it has risen, the sky just burns out and overexposes the image. You need to bear this in mind when working out your initial exposure. With the camera on a firm tripod, set everything to manual – focus, white balance, exposure – and, after reviewing your initial test exposure, underexpose it by a stop. This will then take into account the increasing light levels as the sun rises. If you don’t, you’ll end up with the final part of the sequence being washed out. It helps if you shoot RAW as it has greater tolerances to exposure than jpeg. This may sound obvious, but make sure you have enough card space for, say, 200+ images and that your battery is charged!  The camera (Nikon D300 and 12-24mm) was set to take a picture every 5 seconds for 30 minutes. The time lapse between each image will ultimately be dedicated by your subject and and how many images you can put on your card!

I then processed the images in LR 3 and PS4 (remembering that any adjustments to a picture must be done to all) and converted them to jpeg (1024×768). I put it all together in Windows Live Movie Maker with the frame transition set to 5 fps. WLMM really is a piece of cake to use. Trust me, if I can get my head around it, anyone can! I guess you can do the same thing in Quick Time. Ideally, I’d like to have it set to music or the various marsh birds calling. The latter seems to be more realistic, something I could do on a mobile phone to begin with, as opposed to the former where there are copyright issues. I’m very much a beginner with TL but I’m looking forward to a steep learning curve over the following months!

It’s great fun and I can see huge potential with all manner of subjects. I’m currently compiling a list of possible sequences which will, of course, be shown here and on facebook. By the way, if you haven’t already checked out my wildlife photography page, please do, as this is where I show my images straight from the camera, so to speak. You’ll find the link to the page just on the right.

Regardless of whether I take any images at all, it’s wonderful to be out overlooking marsh and estuary either as the sun is rising or setting.

Sunset over The Swale estuary

Barn owl at sunrise against The Swale estuary

For all images, except the landscapes, I used a Nikon D300 with a 300mm f2.8 adding, occasionally, a 1.4x tele-converter. The 300mm never focuses as quickly with the converter and I would much rather sacrifice image size over sharpness, anyday! Also, having a smaller image allows you to produce contextual images, showing the bird within it’s habitat as opposed to a frame-filler which may be more commercial but says little about the environment in which the bird inhabits.

Barn owl at sunrise. I set up my hide near this post where it duly perched on my first visit! I sat in the same hide for several more mornings without any further success.

One of my favourites. Just as it plunges to catch its prey.

This remote little church lies very close to where I photograph and I couldn’t resist a slight detour en route to the owls.

Harty church at dawn

Barn owl perched on hawthorn at dawn

An unexpected fly-pass! White sitting in my car I saw it land on a nearby oil drum. Not the most fetching of perches, I thought, so I just watched for a minute or two as it preened. I had the camera in my hand and when it took off it flew infront of and then beside me. This is full frame and out of the 6 or so shots I managed to get, this is the sharpest and with the best wing position. Sometimes, you just get lucky!

Nikon D300, 300mm f2.8, iso 800, 1/800 sec. f3.5.

This summer, I shall, once again, be doing a Photographing Nature workshop at Northward Hill RSPB, situated on the Isle of Grain in North Kent. As last year, a percentage shall be going to the MSEP (Medway and Swale Estuary Partnership). I have supported this organisation for a number of years now by doing photo walks during the Kent Coastal Week and supplying images for their twice yearly publication, The Mudlark. The principle behind them is to raise awareness to the importance of this region and “to address issues affecting economic, environmental and social well being of the estuary.”

The day will be a mix of classroom presentations and in-the-field photography where I will be going through such things as those camera settings that I regularly use as a professional photographer as well as covering metering modes, exposure, iso, composition and reading the histogram. With the aid of digital presentations, I will illustrate how to get close-ups of insects and flowers as well as the landscape. I will also illustrate how to get closer to birds and mammals through using hides and stalking. Post-processing techniques will also be touched upon.

Last years group, infront of a pop-up hide, on a very warm August afternoon.

As we are situated on a fabulous nature reserve we shall, of course, be putting many of those techniques discussed into practise though, it has to be stressed, photography of birds and mammals will not be possible as they are both too shy and elusive! However, there will be plenty of butterflies, dragonflies and flowers to aim our lenses at throughout the day.

A hoverfly species, superbly snapped by one of the participants, Chris Moncrieff.

Numbers will be limited to just 6 and are on a first come first served basis. Welcome tea and coffee will be provided.

If you would like to attend, please get in touch, either by phone, on 07939 117570 or email: rmcanis@msn.com

The first, below, was taken at Marden meadow, in Kent. It is one of Kent’s best remaining examples of unimproved hay-meadow where each May it is covered with thousands of green-winged orchids and adders tongue fern. I have visited this site many times over the years largely concentrating on small groups and individual orchids. However, I was never really satisfied as I felt that something more could be achieved in such a wonderful setting. So, for 3 consecutive mornings I rose at 3am and drove the 20 mile trip to the meadow. Each morning, there was a thick mist which slowly dissipated as the sun rose and burnt through it. All the while, a cuckoo would punctuate the silence.

It was shot using a Nikon D2x, 12-24mm at 42mm, iso 100, 1/8 sec. f16, 0.9 ND grad, Manfrotto 190 tripod, mirror lock-up. Processed in LR3 and CS4.

Green-winged orchids flowering on Marden Meadow, at sunrise.

And the second was taken on the North Kent Marshes, last May. I had noticed this isolated group on a dreary day a few days previous and so returned when the conditions were more favourable. The yellow, or flag, iris is not a common flower on the marshes so where is does occur, it really stands out from the surrounding green marsh plants.

I shot this image using a Nikon D2x, 12-24mm at 18mm, iso 400 (a higher than normal iso was selcted due to a nagging breeze), 1/5 sec f16, 0.9 ND grad, Manfrotto 055 tripod, mirror lock-up. Processed in LR3 and CS4.

Yellow iris, flowering on grazing marsh, at sunrise.

To see the winning and other commended entries, please click here.

After months of exchanging emails, we eventually came up with what we considered to be the perfect itinerary for the all-round nature photographer – 2 days bison photography, 1 day in Marek’s garden hide photographing birds and the other in the Special Protected Area of Bialowieza forest.

Joining me was Phil (who had already attended several of my workshops) and Paul (member of Malling Photographic Society) and we were eager for snow! The previous week had been exceptionally cold with temperatures plummeting to -30 and below and over 20cm had fallen. What we didn’t need was an overnight thaw!

On arrival, we were greeted by Marek’s driver, Stanislav, who would drive the 4hrs to Bialowieza village, where we would be staying. It was 3pm and as we stepped into the open at Warsaw airport, there was a real nip in the air, to say the least! Stanislav was a jolly fellow but unfortunately didn’t speak any English! No problem, the word toilet is a fairly international word! As we headed east, we kept track of the outside temperature on Stanislav’s dashboard….-7, -9, -10, -11. The snow became more and more prominent which buoyed our moods further.

We were greeted by Marek at the guest house, a lovely wooden building, and as we were the only ones staying there, we had the place to ourselves with a large double room each. It was warm and homely with tea and coffee making facilities. Perfect!

Our Guest House in Bialowieza

Those of you joining me next year will be relieved to hear that this is no longer in use! At -20C you wouldn't hang about, that's for sure!!

Shortly after arriving, we headed across the street, in crunching snow, to where we would have our evening meals and, also, breakfast on days 4-6. Breakfast for tomorrow and the day after would be packed so that we didn’t waste any time fussing over formalities. The days were short and we were eager to make the most of the conditions. Dinner was superb, as it was on all the evenings with our host making a special effort to give us something different each time. This was washed down with hot, fruity tea and at the end of the meal (after a cheeky request from yours truly) we had a glass, or two, of vodka! When in Rome we thought. The lady, Vera, had “improved” upon it by adding spices and the like and was far thicker and sweeter than normal vodka. Very moreish! As we tried to communicate with her I noticed how many of the words were similar to Czech and since I knew a spattering (my girlfriend of the last 7 years is Czech) we were able to get by and understood how pleased she was that we had asked for it. Usually, Vera said, when people come here they ask for wine or beer and I say no, I do not have wine or beer. This is Poland, we drink vodka! And so, every morning, after breakfast and after the evening meal, a small glass was poured for us and it’s true what they say, it really does help with the digestion! Vera prepared our packed breakfast and lunch at our evening meal so we were able to take it with us. Marek would be providing the hot tea and coffee.

Bialowieza

Days 2 and 3 – Bison
Sunrise was at 7 so we arranged for Marek to pick us up at 6, incase of wonderful, early morning light. Although Bison are huge animals (Europe’s largest) they are free to wander where they please and so sightings are not guaranteed. However, Marek lives here and knows the area better than any other and has, pretty much, 100% success. In the summer they are incredibly difficult to locate as they spend the majority of their time in the forest. In winter, however, high quality hay is put out for them in woodland clearings and fields to supplement their feeding in order to limit the natural death rate of the population and to reduce their impact on the forest vegetation.

Hay put out for bison

Due to the snow and cold (on average, -15 C) Marek had little problem in locating them in the fields and meadows, but were, for the most part, absent from the woodland clearings.

Our first morning was greeted with a fabulous sunrise

Bison tracks leading to the herd

Phil and Paul

Bison tracks at sunrise

It’s not possible to get that close to them, (they are wild, after all) with the exception of lone bulls, so a lens of at least 300mm was needed and a 1.4x teleconverter pulled them in further. We were lucky to have a range of lighting conditions from sunshine and cloud to colourful sunsets and in the case of the latter, hand-holding a 70-200mm enabled us to show the bison in relation to it’s surroundings.

Bison calf

Marek noticed the herd were making their way to the railway line, which they often crossed, so a a bit of a route-march was in order if we were to capture this unique moment. Fortunately, they paused long enough prior to climbing the embankment to the track, for all of us to get into position.

Bison crossing railway line

Very few trains use the line and the drivers are well used to keeping a look out

A herd of red deer appeared and so it was nice to get both species in the same shot

I then noticed a roe deer making it's way across the meadow, back into the forest.

Taken from Marek's vehicle, we had a few moments to get this close-up before it headed off.

With the sun setting and the light becoming more and more interesting, we spent a rather frantic 20 minutes or so getting various compositions with the day culminating in a beautiful sunset.

An alternative view, looking through reeds.

Bison at sunset

Our coldest morning, at -17C, made photographing a little tricky, at times. There was a bit of a breeze too which probably brought the temperature down closer to -20 and so, for a while, I would don a balaclava. The conditions and the bison made it very much worthwhile, however.

Equipment list
Needless to say, due to the cold conditions, clothing is an important factor to keep yourself warm and dry and a layering system of technical clothing, certainly works best. You don’t cut corners in these temperatures! Here’s a list of what I took.

Thermal base layer – Woolpower Merino leggins and top. The best. Quite pricey but you stay warm and dry and importantly, body-odour free!

Trousers – Winter lined Craghoppers. I practically live in these in the winter in the UK anyway! Windproof and partially waterproof and extremely quick drying.

Fleece top – Regatta, full-length zip winter fleece.

Jacket – Jack Pyke Hunter jacket. Wind and waterproof and a good length, preventing your back from getting cold. Silent too.

Footwear – Leather walking boots with thermal liner and 3 season walking socks. Feet stayed warm except during long periods of inactivity when cold would set in a little. It’s avery much a compromise between mobility and warmth and even Marek (who was wearing German made winter boots) was suffering from cold feet on a few occasions! Nothing serious though, you just stomp your feet and move a bit

Gloves – Arh, the age-old problem of keeping your hands warm but at the same time being able to adjust your camera’s controls. I wore tight-fitting thermal liners with Helly Henson mittens over the top which have a slit in the palm and thumb. You can’t beat mitts for warmth!

Hat – Just a standard thermal hat. it wasm’t windy at all, which made a huge difference. I took the balaclava with me and did wear it once. On the 2nd bison day when there was a bit of a breeze at -17. Very cold indeed when numb-face would set in!

Camera equipment
Nikon D300 x 2
12-24mm, 28-105mm, 70-200mm f2.8, 300mm f2.8, 1.4x tele-converter, SB800 fllash-unit (never used), polarising filter, Nodal Ninja panoramic head (forest scenes), cable release, Manfrotto 055 CL tripod with either Manfrotto B&S or video head.

I climbed the watch-tower to get this perspective of Marek "working" the bison.

Marek, Phil and Paul, photographing.

Your's truly, taken by Marek!

A red deer then appeared from the forest

Marek managed to find a herd in the forest which gave us a fabulous opportunity to photograph them within this habitat.

Day 4 – Marek’s garden bird hide

No need for an early start today so we did the civilised thing and ate breakfast at Vera’s house. And, what a treat! Pancake rolls, bread with cheese and meat washed down with tea and coffee and, er, vodka! What a perfect start to the day

Marek’s hide is roomy enough for 3 persons with camera bags and nothing quite prepares you for the sheer quantity and diversity of birds that come down to feed. Marek has put up lots of attractive perches and the whole spectacle can be viewed through large panels of one-way glass. Much better than squinting through mesh. There was also a heater which made the whole experience that much more comfortable and enjoyable.

Marek's garden bird hide

Greenfinch

Jay

We had our fair-share of these!

Brambling

Time just flew by! At first it must have sounded like rapid machine gun fire coming from this camouflaged wooden box but, after an hour or so, we all began to be more selective. Light was excellent throughout the day with most areas bathed in sunlight. My most used lens combination was a 300mm with 1.4x tele-converter attached which, with the D300′s crop factor taken into account, gave me a 630mm lens. Phil had the same set-up as me and Paul had a zoom which he found to be really useful as very often, jays would make an appearance. Here’s a list of what we saw.

Blue tit
Brambling
Chaffinch
Coal tit
Great tit
Great-spotted woodpecker
Greenfinch
Hawfinch (the star of the show as far as I was concerned!)
Jay
Sparrowhawk (flew through twice)
Tree sparrow
Yellowhammer.

Mid-way through, Marek, invited us into his home for a coffee which also gave us the opportunity to look through his new coffee-table book – Poland Nature. The book is a testament to his patience, determination and skill as a nature photographer and even a quick browse will give you an idea as to why he is one of Poland’s most respected photographers in this field. We each bought a signed copy as a memento of our stay (and to help Marek pay for the many kilo’s of bird food!) and I suggest if you don’t want those poor little birdies to starve, you will do the same! Also, the pictures are REALLY good! After coffee, we returned to the hide and continued for a further couple of hours until the light was too low to continue. A thoroughly enjoyable day and a nice break from bison tracking.

After dinner, we strolled around the village. It was -20, or thereabouts, so all layers were once again necessary! Bialowieza is a delightful village made up, for the most part, of small wooden houses, typical of that area. Quiet and unassuming. This is all part of it’s charm. One thing you do notice is that even though the roads are compacted snow and ice, everyone still gets around. Cars don’t doodle. Everything carries on as normal. It was quite a shock coming from a country where a centimetre of snow creates havoc and becomes the number 1 news story! we looked around and photographed the Russian orthodox church and then a walk into the park led us to it’s lakes where we couldn’t resist taking pictures as the sun set.

Russian Orthodox church

The ice was thick enough to walk on, which Phil and I tested!

Day 5 – Special Protected Area
Aside from the bison, my defining memory from my first visit was of The Special Protected Area or SPA. Although Bialowieza National Park covers an area of about 105 km.sq; much of this is managed with smaller protected areas within. The finest part is the SPA, a truly spectacular forest covering an area of 57 sq.km. An untouched, primeval forest, the largest and finest of it’s kind in lowland Europe. Massive, several hundred year old oaks and spruce stand 50 metres plus tall as a result of the nutrient rich soil. A stunningly beautiful, yet eerie, place where no forest management takes place and the only means of transport within the forest is horse and cart. Where trees fall, they remain and, should one fall across a path, it is cut by handsaw and dragged aside by horse. Among the tangled vegetation and fallen, decaying trees, wolves, lynx, boar and bison roam. Black storks, lesser-spotted eagles and all 10 species of woodpecker exist within this area, not to mention the endless list of flowers, fungi and insects.

Entrance to the Bialowieza Special Protected Area

A full day was set aside for this. There is no way you can appreciate and do the forest justice with your camera in a couple of hours. We had uninterrupted blue sky all day. In total we walked in the region of 7 km but with frequent stops for photography, we barely noticed it at all. The silence was deafening, occasionally punctuated by the sound of a woodpecker drumming on the enormous trees which echoed through the forest. The highlight was when Marek took out his bird call recorder and played that of a middle-spotted woodpecker. Within moments it flew to the top a nearby tree and bagan drumming which it did with such intensity that it caused the snow on it’s branches to fall! A really funny and wonderful sight.

The size of the trees was quite staggering!

Yet to be identified. Snow acts as the perfect reflector!

Taken using a Nodal Ninja panoramic head. Five upright images were then stitched together using Ptgui software.

Marek and Phil. Phil described the forest as "like a fairytale."

The gang! Infront of Bialowieza's tallest pine.

Spot the guide!

The sun was still shining as we left the forest and so we took the opportunity to shoot the snowy landscape and distant birches.

Our day and, indeed, the trip, ended with Marek taking us to a local restaurant where we enjoyed a relaxing meal washed down with a glass of cold Zubr (bison) beer. Warm and friendly, it was the perfect way to round up an exceptional 6 days.

I am leading two back-to-back tours next year, with the same itinerary. The first is already full but I have vacancies on the second, being February 9th to 14th. For more information, please see here.

Testimonials
Here’s what Phil and Paul had to say about it…..

“If you are interested in photographing Wild Bison, numerous bird species, in an unspoilt, rural and remote location then a photographic tour to Eastern Poland with Robert Canis is the place to go.

I have just returned from a six day tour with Robert to this wonderful area. The tour included primeval forests, which have been untouched for around 150 years where you can experience total silence. Here you will find giant Oak, Spruce and Hornbeam; when they eventually die and fall this is where they lay, so providing decaying matter for insect life and small animals on which to live.

Organized by renowned UK based wildlife and nature photographer, Robert Canis, the trip was very well run, with maximum photographic time spent on various locations. For this tour Robert teamed up with Polish photographer and botanist, Marek Kosinski whose guidance and expert local knowledge of the areas visited ensured the best photographic opportunities. Finding wild Bison in vast meadows or inside the forest is no mean feat, but with Marek as a guide we were soon able to find and photograph these magnificent animals.

Once again many thanks, my memories of Bialowieza will remain with me.”
Phil Drury

“Just a few lines to say how much I enjoyed the 2012 Bison workshop in Poland.

Organisation in both countries, by Rob and Marek, faultless, everything through flights / accommodation / meal arrangements to our local expert / guide / photographer in Marek Kosinski – I would find it difficult to propose any changes that would improve the experience. The only problem (or challenge if you refer) being getting photo kit through the carry on check in limits!!

Every location visited resulted in an opportunity for capturing either the Bison or some stunning winterscapes – a testament to Mareks’ knowledge of both the Bison and area.

Jumped in feet first with this workshop – not having attended a previous workshop, or spent a serious amount of time doing wildlife photography, but will almost certainly book some future workshops.

Nothing was too much trouble for either Rob or Marek. Be warned tho’, Robs enthusiasm can be infectious……..”
Paul Davison

The Following is a testimonial I received from the last workshop. No money exchanged hands!

“Robert, can I thank you for a great day yesterday.  You answered all my questions and a lot more, giving me a confidence boost in progressing with my photography aspirations.  You have given me lots of ideas and I feel now that birds and wild life will be my main focus for some time to come. I thought your workshop was excellent and pitched at the right level and which was echoed by the other guy’s in the group.” 
Will Pickles 

A full trip report with lots of images will be up soon but, for the time being, here’s one of bison crossing a railway line. A very special encounter, indeed.

European bison

I am running back to back winter tours next year. The first date is already full but I have places available for the 2nd, being February 9th-14th. Click here for more information.