3 ms·

There are lots of "lies" told with fine art photography. I'd see a photo of a cool bird in an awesome tree and wonder how long the photographer had to wander a

There are lots of "lies" told with fine art photography. I'd see a photo of a cool bird in an awesome tree and wonder how long the photographer had to wander around the woods to get close enough to a bird to photograph it that well. Then I learned the trick was to cut off a branch from a nice tree and put in on a tripod near a bird feeder with another large photo as the background. I use a similar technique with macro photography, bringing bugs into my kitchen and creating a small scene for them. Yet, even when I tell people how they were done, they're still impressed. And I'm still impressed by good bird photos, as well as photos taken with many other "tricks" I've learned. But I think there's a clear difference in what Lik has done here and all of the other styles of tricks. It doesn't have anything to do with "in camera" vs. Photoshop. I can take an impressive photo of a spider standing on a sheet of paper, the scene I set up is more to avoid adding distracting things into the photo rather than to "lie" to the viewer. Also, virtually every photo you've seen of the Milky Way with a clear foreground view is a composite, but it's a composite of at least one, possibly two impressive photos that could stand on their own. When you look at Lik's photo in the linked article, the individual photos are completely unimpressive in every way. The only thing that makes them impressive is the composite. The reality of it is, any rank amateur could have produced that photo. And I think that's way so many more people consider this type of "lie" worse than all of the other "lies" that appear in all types of photography.

ksk 9y ago
> I'd see a photo of a cool bird in an awesome tree and wonder how long the photographer had to wander around the woods to get close enough to a bird to photograph it that well. Then I learned the trick was to cut off a branch from a nice tree and put in on a tripod near a bird feeder with another large photo as the background. I have never heard of any photographer ever needing to do that. Could you please elaborate? I, as an amateur photographer (like really really amateur) can easily manage to shoot birds super close up. https://photos.app.goo.gl/hIhzs4WDhiBM0smE2 https://photos.app.goo.gl/hIhzs4WDhiBM0smE2
- gmiller123456 9y ago
  You've got some good shots, but they're a bit grainy when you zoom in. With a staged scene you can use a flash or use the position of the Sun to make sure you have enough light so things don't turn out so grainy. I just Googled "Bird Photography Setup", and all of the top links had plenty of info about how it's done. Below is a video from a local (to me) guy, I learned of the technique from a colleague of his who he does workshops with. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeKEEUBMHyY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeKEEUBMHyY
  - ksk 9y ago
    >You've got some good shots, but they're a bit grainy when you zoom in. That is because I have a cheap lens and don't use a full frame camera. It's as simple as that. My camera has twice the noise of a professional full frame camera. And using a professional lens would mean I can lower my ISO further reducing noise. I have shot with a 500 F/4. Its incredible, but I can't justify buying a $9000 lens. >With a staged scene you can use a flash or use the position of the Sun to make sure you have enough light so things don't turn out so grainy. Sure, but that doesn't require a staged scene. I would just hang out with the setting/rising sun behind my back and shoot in a narrow 30 degree arc of where the light is the best. To your point, yes staged _anything_ is easier than spending hours finding the perfect shot. But I don't think what you're saying is indicative of how a professional or amateur bird photographer goes about producing their work. One other thing, rare birds don't just hang out in your backyard,, you have to go to them - they don't come to you - making staged photography almost impossible.
    - gmiller123456 9y ago
      If that works for you, great. But I can attest that this absolutely is a method used by many professionals. I've since met dozens of people who make their living off of photography who use it. For birds that don't come to bird feeders, there are other techniques. E.g. if you want to shoot bald eagles, you can go to lock and dam 14 on the Mississippi (Le Claire, Iowa). People use slingshots to shoot fish out into the river so the eagles will dive in close. There are forums for birding groups to post where rare birds have been spotted hanging out. Photographers will "flock" there and bait the birds to get a shot. So, a bit of a combination of going to the bird and bringing it to you. For a hobbyist, spending hours out in the woods, to maybe get a shot, maybe in descent lighting, might make for a fun, relaxing way to spend some time. But people counting on getting shots for a living are going to use whatever methods make them efficient. The "honest" photographers will get beat out of the market by competition.

ksk 9y ago

> I'd see a photo of a cool bird in an awesome tree and wonder how long the photographer had to wander around the woods to get close enough to a bird to photograph it that well. Then I learned the trick was to cut off a branch from a nice tree and put in on a tripod near a bird feeder with another large photo as the background. I have never heard of any photographer ever needing to do that. Could you please elaborate? I, as an amateur photographer (like really really amateur) can easily manage to shoot birds super close up. https://photos.app.goo.gl/hIhzs4WDhiBM0smE2 https://photos.app.goo.gl/hIhzs4WDhiBM0smE2

gmiller123456 9y ago
You've got some good shots, but they're a bit grainy when you zoom in. With a staged scene you can use a flash or use the position of the Sun to make sure you have enough light so things don't turn out so grainy. I just Googled "Bird Photography Setup", and all of the top links had plenty of info about how it's done. Below is a video from a local (to me) guy, I learned of the technique from a colleague of his who he does workshops with. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeKEEUBMHyY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeKEEUBMHyY
- ksk 9y ago
  >You've got some good shots, but they're a bit grainy when you zoom in. That is because I have a cheap lens and don't use a full frame camera. It's as simple as that. My camera has twice the noise of a professional full frame camera. And using a professional lens would mean I can lower my ISO further reducing noise. I have shot with a 500 F/4. Its incredible, but I can't justify buying a $9000 lens. >With a staged scene you can use a flash or use the position of the Sun to make sure you have enough light so things don't turn out so grainy. Sure, but that doesn't require a staged scene. I would just hang out with the setting/rising sun behind my back and shoot in a narrow 30 degree arc of where the light is the best. To your point, yes staged _anything_ is easier than spending hours finding the perfect shot. But I don't think what you're saying is indicative of how a professional or amateur bird photographer goes about producing their work. One other thing, rare birds don't just hang out in your backyard,, you have to go to them - they don't come to you - making staged photography almost impossible.
  - gmiller123456 9y ago
    If that works for you, great. But I can attest that this absolutely is a method used by many professionals. I've since met dozens of people who make their living off of photography who use it. For birds that don't come to bird feeders, there are other techniques. E.g. if you want to shoot bald eagles, you can go to lock and dam 14 on the Mississippi (Le Claire, Iowa). People use slingshots to shoot fish out into the river so the eagles will dive in close. There are forums for birding groups to post where rare birds have been spotted hanging out. Photographers will "flock" there and bait the birds to get a shot. So, a bit of a combination of going to the bird and bringing it to you. For a hobbyist, spending hours out in the woods, to maybe get a shot, maybe in descent lighting, might make for a fun, relaxing way to spend some time. But people counting on getting shots for a living are going to use whatever methods make them efficient. The "honest" photographers will get beat out of the market by competition.