5 ms·
Bird photographer of the year gives a lesson in planning and patience
- jhawk28 1y ago"Keeper of the Ashes" is my favorite of the pictures. Found the photographer is selling prints here: https://www.maximelegarevezina.com/en/tirage-gardien-des-cendres https://www.maximelegarevezina.com/en/tirage-gardien-des-cen... It's amazing that you can just see something that you like and then order it.
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- globular-toast 1y agoFunny that the print version has been photoshopped to move the vapour closer to the beak.
- close04 1y agoThe print is a different picture from the one in the submitted article. That looks like it could be a different angle (90deg) of the bird on the same burnt stump.
- closetohome 1y agoInteresting. Apparently the photo from the article is "Voice of the ash forest" (https://www.maximelegarevezina.com/en/tirage-voix-de-la-for%C3%AAt-brul%C3%A9e https://www.maximelegarevezina.com/en/tirage-voix-de-la-for%...) and the one linked above is "Keeper of the Ashes."
- dfxm12 1y agoThese are professional artists. Selling prints is a major income stream. It seems pretty normal to me.
- freetime2 1y agoThat winning photograph with the bird in front of the solar eclipse is really incredible. I wasn't sure if it was real or not (some photography competitions will allow composites stitched together in photoshop). But the photographer uploaded a video on YouTube of him taking the photo, and just looking at the environment (he's in a small boat off the coast of Mexico) you can see it really did require a remarkable amount of planning. And I think it is indeed a real photograph. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voTNPeHR7Jc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voTNPeHR7Jc
- regera 1y agoThanks for sharing, can't imagine how bird photographers devote weeks to plan for a single shot - may seem extreme. Being in the right location at the right time is the key. Wow! This skill is often underrated. World is moving faster than ever. Another underrated skill is quick-decision making.
- gyomu 1y agoFor anyone curious, the competition rules are here: https://www.birdpoty.com/rules https://www.birdpoty.com/rules "With the exception of HDR, stitched panoramas, focus stacking, and in-camera multiple exposures, composited images or AI-generated images are not permitted in any category. Sky swapping or removal of objects through cloning, for example, is not permitted."
- lofaszvanitt 1y ago[flagged]
- eru 1y ago> As an added plus: nobody cares how the photographer took the shot. On one leg, in a boat before eaten by a shark, whilst taking a dump, on top of an elephant, whatever. The photo must speak for itself. Just like you check a painting and if you like it at first sight, if it talks to you, then that's a good painting by your standards. So check the painting, do not read any added text. If it's good, it's good. If you need description, then it's not a good shot. Some people connect with the history and context of a piece. There's a reason the real Mona Lisa is worth considerably more than even the most faithful reproduction. Just to be clear: I'm not saying that _you_ have to care about context. Nor that caring about context is good (or bad). I'm just saying that many people do care about context.
- Zak 1y agoThis link seems worse than the original at https://www.birdpoty.com/2025-winners https://www.birdpoty.com/2025-winners
- geeunits 1y agoI find photographers have a particular knack of seeing 'just slightly into the future'. Almost like the eyes are constantly analysing environmental studies and able to form a sixth sense for patterns and predictability. Most notable would be Henri Cartier-Bresson who coined much of the concepts of 'the decisive moment'
- EvanAnderson 1y agoI'm sure there's a talent to it, but practice helps a ton. I'm certainly not comparing myself to Cartier-Bresson, but in the very specific type of photography I regularly shoot (youth sports) you learn the rhythm and patterns and what to look out for. I'd imagine street or wildlife photography is much the same. Patience, practice, and accepting that 99% of the picture you make will be crap.
- technothrasher 1y agoI’m not anything but an enthusiastic hack, but the 99% rings true. I’ve made a goal for myself to get just one photo I’m happy with of as many cat species in the wild as I can. It’s taken me about ten thousand shots to cross off lion, cheetah, and leopard. Going to shoot bobcats in California for four days in a couple months, and I suspect I’ll get lots of interesting photos, but I’ll be very lucky to get “the shot”.
- maverick2007 1y agoHave you ever shared "the shot"s you got of those 3 cats? Would love to see them if you have :) Best of luck with the bobcat!
- technothrasher 1y agoHere's the leopard one: https://imgur.com/9YkWlRf https://imgur.com/9YkWlRf
- pamelafox 1y agoOoo bobcats! I live in the bay area near Tilden Park, and I spent a while on iNaturalist trying to figure out where the bobcats hang out, as my 6 year old is very interested in wild cats. I realized sadly that bobcats are usually out at morning/evening, when we are not in the parks. Still used the bobcat stalking as an excuse to take a walk in Tilden today though. What's your approach to finding the bobcat locations for your shot?
- rukuu001 1y agoWildlife photogs feel a bit like magicians, in that no one would believe the level of effort required to get the result.
- SwtCyber 1y agoYep, wildlife photographers are just outdoorsy wizards with cameras instead of wands
- jacquesgt 1y agoLiron is an incredible photographer. Well worth checking out his instagram at https://www.instagram.com/liron_gertsman_photography https://www.instagram.com/liron_gertsman_photography He and another photographer recently did a project to photograph a bird in front of erupting volcano. I’m really looking forward to seeing that one.
- jacquesm 1y agoMy BIL is a wildlife photographer. One day he went into his favorite area to photograph the local Bison. He was as quiet as he could be moved into the terrain slowly and stopped every few minutes so as not to spook the animals. Only to be suddenly berated angrily that he was spoiling the shot... another, far more experienced wildlife photographer had been lying in wait there for days knowing the bison would have to head his way. In spite of that bad introduction they became fast friends. Wołkow has since died, he was one of a kind. I spent a night with him just looking at some of his slides, he found so much beauty.
- chromehearts 1y agoThis reads like a poem
- jacquesm 1y agoI can assure you that the words that Wołkow spoke were, while colorful, definitely not poetry ;) He'd been covered by a pile of leaves, had had bugs crawling all over him and then saw his perfect shot ruined. His talent for photography was apparently absolutely matched by his talent for the use of the Polish language.
- chromehearts 1y agoOf course, I just mean that your comment was written so beautiful. Like a poem
- SwtCyber 1y agoThat frigatebird eclipse shot? That's not just a lucky moment, it's a literal alignment of science, nature, and patience. You don't get that without obsession-level planning and deep respect for the subject
- weird-eye-issue 1y agoChatGPT
- YeGoblynQueenne 1y agoTitle is wrong. They're all human photographers. (pun only possible in English)
- hshdhdhehd 1y agoTitle is correct for about half the entries. Half are men. (joke only works in UK slang)
- Razengan 1y agoI love birds, birds are awesome, intelligent, and prime candidates for taking over the planet after primates and cephalopods, but they can be cruel motherfuckers (don't watch birds eating other birds on YouTube), just like humans I guess.