Category Archives: Photography

Sweet Spots: Salines de l’Aéroport

The airport pond in Grand Case has a lot going for it. Although large areas have been filled in, it is still a big pond with large mudflat areas and it attracts a lot of birds. One reason I love it so much is that it’s close to home for me. I can pop by …

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Bird Watch: Sweet Spots

This week in the Bird Watch SXM column we look at some of the top spots for photographing birds on the island. On the blog we’ll be looking at these featured spots in more detail, as well as some other top spots around the island that you won’t want to miss!

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One with the Flock: Mixed Flocks

Single-species flocks can be great, but mixed-species groups can be wonderful, too. Perhaps I am late to this realization because I have often been focused on documenting each species individually. Anyhow, I don’t really have advice other than to embrace odd couples and motley crews. The odd man out may be the true star of …

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One with the Flock: It Takes Two (or Three)

Dynamic duos are some of my favorite bird photos. It’s the smallest group of birds possible, which makes composition more manageable. The pair can be together, evoking a couple (and sometimes they probably are a pair, or a parent and child). They can also be separated to fill out the frame. As a photographer, you …

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One with the Flock: Center of Attention

In a great group photo one bird will stand out as the center of attention. This is probably because the photographer picked that bird and built the shot around it. Choosing a single subject as a focal point works for groups from a few birds to dozens of birds. Once you get to hundreds of …

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One with the Flock: Enhance!

Did the title “Enhance!” make you think about those police/spy TV shows where they can zoom in on a blurry photo of a parking lot and read a license plate? Good, because that’s basically what I’m thinking about. A big group of birds gives you lots of composition options, and it’s usually worthwhile to try …

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One with the Flock: Spray and Pray

Whenever I am photographing birds, I take lots of photos. Even if it’s a bird sitting totally still, I may take five of the exact same shot because I’m usually near the limit of my equipment and often one of those five is going to be sharper and clearer than the others. Then I might …

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Bird Shots: One with the Flock

Another week, another Bird Shots column for The Weekender. This week, we take a look at group photos and how to make them work. They can be the hardest bird photos to take, but are often the most wonderful as well. Stay tuned right here for additional …

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The Second Subject: Conservation Messages

If you’re lucky, when you’re photographing birds you are enjoying nature and break from the trials and tribulations of the human world. If you’re on St. Martin, when you’re photographing birds, you are probably trying to find an angle where there’s no garbage in the frame. Sometimes, though, it is important to capture the mess …

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The Second Subject: Conservation Messages

If you’re lucky, when you’re photographing birds you are enjoying nature and break from the trials and tribulations of the human world. If you’re on St. Martin, when you’re photographing birds, you are probably trying to find an angle where there’s no garbage in the frame. Sometimes, though, it is important to capture the mess …

read more