Trogon Photo Tours

May 2022 - This month's newsletter is about creating compelling high key images.  It features images taken on our first Uganda photo tour earlier this year. 

This was from our first lodge in Entebbe near the botanical gardens.  These Black and White Casqued Hornbills were preening on an open perch right outside the entrance to our lodge after a rainstorm.  The techs for this shot were Canon R5, RF800 F11 lens, 1/640 at F11, iso 3200, Av mode, evaluative metering +2.7, handheld.  When I saw these birds preening, I thought despite the overcast conditions it would make a great image.  When working with a dark grey sky background you need to add a lot of light to what the camera is metering to make the birds bright enough.  The poses are great, black and white birds make for good subjects against a high key background.  I wish I had moved just slightly to the right to avoid the bit of out of focus vegetation in the foreground.  I did so but after I took this image and these were the best poses I captured.  

Here's another shot from inside the Entebbe Botanical Gardens.  There is a beach area on Lake Victoria in the park where you can photograph Kingfishers, Bee-eaters and water birds.  This bird wasn't really close but it perched in a nice flowering tree so I composed it to include the yellow flowers to add some color to the image.  The techs on this shot were Canon R5, RF800 F11 lens, 1/800 at F11, iso 3200, Av mode, evaluative metering +2.7, handheld.



After several great days of bird and gorilla photography in Bwindi National Park with sunny weather we headed to Queen Elizabeth National Park.  We found a pair of Ross's Turacos which were flying about the roadside as we were on a game drive.  I managed to get this one taking off calling.  I was using my 100-400 rather than my 800 as the 800 focuses too slowly on average for flight shots and I needed a fast shutter speed, going to F11 I would have had to bump the iso a fair bit to get the 1/2000 or so that I wanted.  So, the techs for this shot were Canon R5, 100-400 II at 400mm, 1/2000 F7.1, iso 3200.  I used a manual exposure metered off of sky adding light and shot it handheld out our safari vehicle.  I liked the drama in this one and seeing the beautiful red in the wings.   

Here's another take on the Ross's Turaco.  I cropped it to compose the bird small in the frame in the rule of thirds upper left corner.  I feel like the out of focus leaves on the right create balance for the bird which is small in the frame.  It also creates a kind of ethereal feel.  The techs on this one were the same as the previous shot: Canon R5, 100-400 II at 400mm, 1/2000 F7.1, iso 3200, manual exposure metered off of sky adding light.  

I was very excited to see this Grey Kestrel when we were on a morning bird photography walk near our lodge in Queen Elizabeth National Park.  Raptors are my favorite birds and I hadn't seen this species before.  It was an overcast day but brighter than during our stay in Entebbe.  So the techs for this shot were Canon R5, RF800 F11 lens, 1/800 at F11, iso 3200, Av mode, evaluative metering +2.3, handheld.  In terms of metering these shots and making adjustments against a bright gray sky background, with my highlight alert set on the camera I will take a look at the image on the LCD or in the viewfinder and try to get part but not all of the sky blown out.  If I am doing that, I will be able to recover the sky if I want and I should be getting a good exposure on the bird.  

We then proceeded to setup on the verandah of the Buffalo Lodge restaurant, we could photograph some birds on clean perches below against green and brown backgrounds but also some birds perched high up so they were still against a sky background.  This is a Speckled Mousebird.  The techs on this shot were Canon R5, RF800 F11 lens, 1/1000 F11, iso 3200, manual exposure, handheld.  I like this shot because of the graphic nature of the perch and the fact that it shows how Mousebirds will perch kind of precariously on higher branches.  I have another image where it looks like he is barely hanging on.  

Here's a Red-chested Sunbird that we also photographed from the verandah at Buffalo Lodge.  I cropped this one to include the ends of both the top left and top right branches to "frame" the bird.  The techs on this shot were Canon R5, RF800 F11 lens, 1/1000 F11, iso 3200, manual exposure, handheld.  I would add that with the R5 and the 800mm F11 lens I usually shoot at iso 3200 to make up for the F11 aperture which is the maximum aperture on that lens.  The iso performance at 3200 is still very good with the Canon R5.

The Long-crested Eagle was the most common raptor in Uganda, often perching on telephone poles by the side of the road.  I was able to catch this one taking off from a pole in the Kibale area.  The techs for this shot were Canon R5, 100-400 II at 263mm, 1/2500 at F8, iso 3200, Av mode, evaluative metering +2.0, handheld.  I like the full wing stretch and again black and white birds work well with high key shots.  

In conclusion don't be afraid to photograph against gray sky backgrounds.  It's still possible to often create compelling high key images by being aware of composition and picking striking subjects.