NZPhotographer Issue 29, March 2020

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AUSTRALASIAN GANNET PAIR WITH FEATHER F8, 1/1250s, ISO200, 400mm Behind The Shot with Toya Heatley TOYA, TELL US ABOUT YOUR PASSION FOR PHOTOGRAPHY… My serious interest in photography started around 2004 when I got my first digital SLR. I have photographed many different genres since then and have developed a major passion for nature photography – in particular birds. I started a photographic blog in 2009 and it is still going today! I love a challenge and enjoy being out with nature, I find it relaxing and exhilarating at the same time. WHAT ARE YOU SHOOTING WITH? Since late 2018 I have been using a Panasonic Lumix G9 camera body teamed with a Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100–400mm for most of my nature and bird photography. I also have a second G9 body 4 NZPhotographer
which is teamed with either the 35–100mm 2.8 or the 12–60mm. I made the change to mirrorless to get around an issue I had with camera/lens weight vs arthritic hands. Having shed the heavy camera, lens, and monopod, I can now hand-hold and move around freely enabling me to capture many images I would have been unable to achieve prior to getting the Lumix G9 mirrorless system. TELL US ABOUT YOUR GANNETS PHOTO… I think the Australasian gannets are such graceful looking birds with so much character in their faces. I have been drawn to photographing them at Cape Kidnappers for many years now. During their nesting season, there is always a lot happening at the colony with birds coming and going, young birds growing from balls of fluff to fully fledged young gannets. On my most recent visit to the colony, I set myself a challenge to capture something different… When the male gannet returns to the nest, he will often bring a gift of seaweed for his mate. This is used for nest building and is only bought to the nest by the male birds. I was looking for this behaviour when I saw a gannet arriving with a feather instead. This met my challenge perfectly, so I spent the next few minutes trying to capture the perfect moment where the male offered the feather to his mate. I set the camera to continuous burst mode and continuous auto-focus allowing me to capture the moment while still being able to select the best from a series of images instead of relying on a single image. WHAT WAS HAPPENING BEHIND THE CAMERA THAT WE CAN’T SEE? One goal of the bird photographer is to shoot from as low as possible to their subject. Getting to ground level is difficult, if not impossible for me, so I am always looking for ways to achieve eye level without the need to get down low. I was able to walk down the track a bit which put me almost at eye level with the gannets while still standing. WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM TAKING THIS SHOT? The main thing I have learned from this image is that there is ALWAYS something new to photograph with a subject, even if you already have several thousand images of that same subject. Photographing gannets in a nesting colony makes it very difficult to isolate the pair you are trying to photograph. This is one area I am always wanting to improve on. DID YOU DO ANY POST-PROCESSING? I work in both Lightroom and Photoshop but I do very little processing of my raw images. I adjust the exposure to ensure I have good detail in the feathers and reduce highlights where necessary. I utilise the crop tool to assist in isolating the birds from their neighbours and because I am often seeking a fast shutter speed and often compromise on ISO, noise reduction is key. I use Topaz Labs for noise reduction as I find it the easiest to achieve the look I want, without having to spend too long on each image. WHAT ARE YOUR TOP TIPS FOR BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY? Be patient, learn your subject’s habits so you can predict their next move, and do not damage the environment in your excitement to get the perfect shot. It’s also vital not to stress the birds in any way – if you are still and quiet, they will accept you as not being a threat and you can get the shot you are after. WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT YOUR WORK? Most of my images are available as stock photos, prints or on canvas. I can be contacted via the website to discuss options. www.instagram.com/toyanzl www.facebook.com/digitalpixnz www.facebook.com/toya.heatley www.digitalpix.co.nz albums.excio.io/profile/Toya Heatley BEHIND THE SHOT IS PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY March 2020 5
Page 1 and 2: ISSUE 29, March 2020 FROM THE ROAD
Page 3: CONTENTS 4 6 10 14 16 22 28 32 41 4
Page 7 and 8: I also practice ICM (intentional ca
Page 9 and 10: VERSA TILITY MEETS AGILITY C A P T
Page 11 and 12: CITY SKYLINE FROM EAST BAY GARDENS
Page 13 and 14: LASER LIGHT SHOW AT MARINA BAY SAND
Page 15 and 16: Deliver a larger impact. BONUS Epso
Page 17 and 18: The first costume I created, for my
Page 19 and 20: I started off with a Viewbug accoun
Page 21 and 22: ARIAN really great results from the
Page 23 and 24: I packed light, with a small Canon
Page 25 and 26: EMPEROR PENGUIN VISITING SCOTT BASE
Page 27 and 28: REFRACTED PRESSURE RIDGES F10, 1/50
Page 29 and 30: F16, 4s, ISO64 the Sabine Track. Th
Page 31 and 32: F5, 1/100S, ISO64 Lake Constance wa
Page 34 and 35: NUGGET POINT NUGGET POINT, CATLINS
Page 36 and 37: MOERAKI BOULDERS MOERAKI BOULDERS F
Page 38 and 39: MILFORD SOUND MILFORD SOUND, FIORDL
Page 40 and 41: A Thriving Friendly Photo Community
Page 42 and 43: 42 Excio Top 10 VICKI FINLAY LAVEND
Page 44 and 45: 44 ANYA MOWLL LENTIL SKELETON POD
Page 46 and 47: Encounter in the Emerald Isles by B
Page 48 and 49: As we drove in to the parking area,
Page 50 and 51: NOW Introductory March 2020 offer -
Page 52: Mini 4 Shot Portfolio Our 4x4 featu
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Richard Young is a full-time landsc
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Born in Ireland but living in New Z
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Lucky to be based in the beautiful
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I lead a tech start-up that is dete
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PORTFOLIO BEST READERS' SUBMISSIONS
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AGE OF INNOCENCE F4, 1/125s, ISO400
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FATHER F2.8, 1/250s, ISO1000 Who ne
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FLIGHT F4.5, 1/4000s, ISO320, 200mm
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ON THE ROCKS F11, 4s, ISO100, 13mm
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HAZY DAYZ HAWKES BAY F9, 1/250s, IS
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WINDSWEPT MACROCARPA AT WAIPAPA POI
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RED READERS SUBMISSIONS Submit your
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CITY SURFING In this image, I am sh
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TREE TUNNEL Tunnel vision can alway
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NZPhotographer Issue 29, March 2020

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