If you haven’t noticed the 30-40 mph winds we’ve been having through much of Colorado, especially the Front Range, the past week or so, you really have been working too hard. As a nature photographer, I tend to dislike the wind. Everything is bouncing around, even your camera (beware your tripod doesn’t blow over). I like my trees, flowers and grasses to be still and sharp. But there’s another approach to photographing in the wind. Use the wind motion to create abstract images. Tim Fitzharris discusses this briefly in the April issue of Popular Photography magazine. It’s worth reading along with other points on making spectacular wildflower images.
American White Pelican
I’ve found another way to use the wind to my advantage—birds. They are heavily influenced by the wind, particularly the large soaring birds, like hawks, herons, pelicans, ravens, to name a few. I wouldn’t try it with small songbirds, but it can help with swallows flying at warp speed. I’ve found the marina at Cherry Creek State Park is good place to capture soaring birds. What wind does for you, is slow them down, provided that they’re flying into the wind. At times it can even hold them nearly motionless in the air. It gives you a little more time to compose and shoot some great shots. On the other hand, if they’re flying with the wind, they’re bullets.
Experiment a little and try shooting into the wind. You might be surprised at the results.
Enjoy,
Frank