[frogoutofwater]

I have signed up for a day trip to Long Beach Island (NJ) this week for a bird photography workshop. The weather should be a fair bit warmer, thankfully, than it is right now (closer to +10C instead of -10C) and sunny as well. The workshop is for "intermediate and above" photographers (but those who are relatively new to winter wildlife photography). Apparently, we have a hike of about a mile over icy/wet ground to the photo shoot location.

I've done a fair bit of animal photography (but mostly larger and slower animals, like dogs and cats), so wildlife photography (especially in the winter and in a group setting) is a rather new experience for me. I have read some books and articles on wildlife photography, bird photography and winter photography - and I've found some threads on this forum very helpful for these topics. So I'm not looking for someone to write "intro to bird photography" for me - you all have better things to do and I can do some more research on my own.

But I would love to hear your top tips (1 or 2) for such an event - the "I wish someone had told me x before I made an idiot of myself and potentially ruined my or someone else's experience" tips. And these can be related to photographic technique (e.g., which AF settings you use in certain situations and why), to the more practical, technical aspects of an expedition in these circumstances (e.g., keep your spare battery in a pocket so it stays warm), to the logistical (don't forget toilet paper) to etiquette matters (how not to disrupt other photographers).

Thanks!

[TER-OR]

I prefer center point focus for birding, and you will sometimes need to focus on a branch or something if the bird's moving around. Keep your aperture closed down to get a good depth of field and your shutter speed as fast as you can while keeping your ISO in a comfortable range. If your goal is documentarian, let the ISO go high. If your goal is getting a stunning set shot, keep it lower.

Little hand warmer packets are very useful for keeping that spare battery and your hands warm. Bring plenty of tissues, too. Nothings worse than the running nose.

If it's going to be icy, get some grippers for your shoes. They can prevent serious injury, and you'll make everyone jealous.
These are outstanding:
Kako ICEtrekkers Diamond Grip Traction System at REI.com

[Miguel]

Been there, done that. Birders are really friendly so things should go easy.
1. Bring a good pair of binoculars so you don't have to bug folks for a peak.
2. Do some homework on the birds you expect to be seeing. That way it will take you sooner to know what folks are looking at if they refer to birds by name. Reading up on their behavior helps predict their movement too. Get a good guidebook or download an app to your smartphone if you have one. I like Sibley's; my wife likes iBird Explorer.
3. Wear appropriate clothes and footwear; maybe bring a thermos of hot whatever in your pack.
4. When everyone is looking at birds in one direction, look in the other.

M

[jimr-pdx]

Not to be an Eddie Bauer salesman but I received a USB handwarmer from there for Christmas - no more butane or disposable packs, hooray! They also sell Yak-trax or something like that, similar to the ICEtrekkers that TER-OR mentioned.

As to tips, always watch the background for bright or dark areas that fool the metering. If you have a big lens, spot metering could help.
And don't shout really loud when you see a bird (that's what an idiot like me would do, I fear)

[normhead]

The biggest thing outdoors, in the cold, is dress warm, I bought one of those big heavy pair of pair of hunter's pants camouflage and everything. If you do layers, I usually go out in sweat pants under lined pants outerwear. I want to make sure that if I crouch for a shot I can hold position for 10 minutes even if I'm kneeling in the snow. Get some Grabber Warmers, and take them for your boots and mitts. Wear a big oversized pair of felt lined boots that come at least half way up your calves and squish some activated Warmers up into the toe. Wear a thin pair of gloves inside your mitts to separate the warmers from your skins. Activate the warmers before you leave. Being able to warm up cold fingers is absolutely essential. Wear over size mitts attached to your jacket to hold the wamres that you can slide your hands into and out of easily. I wear a photographers glove on my right hand, with a thin wool glove and Warmer inside it. That will let me work in even the coldest weather without having to put my hands in and out of mittens.

My gloves are pretty thin, I can press the shutter release without opening them up. But if needed I can pop the top off my index finger and thumb without removing the glove, meaning my hand is always covered even if the finger aren't. IN cold weather there absolutely have to be warmers inside these gloves. There are also electric gloves available.

Wear enough clothing that you'll need to unbutton your coat while walking. When you get to where you're going to shoot you won't be keeping yourself nearly as warm, so zip up as soon as you stop walking.

Anyway, that 's how I approach these things.

You also might want to research what shooting mode you plan to use. Audiobomber posted his BiF settings in thread a while ago. I set my camera up in front of the computer, and they worked well on my Snowy Owl images, but i can't remember exactly what they were. I'll have to look them up again before next time I go out.

[frogoutofwater]

These are wonderful suggestions already! Thanks very much, and please keep them coming.

Initially, I was worried that it was going to be super-cold, but now that the forecast is for temperatures around 8-12C, I'm not sure how warmly to dress. (I'm used to getting dressed in cold weather to run a race, which means you wear less clothing than you're inclined do so that you don't overheat when you run. I imagine the opposite applies in this scenario. As a Canadian (with some Inuit heritage - and a former figure skater), I can handle the cold fairly well, so I'm thinking of wearing:

- fleece-lined Travex pants from Eddie Bauer (they're not water-proof but they are water-resistant and quick-drying), but no long underwear
- wicking long-sleeve running shirt (but not a winter-weight one) (with another fleece layer in my bag in case I get cold)
- light blue/grey knee-length down parka (which has a hood), which I can unzip if it gets too hot
- wool socks
- Hunter Rain boots, which have pretty good grips on the soles (I can also bring my Yak-Traxx in case I need them)
- some kind of glove/mitten layered combo as others have suggested
- ear muffs

I have some decent binoculars but interestingly, I'm finding them hard to use. I have nearly monocular vision and being forced to look through binoculars is disorienting. Although both eyes work, I tend to use only one eye at a time - as a result I have limited depth perception and can't see well enough to drive. For that reason, I doubt I'll ever be a good bird photographer (but I can still have fun, right). If I get into this kind of activity, I wonder if I'd be better off getting - I don't even know what to call it - "monoculars"? A tiny telescope? In the meantime, maybe I can just close my left eye.

[TER-OR]

A nice monocular is great for birding. If you can use your non-dominant eye to keep track of the motion you will be able to switch to your dominant with the monocular. Plus, many are easily pocketable.

[gmans]

Take a plastic Poncho or similar, keeps the rain and wind out and can go over your backpack/camera gear. maybe used as quick set up hide as well.

[boriscleto]

Whatever lens you take you will want it to be at least 100mm longer, if not 200mm.

Just make sure that whatever lens you take you can move. Otherwise you will end up standing in the road taking pictures of the same Red-headed Woodpecker that's been photographed thousands of times all summer...

[rbefly]

I'll just throw this idea out, maybe the dedicated birders will shoot me down, but oh, well.
The few times I've tried wildlife and birding, it was with my measley 80-200mm f/2.8 and a 100-300mm zoom, not nearly long enough, I agree. But it's all I had.
What I found is that, for those smaller and lighter lenses, I much prefer a monopod to a tripod. It was way easier to turn, adjust, correct the angle and follow movement, for me. Even compared to a decent ballhead on a tripod, I felt much more comfortable in a variety of situations.
It also makes a handy walking stick and is much lighter!
JMO,
Ron

[Miguel]

I don't even know what to call it - "monoculars"? A tiny telescope?

It is called a spotting scope and is used by birders and hunters all the time. The pricey heavy ones are used on the same tripod a telephoto lens would go on.

My wife and I found these too big to take on hikes or backpacking trips, especially since I'm shlepping a heavy telephoto lens and camera anyway. So I purchased her the Nikon ED 50 Fieldscope which is amazingly high optical quality and small enough to carry on a belt and under $600. They come in angled and straight body types. Since she was not going to use it with a tripod, we chose the straight body--which works great with a monopod. With your vision condition, I would highly recommend you check these out.

M

[frogoutofwater]

Whatever lens you take you will want it to be at least 100mm longer, if not 200mm.

Just make sure that whatever lens you take you can move. Otherwise you will end up standing in the road taking pictures of the same Red-headed Woodpecker that's been photographed thousands of times all summer...

Ha, yes. Good point. Although at this stage in my bird photography hobby, almost every bird is new and exciting. Even pigeons:

[sholtzma]

There are, of course, also foot warmers, such as chemical packs you can put in your shoes. If you need them....

Be sure to let your camera and lens(es) adjust to the cold BEFORE you go on the hike, so you aren't dealing with fogging while trying to photograph birds.

If it is going to be sunny, you might want something to allow you to see your LCD. I carry a Hoodman (sp?) device that allows me to block out the outside light and see my LCD screen. Your hand does not always work.

This might be a good opportunity to rent a long lens for a day, something you have always wanted to try.

If it is going to be windy, your gear on a tripod might be at risk of blowing over. Make sure you have something (your camera bag, eg) to weigh it down near the ground.

Plenty of good suggestions in this thread.

[TER-OR]

Monoculars as opposed to true spotting scopes are small, pocketable optics. Just one side of a small binocular. I like them because they're pocketable and you can leave them in your jacket pocket or on a lanyard around your neck - pocketable in a breast pocket.

Eagle makes some nice ones for not too much money.
All Monoculars Sorted by Best Selling from Eagle Optics

[TER-OR]

This might be a good opportunity to rent a long lens for a day, something you have always wanted to try.

This is a great suggestion. Since it's a special trip you can try something you might not have enough cause (or money) to buy. I've done this for airshows, renting the 60-250 which is nice but quite heavy. A DA300* would be a great rental idea.

I have great experiences with cameralensrentals.com