Great Blue Heron Babies in Venice, FL.
Great Blue Heron Family at the Venice Rookery - The first chicks of the season.
The Venice Rookery and Audubon
One of my favorite places in Sarasota County to photograph nature in action is actually behind several large county buildings along US 41 in Venice, just west of Jacaranda Blvd. Under the auspice of "Nature will find a way" and a dedicated group of volunteers, the Venice Rookery is terrific in many ways. Photographers and bird watchers alike enjoy the location for so many reasons: it is easy to get to for those that do not want to hike, the tiny island is easily within reach of the most basic camera equipment and viewing scopes, and volunteers who readily greet you and share their knowledge. I like to arrive just before sunrise for the golden hour. Still, I have created award-winning images in the afternoon. This photograph of a Great Blue Heron family, and the first chicks of the season, was captured just after 9:30am when the sun was at a higher angle than I prefer, which creates harsh shadows. However, this harsh light also creates deeper shadows along the feather edges and develops more defined highlights in their eyes, what I refer to as sparks. I prefer these shadows in my black and white images, as it allows for more contrast and separation within the feathers. I do not like the contrast it creates in the foliage and background, but I believe it's a fair trade.
My recent visit
I ventured out to the Rookery on a recent Saturday morning with my wife Cheryl and mother Marie. Cheryl is herself a photographer and goes about capturing her own images, staying away from me, so we do not create the same images. When we venture together, she is the best spotter in the world for finding subjects, and I unfairly take full advantage of that. This was my mothers' first experience at the Rookery. I plopped her in a chair, handed her a pair of sand-covered binoculars, proceeded to drop my gear next to her, and shuffled off.
The Volunteer
The Audubon volunteer that day, whose name I did not remember two seconds after he told me (I'm brutal with names, excellent with faces; typical photographer), was incredibly kind and helpful to my mother. He provided a spotting scope, informed her about the area and its purpose, and kept coming by as Cheryl and I flitted around the pond's edge. After I finished photographing the birds, we spoke for several minutes. We discussed the land to the east that has been sold and scheduled for development, along with a couple of other topics. As a member of the Venice Audubon myself, I have yet to engage meaningfully, and he encouraged me to do so. My current excuse is I too busy with school, which is true. However, I need to make time to give back to the groups that make it possible for photographers to access these unique places and do what we love.
My Photographic Process
When I initially capture these images with my Nikon Z7 mirrorless camera, they are sharp, vibrant, and well exposed, precisely what you are looking for in a good photograph. I shoot in full manual mode 99.9% of the time and use single-point focus and exposure, with my ISO fixed at 100. I also use a continuous lens focus mode (AF-C) and actuate it via the AF-ON button. To capture my images, I place the single-point on my subject's eye and fire away. If the eye is not in focus, the image is culled and forgotten. With birds in flight, I will switch the Auto-area focus, change the camera mode to aperture priority, and often raise my ISO from 100 to 400 or higher, occasionally allowing the ISO to float using Auto ISO, but I always cap it at 3200. As a result, my images often are rendered nearly perfect when transferred to my computer. The saturation, tones, and pixels are outstanding and allow me to be as creative as I want. I prefer black and white photography. I feel the colors are distracting from the image. By manipulating the tonality of my subjects and separating them from the background, I can bring the viewers' attention to what I am trying to convey.
My Equipment
The Z7 is not a camera for the outdoors, and especially not for bird photography. It is slow to focus and does not have much of a frame rate; my Nikon F3HPt with a motor drive was about the same speed. Changing the lens outdoors on the Z7 is a terrifying ordeal. The sensor does not have any protection from the elements; dust and pollen are a constant battle. This results in my images frequently having large dark spots in bright areas. They are easily fixable when I can find them. My investment in sensor cleaning products is higher than Canon or Sony users. The Z7 was my studio camera, perfect for that task. As I no longer have a studio, this is the tool I have and must make do with. It is often said that the "best camera for you is the camera you have." I now have three cameras at my disposal. My Z7, a Nikon Nikkormat from 1967, and a 1980's Bronica SQ-A 6x6 medium format, with the last two being film cameras. Soon, I will be developing my film and scanning the negatives with my Z7. I hope the resulting images have finer transitions between the light and dark areas where the silver gently falls off instead of shaded pixels with their consistent shape.
My Hope
I encourage my fellow photographers, artists, and friends to visit the Venice Rookery. Bring your binoculars, cameras, and even phones, and capture what this small respite in our otherwise developed landscape has to offer you. Nature will use what we humans leave it; nature finds a way. There will come a time in the future when humans need to make our remaining natural habitats a priority. I believe that the time is now. I hope you find it within yourself to act according to and support the Rookery.