{"id":779,"date":"2023-09-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/weebly-import-post-21"},"modified":"2026-06-17T01:43:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T01:43:21","slug":"bird-photography-workshop-scholarship-2023","status":"publish","type":"wingbeat","link":"https:\/\/sfbbo-test.twomoons.systems\/staging\/1924\/wingbeat\/bird-photography-workshop-scholarship-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Gains Confidence with Focusing and Storytelling Through Photography Workshop"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"paragraph\"><strong>By Guest Blogger Maya Xu<\/strong><\/div> <div><div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-7387b849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\"><div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A photo of Maya Xu with a camera around her neck and a parrot on her arm\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sfbbo-test.twomoons.systems\/staging\/1924\/wp-content\/uploads\/weebly-migration\/mxu_orig.jpg?ssl=1\"\/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHow do you tell the story of the bird?\u201d That was the biggest takeaway I had from <a href=\"\/staging\/1924\/sebastiankennerknechtworkshops\/\">Sebastian Kennerknecht\u2019s photography workshops<\/a>.<br\/><br\/>I first got bitten by the photography bug after taking a freshman introductory seminar in conservation photography with Stanford\u2019s Professor Sue McConnell. I\u2019d spent years taking questionable iPhone photos of birds through my binoculars, and I\u2019d originally gone into the class thinking I\u2019d leave with the skills to take better photos with my dad\u2019s old DSLR (a Nikon D60, which I still love.) I left with a completely new understanding of how photography could be used to touch people\u2019s hearts and inspire them to take part in conservation efforts&#8230;<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<!--more-->\n\n  <div class=\"paragraph\">During my introsem, I learned about the mechanics of a good photo, like the exposure triangle and the rule of thirds. But the photos I took were still painfully static, even the ones I snapped of hummingbirds &#8211; arguably the most dynamic little gems of the avian world. Not to mention, I constantly struggled with a photographer\u2019s worst nightmare &#8211; having everything set up to take the perfect shot of a charismatic bird, only for my camera to focus on something else in the frame.\u00a0<br\/><br\/>At the very beginning of Sebastian\u2019s focusing workshop, he opened by saying, \u201cFocusing &#8211; it\u2019s kind of the bane of our existence as wildlife photographers.\u201d He showed two photos of a gorgeous Iberian lynx, starting with one where the camera had focused on the rock in front of it. \u201cIt\u2019s the most endangered cat in the world. And, um, I didn\u2019t get the focus right\u201d, Sebastian said with an ironic smile as all of us laughed in the background. \u201cSo we\u2019re gonna go from this, the shots we\u2019ve all taken, to this, getting the focus spot on.\u201d<br\/><br\/>The sense of total relief that spread through the group, even on Zoom, was palpable. Oh my gosh. Even professional photographers have these issues. He gets us!<br\/><br\/>I was smiling at the beginning of the workshop and smiling until the end. I\u2019d recently switched to a Canon R7 over spring break, and was still getting used to the slightly overwhelming amount of new settings. Sebastian ran us through tips of using the exposure triangle to improve focus, using single focus points and backbutton focus, the best times of day for prime-focusing light, and so much more from both mechanical and non-mechanical standpoints. I came away with an infinitely better understanding of my camera and much more confidence in my ability to take the crisp shots I\u2019ve been working for.<\/div> <div> <figure class=\"wp-block-gallery wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Photo of an Ash-throated Flycatcher with its back toward the camera and looking toward the right of the frame.\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sfbbo-test.twomoons.systems\/staging\/1924\/wp-content\/uploads\/weebly-migration\/atfl.jpg?ssl=1\"\/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Photo of a Red-footed Booby in flight against a blue sky and soft clouds.\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sfbbo-test.twomoons.systems\/staging\/1924\/wp-content\/uploads\/weebly-migration\/rfbo.jpg?ssl=1\"\/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Photo of a Brown Pelican at the beach with its wings held high and waves crashing in the background.\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sfbbo-test.twomoons.systems\/staging\/1924\/wp-content\/uploads\/weebly-migration\/brpe.jpg?ssl=1\"\/><\/figure><\/figure>\n<\/div> <div class=\"paragraph\"><span>The critiquing workshop the next day was a different format, with each person on the call getting around ten minutes for Sebastian to critique five of their photos. I was definitely a little nervous, especially after seeing everyone else\u2019s beautiful shots. But Sebastian always said something that he liked about each photo he critiqued, and he gave lots of constructive criticism with a mix of mechanical and situational advice.<\/span><br\/><br\/><span>\u201cWhat attracts you to each scene?\u201d he asked me while manipulating my photos on his Lightroom screen. \u201cAre you emphasizing the beauty of the bird, or an interesting behavior? What\u2019s the story you want to tell?\u201d<\/span><br\/><br\/><span>And ultimately, that\u2019s the best way for all of us to help protect birds in the future. By making them come alive through meaningful storytelling, whether it\u2019s verbal, on paper, or through a lens, we can show the world just how special they are and how much they\u2019re worth saving. I\u2019m so grateful to have received a scholarship to attend these workshops, and I\u2019m super excited to take these new skills out into the field!<br\/>\u200b<\/span><br\/><\/div> <div class=\"paragraph\"><strong><em>Maya Xu is a rising junior at Stanford University pursuing a biology degree in ecology and evolution. She is currently conducting an analysis of stable isotope and heavy metal compositions in the diets of the Hoover Tower peregrine falcons, and will co-instruct Stanford\u2019s ornithology course in spring of 2024. She is a docent at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve and a birding fanatic who leads monthly bird surveys for the preserve\u2019s riparian area.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\u200b<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Guest Blogger Maya Xu<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1230,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":""},"class_list":["post-779","wingbeat","type-wingbeat","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Student Gains Confidence with Focusing and Storytelling Through Photography Workshop - San Fransisco Bay Bird Observatory<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sfbbo-test.twomoons.systems\/staging\/1924\/wingbeat\/bird-photography-workshop-scholarship-2023\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Student Gains Confidence with Focusing and Storytelling Through Photography Workshop - 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