Russ Sandstrom, Bird Photographer

Russ Sandstrom With Eric Bressler

I first met Russ Sandstrom in May, 2021 when we both volunteered to do a baseline bird count at the Cullen Nature Preserve and Bird Sanctuary in Minnetonka before it underwent radical restoration to an oak savanna habitat. Russ is friendly, rather quiet, and has extensive knowledge about birding, so he really helped me as a relative novice. But as a photography hobbyist I was blown away by the professional quality of his bird photos (see the August 2022 issue of Tapestry for Russ's favorites). When I learned that his wife Rita and he were Bet Shalom members, I asked him for this interview.

Russ, please tell us about your family and history at Bet Shalom.

My wife Rita and I were very early members of Bet Shalom, back in the days when services were held at the JCC, before the congregation acquired a building to call its own. We have two adult children and have lived in Minnetonka since 1984. Rita's brother was Tom Silver (z''l).

How did you get into bird watching?

I can thank my wife Rita for that. Rita’s been a long-time bird banding volunteer at the Lowry Nature Center at Carver Park Reserve, and I often went along to see what species of birds the group would get. Although I’ve always been drawn to nature and all its creatures, viewing the birds up close at these sessions focused my attention more and more to birds. This eventually led to my observing and counting our backyard birds, then going on bird walks and eventually photographing them.

Tell us about your photography hobby.

Other than taking the usual family photos, I wasn’t interested in photography until later in life. I suppose I was drawn to it as a way to visually capture my love of nature, and at the same time, there was a fulfilling and creative aspect to it too, because it’s not the camera that creates a great picture, it’s the person behind the camera. The camera is only a tool. While birding, I would also come across other creatures such as mammals, butterflies, dragonflies and native wildflowers and photograph those too.

I assumed you used a digital SLR with a massive lens and a tripod, but you don’t. Tell us about your camera and why you use it.

For birding, I use a Canon Power Shot SX60HS ‘bridge camera” with a built-in lens. Because it’s not a DLSR with a large detachable lens, it’s not what most people think I would be using, based on the results I’ve been able to obtain. I like this camera because with its lighter weight I can carry it all day with little or no fatigue. There’s no need to carry additional lenses, and most importantly, it has a fantastic long-range zoom capability that equals, if not exceeds, the maximum focal length of most DLSR/long lens combos. It shoots in JPEG or RAW formats and has full manual control flexibility. Of course it won’t deliver quite the sharpness of a DLSR set up, but I’ve found that when shooting under good lighting conditions the results can be surprisingly good. Having a good working knowledge of the camera’s functions and settings allows me to make the necessary adjustments to compensate for less than ideal conditions.

Where do you go to look for birds, when and how often?

Any of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge locations are good, such as the Bass Ponds and Old Cedar Avenue Bridge locations in Bloomington, or the many nature preserves in and around the Twin Cities area.  I don’t live too far from Carver Park Reserve so I often go there. Also, the eBird app will show me where birds are being seen, so that might influence me as to where to go next. There are many places to go. Areas with varied habitats like a mixture of water, woods and prairie are always good.

I’ll go out more during the spring and fall bird migration periods when a larger variety of birds can be seen,  but some interesting birds can be seen at all times of the year. I like to go out at least a couple times a week, more if possible, but it varies depending on the weather and whatever else I might have going on.

You and Rita are members of the new Bet Shalom Birders group. What do you hope to get out of that?

It’s the social aspect of getting to know others in the congregation in a different, more casual setting, while at the same time sharing a common interest in birds. It’s been fun!

Any tips for us regarding birding and photographing birds?

I like to get out early in the morning. Although birds can be found at any time of the day, the birds seem more active then, and I’ve had my best success early morning. The eBird app for your phone can assist you in birding, and the Merlin app is good for identifying birds and bird sounds.  When photographing birds, the general principles of photography apply, but I generally like to fill the entire frame with the bird without a lot of background showing, and I focus on the bird's eye. Unless the background is particularly interesting, it’s the close up of the bird that people want to see. I generally shoot in shutter speed priority mode for smaller, fast moving songbirds and aperture priority mode for perched raptors or for shorebirds like herons or egrets, but it’s a matter of personal preference. Burst mode can be helpful, but then I have to sort through lots of images, so I don't use it as often as I probably should.