Digital Photography Wildlife

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Wildlife Photographer, Simon Stafford: How'd They Do That?


digital photography wildlife5
digital photography wildlife5
digital photography wildlife5

Digital Photography Wildlife

1

Digital Photography - Staying Safe While Out With Your DSLR Digital Camera

When out with your camera you are out in the open with what is a valuable and expensive to replace product, I dare say we have all heard or seen the stories of youths attacking other youths just for a mobile phone, well what happened to a good friend of mine could have cost him a lot more and certainly gave thought for how you could better deal with the unthinkable.

One glorious summer day my friend decided it would be nice to take a stroll and visit a local lake for a spot of wildlife photography, this was nothing out of the ordinary as he and I both do this often along with many other keen photography enthusiasts worldwide.

Once at the lake he soon realised that he was pretty much alone which pleased him as this meant there would be no disruption to the wildlife meaning he would have a much better chance of getting some good animal shots.

He started off by walking around the heavily wooded side of the lake where not much else could go except for a human on foot and even then only just in some places.

Once he got around the far side of the lake, which was about a mile from where he had started from he noticed what appeared to be a young lad riding a monkey-bike (small motorbike) up an off-cut of the lake which was a public footpath, the young lad spotted my friend and sped off out of sight up the footpath acting as though he knew he should not be there on the bike.

He continued around the far side which was like a grass path with thick bushes and a high fence on one side with no exit and the lake itself on the other, still quite happily taking pictures at this point.

Then from no-where he heard the roar of a much bigger off-road motorbike screaming up behind him...

He heard the motorbike stop just a few feet behind him, then a voice called out, "mister" he froze and turned around, there was a rather unsavoury looking lad on this bike covered in mud and tattoos staring straight at him, or rather his camera, which he was now clutching tightly in his hand.

The lad said "where do these paths lead and which one can we use our bikes on" it was at this point that my friend spotted two other lads further down the path behind this lad as well as the young kid on the monkey-bike.

Quickly thinking he pointed in the opposite direction from where he was standing stating that they would be better off at the golf club end, he stood his ground as the lad turned the bike around and revved off digging up all the grass with wheel spin as he sped away.

Now his heart was racing and was in fear for his safety. While he thought he could perhaps tackle one of these youths alone he would possibly not stand much chance against all three.

How an innocent peaceful walk could be ruined and turned into a potentially dangerous situation so fast...

He turned and started walking as fast as he could without running while behind him he could hear the motorbikes revving in his direction and then backing off again, but each time getting nearer.

There was no-where to go except forward which meant once he had cleared the back edge of the lake there would be an open grass field to cross before reaching the safety of the main road.

While walking he assessed the situation and shuddered when he realised he had his wallet, mobile phone, and a couple of different camera lenses, and of course his DSLR digital camera on him.

By the time he had reached the back end of the lake and onto the open grass field he felt the danger had passed as he could still hear them, but it seemed distant or at least unfocussed on him.

But just before he gave a sigh of relief he heard them trying to get around the woodland side of the lake, as there were parts there that a human on foot could barely just get passed it would be impossible for a motorbike.

However he could not have been more wrong, the next thing he knew two of the lads on motorbikes appeared from beyond the trees which was a few hundred feet in front of him. At this point he dived to the floor so as to avoid being spotted as by now he was convinced that they wanted to rob him of at least his camera.

They then rode virtually right passed him and over towards the main gate, they hung around there until the other lad joined them by coming around the lake the other way, they seemed to talk for a while before speeding off back into the woodlands, at which point now fearing for his safety my friend stood up and ran toward the main gates and eventually out of them and home.

This whole situation was a lot more involved, but to write every little bit would have made a book and not an actionable and informative article...

Needless to say that he counted himself very lucky as he genuinely thought that when the first lad came up to talk to him that the lad was at the very least going to make a lunge for his camera. He has vowed never to go out photographing again on his own, which is sad when you think about it!

What happened to him that day could happen to any one of us and at any time, so extra care and awareness should always be given to our surroundings and possible situations.

As dedicated photographers we realise that in order to gain some of pictures there can at times be a little risk involved, but you put yourself in this situations and not have them thrust upon you.

A few pointers that might be of benefit and that you might want to consider when you are going out into woodland or forestry areas with expensive photographic equipment:

 

• Try not to go alone if you can help it


• Only go in populated areas alone


• Never carry your wallet just some cash for emergencies etc


• Always take your mobile phone and call the police if you feel threatened


• Make sure someone knows where you are and roughly how long you will be


• Never fight for your camera it could cost you your life, you can always replace a camera


• Why not invest in a mace spray or other legal deterrent for your area

 

No-one ever wants to think they might be in physical danger, but as we can see from what happened to my friend here (and in a very short space of time) he only went out to perform a perfectly harmless, innocent act, and were it not for his quick thinking and actions he could very well of ended up virtually fighting for his life.

This was obviously an isolated incident and fortunately nothing did happen, but he was exceptionally lucky as well as visibly shaken by his ordeal and who would not be?

It is highly unlikely that anything like this will ever happen to you, but pre-warned is pre-armed as they say, at least you can learn from this and have a much better and safer time while out photographing with your camera.

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About the Author


Two Nature & Wildlife Photography Tips


digital photography wildlife5
digital photography wildlife5

Digital Cameras Wildlife Photography

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Sanjeev Nanda Tips for Wildlife Photography

Rule #1: Have Patience

Patience is Virtue

When you spend a lot of time with an animal, you'll see amazing things. So when you're shooting in the wild, in a zoo, or at home with your pets, you'll need lots of patience to get an amazing photo. I often spend hours watching an animal in the wild or at a zoo exhibit, just waiting for the perfect opportunity.

 

Rule #2: Take Lots of Pictures

Sometimes it takes 1000 photographs for that one perfect shot

Give up your old film habits, and shoot a lot of pictures with your digital camera. Like humans, animals have "good" and "bad" expressions and postures, so the more pictures you take, the more likely you are to get a great shot. For example, in a four-hour game drive, I will shoot about 500 images, not worrying about the "bad ones." Then during the editing process on my computer, I will select the best ones.

 

Rule #3: Use Standard Settings

Animal photography is motion photography, so being ready is very important. Set your camera to standard settings (see below), and return to these settings after you've altered them for a specific situation (if time allows).

 

Standard Settings

Shooting Mode: Aperture Control AV; P for flash use
Image Recording Quality: JPG Best Quality; or RAW
White Balance: Shade (outdoors); AWB (indoors)
ISO: 400 (good weather); 1600 (bad weather and indoors)
Metering Mode: Center Weighted
Drive Mode: Single Shooting
Auto Focus Mode: One Shot; AI Servo if object is moving towards you or away from you
Auto Focus Points: Center Point Only

 

Rule #4: Keep the Eyes in Focus

Eyes give photographs character and depth

Remember that an animal is not a cathedral—you'll only have a few seconds to compose a shot. When using "center point focus," you are in control of the focus, not your camera, so make sure that the animals' eyes are sharp and in focus. Compose the shot so that the eyes are in the center of the picture, and leave extra room around your subject so you can crop the image later.

 

Rule #5: Learn How To Over and Under Expose

Play with exposure settings to get surprising results

Once you have your standard settings, you can use the exposure compensation feature (+/-) to adjust for a perfect picture. If your subject is much darker than the surroundings, use the over-expose (+) to lighten the image. If your subject is much lighter, use the under-expose (-) to darken the image. I usually adjust in increments of .5, but experiment with the feature to find what works best (and what doesn't).

 

Rule #6: A Higher ISO Is Your Friend

With animals, you need short exposure times because they're always moving. I rarely use use a tripod—though sometimes I'll use a monopod—so I can adapt to their movements quickly. When I use a full aperture set, I'll use a higher ISO (800-1600 or even above). Older digital cameras will usually have visible noise over 400 ISO, but results with newer digital SLRs are much better. I think it's better to have an image with a little more noise than a picture completely out of focus.

 

Rule #7: Get Down There!

Take photographs anywhere but eye level

If you want tension in your pictures, get on eye level with your subject, or even below eye level. I often find myself laying flat on the floor when shooting in zoos. Many exhibits are below the observer, which is good for watching the animals but bad for photography!

 

Rule #8: Avoid the Flash—Use a Flashlight Instead!

I don't like flash pictures because they're mostly flat and have no depth. In wildlife photography, you seldom have the time for good flash setup (with multiple flashes) anyway. I'd rather use a higher ISO and try my luck without a flash. A standard, hand-held flashlight can help by producing a glint in the eye of an animal and lightening up a dark corner.

 

Rule #9: Eliminate Fences

Zoom through the gap in the fences

When there are fences between you and your subject, get as close to the fence as possible without touching it (legal moves only, please). Extend your zoom to the largest telephoto setting, and open the aperture full. Ideally, your subject will be in the middle, between the front and back fences. Shoot through the shaded parts of the fence, and the fence should disappear from your shot.

About the Author


Photography Tips & Lighting : What's the Best Digital Camera for Wildlife Photos?


digital cameras wildlife photography5
digital cameras wildlife photography5

Digital Wildlife Photography

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Get Creative with Landscape Photography

The advent of digital photography means that many people can now be as creative as they like with landscape photography without having to spend a fortune on developing their prints. In fact, with a reasonably priced camera anyone can take marvellous shots of almost anything and make canvas prints for gifts or to decorate their home.

Wildlife photography will take a little more patience; you must seek out or wait for wild animals, and have the knowledge to get just the right lens and lighting for great photos. But printing those shots costs nothing compared to printing out film in a darkroom. Since the cost is so small you can really get out and take lots of shots and this will help you to quickly find out just what works and what does not.

Beautiful landscape photography is easy to do; all you need is an eye for beauty and a camera – and maybe a few different lenses if you want to get into taking more professional pictures. But even those little point and click cameras are capable of taking some stunning shots for those who have an eye to see the beauty in nature.

It could be an old tree with twisted branches rising against the backdrop of a soft pink sunset that attracts you. Or black rocks starkly silhouetted on a white beach at dawn. Such things are often taken for granted by many, but once you start to look around you with an eye to taking some great landscape shots you'll be amazed at what pops up.

When taking landscape photography, remember to really look at what is included in your viewfinder. It is easy to get so caught up with photographing a stunning sunset that you don't notice those power lines in one corner. But one the photo is printed out there they are, spoiling what would have been a beautiful landscape shot.

About the Author

Photo Developer is a full time graphic designer and helps many photographers for their post processing of photographs

Improve Your Wildlife Photography Skills, Digital Photographer issue 79


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digital wildlife photography5

Wildlife Digital Photography

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I am interested in a digital camera for wildlife photography. I have a budget of $ 5,000?

I have some photography knowledge and I plan to use the camera frequently (ie, get thoroughly familiar with it). Also, what lens would be recommended

I'm assuming since you want to get into photography and you're shooting wildlife, that you'll want what's referred to as a Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera vs a Point and Shoot (P&S) camera. This means that what you see through the viewfinder is exactly what your camera lens will be seeing. It also gives you a ton of flexibility, not only with the type of lens you attach to the camera but with settings itself. (Apologies if it was obvious that you were interested in an SLR.)

The body of your SLR camera is likely to be less of an issue than the lenses you purchase. The classic names in bodies are Nikon and Canon. Nikon's history is in cameras but Canon burst on to the scene roughly a decade ago with its Rebel line and has quickly gained market share. Olympus, Pentax, and Sony also make digital cameras.

I'm most familiar with the Canon line. The Canon SLR line is roughly divided into three tiers:

1. Entry "prosumer" line. These generally start with X. E.g. XTi, XTl, XS, etc. These generally run from $500 - $1000.

2. The ##D's where ## is some number. These generally run from $1000 - $2500.

3. The Mark series. These run from $2500 and up.

I chose to get the Canon EOS XTi to save on the body and spend the balance of my budget on lenses. I'm happy with my choice but I've also seen some of the pictures coming out of cameras in the next bracket up and they are sharper with more detail and color.

Megapixels aren't as much a concern since all SLR's tend to be around the same megapixels. Also, the number of megapixels can sometimes be deceiving (especially when talking about P&S's) since the quality of the sensor is sometimes more important than the simple number of megapixels. (E.g. the Fujifilm F31fd P&S is a _legendary_ P&S with amazing low-light capabilities; even though it's only 5 megapixels, it regularly outperforms 10 megapixel P&S's and is still in high-demand even though it's out of production.)

I might then recommend, given your larger budget, that you take a look at that middle ##D series. Getting something there still gives you a couple thousand to spend on lenses.

Re: lenses, you'll want something telephoto. Something on the order of 200mm or more (the greater the number before mm, the more you can zoom into your subject). In general, the greater the zoom power, the more expensive it will be. The other critical factor is how "fast" the lens is. In your particular case, unless you're shooting animals on the move or shooting in low light, this may not be as critical a factor.

One thing you may want to try regarding lenses, and even bodies: renting a body and different lenses and trying them out. Take shots, compare the shots since you'll have downloaded them all to the same computer with the same screen. Try printing them out if that's important to you. A good camera shop will rent cameras and the cost isn't prohibitive, especially if you're considering sinking several thousand into this investment. If you're in the SF Bay Area, Keeble and Shucat rents cameras and lenses.

Hope this helps! Keep the questions coming. This is a fascinating hobby -- you're going to love it!

Frank Brabec Canon Wildlife Photographer


wildlife digital photography5
wildlife digital photography5
wildlife digital photography5