In a split second, a potentially great wildlife photo is here and gone, forever. That’s why I suggest shooting in burst or continuous high release mode when there is a possibility of fast action. With continuous high release, when you press and hold down on the shutter-release button, the camera will take the maximum number of photos possible until the memory buffer is full or you lift your finger. The benefit is you have a sequence of the action shots…
Just over eight years ago I was fortunate to make the acquaintance of a photographer by the name of John Timmis. John is not one of the “big names” but he likely should be. He is a regular contributor to Outdoor Life and Field and Stream magazines, his images adorning multiple covers. He is also a videographer; much of his work has been featured on PBS Natural World documentaries. John is a New Yorker, he is extremely verbose and there…
We don’t always have the opportunity to include the entire body of the subject in the photo. It’s perfectly acceptable to crop the photo. Simply avoid cropping the subject at a joint, as illustrated in the photos below.
Getting a good exposure in snowy conditions can be a little tricky. Does the snow look gray in your photos? This tip explains why this happens and what to do about it. Camera meters are designed to give exposure readings perceptually in the middle between white and black, a middle- tone value. When your scene is mostly snow, the camera meter gives a reading that brings the tonality back to neutral gray, which causes the image to be underexposed. In…
Depth of Field is how much of a given photograph is in sharp focus from the foreground of what’s in your frame to the background. Only what your focus point is on (shown as a square or dot when you look through the view finder) will be razor sharp. Other elements in front of (closer to you) and behind (further away from you) will be somewhat sharp. A “shallow” depth of field means a limited part of the photo is…
Is there a fence in your way? No problem! Use these camera settings to make the fence disappear in your photograph. Use the longest focal length of your telephoto lens. If you are able to put the lens within an inch or two from the fence, a 100mm focal length will work. The farther away you are from the fence, the longer the focal length you will need to make the fence disappear. Generally, if you are a few feet…
Check the settings each time you use your camera. Use this 10-step checklist to be ready when a wildlife photo opportunity presents itself. Set Exposure Mode: Choose Aperture Priority (A or AV) to control depth of field. Choose Shutter Priority (S or TV) to blur/freeze movement. Choose Manual to control both. Set Aperture f-stop (In Aperture Priority or Manual): f/4 – f/7 will soften or blur the background and enable faster shutter speeds. Set Shutter Speed (In Shutter Priority or…
“Auto” focus is more than one button on your camera. There are actually two functions and multiple combinations that on one hand give you the best possible chance of getting sharp focused photos. And on the other hand, when there are multiple choices, which one do you use when? Here are the two functions and optimal settings for various wildlife photography situations. Auto Focus Mode. Determines whether the camera focuses once or continuously when the shutter is pressed halfway. Choose either…
If you could bring only ONE lens from your camera bag to a wildlife photo outing, which one would you choose? With wildlife photography, your biggest, longest focal length lens or your telephoto lens is not always the best choice. Consider the following when choosing the right lens: Size of the subject. For small subjects, use a short focal length. Distance the subject is from you. For subjects far away from you, use a longer focal length so that the subject…
Without Flash Both of the following photos were taken without flash: Photo A: Camera: Nikon D3s, Shutter Priority Mode, Shutter speed: 1/2000s, Aperture: f/5.6, ISO 2000, Matrix metering, Spot focus, Auto-focus Continuous. Lens: Nikon 200- 400mm f/4, focal length 400mm. On tripod. Photo B: Camera: Nikon D3s, Manual Mode, Aperture: f/4, Shutter speed: 1/1250s, ISO 1600, Spot metering, Spot focus, Auto-focus Continuous. Lens: Sigma 180mm Macro f/3.5. On monopod. Shutter speed is the most important setting when photographing hummingbirds in…