Archive for the 'technique' Category
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And here’s a few photos you might not have seen
Late in 2011 we spent some time at the South Lakes Wild Animal Park . They had a open weekend when it was free to visit, so along we went. We’ve been before and do appreciate the open layout of the park. Macaws fly free, lemurs roam in huge open areas alongside tourists and emus watch you from a distance, approaching you at their leisure. It’s a good and reliable environment to test new photography equipment. It was, therefore, one of the locations chosen to test my new Canon 7D and our new 70-300mm Canon L lens.
I spent a lot of time with the Macaws which perched high in the trees towering above the park. That’s when I captured the shot above. I managed to frame the concealed macaw through a gap in the branches and chose my moment.
The image below is a close up of a lemur. It was as curious about me and I was of it. The mutual trust between human and animal allowed me to capture this portrait.
We do find that taking picture of animals in captivity is a good way to hone skills and practise ahead of any big photography trip we’re planning. Other test shots taken in captivity are available in our on-line ’captive gallery’.
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Frost, Glorious Frost
Whilst most people might despair at the turn in the weather I was thrilled to see that Jack Frost had been dancing around. This is for two reasons:
a) It provided a great opportunity for some macro photography shots out in the field – frost patterns on flowers and leaves made great subjects, as did and the formation of water drops as the frosty morning gave way to a bright sunny afternoon.
b) It means winter is well and truly here – and I have some grand plans for winter photography this year…bring on the snow!
In celebration of this turn in the weather I thought I’d share the picture above – I hope you like it.
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New Gallery Now Available: Movement
You know me – I am never happy unless the next project is on the go, and with my love for macro photography becoming a constant obsession I have started to wonder what the ‘next big challenge’ is. I have settled upon the theme of movement.
As noted in a previous blog post it’s been a popular theme in a lot of competitions recently, and it is something that seems relatively easy, but takes considerable skill. With my new Canon 7D I decided it was just the challenge I needed, so I swotted up on my camera manual to learn about the settings available to me, set my camera to TV (shutter priority) mode and off I went.
A steady hand, favourable light and bountiful wildlife at local wetlands proved just the right mixture of education and inspiration. When focussing on waders, geese and swans I was utterly surprised to see a rabbit hop out of the river bank and dash across a low stone wall. I barely had time to register its presence, let alone steal a shot. So I was quite happy with the above result.
After years and years of attempting pin-sharp shots, it’s not easy to forget what you have learnt to try and capture movement. It requires you to re-think settings, composition and focus. But it’s fun!
The image above was taken with a Canon L 100-400mm lens at 400mm, f5.6, ISO 250, exposure bias +1/3 EV.
Several more movement images are available in our dedicated online gallery. I hope you enjoy them and welcome your feedback.
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I wish I’d taken…..
At the 2011 Wild Photos conference all speakers were asked to reveal the image they wish they’d taken. I thought this was a great idea and one I’d start to emulate on this blog.
Quite appropriately, I start this series with an image revealed at the conference as a winner of the Veolia Wildlife Photographer of the Year in the Urban Wildlife category. It’s called ‘Boy Meets Nature’ and it quite literally took my breath away when revealed on the big screen.
The photographer is the very talented scientist turned photographer, Alexander Badyaev (USA). The image was taken in the type of ram-shackled cabin we all dream of owning in North America. The family would visit and Alex became enchanted with the bats that feast on the white moths surrounding the cabin at specific times of the year. It took Alex a few years to figure out how to capture both the bats and moths in photos, and during this time he had a new addition to the family i.e. the boy in the picture who seemingly shares his passion. The child was supposed to be asleep and not feature in the picture, but I think it is glorious and timeless that he did pop his head up into the shot his Dad has spent years planning.
I love the juxtaposition of rodent and child – not a mixture you’d ever dream of putting together, but that is why it works so well. Alex has done an amazing job to capture both the child’s and the bat’s expression- almost mutual appreciation and curiosity. It’s a perfect medley of human and nature and one I could only ever dream of capturing. I REALLY, REALLY wish I had taken this shot.
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I Am Not A Landscape Photographer!
I really am not! The landscape is nothing more than an environment or scene setting for my wildlife photography.
However, I do love the thrill of wildlife photography, the adrenaline rush it provides and the challenges that come with photographing wildlife.
I also adore the tiny wee new world that macro photography opens. It’s like wearing a pair of prescription lenses for the first time: you see detail you’ve never seen before and as a result, you see the world in a new light.
In direct contrast, landscape photography is static and I find it a little boring … So why is it that I always seem to turn my eye to some scenic shots during wildlife and macro photography sessions? I often find myself thinking ‘Oh, that’s pretty, I’ll take a quick picture’….and then the resulting photos often end up being some of my favourite shots.
Take, for example, the image above. This was taken with my macro lens (Canon EF 100mm) during a wildlife photography field trip. I saw the wind turbines on our walk back to the car and thought they might be worth a quick shot, but in all honesty I could not be bothered to switch lenses and thought a quick photo with the macro lens might suffice. Despite the lack of effort put into this shot, I love the results.
Now in my defence I did think carefully about the composition – I waited until the foreground was correct and the light maximised…but otherwise I did nothing but point and click with the ‘wrong’ lens and expected nothing spectacular. I was proven wrong!
Maybe, just maybe, I am a closet landscape photographer? Hmmmm.
