Another field of photography that can be difficult to master is wildlife photography. A big part of this for many people is the trouble they encounter trying to find animals, once they do find an animal they are so nervous they usually scare away the creature or end up with no photos because they failed to concentrate on the tasks of taking off the lens cover, metering, exposure, focus, and all those other things that help make good photos. It's my belief that a good strategy is like learning anything else, is to start with baby steps, then work your way up. Instead of setting out to find a moose (which is often an elusive animal) start with something easier. A good first subject might be a squirrel, chipmunk or bird, these animals are usually predictable and have patterns that are easy to observe. Spend some time watching the animal, think about lighting, where you want to be positioned, move around the area. As you watch the animal learn it's pattern, once you know where the squirrel is going next have the camera focused and pointed on that place and take some photos. The nice thing about squirrels and chipmunks is they usually don't run away for good, so you'll have many hours of opportunity with the subject. Once you think you've created an excellent portrait of a chipmunk move on up larger things. This image is an Alpine Marmot, taken near Vail, Colorado. Camera - Nikon D100, Lens - Sigma 50-500 at 500mm on a tripod. 1/40th, F/6.3, 200ISO - No filters, and no post processing changes. I really like this image the way the depth of field is large enough to have the Marmot and the rock in focus and everything else out of focus. That setup is the result of being well inside the infinite focus distance. As with all images appearing on this site, they are the property of Loren French, and they are protected by copyright. Any images can be purchased as prints, or right to use can be purchased for any use. |
