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See the Stunning Nature TTL Photographer of the Year Winners

04 Jun

The post See the Stunning Nature TTL Photographer of the Year Winners appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

The Nature TTL Photographer of the Year 2021 winners have been announced, featuring a mix of wildlife, landscape, and macro photos – all of them breathtaking.

More than 8000 images fought for the £1500 grand prize. In the end, it was Thomas Vijayan’s gripping photo, entitled “The World Is Going Upside Down,” that won the judges’ hearts and secured Vijayan the Nature TTL Photographer of the Year title:

Vijayan explained, “After spending a few days in Borneo, I got this frame stuck in my mind. To get this shot, I selected a tree that was in the water, so that I could get a good reflection of the sky and its leaves on the tree. The water formed a mirror, making the image look upside-down. Then I climbed up on the tree and waited for hours. This is a regular path for the orangutans to use, so patience would surely pay off.”

Vijayan’s image stands out thanks to its surreal composition, astonishing perspective, and intense intimacy. And it is in good company: in addition to the grand prize, judges awarded prizes in nine different categories to an astounding group of images, some of which are displayed below.

If you love nature photography or you’re after some powerful nature photography inspiration, then I recommend you check out the winning photos below. And to see additional winning images or to learn more about the Nature TTL Photographer of the Year competition, head over to the Nature TTL website.

The post See the Stunning Nature TTL Photographer of the Year Winners appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

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dPS Top Nature and Wildlife Photography Tips of 2020

31 Dec

The post dPS Top Nature and Wildlife Photography Tips of 2020 appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Do you want to improve your nature and wildlife photography, fast?

Then take a look at our best nature and wildlife photography tips from 2020. They’re packed full of helpful advice, all designed to help you capture stunning photos!

Starting with our most popular nature photography article of the year:

1. 5 Camera Settings Every Bird Photographer Should Know

5 Camera Settings Every Bird Photographer Should Know

2. 10 Must-Use Bird Photography Camera Settings for Beginners

10 Must-Use Bird Photography Camera Settings for Beginners

3. How to Take Vibrant, Razor-Sharp Macro Photos of Flowers

How to Take Vibrant, Razor-Sharp Macro Photos of Flowers

4. Tips for Doing a Backyard Photo Safari

Tips for Doing a Backyard Photo Safari

5. Macro Photography for Beginners

Macro Photography for Beginners

6. 10 Incredible Bird Photography Tips for Beginners

10 Incredible Bird Photography Tips for Beginners

7. Photographing on Your Home Patch and Why You Need One

Photographing on Your Home Patch and Why You Need One

8. How to Choose the Best Lens for Wildlife Photography

How to Choose the Best Lens for Wildlife Photography

9. How to Photograph Beautiful Winter Snowdrops (or Other Flowers)

How to Photograph Beautiful Winter Snowdrops (or Other Flowers)

10. Nature and Wildlife Photography Tips for Beginners

Nature and Wildlife Photography Tips for Beginners

11. 10 Ideas for Photographing Nature in Your Backyard

10 Ideas for Photographing Nature in your Backyard

12. How to Photograph Sun Flares: 14 Tips for Beginners

How to Photograph Sun Flares: 14 Tips for Beginners

13. 10 Tips for Improving Your Wildlife Photography

10 Tips for Improving Your Wildlife Photography

14. 6 Tips for Near-Macro Photography With a Telephoto Lens

6 Tips for Near-Macro Photography with a Telephoto Lens

15. Tips for Photographing Birds in Flight

Tips for Photographing Birds in Flight

Conclusion

I hope you’ve enjoyed these nature and wildlife photography tips!

And if you want to keep improving your photos, make sure you subscribe to the dPS newsletter. We’ll send you weekly tips, tricks, and techniques – so that you can take your photos to the next level as quickly as possible!

The post dPS Top Nature and Wildlife Photography Tips of 2020 appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

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3 Lightroom Tools to Enhance Your Nature and Wildlife Photography

21 Oct

The post 3 Lightroom Tools to Enhance Your Nature and Wildlife Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Shreyas Yadav.

Do you want to bring out texture in your images of flowers, butterflies, plants, or macro subjects?

Are you looking to remove haze from your beautiful landscape images?

Do you want to reveal fine detail in your wildlife images?

Then you’re in the right place.

lightroom tools nature photography mountain

Because today I am going to share with you three Lightroom tools for nature photography. I use these three tools to enhance my own nature and wildlife images. And I am sure these tools will be helpful to you, as well.

And the best part is?

All of these Lightroom tools are easy to apply. It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or an intermediate-level photographer; you can pick up these tools and start enhancing your nature images right away.

Note that these three Lightroom tools can be applied to an overall image (as a global adjustment) or to a targeted area of the image (as a local adjustment).

Let’s do this!

The 3 Lightroom tools for nature photography

Here are the three Lightroom tools that will instantly enhance your nature photos:

Texture
Clarity
Dehaze

To access these tools, head to the Develop Module, find the Basic Panel, and scroll down to Presence:

develop module lightroom tools nature photography — The Texture, Clarity, and Dehaze sliders in Adobe Lightroom.

Texture

Texture has a subtle sharpening effect. It brings out the finer details.

You can use the Texture tool in Lightroom to subtly add sharpening to flowers, patterns, plants, and more.

By default, the Texture slider is set to “0.” Drag the texture slider to the right to increase the texture effect.

Or drag the Texture slider to the left to reduce its effect.

Here is an example of the Texture slider in action. First, take a look at this chameleon photo without any added texture:

Chameleon before the texture slider is applied in Lightroom — Before applying the Texture slider.

Then, as you increase the texture, the chameleon details appear sharper:

Chameleon after texture slider is applied in Lightroom lightroom tools nature photography — After applying the Texture slider.

Here’s a final before and after:

texture slider before and after lightroom tools nature photography — The effect of the Texture slider (before and after).

Clarity

The effect of the Clarity slider is more prominent than the effect of the Texture slider.

What does Clarity do?

It primarily increases the midtone contrast.

Now, the Clarity slider is set to “0” as a default.

To add Clarity, drag the slider to the right:

the clarity slider in Lightroom — The Clarity slider is a useful Lightroom tool for nature photography.

To reduce the effect, drag the Clarity slider to the left.

Since the effect of the Clarity slider is strong, make sure you use Clarity in moderation.

If you capture a well-exposed image with a relatively centered histogram, then the Clarity slider will improve the midtone contrast and can bring out additional details in your picture.

Here’s an image without the Clarity slider applied:

bird before the Lightroom Clarity slider is used — Before applying the Clarity slider.

As well as its corresponding histogram:

the histogram in Lightroom — The histogram before applying the Clarity slider.

And here’s the image with the Clarity slider applied:

The bird with the Clarity tool applied — After applying the Clarity slider.

And its corresponding histogram:

the histogram in Lightroom after the Clarity slider has been used — The histogram after applying the Clarity slider.

As Clarity increases, the midtone contrast increases, too; notice how the center of the histogram has expanded.

Additionally, after increasing the Clarity, details on the bird have begun to pop.

Dehaze

The Dehaze slider is quite helpful for landscape images.

When out photographing, you may end up with haze in the atmosphere. Additionally, fog or rain will make an image look hazy.

You can use the Dehaze slider to reduce the haze.

To apply the Dehaze effect (and reduce the haze), drag the Dehaze slider to the right:

the Dehaze slider in Lightroom — The Dehaze slider in Lightroom.

To reduce the Dehaze effect (and increase the haze), drag the Dehaze slider to the left.

As you increase the Dehaze effect, haze in the picture will be reduced, and the overall saturation of the image will increase. If the saturation increases too much, then bring down the Saturation slider slightly.

Note that the Dehaze slider will shift the histogram to the left (toward the side of the histogram representing the darker tones in the image).

When I was photographing the scene below, there was mist and drizzle over the forest valley. Here’s the image prior to applying the Dehaze effect:

mountain landscape before the Dehaze tool is applied — Before applying Dehaze.

And here’s the same image, but with the Dehaze effect applied:

the mountain landscape after the Dehaze tool is used — After applying Dehaze.

As I increased the value of the Dehaze slider, the haze was reduced. The difference between the original and edited images is quite significant.

You can also use the Dehaze slider for early-morning images, wildlife during the winter season, photos captured in the rain, and wildlife captured from a distance.

The elephants pictured below were moving along the riverbank. I was photographing them from a boat at a far distance, it was evening, and there was a slight fog in the atmosphere, hence the image appears a bit hazy:

two elephants before the Dehaze tool is used — Before applying Dehaze.

But, thanks to the Dehaze slider, the haze in the picture is reduced:

two elephants after the Dehaze slider is used — After applying Dehaze.

The Lightroom tools for local adjustments

There you go!

Those are the three Lightroom tools for nature photography that will instantly enhance your photos.

But here’s one more thing you should know:

Texture, Clarity, and Dehaze aren’t only available as global adjustments. They’re available as local adjustments, too.

You can apply local adjustments using a Graduated Filter, a Radial Filter, or an Adjustment Brush.

As you apply your local adjustments, you can shift the Texture, Clarity, and Dehaze sliders.

Let me give you an example. Here’s an unedited image:

After making global adjustments in Adobe Lightroom, I used a local (targeted) adjustment on the sky:

the road with a targeted adjustment applied

On the stormy clouds:

the road with another targeted adjustment applied

And on the road passing through the grassland:

the road with a third targeted adjustment applied

Note that these local adjustments include the Texture, Clarity, and Dehaze sliders.

Here is the final image:

final edited road with storm clouds using lightroom tools nature photography — The final, post-processed image.

So you can use these three tools when adding local adjustments, too!

Lightroom tools for nature photography: Conclusion

I hope these three Lightroom tools will help you enhance your nature and wildlife images.

Now I would like to hear from you:

Which of these Lightroom tools for nature photography are you going to try first?

Let me know by leaving a comment below.

The post 3 Lightroom Tools to Enhance Your Nature and Wildlife Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Shreyas Yadav.

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10 Ideas for Photographing Nature in your Backyard

11 Oct

The post 10 Ideas for Photographing Nature in your Backyard appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Karen Quist.

Have you noticed how many photographers are fascinated with nature? Even if we specialize in another genre, few of us can resist a gorgeous flower or a branch of autumn leaves.

One of the best things about photographing nature is that it is so accessible. You don’t need to travel far to find it, because it’s all around you. You may take it for granted because you see it every day, but your own backyard is a treasure trove. Every hour of every day and every season brings something new.

lavender flowers photographing nature in your backyard

Summer lavender | 1/200 sec | f/3.5 | ISO 100

The term “backyard” needn’t be taken literally here. If you don’t have a backyard, you’ll find plenty of nature to photograph just by wandering the streets or public parks and gardens.

Tech details: All of the photographs in this article were shot on my Canon 5D Mark III. Unless otherwise stated, I have used my Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens. I have included details of ISO, aperture, and shutter speed settings.

1. Flowers and leaves

Flowers and leaves are often the first things that come to mind when we look for subjects in our own backyards. They offer an endless variety of colors, shapes, and textures for you to photograph. You could create a collection based on a single color scheme, or try to find as many different leaf or flower shapes as possible.

Cymbidium orchid | Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro | 1/100 sec | f/4 | ISO 640

Violet leaves | Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro | 1/30 sec | f/8 | ISO 800

Geranium leaves | Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro | 1/40 sec | f/8 | ISO 320

You should also experiment with different lighting and conditions. I love backlighting for leaves and flowers, as it creates a luminous, almost three-dimensional effect, and you can see details such as veins. Some shapes look better with strong, directional light, and I love how colors are enhanced by water droplets.

photographing nature in your backyard daffodils

Erlicheer daffodils | Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro | 1/640 sec | f/4 | ISO 100

The same flower shot with the sun at my back | Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro | 1/800 sec | f/4 | ISO 100

photographing nature in your backyard backlit leaf

Backlighting a leaf reveals details you wouldn’t see if you lit it directly | Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro | 1/250 sec | f/4 | ISO 100

Flowers are seasonal, and in temperate zones, spring and summer offer the widest variety. There are still flowers to be found in winter, although you may need to look harder. Don’t forget that weeds, such as dandelions, are also beautiful! Autumn provides the greatest color spectrum in leaves.

Liquidambar leaves photographed en masse | Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro | 1/80 sec | f/4 | ISO 640

A single leaf isolated against a dark background | Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro | 1/30 sec | f/4 | ISO 640

2. Fruit, berries, and seed pods

When the summer flowers disappear, fruits and berries are nature’s way of providing for birds and animals throughout the colder months. Many berries and seed pods ripen towards the end of autumn, bringing color to the winter garden. Citrus trees bear fruit in winter, and persimmon trees lose their leaves to reveal branches of shiny orange fruits. Think also of acorns, pine cones, and nuts.

photographing nature in your backyard kumquat

Kumquat | Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro | 1/50 sec | f/4.5 | ISO 2500

Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro | 1/500 sec | f/8 | ISO 800

Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro | 1/1250 sec | f/5 | ISO 500

photographing nature in your backyard rosehip

Orange rosehip | Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro | 1/160 sec | f/5 | ISO 500

photographing nature in your backyard berries

Bunches of red berries | Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro | 1/100 sec | f/5 | ISO 500

3. After the rain

Raindrops are fascinating through the lens. Try photographing them from various angles and in different lighting.

When photographing a single droplet, or a string of them, isolate them by keeping the background uncluttered. You can do this by creating distance between the droplets and the background, and by using a wide aperture to ensure the background is blurred. Notice also how water sits in nice round droplets on some types of leaves, but on others it disperses.

photographing nature in your backyard arthropodium leaves

Arthropodium leaves after the rain | Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro | 1/80 sec | f/4.5 | ISO 800

photographing nature in your backyard raindrops

Raindrops hang from the slats on the back of a garden chair | Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro | 1/125 sec | f/4 | ISO 1000

Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro | 1/125 sec | f/4 | ISO 640

Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro | 1/125 sec | f/4 | ISO 1000

4. Mushrooms, toadstools, and fungi

These are abundant in autumn and winter, but some species pop up throughout the year after rain. Look in damp, mossy places, on the sides of trees, and in log piles for them.

My personal favorites are the red toadstools with white speckles. They are evocative of fairy tales and magic, and their colors are a nature photographer’s dream!

photographing nature in your backyard toadstool

Toadstool | Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro | 1/250 sec | f/6.3 | ISO 1000

Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro | 1/160 sec | f/6.3 | ISO 1000

But don’t ignore the tiny, dull-colored mushrooms and fungi. The mushrooms in the photo below were growing in a crevice on the side of my herb garden. You can see by the scale of the woodgrain how tiny they were. From above, they were nondescript, but when I laid on the ground beneath them and shot into the backlight, they became translucent and I could see their delicate structure.

These tiny mushrooms were no bigger than the fingernail on my pinky finger! | Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro | 1/160 sec | f/8 | ISO 800

5. Look up; look down

We have a gigantic tree in our backyard. It was probably planted when our house was first built in the 1920s, and its canopy is as big as the house itself. One of my favorite things to do in the warmer months is to put a picnic rug on the lawn and lie on my back gazing up into the tree’s branches. It is free therapy!

Watching the leaves change from bright spring green through to darker green in summer, the first blush of color in autumn, through to a rich claret just before they drop, never ceases to delight me. I have photographed it time and time again through the seasons. Even lying on the ground with my 35mm lens, I can only capture a small portion of the canopy.

photographing nature in your backyard tree

Sigma 35mm ART lens | 1/60 sec | f/11 | ISO 160

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 lens | 1/100 sec | f/11 | ISO 160

If you are lucky enough to have trees in your garden, try standing or lying directly underneath them and shooting up into the branches. Notice how the light changes from early morning throughout the day into late afternoon and evening. Branches, whether they are naked or covered with leaves, contrast beautifully against a blue sky. They are also stunning at sunrise and sunset and on moonlit nights.

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 lens | 1/200 sec | f/11 | ISO 200

If you don’t have any trees, look for interesting cloud formations to photograph. You can create a collection of skies to use as Photoshop overlays, which can add interest to other outdoor photos such as portraits. Look for vertical cloud formations, fat white fluffy clouds, and those lovely soft colors around the edge of the clouds at dusk and dawn.

You can also turn your attention downward. On the ground are a million microcosms among the moss, the lawn, between the paving stones, and in the fallen bark and leaves. You won’t see them until you get down to ground level, so lie flat on your tummy and peer into another world.

photographing nature in your backyard moss

The moss on a tree trunk | Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro | 1/40 sec | f/4 | ISO 640

6. Black and white beauty

We tend to think of color photography when we think of nature, but don’t dismiss the idea of black and white images. Nature provides sculptural shapes and contrasting textures that make great black and white subjects. If you have succulents or cacti in your garden, they are often more interesting in black and white than they are in color (except on those rare occasions when they flower). Ditto with white flowers against a dark background. Smooth pebbles, rough bark, snail shells, acorns, and pine cones all look fabulous in black and white. Try strong, directional lighting and a high contrast edit.

When I converted this file to black and white in Lightroom, I played with the sliders in the B&W panel. The photo on the left has the blue slider pulled all the way down to -100 to darken the sky. On the right, the blue slider is set to zero.

Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro | 1/100 sec | f/8 | ISO 100

7. Experiment with sun flare and haze

Your backyard is one of the best places to experiment with effects and new techniques. Firstly, you can become familiar with how things look at various times of the day and throughout the seasons. Secondly, you don’t need to travel far, so you can respond to anything on a whim. If you spot something amazing while you’re sipping your morning coffee, you needn’t even get out of your pajamas to capture it!

The subjects in the two photographs below are both visible from my desk. Every morning last summer, I noticed how this shaft of hazy sunlight would hit the planting of succulents on a pedestal, so I knew exactly what time to capture it at its best. Also sitting at my desk, I saw how the sun caught a spray of orchids just after the rain, and I rushed outside with my camera.

photographing nature in your backyard sun flare

Canon 85mm lens | 1/800 sec | f/4 | ISO 100

Shot with sun flare and no lens hood | 1/1000 sec | f/4 | ISO 100

For comparison, this is the same scene shot with a lens hood to reduce flare | 1/320 sec | f/4 | ISO 100

8. Snails, bugs, and spiders

For nine months out of the year, there are a million creepy-crawlies in my backyard. This includes butterflies, cicadas, crickets, praying mantises, caterpillars, moths, bees, wasps, and spiders (I could happily do without the latter two). At the time of writing, it is winter in Melbourne, so most bugs are hiding or dormant.

9. Birds and other wildlife

I’m going to begin this section with honesty.

Confession number one: Photographing wildlife of any kind requires more patience and a longer telephoto lens than I possess.

Confession number two: I have the greatest admiration for those who do wildlife photography. I have a Pinterest board just for animal photos (I have a clear bias towards squirrels), and on 500px I follow a number of photographers, one of whom only photographs squirrels!

The kinds of animals and birds you’re likely to find in your backyard obviously depends on which part of the world you live in and how built-up your neighborhood is. You will know which kinds of critters visit your backyard and what their habits are. With that in mind, find a spot where you won’t be too conspicuous and be prepared to wait. If you’re using a long lens, you might consider working with a tripod or a monopod to avoid camera shake. Have your ISO and aperture all set to go, plus a fast shutter speed to freeze motion. If you have been watching an animal’s behavior over several days or weeks, it may be possible to focus roughly on the area you expect them to appear (for example, the birdbath).

Also read: Guide to Attracting Critters to Your Garden for Backyard Wildlife Photography

10. Portraits in nature

Nature provides us with the perfect canvas for portraiture. Look for a bank of flowers, a bed of autumn leaves, or just a green hedge. The colors in nature never seem to clash.

When photographing children and pets, in particular, I almost always prefer an outdoor location over a studio. My eldest daughter usually runs a mile when she sees the camera, but the chance to roll around with the dog in glorious leaves was clearly too much for her to resist (see the image below).

I love how the soft hues flatter my daughter’s skin tone. If you are shooting outdoors with lots of colors, such as flowers or autumn leaves, pay attention to your subject’s outfit. These portraits might have been too busy if my daughter had been wearing a patterned outfit.

photographing nature in your backyard portrait with dog

Not even teenage daughters can resist these leaves! | 1/400 sec | f/4 | ISO 320

1/320 sec | f/4 | ISO 320

Conclusion

So there you have it: Plenty of inspiration to get outdoors and photograph nature in your own backyard. It’s time to stop reading and get out there with your camera.

Here are some additional articles that will help improve your outdoor and nature photography skills:

3 Habits Every Outdoor Photographer Should Develop to Avoid Missing Shots
5 Tips for Better Nature Photography
27 Serene Images of the Natural World

The post 10 Ideas for Photographing Nature in your Backyard appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Karen Quist.

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Slideshow: Nature inFocus Photography Awards 2020 winners and finalists

10 Sep

Nature inFocus Photography Awards 2020 winners and finalists

Winners and finalists were announced for the latest annual Nature inFocus Photography Awards. Due to the pandemic, the festival was cancelled and selections were shared via a live announcement on YouTube. More than 1,600 photographers submitted roughly 14,000 images from around the world.

A 5-member jury, including nature photographer Dhritiman Mukherjee, picked winners and finalists. Yashpal Rathore won for his image depicting a bad frozen against an urban landscape in Bangalore, India. A Special Jury Award was given, for the very first time, to Magnus Lundgren as 3 of his photographs were selected – 2 are featured in this slideshow.

The Nature inFocus Photography Awards aims to recognize photographers whose work helps preserve our natural history and raise awareness around conservation. A full gallery can be viewed here.

Winner, Wildscape & Animals in Habitat & Nature inFocus Photograph of the Year: The Dark Knight’ by Yashpal Rathore

Location: Bangalore, India

Artist Statement: A Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat drops out of a Singapore Cherry tree on the walkway of a busy street in the capital city of Karnataka. The headlamp streak of a speeding vehicle, the neon lights of business hoardings – the long-exposure shot perfectly captures the dynamism of city life.

The ever-growing city has seen these nocturnal winged mammals adapt to the chaos of the urban environment. Though vilified by much of the human population, bats play a vital role in our ecosystem as seed dispersers and pest-controllers. The photographer used a laser trigger and low-powered flashlights to freeze the bat in its flight.

Winner, Creative Nature Photography: ‘A Mirage In The Night’ by Nayan Jyoti Das

Location: Manas National Park, Assam

Artist Statement: Occasionally, nature surprises us with moments so dramatic and beautiful, like right out of a fairytale. Caught in the warm embrace of a posse of fireflies, a family of wild elephants huddles together under the night sky, mirroring the asterism of Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka of Orion above.

Special Mention, Creative Nature Photography: ‘Order in Chaos’ by Jayesh Joshi

Location: Vadodara, Gujarat

Artist Statement: Rosy Starlings perch on the edge of a parapet like substitute players on the bench, waiting to join in the action. The long exposure shot captures the frenzy of the murmuration above, hundreds of starlings swooping across the sky in intricately coordinated patterns.

Runner-up, Animal Portraits: ‘The Boxer’ by Mofeed Abu Shalwa

Location: Qatif, Saudi Arabia

Artist Statement: The Red Palm Weevil is a species of snout beetle, recognised by its distinctive long snout and geniculate antennae. First reported on coconut trees in Southeast Asia, they have since gained a foothold on date palms in several Middle Eastern countries and have spread to Africa and Europe through the movement of infected planting material.

Special Mention, Animal Portraits: ‘Monsoon Matchmaking’ by Ripan Biswas

Location: Cooch Behar, West Bengal

Artist Statement: Pre-monsoon storms known as ‘Kalboishakhi’ in Bengali bring the first rains after months of the dry season. The skies open up with thunder and lightning, announcing the arrival of the mating season for amphibians. This single exposure image of a Fejervarya sp. was made by shifting focus initially from the frog and then on to the clouds.

Winner, Animal Behavior: ‘The Hitchhiker’ by Magnus Lundgren

Location: Balayan Bay, Luzon, Philippines

Artist Statement: The Brown Paper Nautilus is an argonaut, a free-swimming octopus of open ocean habitats. A species that is widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, the Brown Paper Nautilus is known to cling to objects floating on the surface of the sea, including other argonauts. Here a female nautilus is seen surfing on a free-floating medusa.

Though the relationship is not fully understood yet, the nautilus is believed to use its host as a food source and as a defensive weapon. When the nautilus was photographed, it used the medusa as an active form of protection by turning it towards the camera, which it presumably perceived as a potential predator.

Second Runner-up, Animal Behavior: ‘Water Wars’ by Chaitanya Rawat

Location: Jhalana Forest, Jaipur

About this Photo: On a hot day in the forests of Jhalana, with temperatures touching 45ºC, the photographer waited under the shade of a tree near a man-made waterhole. His patience was rewarded when a leopard slid down the rocks like melted wax and strolled towards the waterhole.

His camera zoomed in on the spotted, ochre and black coat as he watched the gorgeous feline drink its fill. Suddenly, the scene turned electric as a Striped Hyena made an appearance, unaware of the presence of the cat. Expecting the hyena to quickly slink away, the photographer was surprised to watch it go on the offensive and chase the leopard up a tree. The hyena then drank its fill and moved away.

Special Mention, Animal Behavior: ‘Breed The Red’ by Varun Thakkar

Location: Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

Artist Statement: A Southern Ground-hornbill, the largest hornbill species on Earth, feeds its young one. Found in grasslands, woodlands and open savannas of southern Africa, they are recognizable by their jet black feathers and the bright red throat wattle in males. Juveniles instead have yellow patches on the face and throat. Pollution, logging and agricultural expansion which often destroy nesting habitats are the primary threats for this species.

Winner, Conservation Issues: ‘Circle Of Death’ by Srikanth Mannepuri

Location: Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh

Artist Statement: Fishermen surround the lifeless body of a Mobula Ray at a fish landing site in Kakinada as they determine its value in thousands of rupees. The winner of the auction will then prepare the fish and trade it illegally to Southeast Asian countries for high-profit margins. The gill rakers of the Mobula Ray is believed to hold medicinal properties.

Second Runner-up, Conservation Issues: ‘Plastic Surfer’ by Magnus Lundgren

Location: Balayan Bay, Luzon, Philippines

Artist Statement: A male paper nautilus rides a piece of plastic in the pelagic zone. In the ocean, plastic debris injures and kills fish, seabirds and marine mammals. Marine plastic pollution has impacted at least 267 species worldwide, including 86% of all sea turtle species, 44% of all seabird species and 43% of all marine mammal species.

Winner, Young Photographer: ‘Dust To Dust’ by Sitara Karthikeyan

Location: Corbett Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand

Artist Statement: A majestic tusker walking head-on towards the photographer showers himself in dust sprayed from his trunk. Elephants dust bathe to keep their skin healthy and to keep parasites at bay. It also helps them to cool down their bodies.

Second Runner-up, Young Photographer: ‘Harmony In Faith’ by Abhikram Shekhawat

Location: Jaipur, Rajasthan

Artist Statement: A large population of Rhesus Macaques rules the Aravalli landscape, which is also home to the renowned Galtaji temple. Though these monkeys create a lot of nuisance, they are treated respectfully by the devotees who visit the temple to worship the monkey god, Hanuman. Photographed here is a female Rhesus Macaque sitting in front of the glorious temple edifice.

Special Mention, Young Photographer: ‘Catch The Sun’ by Sumit Adhikary

Location: Indian Ocean, Maldives

Artist Statement: A breaching Spinner Dolphin casts a striking silhouette against the light reflecting off the deep blue ocean from the setting sun. Breaching is a very common activity among cetaceans, and though there are a number of hypotheses, scientists still really don’t know why they do it.

Second Runner-up, Wildscape & Animals in Habitat: ‘Cinderella Of The Ghats’ by Mandar Ghumare

Location: Coorg, Karnataka

Artist Statement: A terrestrial snail endemic to the Western Ghats, Indrella ampulla is the only species in the monotypic genus, Indrella. The species is polymorphic – the visible soft parts of the snail show great colour diversity, ranging from pale yellow to red like in this particular individual. The wide frame showcases the evergreen forests of the Western Ghats which it calls home.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Nature and Wildlife Photography Tips for Beginners

08 Sep

The post Nature and Wildlife Photography Tips for Beginners appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Adam Welch.

If you have an interest in wildlife or nature photography, then there is a good chance you have seen an image at some point that has completely taken your breath away. Maybe it was a photograph of a sweeping landscape washed in the golden light of the dying afternoon sun, or a close-up of some small natural miracle that you had never noticed before that moment.

You might even have asked yourself, “How did they do that?”

Winter landscape

Well, the majority of those incredible photographs came about through a good deal of physical hardship, practiced patience, and a healthy amount of self-made luck.

Here are some tips to help you become stronger at wildlife photography and better at recording the natural world.

Do your homework before heading out

Be as educated as possible before you ever make a photo. Doing your homework is one of the most important, yet loathed, parts of wildlife photography. It never pays to walk into a situation and be completely clueless.

Though you can never be totally prepared for every challenge you will face (that’s part of the fun), you can educate yourself so that you safely make the most of your outing.

What gear to pack

Advanced gear is not a requirement. However, patience and perseverance are essential. You don’t need the latest and greatest zoom lens or space-age gadgetry in order to produce outstanding nature and wildlife photos.

At the same, you must also understand any limitations of your kit, so that you will have realistic expectations and avoid disappointment.

This photograph was made using the 28-135mm kit lens that came with my camera after I slowly and quietly crawled into range.

Gear up for what you’ll most likely be shooting. Packing for a photographic outing can cause a lot of anxiety. It’s easy to overpack due to fear of lacking a piece of gear.

Overpacking, though, can be even worse than underpacking. You become weighed down and uncomfortable. You find yourself not enjoying what you’re doing, which is one of the most preventable of all mistakes made by photographers.

Research the animals and scenes you are likely to encounter. Decide what gear most and least important to you. Make choices, commit to them, and then let it go. It will make packing a lot less stressful.

If you plan on photographing wildlife, such as birds and animals that scare easily, then pack your best zoom lens so you can keep distance between you and your subject.

Are you shooting landscapes or scenes where stealth is not a concern? You might consider taking along a wider angle lens to better capture your scene.

Ultimately, there is no secret formula and no true all-in-one lens to cover every situation. Be informed before you leave so that you can make the best use of whatever lens you have.

A good bag is worth its weight in gold

All the planning in the world isn’t worth much unless you can comfortably carry your essential tools with you. Find a camera bag that can carry the gear you need easily and is equally comfortable on your body.

Bags range greatly in price and quality, but you usually get what you pay for. For added peace of mind, you might consider a bag that is semi-weatherproof or water-resistant.

Here’s my go-to lightweight bag for wildlife photography, shown with and without the handy rain cover deployed:

Camerabag

Read reviews and find a bag that fits your body, your gear, and your planned outing. You will have a much more comfortable and enjoyable experience.

Speaking of comfort:

Shoes

Comfort items

Shoes: A good pair of hiking shoes or boots is one of the most important pieces of gear for any wildlife photographer. Grit, dirt, mud, water, insects, rocks, and creepy-crawlies; you need a pair of shoes or boots that can handle all of these elements.

Your shoes should be well-fitting and suitable for walking long distances. If your feet become uncomfortable, it won’t be long before you start thinking about cutting your trip short.

Prepare a checklist

It’s always a good idea to have a mental checklist before beginning any shoot. Before your outing, ask yourself the following questions:

Are any special permits or permissions required? Some national parks, state parks, and wildlife sanctuaries require special permits for access to certain areas, especially backcountry environments.
Where will I park my vehicle? This is very important. Believe me, if you park your vehicle in an unauthorized area, then you will be stuck with a sizeable fine. Or worse, you’ll return to find your vehicle has been towed.
Are there time restraints of any kind? Most natural areas and parks have hours of operation just like a business. You might arrive expecting to shoot a great sunrise, only to find out the location you chose isn’t accessible until after daybreak. Also remember that wild creatures and critters are usually most active in the early morning or late evening.
What are the expected weather conditions? This is a biggie. Know what to expect as far as the weather is concerned. Check the forecast the day of departure and keep tabs on it throughout the day if possible. Never risk endangering yourself or your equipment by venturing out unprepared for bad weather.
What are the times for sunrise and sunset? Again, be sure the places you want to capture a sunrise or sunset are accessible during those times. You need to also be aware of the sunrise-sunset schedule so that you can allow enough time to reach your location and set up your gear before it’s go time.
Are there any commonly photographed animals, landmarks, or structures? Research what is usually photographed around the area you plan to visit. Find a park ranger or staff member and ask about lesser-known spots that are less traveled by tourists. Knowing what’s popular will save you time and help you avoid shooting a scene the same way it has been done time and time again. Look for ways to be creative and set your work apart!

So, you’ve researched your location and have a good idea of what to expect. Here are a few basic tips that can help you after you’ve reached your destination.

Shoot RAW

Shootraw

If possible, set your camera to capture images in RAW format. RAW image files are basically unprocessed (one might say uncooked), straight from your camera’s image sensor. They contain a massive amount of pixel information when compared to JPEGs and take up a lot more memory card space. However, this additional information allows more latitude for adjustments in post-processing.

Use the lowest practical ISO

The ISO number of photographic film and image-sensors relates to their sensitivity to light. The boiled-down explanation is that, everything else being equal, the higher the ISO number, the less light that is required to make an image.

Unfortunately, with higher light sensitivity comes increased image noise. In most (but not all) situations, you will want to use the lowest ISO possible. That is not to say you should be afraid of bumping up the ISO. A fast shutter speed is often needed to capture the quick movements of wildlife, and increased noise is far less noticeable than a blurred image.

Use AF continuous (AI Servo) mode when photographing wildlife

Afservo

Autofocus (AF) can be your best friend or your worst enemy. When it comes to photographing most wildlife, however, autofocus is a great tool!

Animals and birds, especially the wild variety, are almost constantly on the move. They shift positions and move closer or farther away selfishly, with little regard for the photo you are so carefully trying to compose. This is when AF-Continuous and AF-Servo modes come in handy.

Though called different names depending on your camera’s make, these settings both accomplish the same objective: They keep a moving subject constantly in focus.

Place your selected focus point over your subject and half-press the shutter button to engage the AF. Focus will be tracked for as long as you follow your subject while maintaining pressure on the shutter button. Read your camera’s manual (you’ve done that already, right?) for detailed information concerning specific autofocus capabilities for your model, and how each mode can be selected.

Don’t forget the tripod

“I really didn’t think I would need my tripod” are words that usually begin a sad story about how a potentially great shot was missed. In most wildlife and nature photography situations, a tripod is always a good idea. It’s better to have access to a tripod and not need it than to need it and not have one available. Find the lightest and most compact tripod that is sturdy enough to handle your camera setup.

Learn so you can prepare. Prepare so you can photograph. Photograph so you can grow.

Photographing wildlife can be difficult, but it can also yield huge artistic, personal, and even spiritual rewards. So go out and have fun doing what you do, but don’t forget to put the camera down every now and then to enjoy the world around you.

“Nature never goes out of style.” – Unknown

The post Nature and Wildlife Photography Tips for Beginners appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Adam Welch.

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Slideshow: GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2020 winners

15 May

GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2020 winners

Members of the Society for Nature Photography have selected the GDT Nature Photographer of the Year. The 7th annual competition received 5,046 submissions from 307 GDT (German Society of Nature Photography) members across 11 countries. Peter Lindel was declared the Overall Winner with ‘A Hare’s Dream.’

‘The European hare, once a common inhabitant of open country all over Germany, has become a rare sight. While the large number of hares that I used to spot every morning on my way to work in the fields and meadows North of Dortmund, prompted me twelve years ago to explore this area with my camera, it has now become increasingly time-consuming to find hares and present them in an appealing photograph,’ Lindel explains.

For the first time, voting was conducted online instead of a general meeting on account of the pandemic. 70 winners and finalists were selected by judges and members for the following categories: Birds, Mammals, Other Animals, Plants and Fungi, Landscapes, Nature’s Studio, and the Special Category: Water. All winning and finalist photographs can be viewed here.

While GDT Nature Photographer of the Year is open to the society’s members only, GDT’s European Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is open to all photographers residing in Europe.

Overall Winner: ‘A Hare’s Dream’ by Peter Lindel

GNPY 2020, Peter Lindel, GDT

About this photo: ‘A hare’s dream was taken in July of 2019 when months of
searching a suitable location led me to a dirt road, which offered the most
beautiful morning light, lovely vegetation and … three hares. Dreamy,
curious, careful, anxious. These are the adjectives that I find describe the
expression of “my hare” best,’ says Lindel.

Winner, Other Animals: ‘Danger in the Mud’ by Jens Cullmann

GNPY 2020, Jens Cullman, GDT

About this photo: Crocodile in a drying mud pool.

Winner, Nature’s Studio: ‘Flooded with Light’ by Jan Piecha

GNPY 2020, Jan Piecha, GDT

About this photo: A blackbird perches on a branch in North Hesse, Germany.

Winner, Landscapes: ‘Magic Light’ by Benjamin Waldmann

GNPY 2020, Benjamin Waldmann, GDT

About this photo: Tree in the mist at the Albtrauf.

Winner, Birds: ‘Take-off’ by Flurin Leugger

GNPY 2020, Flurin Leugger, GDT

About this photo: Coyote panics geese.

2nd Place, Mammals: ‘Glowing Fox’ by Mohammed Murad

GNPY 2020, Mohammed Murad, GDT

About this photo: Arabian red fox in Kuwait City.

2nd Place, Special Category, Water: ‘Milk and Honey’ by Sandra Bartocha

GNPY 2020, Sandra Bartocha, GDT

About this photo: Reflection of the chalk coast, England.

4th Place, Special Category, Water: ‘Poseidons Wrath’ by Christian Wappl

GNPY 2020, Christian Wappl, GDT

About this photo: A top-down view of Waves, La Palma.

5th Place, Nature’s Studio: ‘Refraction’ by Burkhard Hillert

GNPY 2020, Burkhard Hillert, GDT

About this photo: Refraction of light in the cobweb.

10th Place, Atelier Natur: ‘Iceland Going Abstract’ by Uwe Hasubek

GNPY 2020, Uwe Hasubek, GDT

About this photo: Painting of a river, Iceland.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Slideshow: Inaugural Nature TTL Photographer of the Year 2020 winners

28 Mar

Inaugural Nature TTL Photographer of the Year 2020 winners

The winning entries for the inaugural Nature TTL Photographer of the Year 2020 competition were recently announced. Over 7,000 images were submitted from wildlife, landscape, and macro photographers in 117 different countries. French photographer Florian Ledoux received the £1000 grand prize and title of Overall Winner for his image ‘Above the Crabeater Seals.’ If it looks familiar, it’s because this photo, captured in Antarctica, was also a Drone Awards 2019 winner.

‘It was a quiet morning and the sun was just about to rise. When I saw all the ice drifting alongside the sailboat in the fjord where we were anchored, with lot of crabeater seals resting on the ice, I immediately knew from previous experiences that this would give me a blast and really graphic and stunning images telling the story of how they use the ice to rest after night feeding,’ Overall Winner Florian Ledoux explains to DPReview about how he pre-planned his capture.

‘It is important that anyone inspired by this style of drone image understands the importance of wildlife and being ethical in your approach. Ensure that your drone does not spook animals or disturb them, and always conduct yourself within accordance of local regulations,’ Ledoux told Nature TTL when he learned of his win.

‘It is important that anyone inspired by this style of drone image understands the importance of wildlife and being ethical in your approach. Ensure that your drone does not spook animals or disturb them.’

Wildlife cameraman, and organizer of the competition, Will Nicholls said, ‘Florian’s image provides a unique angle that is not often seen in wildlife photography. The judges had a tough choice to make, but the detail and strong composition of the seals surrounded by the broken ice made it stand out from the crowd.’

The Landscape category winner, Marek Biegalski, also used a drone to show a flock of sheep resting in a tree’s shade. The Macro category was won by Chinese photographer Minghui Yuan for his simple, two-tone image of a damesfly resting on a blade of grass. The Youth category winner, 15-year-old Saptarshi Guyen from India, depicts a drongo searching for insects fleeing grassland fires.

Thousands voted for the People’s Choice category. Robert Ferguson’s intricate image of a pelican struggling to swallow a fish received the most votes. This is the first of what Nature TTL says is many annual photography competitions to come. Nature TTL offers photographers of all skill levels free tutorials and features that can be found here.

Overall Winner (& Wildlife Category Winner): ‘Above the Crabeater Seals’ by Florian Ledoux

Taken in: Antarctica

About this photo: ‘Aerial view of crabeater seals resting in a group on the ice after feeding at night. The aerial view allow us to better understand how the wildlife use the ice to rest and give birth.’

Equipment used: Phantom 4 Pro+

Runner-up, Wildlife Category: ‘Startled Owl’ by Paul Holman

Taken in: United Kingdom

About this photo: ‘The little baby owl made an appearance within the window during a
burst of early morning sun. A couple of jackdaws spooked by his presence started dive bombing him. After a few passes I noticed the jackdaw’s reflection in the adjacent windowpane and decided to try and capture this behavior. The startled look on the little owl’s face adds a little humor to the image.’

Equipment used: Canon EOS 7D II, Canon EF100-400mm Mark II lens

Highly Commended, Wildlife Category: ‘Sleeping the Fall Off’ by Terje Kolaas

Taken in: Norway

About this photo: ‘A Collared Dove in a garden in mid-Norway takes a break in feeding during a heavy snow fall. A remote street light in the background creates a halo around the bird. As soon as the snowfall stops, it shakes the snow off its shoulders and goes back to the daily routine with collecting wheat from the nearby fields. Tried many different shutter- speeds to vary the movement of the snow, this one is at 1/40s.’

Equipment used: Nikon D850 + 600mm f/4 lens

Highly Commended, Wildlife Category: ‘Breathing’ by Bence Ma?te?

Taken in: Romania

About this photo: ‘A brown bear growls a warning of his presence to an interloper, his breath vanishing slowly in the windless forest.’

Equipment used: Canon EOS-1D X Mark II; 400mm lens

Highly Commended, Wildlife Category: ‘Badger Blues’ by Dave Hudson

Taken in: United Kingdom

About this photo: ‘I had been putting in the hours watching a number of setts in the
area but decided to focus on this particular one due to the abundance of bluebells. I set myself up close to one of the badger tracks, knowing that I would only have one shot and I would need a lot of luck. After a good couple of hours, I began to hear movement. The light was fading fast and I knew that I would not have long before it would be too dark for any pictures.

An adult badger came towards me first, sniffing the air as they often do and heading towards me. It drifted out of shot and into the bluebells, but much to my delight behind it was a cub. He seemed comfortable enough so I clicked the shutter and got a couple of shots.’

Equipment used: Nikon D3s with Nikon D3s with Sigma 120-300 f/2.8 Sport lens

Winner, Landscape Category: ‘Shadow Game’ by Marek Biegalski

Taken in: Italy

About this photo: ‘Aerial image taken in Tuscany in autumn light. Flock of sheep was hiding in the shade from the sun under the shadow of a tree.’

Equipment used: DJI Mavic Pro 2

Runner-up, Landscape Category: ‘Viking Rainbows’ by Alessandro Cantarelli

Taken in: Iceland

About this photo: ‘I am very attached to this photograph, both because of the technical
difficulty and because it took years to make it. Over the last few years, I have found myself dozens of times in Iceland, several of which I was lucky enough to witness incredible conditions on the Vestrahorn.

Seeing such a powerful sunrise on the right was already magical, and the very intense rain made things difficult for me but it gave me a great gift: a double rainbow on my left that perfectly compensated the strong light on the right. 88 layers in Photoshop to create a panorama; 6 shots bracketed.’

Equipment used: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV + Samyang 12mm f/2.8 fisheye lens

Highly Commended, Landscape Category: ‘Valley of the Scheldt’ by Bart Heirweg

Taken in: Belgium

About this photo: ‘In early autumn the valley of the Scheldt is often filled with a thick layer of fog on clear and windless mornings. When the sun starts to rise the fog slowly disappears revealing the landscape underneath. When seen from above this atmosphere is simply magical.’

Equipment used: DJI Mavic Pro 2

Winner, Macro Category: ‘Chinese Painting’ by Minghui Yuan

Taken in: China

About this photo: ‘I was wearing a piece of waterproof overalls in the stream of Dabie Mountain, waiting to observe this Matrona basilaris (damselfly). Matrona basilaris is the king of the stream here. There is a male Matrona basilaris every 3 meters. They were waiting for the female to fly over its territory; the male chased away a male opponent and then stopped at the tip of the grass.

Against the background of the sky, I discovered the connection between the lines of the grass and the subject. Nature itself is a simple painting.’

Equipment used: Nikon D7000, Tamron 180mm f/3.5 macro lens

Highly Commended, Macro Category: ‘Nothing Here but this Tree’ by Caitlin Henderson

Taken in: Australia

About this photo: ‘The Lichen Huntsman (Pandercetes gracilis) is an incredible species of tree- dwelling spider from Australia’s tropical north. Its astounding camouflage enables it to blend perfectly with the tree bark and lichens, and is near impossible to spot by day.

At night, I went searching for these spiders with a torch, using their reflective eye-shine to discover their hiding places in plain sight.’

Equipment used: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 macro lens

Highly Commended, Macro Category: ‘Trailblazer’ by Christian Wappl

Taken in: Thailand

About this photo: ‘It was past midnight in the forest of the Peninsular Botanic Garden (Trang, Thailand), but a light still shone in the dark. A large firefly larva (Lamprigera sp.) emitted a constant glow from its light organs.

I wanted to capture the scene in a way that celebrated its bioluminescence, and decided on a long exposure with rear-curtain flash. The shot had to be made in near-total darkness, which meant I had to estimate the position of the firefly larva in the frame.’

Equipment used: Canon EOS 5DS, Canon EF 16–35mm f/4L lens

Highly Commended, Macro Category: ‘Home Sweet Home’ by Jesslyn Saw

Taken in: Malaysia

About this photo: ‘While on holiday at my family home in Malaysia, I set out to document as many different types of jumping spiders as possible in a fortnight.

Battling the rain and heat and humidity of the tropics, the best time to hunt these spiders was early in the morning and late afternoon. It was on one of these late afternoon jaunts that I saw this colorful jumping spider and discovered a nest nearby. Hoping that the nest belonged to this particular spider, I came back again early the next morning to photograph it in its nest. To my delight, I saw that the nest did indeed belong to this spider. However, it took me another two days of early morning visits to finally successfully photograph the spider in its nest.’

Equipment used: Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II, 60mm f/2.8 macro lens

Winner, Under 16 Category: ‘Phoenix’ by Saptarshi Gayen

Taken in: India

About this photo: ‘For the last 4-5 years I have seen that, at the end of every winter, farmers of this huge grassland generally burn the grass and reeds to clean the land for upcoming crops.

When the fire spreads across the land, small insects start coming out. Then the brave Black Drongo starts capitalizing on such a moment by eating them and flying above the live fire. The birds usually sit on a branch fearlessly and watch the movements of the insects as the fire spreads into a new area, then it flies close to the fire for the catch. This is a full frame image, and the calmness of the Drongo reminds me of the Roman Emperor Nero.’

Equipment used: Nikon D7100, Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E VR lens

Runner-up, Under 16 Category: ‘The Cradle of Life’ by Tama?s Koncz-Bisztricz

Taken in: Hungary

About this photo: ‘Late winter in February, the soda lakes are full of life in Hungary. These lakes are the sanctuary of wide variety water birds.

There is a nice, but unknown, hidden lake between the village of To?mo?rke?ny and Pa?lmonostora which is surrounded and covered with cane and sedge – therefore impossible to observe.

I took this aerial photograph by a remotely controlled drone. I use a special technique to slowly approach the birds from very high altitude, which is a method also used by conservation experts to count the population of the birds.

In the picture the wild ducks roil in the muddy water and leave lines in the yellowish-brownish, sometimes purple, water colored by organic materials coming from decomposition of cane. The sparkling color pallet of the image is composed by the blue sky and the white cloud reflection on the water’s surface.’

Equipment used: DJI Phantom 3 Standard

Winner, People’s Choice Award: ‘I’m Not Going Easy’ by Robert Ferguson

Taken in: Singapore

About photo: ‘This is the Great white pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus), struggling with a non-native fish. These wonderful birds are free to roam, but have established a large colony on one of the artificial islands in the old Jurong park in Singapore.

I had set up my camera to take some portraits and watch their behavior, and noticed one particular bird that had caught one of the big fish from the pond. I watched, intrigued, as the bird swam in circles, dipping his bill, taking water, then raising his beak to attempt to swallow his large prey. But every time the fish extended its sharp spines on its fins – you can see it hooked on the beak here – and lodged itself firmly.

This went on for over 20 minutes, with no sign of either party tiring. I was fascinated to see the intricate veins in the birds throat pouch, as the overcast day backlit the thin skin, and I had to move and crouch low to the ground to get the shot.’

Equipment used: Canon EOS-1D X Mark II, 200-400mm f/4 lens?
?

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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The dPS Top Nature and Wildlife Photography Tips of 2019

01 Jan

The post The dPS Top Nature and Wildlife Photography Tips of 2019 appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

dPS-Top-Nature-and-Wildlife-Photography-Tips-2019

This week on dPS, we’re featuring some of the top articles in different categories that were published on the site throughout 2019. It’s always a bit tricky to gauge the overall popularity, as some were published earlier in the year and have had more time on the site than the ones posted more recently. But still, it gives you an idea!

We’ve already published the overall Top Photography Tips of 2019, the Top Photography Gear Tips of 2019, the Top Landscape Photography Tips of 2019, the Top Photography Post-Processing Tips of 2019, and the Top Portrait Photography Tips of 2019, and the Top Travel Photography Tips of 2019.

So now we have The dPS Top Nature and Wildlife Photography Tips of 2019.

Here are the Top Nature and Wildlife Photography Tips of 2019:

1. 7 Photography Exercises to Take Your Nature Photos to the Next Level

By Jaymes Dempsey

7 Photography Exercises to Take Your Nature Photos to the Next Level

2. The 7 Nature Photography Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making

By Jaymes Dempsey

The 7 Nature Photography Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making

3. 7 Mistakes to Avoid When Photographing Wildlife

By Jeremy Flint

7 Mistakes to Avoid When Photographing Wildlife

4. 7 Techniques for Original (and Stunning) Nature Photos

By Jaymes Dempsey

7 Techniques for Original (and Stunning) Nature Photos

5. 5 Secrets for Stunning Creative Bird Photography

By Jaymes Dempsey

5 Secrets for Stunning Creative Bird Photography

6. Review of the Nikon D500 for Wildlife and Bird Photography

By Shreyas Yadav

Review of the Nikon D500 for Wildlife and Bird Photography

7. 5 Tips for Gorgeous Nature Photography Lighting

By Jaymes Dempsey

5 Tips for Gorgeous Nature Photography Lighting

8. Using Creative Zoo Photography for Awesome Animal Photos

By Rick Ohnsman

Using Creative Zoo Photography for Awesome Animal Photos

9. How to take Great Flower Photos without a Macro Lens

By Ana Mireles

How to take Great Flower Photos without a Macro Lens

10. Field Test: Could the Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 be the Most Versatile Wildlife Lens?

By Shreyas Yadav

Field Test: Could the Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 be the Most Versatile Wildlife Lens?

11. How to Shoot Abstract Flower Photography using Close-Up Filters

By Charlie Moss

How to Shoot Abstract Flower Photography using Close-Up Filters

12. A Quick Guide to Amazing Bird Photography Compositions

By Jaymes Dempsey

A Quick Guide to Amazing Bird Photography Compositions

13. 5 Nature Photography Editing Tips to Create Stunning Images in Seconds

By Jaymes Dempsey

5 Nature Photography Editing Tips to Create Stunning Images in Seconds

14. Tips for Creating Compelling Nature Photography

By Karthika Gupta

Tips for Creating Compelling Nature Photography

15. 5 Tips for Better Forest Bird Photography

By Samuel Bloch

5 Tips for Better Forest Bird Photography

16. A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Light in Flower Photography for Awesome Photos

By Simon Ringsmuth

A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Light in Flower Photography for Awesome Photos

17. How to Shoot Animal Portraits

By Caz Nowaczyk

How to Shoot Animal Portraits

18. 5 Different Approaches to Photographing Wildlife

By Jeremy Flint

5 Different Approaches to Photographing Wildlife

19. Why You Need to Know the History of Flowers in Art and Photography

By Megan Kennedy

Why You Need to Know the History of Flowers in Art and Photography

20. 11 Tips for Photographing Bears in Alaska

By André Costantini

11 Tips for Photographing Bears in Alaska

This is the last of the Top Photography Tips of 2019. We hope you enjoyed and learned some new skills from them!

If you have some other favorite nature or wildlife-related dPS post, share it with us in the comments!

The post The dPS Top Nature and Wildlife Photography Tips of 2019 appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

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5 Tips for Gorgeous Nature Photography Lighting

22 Nov

The post 5 Tips for Gorgeous Nature Photography Lighting appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

In this article, I’m going to show you how to use light to create nature photography masterpieces.

And I can guarantee that they work.

Why? Because they’re the tricks that I use myself. All the time.

In fact, these nature photography lighting tips can be your photography secret weapon. They’ll get you creative, original photos, no doubt about it.

You just have to be willing to try them out!

Let’s dive right in.

5 Tips for Gorgeous Nature Photography Lighting

Wait until last light for a breathtaking sky

Nature photographers love to shoot during the so-called “golden hours,” the hours just after sunrise and just before sunset, when the low sun casts a beautiful golden glow over the landscape.

And it’s true. The golden hours are a great time for nature photography.

5 Tips for Gorgeous Nature Photography Lighting

But if you want truly stunning nature photos, I recommend you go beyond the golden hours.

Instead, focus on shooting at the very last light, when the sun is touching the horizon.

This is the time when the sky often goes brilliant with colors. This is when you get a sunset sky, one that can absolutely blow your mind.

And this “last light” makes for truly breathtaking nature photography shots.

If you’re a landscape photographer, this probably seems obvious. Nearly all landscape photographers shoot at sunset.

But even if you’re not a landscape photographer, I encourage you to shoot at this time. Because sunsets aren’t just good for landscape photos. They also make for beautiful backgrounds in macro photography, bird photography, and flower photography.

Nature-Photography-lighting-tips

So here’s what I recommend:

Get out to shoot during the golden hours. Take some nice shots. But then stick around until the sun is touching the horizon. And start incorporating some stunning sunset colors into your images.

Note that you don’t have to stop when the sun goes down. The colors remain deeply photogenic.

So feel free to keep shooting until you no longer have the light to capture photos!

Photograph in inclement weather for moody images

While golden light is great for nature photography, it’s not the only type of lighting that works.

In fact, one of my favorite types of lighting is the opposite of golden light:

Dark, cloudy lighting. Or lighting in bad weather.

Nature-Photography-lighting-tips

At first glance, this type of lighting seems questionable. After all, during bad weather the light gets low, and it’s often hard to have enough light for good exposures.

But here’s the thing:

Bad weather creates a mood. It creates an atmosphere. And it can give your nature photography something that’s hard to find under other circumstances:

Drama.

For instance, if you photograph when the skies are stormy, you can produce dramatic, breathtaking landscapes.

And if you photograph in rain or snow, you can create a sense of isolation and solitude that can absolutely take your photos to the next level.

Nature-Photography-lighting-tips

Which is exactly what you want.

Use the broken backlighting technique for stunning bokeh

The broken backlighting technique is one of my favorite ways to create beautiful nature photography backgrounds.

Backgrounds like this:

5 Tips for Gorgeous Nature Photography Lighting

If you look at the photo above, you’ll notice how the out-of-focus areas are intensely blurred. But they don’t look disjointed; instead, they look creamy and smooth.

How do you create such an effect?

By using the light.

Here’s how it works:

Go out on a day when the skies are clear, but the sun is low in the sky. Then find something on the skyline that can come between you and the light. (In other words, find something that breaks the light.)

Trees work especially well, but any type of vegetation will give you some good shots.

Finally, find a subject that’s between you and the “broken” background. Use a wide aperture on your camera, and take some shots.

You’ll end up with beautiful backgrounds.

Nature-Photography-lighting-tips

That’s the power of the broken backlighting technique. You see, the broken backlight will be rendered as blurred pinpricks of light. And those pinpricks are just what you want for the best possible background bokeh.

You can use this for intimate landscape scenes. You can use this for bird photography. And you can use this for macro photography.

It’ll work every time.

Find backlit subjects for stunning silhouettes

Backlit photography isn’t all that common in nature photography.

But it should be.

You see, backlighting can add a lot of drama to your photos. This is often at the cost of color intensity, because the heavier the backlighting, the more underexposed your main subject becomes.

This can be a problem unless you’re willing to embrace it. By increasing the exposure, you can blow out the background but capture a beautiful foreground.

Or, even more dramatically, you can let the main subject become a silhouette.

Nature-Photography-lighting-tips

Here’s how it works:

Wait until the end (or the very beginning) of the day, when the sun is low in the sky. Position your main subject so that it’s between you and the sun. You don’t want the sun itself to be featured in the frame, so you can cover it with your main subject, or keep it just outside the shot.

You also want to make sure that your main subject doesn’t intersect with anything. Ideally, the subject should be framed against the sky, so you have powerful dark-light contrast.

Then switch your camera over to manual exposure. Choose an aperture like you normally would, but dial in a very fast shutter speed. You want your main subject to be underexposed.

And then…

Shoot. Take a number of shots, experimenting with different shutter speeds. You want to capture a beautiful background, but with a completely dark foreground. It may take a bit of testing before you arrive at the perfect shutter speed, and that’s okay.

I also want to emphasize that you can capture beautiful silhouettes of any subject. Trees, flowers, birds, and leaves all look great.

5 Tips for Gorgeous Nature Photography Lighting

You just have to make sure you get the right backlighting and a carefully positioned subject.

And your shots will look stunning.

Use dreary clouds for beautiful intentional camera movement photos

I’ve already talked about the value of dark, cloudy light. It can add mood and drama to your photos.

But I like dreary days for another reason:

They offer very little light. Which is perfect for capturing long, artistic exposures. And it makes them look incredible because the diffused light results in saturated colors.

Of course, when it comes to doing long-exposure photography, you need a tripod for tack-sharp images.

But in this case, you don’t want tack-sharp images. Instead, you want to capture a beautiful blur, like this:

Nature Photography lighting

This is sometimes referred to as ICM or Intentional Camera Movement photography. Low light is perfect for this type of shot because it allows you to keep your aperture wide while still creating blur. This results in especially artistic, abstract images.

Here’s what you do:

Start by finding a subject that’s nice and colorful. The deeper the colors, the better, though the cloudy light will help bring out the hues regardless.

Then set your camera into Manual mode. Choose a shutter speed in the area of 1s to 1/10s. And choose an aperture that will give you a good exposure, while keeping the ISO down as low as possible.

Take some photos while moving your camera up and down, and left and right. Different motions will result in differently-styled photos. So I recommend you experiment with as many options as possible!

One tip is to move your camera along lines in the scene. So if you’re photographing trees, move your camera so that it follows the trunks downward.

Note that you shouldn’t feel constrained to landscape subjects. Yes, ICM photography is often done by landscape photographers. But you can create beautiful ICM shots photographing macro subjects, flowers, and even birds.

So feel free to photograph the subjects you love!

5 Tips for gorgeous lighting in your nature photography: Conclusion

While it can be difficult to use lighting to your advantage in nature photography, it’s not impossible.

And if you use these tips, you’ll be able to capture nature shots that look just stunning!

So have fun shooting and good luck!

The post 5 Tips for Gorgeous Nature Photography Lighting appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

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