INTRODUCTION TO WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY - … · Agenda Objective Master basics on Wildlife...
Transcript of INTRODUCTION TO WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY - … · Agenda Objective Master basics on Wildlife...
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INTRODUCTION TO
WILDLIFE
PHOTOGRAPHY
Richard Seeley Photography
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Agenda
Objective
Master basics on Wildlife Photography
Improve ability to capture impressive images of animals
Presentation on Wildlife Essentials – 1 hour
In-field practice with dogs in Dog Park – 1-1.5 hours
Critique some images – 1-1.5 hours
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Topics
Nature Photography
Why Wildlife Photography
Get Close, Safely
Understand Your Subject
Types of Wildlife Images
Capture Behavior
When Most Active
Quality of Light
How We Find Wildlife
Compositional Elements
Photography Basics
Autofocus Modes
Autofocus Points
Exposure Histogram
Wildlife and Shutter Speed
The Dog Park
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Nature Photography
Landscapes and scenic photography
Wildlife photography
Animals
Mammals, birds, insects, amphibians, fish and invertebrates
Summit County abundant wildlife – what have we seen?
Plants and flowers
Wildflower season
Celestial
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Why Wildlife Photography?
One of the more challenging areas of photography
Birds the most challenging of wildlife.
Wildlife are undependable – they move
Safety concerns when approaching
Tend to be crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk) when lighting is the most challenging for photography
Can require state-of-the-art camera technology
Big lenses, fast frame rates, fast auto focus, many megapixels
Can be quite successful with less extreme gear!
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Because
Get to travel to interesting places
Experience behaviors that most people never get to see.
A thrill when you capture that “moment”
A learning process to constantly improve technique and skill
Provides a strong motivation to constantly learn about animal
behavior and types of animals
An opportunity to be an advocate for conservation through
photography.
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Get Close, Safely
Each species has a different “threat zone”
Safety for wildlife and human life
Become agitated, notice you, flee or consider you prey
Better to be stationary and let wildlife approach you
Long lens gets you “close” and provides comfort zone
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Too Close
Red Fox
parent
warning me
from the den
10 – 20 yards
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Bighorn Sheep
10-20 yards
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Moose
25 yards
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Elk
25 yards was not enough
Couple Targeted
Don’t Spill Your Beer
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Rule for
Grizzlies
Always keep at least
one tourist between
you and the bear
100 yards
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When Most Active
Crepuscular – dawn and dusk, sleep/rest during the day
Ungulates (moose, elk, deer, bison), hummingbirds, river otters
Nocturnal – during the night
Foxes, most owls, skunks, raccoons, cougars
Diurnal – during daylight
Most raptors (hawks, eagles, falcons), snowy owls, hawk owls, pikas
Many are not in just one category, and some change with season
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Understand Your Subject
Understanding behavior is the key to
anticipation. Anticipation allows you to
start shooting before the action starts.
A leopard will jump and climb a tree
when threatened by a hyena
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Understand Your Subject
Anticipation
Whooping cranes will lean forward just before they begin
their take off
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Understand
Your Subject
Study the behavior
A red fox mother
will leave the den
and return in 30-60
minutes with a
meal for the kits
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Understand
Your Subject
Anticipation
An osprey will often
squawk when it is
about to leave the nest
Read/study about your
target wildlife and learn
their behavior.
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Understand Your Subject
Understanding behavior - Bluebirds
A bluebird will land on a branch or post just prior to
entering its birdhouse.
Start shooting the instant the bluebird leave the post.
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Understand Your Subject
Start shooting the instant the bluebird leaves the post.
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Types of Wildlife Images
Portraits
Action
Stop action
Blurred action
Interaction
Anthropomorphic Spin Cycle
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Portraits
Animals not
moving, posing
Looking at
camera
Usually the ¾
position
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Action – Stop Action
Freeze the
moment
Usually very
high shutter
speed
required
Capture
behavior
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Action – Blurred Action
Sense of motion
Best if eye in focus
Legs blurred
May have to
experiment with
shutter speed –
about 1/50 sec
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Interaction
Two or more
animals interacting
with each other
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Anthropomorphic
Exhibiting human
like qualities
Snuggle Up A Kiss for Mom
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Capture Animal Behavior
The best shots that captivate the imagination and make lasting impressions are those that usually exhibit behavior
Behavior can be
Action (running, hunting, fighting, flying, climbing, etc.)
Animal interaction (mother grooming infant, infants at play, etc.)
Family portraits
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Quality of Light
Time of Day
Early morning, late
evening, golden hour
Softer light, fewer
shadows
Coincides with
crepuscular wildlife
Short Eared Owl
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Quality of Light
Time of Day
Mid-day
Harsh light,
shadows, contrasty
Can be offset by a
cloud cover
Consider fill flash
Look for shade
Mirror Mirror – Mandarin Duck with Flash
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Quality of Light
Direction of Light
Back Light
Usually the least
desirable
Animal tends to be
dim, muddy with little
detail
Can create a rim-light
or halo effect on
animal
Good for silhouettes
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Quality of
Light
Direction of Light
Back Light
Good for silhouettes
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Quality of Light
Side Light
Can create dramatic
texture with the lights
and shadows
Easy to lose detail in
the shadows, shoot in
early morning soft light
or evening sunset
Consider fill flash
Snowy Glow – Snowy Owl at Sunset
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Quality of
Light
More Side
Light
Shape of Emotion
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Quality of Light
Front Light
Usually the best light for animal photography
Keep the sun to your back
Allows for fastest shutter speed for stop action
Easier to capture more detail and sharpest detail
Easier to extend Depth of Field
Allows for less noise in the image
Allows easier capture of eye glint (more on this later)
Coyote Pup
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Compositional Elements
Best when animal is
moving towards the
camera plane or facing
the camera
Beware of butt shots
Butt Shot Facing Shot Butt Shot
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Compositional
Elements
Three quarter
position
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Compositional Elements
4 legs v.
3 legs
4 legs 3 legs? 3 legs?
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Compositional Elements
Eyes -
looking
towards
camera,
in focus
with glint
In Focus with Glint Cannot see Eye or Glint
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Compositional
Elements
Eyes -
looking towards
camera,
in focus
with glint
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Compositional Elements
Depth of Field –entire animal or multiple animals should be in focus
Left Wood Duck Out of Focus Both Canada Geese are in Focus
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Compositional Elements
Beware of clipping the animal
Crop above or below the joints
Clipped at Joints in Original Image
Cropped in Post Process To Correct
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Compositional Elements
Position of a moving animal in the frame Think leading space when shooting
Jumping Out of Frame Jumping Into the Frame
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Compositional Elements
Get eye-level if possible
Looking Down Perspective Eye-Level, More Impactful
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Compositional Elements
Rule of Thirds
Subject Placement points
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Places to Shoot
Backyard
Summit County – moose, elk, bears, osprey, eagles, ducks, geese
Wildlife concentrations National Parks, state parks, Africa
Zoos A great place to practice
Network with other photographers
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How We Find Wildlife
Bus Jam
Method
Photo by Beth Seeley
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How We Find Wildlife
Wildlife
Paparazzi
Method
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How We Find
Wildlife
Finger
Pointing
Method
Photo by Beth Seeley
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Photography Basics
Digital Camera Sensor
The electronic heart of the digital camera
Captures light for the image
Many sizes
Full frame sensor
Size of a 35 mm film frame – 36mmx24mm
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Photography Basics
Exposure Shutter speed, aperture, ISO
Controls amount of light reaching the sensor
Light measured in “Stops”
Increasing the settings by 1 Stop doubles the amount of light reaching the sensor Converse is true – decreasing by 1-Stop, halves the light
Open-up means increase the amount of light
Stop-down means decrease the amount of light
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Photography Basics
Shutter Speed
Controlled by shutter release button
Measured in fractions of a second
As fast as 1/8000 sec and as slow as 30 sec
Increasing shutter speed, decreases light, increases stop action
Decreasing shutter speed, increases light, increases blur
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Photography Basics
Aperture and Depth of Field Aperture is the circular opening in lens
Opening is controlled by the diaphragm
Size of opening is measured by F-Stops f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22, f/32
Each stop represents a halving or doubling of light from previous F-Stop.
f/2.8, large opening, more light; f/32, small opening, less light
Depth of Field (DoF) The distance that everything is in sharp focus from focus point
Increasing the aperture NUMBER increases the DoF.
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Photography Basics
ISO – International Standards Organization Sensor light sensitivity setting on camera
Can be set to AUTO in most cameras
ISO 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200
Increasing the ISO number increases sensor sensitivity
Increasing the ISO allows for increasing the shutter speed
Increasing ISO increases digital noise, unfortunately.
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Photography Basics
Putting it all Together
Automatic – Camera calculates the setting for specific scene
Aperture Priority (Av – Aperture value) – set the aperture and let the
camera determine the shutter speed for a properly exposed image.
Shutter Priority (Tv – Time value) – set the shutter speed and let the
camera determine the aperture setting for a properly exposed
image.
Manual (M) – set both shutter speed and aperture.
In wildlife photography, which is best?
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Aperture Priority v. Shutter Priority
In wildlife photography which should be used?
AUTO can work in many situations
Depends on objective. If shutter speed is most important (birds flying, cheetah
running) then use Tv. If depth of field is most important (need sharpness on multiple
animals not in same focal plane or want to blur the background), then use Av.
For the advanced photographer - Manual (M) provides the most flexibility
Most important is to know how to use the camera buttons/dials to get the desired
setting for the conditions at the time.
For the advanced photographer - Very important to be able to change shutter speed,
aperture, ISO and Auto Focus point (AF point) without looking up from the viewfinder
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Auto Focus Modes
Single Shot – stationary subjects, one shot per depressing of
shutter release
Continuous Burst – multiple shots while depressing shutter release.
Burst speed measured in frames per second (fps)
Canon 1DX - 12 fps; Canon 5D Mark 3 - 6 fps; Nikon D4 – 11 fps, Nikon
D800 – 4 to 6 fps
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Auto Focus Points (AF Points)
Center Point works most of the time and is
usually the most accurate and fastest for
autofocus
When subject is clipped in viewfinder, can
move the AF point to recompose.
Be able to recompose while looking
through the viewfinder and not at the
dials/buttons.
Know “quick return button” to get back to
center point AF
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Keep it Steady Use a tripod whenever possible.
Carbon fiber is lightest, stiffest, most expensive and works well
Avoid extending the center post, since it is unstable
Extend heavier segments of legs first when not extending all segments
unlike image on the right
Hang weight from center to stabilize when possible
Gimbaled (ie. Wimberly) head best for birds (see image at right)
Use bean bags mounted on window sill when in vehicle
Handheld can work effectively
High shutter speed and panning skill required for birds or animals in flight (1/2000 or faster)
Lower shutter speed for blurring of background (1/80 – 1/125)
Image Stabilization (can get 1-4 additional f-stops of light, depending on lens)
Read lens manual to determine if IS should be on/off when on tripod. Each lens is different.
Maximize shutter speed for sharpest shot
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Exposure Histogram Set “blinkies” to “on” for indication of over exposure
clipping (highlight clipping)
Check histogram frequently, especially at the beginning
of a new event
Strive for a “good” histogram with no clipping on left or
right edge (see diagram)
Adjust exposure compensation to eliminate/reduce
clipping
Negative EV (exposure value) to reduce highlight blinkies
Not all blinking is bad – look at the % of area blinking.
Some can be ignored if minor
Also check focus and detail on subject by zooming in to
max zoom on LCD and using a Loupe to view the image
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Stationary wildlife
1/125-1/250 sec with a tripod.
Image Stabilization can reduce
shutter speed further (lens/tripod
combination permitting)
Slow moving wildlife –
1/250 to 1/1000 sec
Wildlife and Shutter Speeds
Moose Smooch
Swan Serenity
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Wildlife and Shutter Speeds
Fast Moving – 1/1000- 1/3000 sec Birds in Flight - >1/2500 sec
Rainbow’s End
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Wildlife and Shutter Speeds
Hummingbirds – 1/4000 sec
to freeze the wings
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Dog Park
New experience
Good substitute for wildlife
Portrait, action, interaction
Emmet the dog model
Thanks to Carl Scofield and Leigh Girvin
Rocky the rocket model
Thanks to Laurie Fisher
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Rocky the Rocket
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For the Dog Park Exercise
Try to capture Portraits
Action
Interaction
Use AUTO if that works for you But also try experimenting with Tv and set for higher
shutter speeds of 1/1000 to 1/1500 sec to stop action
Select continuous burst mode
Reconvene at xxxx for the critique
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Most of All
Have fun
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Sign up for my Newsletter – 4 times a year
Sign up sheet.
Business Cards
Art Alive Gallery, La Cima Mall, 500S. Main Street, Breckenridge, next to Park and Main restaurant
Presentation can be downloaded from website
www.richardseeleyphotography.com