Earlier this week I talked about trying to include the concept of relationships in your images. This week’s photo assignment covers that topic. Give it a try and see what kind of relationships you can capture.
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Anyone can photograph an animal. The challenge is capturing a unique image that stands out from the crowd. Such was the situation during a recent trip to the Galapagos Islands. In the highlands of Santa Cruz Island, I had the opportunity to photograph a wildlife icon, the giant Galapagos Tortoise. Lets face it, hundreds of thousands of people come to see these 300 pound giants every year and all of them take pictures. How was I going to capture something unique?
While watching the tortoises, I tried to to think outside the box (or possibly inside the shell). My first instinct when photographing wildlife is to reach for the telephoto lens. The wildlife of the Galapagos, however, is totally unafraid, therefore getting close is not a problem. With that in mind, I decided to take a different approach. Leaving the telephoto lens in the bag, I pulled out the wide angle (17-35mm lens). Next I looked around and realized that everyone was busy taking the same basic shot; standing a few feet away and photographing the tortoises from a height of five feet. So I knew what I didn’t want.
My first step was to get down on the tortoise’s level. I wanted to create an image that took the viewer inside the tortoise’s world and shooting from the subject’s level is one of the quickest ways to do this. With that in mind, I waited for everyone else to finish (it always amazes me how quickly people become bored with new experiences) and then I sat down in the grass a few feet away from the tortoise. Over the next few minutes, I captured several shots. As I photographed, the tortoise approached me to get at the tasty grass I was sitting next to. The repeated pattern of extending the neck and eating the grass got me thinking. With that, I placed my camera on the ground and waited for the next bite. Seeing a tasty bit of grass a mere two inches in front of my lens, the tortoise extended into the frame and helped me to capture what I think is a dramatic and unique image.
As part of my News and Notes, I share some of the different photography related websites that I have come across. In many cases these are sites that I visit regularly, often finding an abundance of information that helps to shape and develop my photography as well as provide inspiration. My hope is that this information will help you as you develop your own photographic path.
Recommended Site – McDonald Wildlife Photography
Joe and Mary Ann McDonald have been friends of mine for almost 11 years. My first introduction to Joe was reading his books. Not only is Joe a great wildlife photographer, but he is an excellent teacher who is able to pass on his knowledge in a way that actually makes sense. Meeting them was very much a surprise. In 1999 I participated in the first participant’s slideshow at the NANPA summit. During my presentation I expressed my appreciation for the different photographers who inspired me. Joe was one of those photographers and you can imaging my surprise when a few minutes later Mary Ann walked over, introduced herself, and thanked me. That marked the beginning of what has been a good friendship and a stepping stone to improving my photography (I got my foundation in both flash and Photoshop from their workshops).
As I said before, Joe and Mary Ann are both outstanding photographers and educators. They travel all over the world leading workshops and when they are home they teach instructional courses out of their home in Pennsylvania, affectionately called Hoot Hollow. In addition to photographing in the field, Joe is well known for his studio photography of wildlife, including high speed flash work.
To top it all off, Joe and Mary Ann recently redesigned their website and it contains a ton of helpful information. I particularly enjoy reading Joe’s question and tip of the month. I hope you get as much enjoyment out of their site as I do.
Upcoming Conference – Imaging USA
In just over 2 weeks (January 16-18, 2011) my home town of San Antonio, TX will be hosting Imaging USA. Imaging USA is the annual conference for the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) and a great place to go if you are into photography. I attended this conference four years ago and the amount of stuff going on was overwhelming. The presentations are highly educational, the tradeshow is huge, and the print display is enormous (over 2,000 images will be displayed this year). Don’t be discouraged if you are not a people photographer. The quality of the presentations and the work on display is outstanding and it is always a good idea to explore various forms of photography. You never know where inspiration will come from.
Upcoming Conference – North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA)
In March (March 9-12, 2011), the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) will hold their annual summit in McAllen, TX. The NANPA summit is a great educational experience with a focus on wildlife and nature photography. I am also happy to announce the I will be presenting one of the breakout sessions this year: Wildlife Filmmaking for Still Photographers. So join me in McAllen for a few days and don’t forget your camera, the Rio Grande Valley (south Texas for non Texans) is one of the best bird hotspots in the world.
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How do we move beyond the basic record shot and record something that pulls at our emotions? One way is to capture interactions. From lions and cheetah fighting over a kill to a baby baboon turning to its mother for comfort animals are constantly interacting with each other. The challenge, as a photographer, is to capture those interactions and the relationships they represent when they occur. Calling relationships an element of composition might be a stretch, but incorporating relationships into your photographs can increase their impact and help them to stand out from the crowd.
Even when successful, capturing an interaction is often not enough. The goal is to capture the interaction in such a way as to showcase the relationship in a clear, unambiguous manner. Good images are simple, without distractions. The more elements we add, the more potential distractions exist, and the more difficult it is to hold the viewer’s attention. As a consequence, a good relationship image requires three things:
Interactions are a one of the most difficult, yet rewarding aspects of wildlife photography. While our attempt to photograph them fail more often then not, the successes are often the some of our most compelling images.
This mother and baby baboon were photographed in Tarangire National Park during a wildlife photo safari. As often happens when photographing a troop of baboons, photographic opportunities could be found in every direction. The key is to slow down and look of the little interactions and relationships that result in strong images. Just such an opportunity presented itself when I spotted this young baboon hugging its mother. The image was captured using a Canon 1D mark 2, 500mm IS lens, at 800 ISO. The image was shot from a vehicle using a beanbag to support the lens.
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Wishing you and your family a happy holiday season.
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I thought it might be a fun to wrap up the year by dispelling a few myths about wildlife photography. When you think of wildlife photography, do you envision camouflage draped photographers crawling through the mud in the far corners of the earth? Do you picture enduring countless hours of hunger, exhaustion, and the risk of being eaten to capture that one perfect shot? You have to admit that the PR department that created the image of the professional wildlife photographer did a great job. The rugged individual risking everything to share these pictures with the world. The reality is somewhat different. While I have travelled extensively to capture images, some of my best pictures have been captured either close to home or under circumstances that differ dramatically from my early expectations. In Getting the Shot we will take a closer look at some of the behind the scene stories about what it takes to create specific images.
A number of years ago I travelled to the Fort Meyers area of Florida with the goal of photographing birds. Why Florida? Because Florida is a bird photographer’s dream. The birds are numerous, easy to find, and totally unafraid of people. While photographers have the option of going anywhere, life is much easier if you stack the deck in your favor and go where the animals are. Better yet, go where the animals don’t run away. One of my photographic goals for the trip was to capture some nice images of Osprey. While I had seen them in the wild, I had never been close enough to capture a decent picture and I was hoping my time in Florida would change that.
During the first few days I started asking around and heard several people mention an active Osprey nest located on Sanibel Island (Hint: locals always know more then you do and they like sharing their knolwedge). With high hopes I followed their directions and came upon one of the most unique shooting opportunities I have ever run into. It turns out that the Osprey nest was at the top of a 15 foot tall raised platform in the middle of a person’s yard. The nest was active, with the female sitting on eggs and the male coming and going at 20 minute intervals to bring fish.
The only challenge photographically speaking was that the nest was located on private property. Not seeing the owners around and not wanting to trespass (I’m from Texas where trespassers are often shot on sight), I decided that the best approach was to photograph from my car, parked on the street. So, I spent the next three hours sitting in my car, listening to the radio, and photographing the male each time he visit the nest. Not exactly the roughing it approach, but I love the images I brought home from that trip.
So, what stories do you have to share about photographing wildlife in a nontraditional way? I would love to hear you share your experiences.
The image was created using a Canon 1Ds, 500mm IS lens, at 50 ISO. The image was shot from a car using a sweatshirt to support the lens.
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Always look beyond the subject when photographing. Good advise, but often ignored. We get so excited about the subject in front of us that we get tunnel vision and ignore everything else in the frame. Take the above images for example. What is the difference? They both show an almost identical image of a yellow tulip, but the difference lies in what is behind the tulip.
These images were taken in my front yard when I lived in Salt Lake City. Spring had arrived and my driveway was lined with a beautiful collection of yellow tulips. So, I pulled out the camera and went to work. The first image (on the left) showed all the detail I could have asked for, but there was a problem. My driveway fills the bottom half of the shot. Is it a major distraction? Probably not, but it is one more element competing with the viewer’s attention and good photography is about removing ALL of the distractions. By moving the entire camera down a mere two inches, I was able to eliminate the driveway, creating a clean green background.
The trick to controlling the background is choosing the right lens. For maximum background control, you want to use a telephoto lens (200mm or longer). Telephoto lenses provide a narrow angle of view, meaning that small shifts in camera position result in dramatic shifts in what portion of the background is included. While wide angle lenses certainly have their place, their wide angle of view make it difficult to control how much of the background is included. So if background control is important, pull out the telephoto lens and try moving around a bit before taking the shot.
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This young elephant was photographed before dawn one morning in Tarangire National Park. It was really me first opportunity to test out the high ISO settings on the Canon 1D mark 4 and I loved the results. Remember, this image was taken when it was almost completely dark. The small amount of noise is great, but what caught my attention the most is the different colors that stand out on the elephant. The blues of the moist skin and the red dust on body show a subtlety that is often overlooked in the brighter light of day.
The image was captured using a Canon 1D mark 4, 500mm IS lens, at 1600 ISO. The elephant was photographed from a vehicle with a beanbag used to support the lens.
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Talk about a busy week. Between final exams at school (the students have to take them, but then I have to grade them) and my daughter’s performance schedule (she is a member of a singers group that is performing this holiday season), there is very little time for anything else. I will be back on Monday with our regular posting schedule. In the meantime, have a great week.
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I walked out of the house this morning and got hit in the face with a blast of cold air. Winter appears to have arrive din San Antonio. The sudden chill brought back memories of my time in South Africa where the wind coming off the Atlantic goes right through a jacket and chills to the bone. Over the years I have made three different trips to South Africa. The first two trips were part of my graduate research and involved living on a fur seal colony in the middle of a diamond mine for two months at a time. There is nothing quite like waking up in the morning to be greeted by 300,000 fur seals, none of which are happy to see you (fur seals were hunted in South Africa until 1990 and are still hunted in Namibia). My third trip was to participate in The Wildlife Film Academy’s month long wildlife filmmaking course.
Cape Town is one of the best places to see Great White sharks and I wasn’t about to miss the opportunity to get in the water with one. So, in January, 2000 I made my first attempt. Unfortunately, no one told the sharks. The result of five hours on the water was…….nothing. Actually, that was not entirely true. We did see a seagull, but no sharks. In June, 2008 I made another attempt and this time I got lucky. Within a half-hour of arriving on site, the sharks started to come in.
You might be curious about how the boats bring the sharks in. Do they dangle tourists over the side and say, “come and get it!” Fortunately, no. Like other sharks, Great Whites have an amazing sense of smell but poor eyesight. Chunks of smelly fish (called chum) are dropped into the water to get the shark’s attention. Once the shark arrives, its attention is further held by a foam buoy cut into the shape of a seal. Great Whites are seal hunters and frequently target their prey by silhouetting them against the surface. The seal buoys act as decoys, keeping the sharks interested so that they stay around the boat. Every now and then they even grab a buoy in their month and check it out. My guess is that buoys get replaced frequently.
All of this added up to a great opportunity to see the sharks up close. Not only from the surface, but also in the water. Taking turns, divers spends time in the water watching the sharks swim past. At one point, we had five different sharks swimming circles around the cage. Great whites are large with the biggest females (females are larger then males) measure over 25 feet long! The sharks around our boat “only” measured about 12 feet, but I am sure I still qualified as a possible snack. More then their size, what amazed me was how well they blended in. You would think a 12 foot long fish would be easy to spot. Nope. Over and over again, I was surprised as these massive predators appeared out of the gloom just a few feet away. While they didn’t act aggressive, I was happy for the cage.
The ultimate irony is that I didn’t have the right equipment to photograph the sharks. While I did have my camera, I don’t own an underwater housing system. So, while my above water pictures of the sharks turned out well, my underwater shots were taken with a $10 disposable film camera. At least the memories are in focus.
The image above shows a Great White Shark chewing on a seal buoy decoy. I like how he is smiling for the camera. The image was captured using a Canon 1D mark 2, 24-70mm lens, at 200 ISO. The camera was handheld.
