Wildlife Photography - Tips

Sanjeev Nanda Tips for Wildlife Photography

Author: Shilpi sud

Rule #1: Have Patience

Patience is Virtue
When you spend a lot of time with an animal, you\'ll see amazing things. So when you\'re shooting in the wild, in a zoo, or at home with your pets, you\'ll need lots of patience to get an amazing photo. I often spend hours watching an animal in the wild or at a zoo exhibit, just waiting for the perfect opportunity.

Rule #2: Take Lots of Pictures

Sometimes it takes 1000 photographs for that one perfect shot


Give up your old film habits, and shoot a lot of pictures with your digital camera. Like humans, animals have 'good' and 'bad' expressions and postures, so the more pictures you take, the more likely you are to get a great shot. For example, in a four-hour game drive, I will shoot about 500 images, not worrying about the 'bad ones.' Then during the editing process on my computer, I will select the best ones.

Rule #3: Use Standard Settings

Animal photography is motion photography, so being ready is very important. Set your camera to standard settings (see below), and return to these settings after you\'ve altered them for a specific situation (if time allows).

Standard Settings

Shooting Mode: Aperture Control AV; P for flash use
Image Recording Quality: JPG Best Quality; or RAW
White Balance: Shade (outdoors); AWB (indoors)
ISO: 400 (good weather); 1600 (bad weather and indoors)
Metering Mode: Center Weighted
Drive Mode: Single Shooting
Auto Focus Mode: One Shot; AI Servo if object is moving towards you or away from you
Auto Focus Points: Center Point Only

Rule #4: Keep the Eyes in Focus

Eyes give photographs character and depth


Remember that an animal is not a cathedral—you\'ll only have a few seconds to compose a shot. When using 'center point focus,' you are in control of the focus, not your camera, so make sure that the animals\' eyes are sharp and in focus. Compose the shot so that the eyes are in the center of the picture, and leave extra room around your subject so you can crop the image later.

Rule #5: Learn How To Over and Under Expose

Play with exposure settings to get surprising results


Once you have your standard settings, you can use the exposure compensation feature ( /-) to adjust for a perfect picture. If your subject is much darker than the surroundings, use the over-expose ( ) to lighten the image. If your subject is much lighter, use the under-expose (-) to darken the image. I usually adjust in increments of .5, but experiment with the feature to find what works best (and what doesn\'t).

Rule #6: A Higher ISO Is Your Friend

With animals, you need short exposure times because they\'re always moving. I rarely use use a tripod—though sometimes I\'ll use a monopod—so I can adapt to their movements quickly. When I use a full aperture set, I\'ll use a higher ISO (800-1600 or even above). Older digital cameras will usually have visible noise over 400 ISO, but results with newer digital SLRs are much better. I think it\'s better to have an image with a little more noise than a picture completely out of focus.

Rule #7: Get Down There!

Take photographs anywhere but eye level


If you want tension in your pictures, get on eye level with your subject, or even below eye level. I often find myself laying flat on the floor when shooting in zoos. Many exhibits are below the observer, which is good for watching the animals but bad for photography!

Rule #8: Avoid the Flash—Use a Flashlight Instead!

I don\'t like flash pictures because they\'re mostly flat and have no depth. In wildlife photography, you seldom have the time for good flash setup (with multiple flashes) anyway. I\'d rather use a higher ISO and try my luck without a flash. A standard, hand-held flashlight can help by producing a glint in the eye of an animal and lightening up a dark corner.

Rule #9: Eliminate Fences

Zoom through the gap in the fences


When there are fences between you and your subject, get as close to the fence as possible without touching it (legal moves only, please). Extend your zoom to the largest telephoto setting, and open the aperture full. Ideally, your subject will be in the middle, between the front and back fences. Shoot through the shaded parts of the fence, and the fence should disappear from your shot.





Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/digital-photography-articles/sanjeev-nanda-tips-for-wildlife-photography-2820663.html
About the Author

Pet Photography - Tips

Five Pet Photography Tips For Great Pictures

Author: Autumn Lockwood


Getting great pictures of pets is such a tricky proposition that there are many photo studios that focus on only this niche (and make quite a profit in the process).  Animals, unlike people, can\'t grasp the concept or purpose of a photograph and are usually immune to pleading, so sometimes it can feel like getting memorable pictures of your pets is completely dependent on luck.  So, here are five tips that you can use that will almost guarantee that you get great pictures of your pets.

Catch it All

Sadly, our pets are only with us for a limited time.  This is why it\'s so important that you capture pictures of them having fun in the prime of their life.  If your dog loves to play fetch, have someone throw a ball or frisbee and snap a picture of him or her playing catch.  If your cat tears up the toilet paper in the bathroom, snap a quick shot off before you clean it up – our fondest memories of pets are often the things they did wrong.  Always remember that if a picture is worth a thousand words, each photo should tell a story.

Sneak Up on Them

This may sound devious, but some of the best animal photography in the world is of animals that don\'t know the photographer is there.  Simply capturing your pet in its natural environment just being a dog or cat is a great way to document their life and will often yield timeless and beautiful work.  And if you only.

Get Their Attention

If you really want to get a great picture of your pet, you\'re going to need to reward them for paying attention.  Come equipped to your shoot with dog treats or your cat\'s favorite toy and work with them to get what you need.  Treats can come in handy for both getting your pets attention to look the right direction but will also serve as a nice reward.

Take Their View

Many photographers often forget when taking pet pictures that they need to get down to the pets perspective.  Kneeling (or laying) down to get the best angle on your pet is a great way to help them naturally fill out the photo frame, and will also more accurately represent their appearance.  Different angles are fun to play around with so try getting on the ground and take pictures from their level and see what a difference it makes.

Be Patient

Above all else, you need lots of patience when it comes to taking great pictures of your pets.  As discussed earlier, your pet doesn\'t understand what you\'re trying to do so try to stay happy and your pet will sense the difference.  Pets are highly sensitive to your emotions and if you begin to grow frustrated, so will they.  If you start to grow frustrated, just take a break and come back later to try again.

Our pets are an important part of our lives, so it\'s important that you have great pictures of them to enjoy. If you approach the situation with patience and enthusiasm and understand that you may not get it right the first time, you\'re going to find that pet photography is much easier than you may have expected.






Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/photography-articles/five-pet-photography-tips-for-great-pictures-2537559.html
About the Author
Autumn Lockwood is a writer for Your Picture Frames. Shop online and see our selection of decorative picture frames in a wide variety of styles and sizes. Visit our website and see our fun friends picture frames and decorative family tree picture frames online or call 1-800-780-0699.

Phanter Chameleon Nosy Radama

Phanter Chameleon (Furcifer Pardalis) Nosy Radama

A variation of Northern Madagascar lizard : Phanter Chameleon - Nosy Radama

image credit : pardalis.be 

Canon Lens For Nature Photographers

The Canon 100-400mm Lens - The Telephoto Lens Of Choice For Nature Photographers
Author:Wayne Rasku

Ever get jealous? I truly do, especially when talking about my camera equipment. Now i\'m drooling about a Canon 100-400mm lens these days. The day after tomorrow, no one knows. Yet one thing is for certain, it will be something.

Although I seriously should declare that the Canon 100-400mm lens has been on my personal hit list for some time. I\'ve got some very nice lenses, though. The truth is, I\'ve got a Canon 70-200mm f4, that\'s perhaps my very best lens.

Several of the reasons the Canon 100-400mm lens tops the list as my next acquisition:

1. The zoom range is exactly perfect for my needs. I photograph loads of bird photos, and right now I have to consider imaginative techniques for getting closer. The zoom to 400mm will be superior to the 200mm I currently have. Additionally, once you place this particular lens upon a camera having a APS-C image sensor, similar to a Digital rebel or perhaps 50D, you obtain 1.6x the declared focal length (680mm). Which is great.

2. It is deemed an L series lens. Which is Canon\'s finest quality lens collection. You receive far better picture quality, much better design, as well as other folks looking and turning green with envy over your equipment (view the story below).

3. Nature Photography requires a lens such as this. For those who can\'t spend the money for prime lenses at 400 or 500mm, this lens could be the next most suitable choice. I already mentioned taking pictures of birds, but most natural subjects are not going to just walk up close and say 'cheese.' You truly have to have a lens that can reach them. And once you might be walking through the wilds of Alaska or just walking through your local town, a telephoto zoom lens at this length is what you\'ll need.

So here is the tale of my personal recent exposure to 'lens envy.'

I was driving to work at just the proper moment in the morning for the sunshine to be great for a certain shot I\'d been thinking about. It\'s a horse farm and stable that\'s close to the intersection where I turn. There were a few beautiful chestnut ponies grazing in the field on a sloping hillside which has a little barn in the foreground.

The horses were the exact picture I had been dreaming about. So I along side of the street right after turning the corner. Took out the Canon digital slr from the camera bag and connected my 70-200mm lens to it. I proceeded to cross the street and take up my location alongside the fencing. I snapped a few photos and relocated to take a few more. I checked the rear monitor to see how the shots were turning out.

I was a bit disappointed that I was so far away from the hillside. I would have to do some cropping after I got the photos uploaded to my computer.

At that point I heard something to my left and glanced over to see another guy doing exactly what I was doing. He had a Canon and I could see the familiar grayish color and size of a Canon 100-400mm lens. I\'m sure I turned green with envy.

We struck up a conversation, and he mentioned that my presence there had inspired him to stop and take some photos. Before I left, I got his card which had the web address I could go to in order to see the images he had shot that morning.

Of course, I couldn\'t wait to see those shots, and when I did, it merely renewed my feelings of intense desire for that lens. Someday very soon, I\'m sure that I will be opening a package that contains a Canon 100-400mm lens, perhaps it will be on some special occasion like my birthday or April 5th (the date is insignificant - any day will do). Just hoping my wife will get the hint when she reads this.

BUY NOW !














Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/digital-photography-articles/the-canon-100-400mm-lens-the-telephoto-lens-of-choice-for-nature-photographers-3904950.html

About the Author
I love photography and all things related to it. Cameras, camera gear, and image editing software fascinate me, so I am either buying the newest piece of equipment (or software) or researching my next purchase.
I\'m sure that I will be the owner of a Canon 100-400mm lens, simply because I want it really badly. So much so that I have a website devoted to that and other lenses that I either have or want. Check it out at http://www.canoneoslenses.org.

Happy Shooting!

Green Palm Vipers

Green palm viper snakes hanging on tree branch

Another common names for this snake are side-striped palm-pitviper, side-striped palm viper, yellow-lined palm viper. They can be found in the mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama.
image credit : rfadventures.com

Common House Gecko

Detailed photograph of common house gecko

Look at the pattern detail of its skin and eyes! Very beautiful. 

image credit : diff.thinkr

Male Temmincks Tragopan Pheasant

A Temmincks Tragopan Pheasant

It has a very beautiful color !

image credit : fermeklassique.com

Turtle Frog

A turtle frog found in the sandy soils of South West Australia

image credit : uglyoverload.com

Deep Sea Goblin Shark

Goblin shark, a deep sea creature

This odd-looking shark live in dark sea bottom more than 200 meters depth under the sea and reach over 10 feet in length. They can be found  at mostly sea of Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa.

image credit : discovery channel

Blackwidow Spider Hanging on a Fence

Blackwidow Spider from Texas

A blackwidow spider hanging on it's web on a fence. This spider photo taken by Cristina Olvera in Texas.

image credit : Cristina Olvera

Yellow Golden Pheasant

Yellow Golden Pheasant

image credit : ornamental-pheasants.co.uk

Red Golden Pheasant

Red golden pheasant, native of the mountainous regions of western China

image credit : ornamental-pheasants.co.uk