Tips on taking better Wildlife and Scenery photos

[Johnnybear]

I thought I would throw this out there for the mod's to make a sticky out of this thread. I think it would be great if we could get some feed back from the more experienced photographers on here to help the less experienced ones out (myself included) with there shooting ability with a camera.

[Johnnybear]

Any of the more experienced photographers out there want to shed some light onto the basics of taking better photos (probably mostly with digital camera's) while afield? I notice alot of folks saying they need a better camera etc, etc. IMO it's not that easy. There is more to it than the camera and that is why I started this thread. The lighting, time of day, background, etc.

[mgnm300]

there's only one word,,oppertunity. i'm afraid you can't control lighting,background or the time of day when it comes to wildlife.
when i get a subject to cooperate i'll take up to 25 pics of it. out of that i might end up with the one shot i was looking for. thank god for digital because before that it got pretty expensive for me.
also it's nice to have photoshop even tho 99% of my shots i leave as i saw it.
in case you're wondering what my set-up is, i have a nikon D200 with a 80-400mm vr lense. it might be a bit much for most but that's how i get my shots when the oppertunity arises. i have it with me everytime i'm out there.

[huntwriter]

I notice alot of folks saying they need a better camera etc, etc. IMO it's not that easy. There is more to it than the camera and that is why I started this thread. The lighting, time of day, background, etc.

I learned photography from my wife, a professional photographer. I too was always under the impression that I need a better camera. However, my wife taught me that a camera is just a box and that it is up to ME to take good pictures not the box. I use a Canon digital SLR with 17mm to 500mm single focal lenses for wildlife photography, but on fishing and hunting trips a small quality pocket camera fit the bill nicely.

My wife has about 50,000+ dollars worth of photography equipment but also uses a small "on the go" camera. Did I mention that a good portion of her amazing award winning photography has been taken with that small pocket camera. ;)

From my wife's photo course manual:
Taking good pictures.
Learn the features available on your camera and how to use them.
Learn and understand how light works.
Learn composition. Look don't just point and shoot.
Take lots of pictures with the camera set to different exposures.Throughout her course manual it nowhere mentions that the hobby photographer needs a particular type or brand of camera, because taking good pictures is about YOU not the camera.

Good thread and if I can help with advice I gladly will.

[bighornbob]

As others have said the camera is only a tool of the whole process.

Things to remember:

Some people cant hold a camera still enough for good photos. I had a co-worker that always took blurry photos, he went through like 4 cameras always blaming the camera etc. I used one once and it took great photos. I guess everytime he pressed the shutter he moved the camera down with the shutter button. He did not beleive it was him until we alternated every other picture. Lo and behold we get the roll developed and every picture he took was blurry while mine were all clear.

Try using a flash more often, even in the daytime. I switch the flash override button to fire everytime on a few photos everytime. Even in bright sun you get shadows (like on faces if your wearing at hat).

Look at your background not just what you are shooting. If shooting a downed animal and hunter, remove all your gear out of the sides and from inbehind the animal.

BHB

[KB90]

Biggest problem is out of focus pictures if you want sharp in focus pictures A tripod is a must! You may get lucky but tripods are a very important tool. Second I notice alot of people who start taking pictures tend to dead center the subject. Try to move the subject away from centre frame and get some of its habitat in the shot as well.

And as Mgnm300 said take lots of pictures. I will snap as many as I can until the animal stops co-operating. Often I can go through 50 pictures and only really like 2 of them.

If you guys are looking for a great site for Help or pictures check out this site its great...

http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/ic.cgi?a=vg3&ns=1

Keep in mind a lot of these people are sensitive to hunting. I just ignore that aspect of it, I've had to bite my tongue more than once.

[KB90]

Also keep in mind that a lot of smaller point and shoot Cameras often have alot of zoom, but that does not make your shots any better. The further you zoom the poorer quality of picture you will get. It may be a given to some, but try and get as close as you can without disturbing the animal and it will greatly improve the quality..... So the less zoom the better!

[Stone Sheep Steve]

For scenery shots the most important thing for me is to have my camera handy. I always(weather permitting) have my small digital camera on the upper chest strap on my backpack. You might see a cool pic opportunity but by the time you dig out your camera, the moment may have been come and gone.

SSS

[Chuck]

Good points guys! I wonder what Dana has to say, his photos always seem to be very good.

[Johnnybear]

Great replies and suggestions. Opportunity is the big one for me and I always try to have a camera in the truck, in a pack, or around me neck just in case. I have never tried using a tripod and think I will see if my spotting scope tripod will fit my camera. If not I will pick one up at London Drug's.

[huntwriter]

A tripod is a must! While always carry some sort of camera stabilization device it is not always practical to carry them around or use them. I own several tripods in various sizes, camera claps and mono pods, but there are still times when you have to shoot off hand.

Then of course there are people that simply take pictures without wanting the bother of purchasing, or carrying, additional equipment.

Yet you too can get razor sharp pictures.

A.) rest your camera hand against a tree, rock or whatever rest you can find, just like you would with a rifle.

B.) Failing that use the highest possible shutter speed. shutter speeds at, or above 1/125sec. will render very sharp pictures from a hand held camera. If your camera does not let you change shutter speeds in the program mode switch to manual mode or go to a higher "film speed" like 400 or even 800. The overall picture will suffer a bit, but not noticeably - unless you want to sell the images for stock.

Out of focus pictures are a caused by the lens been not focused properly. What you mean is blurry pictures caused by shacking. On that note: Pictures also will turn out blurry if you take the camera out of a warm environment and then take pictures in the cold weather. This is caused by the lens fogging up.

[brian]

1.Learn how your camera reacts to colour, light, and shadow. Which is actually a lot bigger than it sounds.
2.Learn a few simple basics to help out your composition (ie don't just stick your subject matter square in the center of the frame). Artists have been using theories like the rule of thirds (http://digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds) or the golden section (http://goldennumber.net/goldsect.htm) (there are many more like these) to help them compose pictures for centuries. Learn the rules, then break (http://digital-photography-school.com/break-the-rule-of-thirds) them and make cool images. Interesting thing about the golden section is it is reproduced in nature everywhere.
3.Good equipment and lenses help you get the picture, but they are not essential and are absolutely useless if you can't take a good picture without them.