elvin siew chun wai - wildlife and nature photography

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Wildlife and Nature Photography Presentation by Elvin Siew Chun Wa

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Page 1: Elvin siew chun wai - Wildlife and Nature Photography

Wildlife and Nature Photography

Presentation byElvin Siew Chun Wai

Page 2: Elvin siew chun wai - Wildlife and Nature Photography

• Some people view it as easy

• More to it than just being at the right place at the right time.

• Being prepared with the right equipment and knowing how to use it is essential.

Page 3: Elvin siew chun wai - Wildlife and Nature Photography

Know your location

• Where are you shooting and what time of day will be best for the location– Use a compass to track the sun and determine how the lighting

might change through out the day.– Check sun and moon charts to know the exact time

Page 4: Elvin siew chun wai - Wildlife and Nature Photography

• What will you be shooting – Determine living habits.

• Food– Does it feed in the tree or on the ground

• Does it sing at the tops of trees, what kind of sounds does it make so you can flush it out

• What are it’s mating habits – Cardinals mate for life and usually hang out together…but not to close to each other

• Dragonflies tend to return back to the same spot

Know your subject

Page 5: Elvin siew chun wai - Wildlife and Nature Photography

Equip consideration

• Some obvious: – Buy cheap stuff to get started, but budget to

upgrade.• Most of my first lenses came from pawn shops.• Canon 500d vs. dedicated Macro

– Buy used…if it was good enough for a pro yesterday, it is good enough for me today.

– Find alternative uses of non-traditional items, making items if possible.

– Get extra lens caps– Use UV filters for hazardous conditions.– Camouflage netting, build a blind– Hire a sherper to carry your equipment

Page 6: Elvin siew chun wai - Wildlife and Nature Photography

Packing for a Trip

• Photography is always about compromises– Will you benefit from any given piece of equipment on

any given day?– If it all possible, drive rather than fly so you can take all of

your gear…different hikes dictate different gear.• Hiking 1-5 miles in to a remote location in Big Bend is going to be

vastly different than driving up to the road side and taking pictures at the scenic overlook.

– Bring enough memory cards to try not to format– Back up in the field to a portable device, like a laptop,

portable hard drive or device that records DVDs in the field.

– Bring wet weather gear – economy lens rain suit…saran wrap, or shower cap from the hotel room

Page 7: Elvin siew chun wai - Wildlife and Nature Photography

Understanding Exposure

Why use different Shutter Speeds and Apertures.

Page 8: Elvin siew chun wai - Wildlife and Nature Photography

Silhouettes • Any time you have the sun in your picture, you are going to have a tough exposure.

Page 9: Elvin siew chun wai - Wildlife and Nature Photography

Using Exposure Compensation

Program and Automatic Exposure Modes do a pretty good job when the subject is evenly lit. But when the subject is off center…or much darker/bright than the back ground, you have to use the Manual exposure mode…or dial +/- Exposure Compensation.

Page 10: Elvin siew chun wai - Wildlife and Nature Photography

When hiking, try to walk by yourself

• Birds tend to come back out quickly after people have passed by.

• Just stop and wait.

Page 11: Elvin siew chun wai - Wildlife and Nature Photography

Equipment Considerations• Every hike is different. Unfortunately, there is no

easy answer, and much of my equipment is duplicate in function but serves different purpose.

• Drive by vs. walking to• Terrain• Lighting• Protection to equipment

– 70-200/2.8 vs. 70-300/4-5.6– 70-200/2.8 with 1.7x vs. 150-500 – 400mm with 1.7x vs 600mm or 800mm

Have your camera with you

• Heat is bad for the camera…but not having a camera is worse. Just protect the camera from extreme heat.

On the way to work… spare camera in car.

A Quote I shared with my students today:

Pictures hold life's experiences. And I feel that with every experience you

learn something. Therefore, you learn something with every

picture you take. - Anonymous

Page 12: Elvin siew chun wai - Wildlife and Nature Photography

Thank You