guide to nature photography

8/8/2019 Guide to Nature Photography

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A Guide to Nature Photography

by Bob Atkins

Q1: What's the best camera for nature photography?

A: There isn't one, or better, there isn't one. You can't even say that there is a best format. For scenic

work, everything from 35mm to 8x10 plate cameras can be used. Each format is something of a tradeoff between cost, convenience and quality. For wildlife work, most people chose 35mm, though somephotographers do use medium format even for wildlife!

Q2: OK then, so what's the best 35mm SLR camera for nature and wildlifephotography?

A: There isn't one, or better, there isn't one (sound familiar?). However there are some features whichmost nature photographers would agree are important.

Manual overide of automatic functions. A camera which does not let youchose the exposureand focusing point youwant isn't very useful. The easier it is to overide the automaticfunctions, the better. If it takes 3 hands to push all the buttons and turn all the dials to performsome simple operation it's not very useful. If you can'toveride the automatic camera settings,forget it.

A complete camera system should be available for when you want to expend. That means thecamera line should have a good choice of lenses and accesories. It doesn't matter how goodthe camera is if you need a 500mm f4 or 20mm f2.8 lens and there isn't one to fit the camera,or you need a wireless remote release and no-one makes one for your camera body

It's nice to have things like depth-of-field preview and some form of mirror lock up (or prefire).Not essential, but nice.

While just about every brand of camera is probably being used for professional nature worksomewhere in the world, most of the pros use Nikon cameras, and most of the rest use Canon. I'veheard it claimed that about 70% of working 35mm photographers use either Nikon or Canonequipment. Of the remaining 30%, Minolta is probably the next most popular. My choice is Canon,but sometimes I wish for some feature only available to Nikon users. If I were a Nikon user I knowthat sometimes I would wish for features available to only Canon users. There is no perfect system orone best choice for everyone.

See also the photo.net Canon v. Nikon comparison chart.

Q3: Do you need autofocus and autoexposure modes?

A: No, you don't needthem. Superb photographs have been taken for the last 100 years withoutautofocus or autoexposure. However, both features are very nice to have available and may get youshots you would otherwise miss. This is probably much more important to wildlife photographers thanto landscape photographers. If you have time to work, you don't needautomation. However, if youare buying a new camera today, there is really no good reason notto buy an autofocus model. Justabout every camera has autoexposure modes. Just be sure you can overide both AF and AE whenyou want to!

Q4: What's the best lens?

A: There isn't one, or better, there isn't one (sound familiar?). Landscape photographers useeverything from super wide angle lenses to super telephoto lenses. A good all-round starting lenswould be a 28-70 or 28-105 zoom. 28mm is wide enough to be a true wide angle. Zooms which start


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at 35mm aren't so useful in my opinion. Wildlife photographers can never get long enough lenses!300mm is the shortest focal length that is really useful for most wildlife work. A good starting lenswould be a 75-300 or 100-300mm zoom. When 300mm is too short (and if you are a wildlifephotographer, it will be!), think about a 400mm f5.6 lens. You can get a decent 3rd party lens like theSigma 400/5.6 APO, or you can go with a more expensive lens from a camera manufacturer if youcan afford it.

Q5: What about teleconverters as a way to get a longer lens?

A: On a really good prime lens a really good teleconverter can give excellent results. On a"consumer" grade, inexpensive zoom lens an inexpensive (or even an expensive) teleconverter cangive results that aren't worth wasting film on. In short there is no free lunch here. All teleconvertersdegrade the image somewhat, but if you start out with superb image quality and lose a little of thatquality by using a good teleconverter you can still end up with very good image quality. Putting a 1.4xteleconverter on a 100-300/5.6 zoom will usually result in a marginal quality image. However, it maybe (indeed is) good enough to please some people, and the cost is low.

But Popular Photography magazine says you can get good results. They even say you canstack a 2x with a 3x, then add another2x, put the resulting 12x on a 75-300 zoom and still get

results which are "sharper than (Herbert Keppler) would have imagined" (PP, Feb 1996)

Yes, they do say that. They printed contactprints from 35mm negatives. If you make contact printsfrom your 35mm work, then you probably can get away with all sorts of things. Most people find1x1.5" prints a bit small though! Whether you can use a teleconverter and get good results dependson (a) What youregard as "good" and (b) What size prints you want to make. If you are happy withsmall prints or you only view your slides by projection, you may well be happy with a 1.4x or even a2x teleconverter on an inexpensive zoom. Only youcan decide.

Q6: Can I use a telescope as a telephoto lens?

A: You can, but you will probably be dissappointed. Most inexpensive telescopes make pretty poorlenses indeed. They are very slow (f16 or slower isn't unusual) and their focal length is often too long(>1000mm). Holding a 1000+mm lens steady enough for a sharp image is hard enough with areallens. When it's slow and not very sharp to start with you really don't have much of a chance.There are a few telescopes capable of good results. An example would be the TeleVue Genesis, a500mm f5 Apochromatic design, However, the cost is $2000+ and it weighs 10lbs.

Q7: What about mirror lenses like the 500/8 designs?

A: Mirror lenses are much smaller and lighter than "regular" lenses. The 500/8 lenses are also

relatively inexpensive (less than $500). However, they are typically not really f8, more like f9.5. Theyare not as sharp as a good 500mm lens (nor are they as big, heavy and expensive). They produceodd effects in out of focus areas of the image (backgrounds). Some people find this distracting. All inall, unless you are looking for a small light lens (e.g. for backpacking), they are not the best choice. Agood 400mm f5.6 APO lens will be much more useful and cost about the same (especially if you lookfor a used one).

Q8: How good are 3rd party lenses?

A: Major 3rd party lenses (Sigma, Tokina, Tamron etc.) can be quite good. Generally, they are notquite as good as the equivalent lenses from the camera manufacturer, but often they are significantlycheaper. Some of them are excellent value and some of them are excellent lenses! However, if youwere to chose the BESTlens of a given type (say 300/2.8 or 28/2.8 or 100/2.8) it would be veryunusual to find that lens was a 3rd party lens. With sytems using a lot of electronic communicationbetween the camera body and lens (e.g. Canon EOS) it is possible that 3rd party lenses which workjust fine with current bodies mightnot work with future bodies. As far as I know, the 3rd party lens


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makers "reverse engineer" the camera/lens interface. They don't normally get the full engineeringspecs from the camera makers (this applies to Canon at least). All this doesn't mean you shouldn'tbuy 3rd party lenses (I own a few myself), just that usually, low cost is their primary advantage overcamera manufacturer's lenses, not performance or quality. Many 3rd party lenses more than meet theneeds of many amateur (and even a few professional) photographers.

Another advantage of some manufacturers' lenses is the use of special motor technology (USM -Ultrasonic motors - for Canon and "Silent Wave" motors for Nikon), which gives faster autofocusing

and allows easy manual overide of autofocus.

Q9: What's your favorite lens?

A: Tough question, but a 300/4 (with the option of a 1.4x teleconverter to make it a 420/5.6) comeshigh on the list. A lot of the pictures on these web pages were taken using a 300/4 lens (especiallythe wildlife shots). An 80-200/2.8 zoom is also a great lens for general work, but a bit short forwildlife. In wide angles, I like 20mm lenses, but they can be tricky to use well. An ideal lens would bea 20-600/4 APO. I don't think anyone is likely to make one very soon though - and even if they did, Iwouldn't be able to afford one! The closest thing is the Canon EF35-350/3.5-5.6L. It's $2000, a bitslow at 350mm and could be sharper at the long end, but it's still tough to beat if you want one all

round high quality lens.

Q10: What's the most important accessory to buy?

A: Easy. The biggest, heaviest tripod you are prepared to carry around with you! Normally that meanssomething around 5lbs. The Bogen 3021/3221 tripods are very popular, quite sturdy and notexpensive. Most wildlife photographers like ball heads. The Arca Swiss B1 has a great reputation(smooth, light) but costs $350. The Bogen 3038 is a verysturdy head that will hold the biggestlenses. It's heavier than a B1 and not so smooth, but costs less than $150 (I use one). The Bogen3055 is cheap (under $40) and OK for lenses up to about a 300/4 or 400/5.6. It will take a 300/2.8 at

a push, but I wouldn't really recommend it for use with a lens that large and heavy. Landscapephotographers might prefer a 3-way head. The Bogen 3047 does a good job for under $60. Gitzotripods (but not tripod heads) are popular with many pros. They are very sturdy but significantly moreexpensive than similar Bogen models. They have a strong but light carbon fiber leg set (model 1228 -$500).

See also the photo.net tripod section.

Q11: What's the best film to use?

A: There's that "best" question again! Film is a tool and what's "best" for one application may not be

best for another. In general, the best results come from using the slowest speed film. Slower films areusually sharper and have better color. Most serious nature photographers shoot slides but if you justwant prints, there's nothing wrong in shooting print film. In slide film, Fujichrome Velvia is oftenchosen for it's highly saturated colors and high sharpness. It's nominaly an ISO 50 speed film, butsome people prefer to shoot it at ISO 40. There are no hard rules here and the speed you shoot it atdepends on your taste and yout metering system. Experiment and see what youlike best. ISO 40/50can be a bit slow for wildlife work, so many people use a faster ISO 100 film. I like FujichromeSensia/Provia 100, but others prefer the Kodak Elite/Lumiere ISO 100 films. At ISO 200 I likeKodachrome 200. It's very sharp for a fast slide film and I've always been pleased with the results.The quality of fast slide films isn't all that great. Something like Fujichrome Sensia 400 is about thelimit for me, and then only when there is no way to use a slower film. Print films of ISO 400 can bequite good, and I hear that the ISO 800 Fujicolor is very good indeed for an ISO 800 film.


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Q12: Are there any nature photography "rules"?

A: There is really only one "rule" - do no harm. That means not harming your subject. Harmingcovers a lot of ground from picking flowers to harassing wildlife. It's easy to do harm even when youdon't mean to. If you step on an alpine flower it may take 10 years or more to grow back. If youdisturb an animal you may harm it by preventing it from getting food or exposing it to predators.Remember that you may only disturb the animal for one minute, but if the next photographer does thesame, and the next, and the next, the cumulative effect can be severe. If you feed an animal you may

harm it by habituating it to humans. "Begging" animals are frequently hit by cars and even the oneswho aren't may suffer from eating an unnatural diet. Feeding birds in your garden at a feeder isgenerally taken as an exception to the "no feeding" rule though!

Q13: Are there any good books on nature and wildlife photography?

A: Yes. Just about anything that John Shaw has written for a start! Specifically his Close-ups inNature for macro work and his The Nature Photographers Complete guide to Professional FieldTechniques for all aspects of nature photography (if you get only one book, get this one!). Also, oneof my favorite books is Galen Rowell's Mountain Light. Though it's not really a "how-to" book, it's oneof the best insights into how a nature photographer works and thinks.

Q14: My pictures aren't very good. What should I do to improve them?

A: Take more pictures! Take notes. Study what works and what doesn't. Read books, maybe eventake a workshop, but in the end there is no substitute for taking pictures. If it's the technical quality ofthe pictures, and you are working with prints, try a better photofinisher or try shooting slides. Manylow end "drug store" photofinishers are truely aweful and no-one could be happy with their work.Maybe you aren't as bad as you think!

Also, consider the effects of lighting. Most of the really great pictures are taken in great light, and that

usually means when the sun is low in the sky, i.e. dawn and dusk. One of the reasons that naturepros spend large amounts of money on fast lenses is to give them the ability to work in low light. Ifyou can't afford the fast lenses, you can at least try fast film (maybe Kodachrome 200) to catch the"good light".

Q15: Where should I buy my equipment?

A: If you can afford to, buy from a local store where you can get good service and support. If youwant to save money and you know what you want, you can buy mail order. The first rule of mail orderis always pay by credit card. That way, if you have a problem it's not just you vs. the store. Thesecond rule is that if you buy from the store with the absolute lowest price you stand a good chance

of regreting being so cheap! Lots of stores advertise in magazines like "Popular Photography", butthe general experience is that the "rock bottom price" stores aren't much fun to deal with. Not thatthey will steal your money, just that they may promise what they don't have, or take many weeks toship your order, or ship the wrong items, or post the wrong charges, or try to sell you things you don'tneed, or not meet the prices in their ads - and so on. I don't want to single out any stores as goodand bad, but I've had good service from B&H Photo, and Adorama and Camera World of Oregon alsohave a decent reputation. Anyone can make a mistake, so don't expect 100% perfection fromanyone. The good stores don't make yousuffer for their errors, while the bad stores just make yousuffer regardless!

There are number of good online sources of information about camera shops:

Philip Greenspun's "where to buy" page photo.net Neighbor to Neighbor service Net-wide mail order survey


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It depresses me to get questions like "I just ordered from XYZ Photo - did I make a mistake". At thatpoint it's a bit late to ask!

Q16: What's the best way to photograph nesting birds?

A: This needs greatcare so as not to harm the birds. You can easily cause damage without everknowing it. One example is that of a photographer who returned to a nest site he had been working atthe previous day. It had been destroyed by a predator (Racoon??). The probability was that his

presence (food, disturbed vegetation,smell?) had attracted a predator to the area who haddiscovered the nest. Moving branches so a nest is more visible can have the same effect.

As far as equipment goes, the longer the lens, the less disturbance you will cause. A 400mm lens isprobably the absolute minimum you should consider. Serious bird photographers usually have atleast a 500mm lens, sometimes even a 600mm or 800mm.

Q17: What's the best place for wildlife photography?

A: Well, the easiest place for wildlife photography is an a place where the animals don't fear humans.This means somwhere they don't get shot at several times a year! In the US, this means the NationalParks. The best park for wildlife is probably Yellowstone, and the best time is anytime but summer(unless you want pictures of tourists and traffic!). Many other parks are good too. I've had good luckin Rocky Mountain NP several times and Yosemite can be interesting (even when there's no wildlifearound, Yosemite isn't at all bad for scenic and landscape work!). For bird Photography, Ding DarlingNWR and the Everglades in Florida are hard to beat. The ultimate in approchable wildlife is probablyfound on the Galapagos Islands where most of the wildlife has virtually no fear of man at all.

Q18: Are there any good nature photography magazines?

A: "Nature Photographer", a small circulation magazine based in Florida. Subscription is around

$16/year for 6 issues (glossy, color). Also sometimes available from a few large book/magazinestores. Not a bad magazine (I've written for them a few times). General hints and tips, places to visit.Some advertizing. Not much in the way of equipment tests or reviews.Some articles at the beginnerlevel, some at a more advanced level. Contact Nature Photographer, P.O.Box 2037, West PalmBeach, FL 33402-2037

"The Natural Image", a small black and white magazine/newsletter published by George Lepp.Available by subscription only for around $20/year for 4 issues. Lots of equipment tests (mostly Nikonand Canon) and film tests. Some general articles, travel tips etc. No advertising (except for George'sworkshops!). Probably of more interest to serious nature photographers with some experience ratherthan beginners. Most of the newsletter is written by George Lepp himself. Contact Lepp and

Associates, PO Box 6240, Los Osos, CA 93412 or call (805) 528 7385.

"Outdoor Photographer", major magazine, available at many book/magazine stores. 10 issues/year.Very glossy. Often has nice pictures. Some interesting columns (Rowell, Rue, Lepp, Jones).Equipment rewiews are very uncritical and read like product endorsements. Tends to wander off into"yuppie" teritory with clothing and 4x4 advertisments. Lots of ads for wokshops, photo tours etc.

"Popular Photography", major magazine, available at most book/magazine stores. Quality variesfrom good to bad, but subscription is cheap! (ca. $10/year for 12 issues). Good magazine foradvertisements. Best equipment tests of any of the major (high circulation) US magazines (just don'tbelieve everythingthey say!). Some nature articles and a semi-regular nature column.

Q19: What is "depth of field"?

A:In any photograph there will be a range of distances over which objects appear to be in sharpfocus. This range of distances is called the "depth of field". The important word is "appear". Only


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points at one distance from the lens will truely be in focus (i.e. as sharp as they could possibly be).Everywhere else the image will be less sharp. The range over which the image looks sharp is thedepth of field - and obviously this is somewhat subjective since what looks sharp to you may not looksharp to me! It also depends on how much the image is enlarged, how closely you view it and so on.

Clearly then, "depth of field" is a slightly arbitrary concept. In practice it is usually defined in terms ofan acceptable "circle of confusion" size. This is the size (on the slide or negative) of an image of apoint at the limits of the "depth of field" and for 35mm its value is about 30 microns (0.03mm). For an

8x10 print, viewed from about 1ft, the image will look sharp anywhere the circle of confusion is lessthan this value.

There is a concept known as the hyperfocal distance. For any given focal length lens at any givenaperture, there is a distance at which the lens can be focused where points from infinity to 1/2 thehyperfocal distance will be "in focus" (i.e. have a circle of confusion value less than some fixedvalue). Lenses once had hyperfocal distance markings on them, but today (especially on zoomlenses) they are often missing.

Q20: How can I do macro work without buying a macro lens?

There are two routes to macro work which don't involve the expense of buying a real macro lens. Thefirst is the use of an extension tube. This allows you to get closer to the subject and thus get a largetimage. Just how much closer and how much larger depends on the lens in use and the length of theextension tube. The second way is by using a "closeup" lens which screws onto your lens just like afilter. There are cheap closeup lenses which are not worth buying, and there are better closeuplenses which are very good. The better ones are two element lenses made by Nikon and Canon.They cost in the $60-$100+ region depending on size. A table of magnifications given using Canonextension tubes and close up lenses is given in the Canon EOS FAQ v3.0.

Extension tubes can be used with any lens, but the screw in closeup lenses will only fit lenses of acertain filter size. Closeup lenses have the advantage of losing less light and you can cangemagnification by zooming a zoom lens without refocusing. With an extension tube, each time youchange the zoom setting you may have to move the camera to get focus back. Don't forget that youcan increase magnification by 1.4x or 2x using a teleconverter too!

You can get more information on the technical side of nature photography (depth of field etc.) andoptics in general by visiting Bob Atkins' Basic Optics Guide and Hyperfocal Distance Chart and byreading David Jacobson's Lens FAQ ftp://butler.hpl.hp.com/jacobson/photo/lensFAQ will and lenstutorial ftp://butler.hpl.hp.com/jacobson/photo/lensTutorial

Composition

getting beyond the snapshot by Gloria Hopkins

With today's high-tech pro cameras and IS and VR lenses, learning to take perfectly sharp, expertlyexposed photographs is a snap. There are thousands of technically perfect photographs in print andon the web and it seems there are as many talented amateurs emerging every day. But there is anotable difference in the work of a photographer who takes the time to think about the composition oftheir image. The composition sets the mood for the shot and tells the story. Compositions can beused to evoke powerful emotional responses in a viewer, a goal for many photographers, butsomething that is achieved by few.

In order to create a technically good, visually pleasing photograph it would make sense that aphotographer have a solid understanding of both the technical and aesthetic sides of photography.


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The ability to intertwine the two is what propels the work of masters like John Shaw and Galen Rowellfar above the seas of documentary shots.

I have always felt that the best way to improve composition skills is to first learn how to seecompositions. Try to see the compositional elements in every photograph you can find. Look at thelines in the image. Do they work together or against each other? How does your eye travel aroundthrough the image? Does it flow smoothly from one thing to the next or jump all around in the image?Look for space distribution, color, mood, perspective, depth, light and time of day, shapes, etc. How

did the photographer use major components of the image like light and shadow, shape and form,background and foreground?

Below I have created what I call "composition maps." They are photographs that I have marked inPhotoshop highlighting various aspects of the composition. I use them as visual teaching aides tobreak images down to their basic parts and see the underlying composition. There are many aspectsof these photos that could be addressed such as quality and direction of light, patterns and repetition,balance, weight, shape vs. form, negative space, perspective, contrast, etc. The list goes on but thereis not enough space to put it in writing here, so I focused on one compositional element for eachgraphic.

In this image I highlighted the spacing in the image and how it could be viewed on The Rule of Thirdsgrid:

Here we examine only the lines in the image:


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Many other maps discussing different highlights could be drawn for a single photograph. Irecommend practicing at home with your own photographs. Studying compositions builds gooddesign skills even though you are not actively designing the image. Seeing is half of the art ofphotography and this exercise will help you to recognize that prize-winning shot when you have it inyour viewfinder.

If you keep composition in mind when in the field, it will eventually become second nature to you. Itwill go from being a source of uncertainty to a powerful tool that will enable you to speak to the worldthrough your images, exactly how you want and on your own terms.

Composition in Nature Photography

the Elements of a Photograph -- Part II by Gloria Hopkins

If a photographer asked you to explain composition as it relates to photography, do you know whatyou would say? If your answer would be "I'm not 100% certain" or "I don't know enough to explain it"don't fret, you are in very good company. Aside from mastering exposure, composition is one of themost difficult parts of photography for many to learn, and with this series I hope to take some of themystery out of it for you.


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Composition in Nature Photography

In photography, composition refers to thestructure, organization, and visual characteristicsof the elements in your photograph. Compositionscan be complex, powerful, boring, moody,

uplifting, and a plethora of other adjectives. Whenyou hear photographers refer to the compositionof a photograph, likely they are talking aboutthings like subject placement, lighting, color, lines,space, balance, and more.

A Marriage of Crafts: My photographic learningcurve has the benefit of 3O years of experiencedesigning and painting wildlife art. In order to bestreach my viewers I have spent my lifetimestudying the compositions of paintings,photography, graphic art and works of countlessother visual mediums.

Evaluating my first serious bird prints three years ago confirmed something that I have suspectedabout photography for many years. Photography, like many other visual arts, is a marriage of twoseparate crafts: image design and execution. In life you can't have a long, fulfilling marriage if one ofthe spouses is not involved or only weakly participates. The same is true of photography. In order toconsistently create technically perfect, visually pleasing images, I feel that both sides of photographyneed to be understood. Take a look at some of your favorite shots; I would be willing to bet that manyof them have a good balance of technical strength and effectiveness in composition and design.

Composition Guidelines: Tools, not Rules: The value of guidelines in some photographicdiscussions can be a controversial topic. There are some who feel that trying to remember and applyrules stifles their creativity and hinders their photographic experience. There are others who followevery rule imaginable, never experiment, and create photographs that look like 95% of thephotographs out there: compositionally sound but nothing special. Composition can be so distant aconcept to some that they avoid learning it altogether or worse, dismiss it as nonsense, taking refugebehind artistic license and creativity.

Composition guidelines are not our enemies but exist to help us. I think of them as tools and not

rules. They originate from different arts, people, places, times, and ideas. Some common guidelinesfor nature and wildlife photographers include:

Don't center your subject unless doing so strengthens the image; Arrange your scene so objects in the image guide the viewer's eye around the image. This

gives you a small measure of control over how your work is viewed; and Shoot in sidelight to reveal the texture of your subjects and add a 3D feel.

Experiment, have fun, and play with the guidelines! You may do something so innovative that youcreate a new guideline and retire an old one. Whatever you do, treat composition guidelines as whatthey are: tools and not rules.


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Moving Beyond the Guidelines: The beauty of understanding composition guidelines is that whenyou want to experiment and try something new, if you build on solid, proven guidelines, success isalready on your side. You can pass beyond those "compositionally sound but nothing special"photographs that everyone else is making and create images that nobody has ever seen. Images thatnobody has ever seen but that are compositionally solid and technically perfect. Those are the kindsof images that make people stand up and take notice; regardless of your specialty. Push theboundaries of technique and creativity in your photography and start creating images instead ofrecording nature. If I had a digital camera and no cost of processing, there would be no stopping me.

The Elements of a Photograph

In the first article we discussed the importance of being able to identify the various elements of a

composition so you can see how they work together to create a whole image. In the remainder of theseries we examine these elements in detail, starting with light.

Light Light can speak for us. It can suggest things like time of day, mood, and it can even tell stories.It can also do practical things like guide the eye around an image, reveal hidden textures, act as themain subject of the image, or help to emphasize a subject. In order to do these things, aphotographer should have a good understanding of light, its properties and how it is rendered on theirchosen capture medium.

The Color of Light: To reach us, light waves of color must travel from the sun and through ouratmosphere, which acts as a filter. Because of the curvature of the earth, at sunup and sundown,


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these light waves must travel through more of our atmosphere than they would if coming from directlyoverhead at midday. As these light waves swim through our thick atmosphere, the shorterwavelengths on the cool end of the spectrum get lost in atmospheric dust and water and cannotreach us. This leaves the longer, warmer waves of light to penetrate our atmosphere and illuminateour subjects.

As the sun climbs higher into the sky, it shines more directly through our atmosphere, allowing theshorter, cooler wavelengths to reach us, better balancing the color of the light. On a clear day when

the sun is directly overhead, it should exhibit no color when cast onto a white surface.

Because many nature photographers prefer the rich, warm colors of early and late light, they will waituntil the time is just right to make their magic.

Reflected Light: A well-known fact about light is that light colors reflect light, and dark colors absorblight. A great illustration of this fact is a soaring bald eagle in a beach environment. Because darkfeathers absorb light, if the bird is flying over dark blue water, the detail in the dark underside of thebird can be difficult to see unless the bird banks into the sun. We can solve this problem by usingflash as fill or rely on light reflected from the water to light the underside of the bird.

Imagine that same bird flying over brightly lit white sand. The light will be reflected, or bounced, backup to the bird, softly illuminating its underside. The degree of brightness depends on the intensity ofthe sun and how close the bird is to the sand.

Indirect Light and Partial Light: Indirect light is light that has been obstructed by clouds, fog, heavyrain, snow, smoke, mist, and other atmospheric particles. This light is usually soft and diffused,minimizing or completely eliminating dark shadows. Many landscape and flower photographers shoot

on overcast days as the colors appear more saturated and harsh shadows are kept to a minimum.

Partially obstructed light is referred to as dappled or partial light and usually involves some amount ofshade. An example of dappled light would be sunlight streaming through the leaves of a tree, leavingspotted shadows on your subject. It is a good idea to evaluate the darkness of the shadows fallingonto your subject to see if fill flash will save some detail in those areas. To do this, throw your entirescene out-of-focus using the focusing ring on your lens. This breaks your scene down to shapes,values, and hues for easy inspection.

Front Light: A good use for front lighting is when you have an image with a lot of color that doesn'trely on depth and texture. With front lighting the part of the subject to be photographed is facing the

sun. If the light is bright, it can render your subjects flat and texture less in spite of exposurecompensation efforts. Because front light creates few shadows on the subject, it's not very useful increating a three-dimensional effect in your scene.


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Sidelight: Side lighting is helpful in emphasizing the texture ofan object. It creates shadows and depth and gives the viewera good sense of what the object might feel like, furtherenhancing the viewing experience. It works great when youhave objects of varying textures on different planes. Whenshooting in sidelight, use a lens hood to avoid stray lightcreeping into your image.

Backlight: Backlighting is often used to show a subject in astriking or unusual way. With backlighting the sun is behindyour subject and whatever is translucent in your scene willglow in the backlighting.

When shooting backlit, exposure composition and/or the useof fill flash may be required to properly expose your subject.Protect your vision by not looking directly into a bright sunthrough your lens. Lens flare can be problematic so make sureto examine the highlights in your image carefully.

Top Light: Many nature photographers will avoid shooting when the sun is directly overhead. Thesun is usually at its brightest and as we discussed earlier, the light is its least colorful at this time.This angle could result in high contrast images with short, dark vertical shadows. It is wise to not ruleout top light for all situations. There are times when it is useful such as when capturing abstractpatterns and repetition in nature.

Artificial Light: When there is not enough sunlight to illuminate a subject or scene, photographerswill often rely on flash to lend a hand. Flash can be used as main light, an additional source of light oras fill, which is referred to as "fill flash."

Using the flash as main light means that the majority of the scene is lit by the flash's burst of light. Fillflash is used to fill in shadows or areas that would be rendered too dark without additional light.Examples of using fill flash are: bringing details out of deep shadows, as a supplementary lightsource for dark objects in soft light, lighting the dark side of a backlit subject, and lighting theunderside of a dark bird in flight. Some cameras will restrict the use of flash to the capabilities of thein-camera flash or, "pop up flash." For better control over flash output many photographers will investin a separate, more sophisticated flash unit.


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Other Sources of Light: Some creative photographers use other sources of light to illuminate theirsubjects, such as: flashlights, candles, streetlights, firelight, and colored lights. I suggest reading abook on lighting for photography to see what options are available for nature photography and howthey are safely used.

It is my great hope that you use this information as a base for your own exploration of compositionand the aesthetics of nature photography. In the next article we examine the following: purpose of theimage; format; subject placement and the Rule of Thirds; foregrounds, middle grounds and

backgrounds; and, color. Until then, happy shooting!

I would like to thank Mark LaGrange for his assistance and adding his wonderfully creative insights tothis part of the series.

Image information:

Image 1: Waimanu Valley, Hawaii. Looking down at the valley floor of an enormous, waterfall-linedamphitheater on the Kohala coast of Hawaii. Canon EOS3, Canon 28-70, Sensia100+1, evaluative

metering at -1/3

Image 2: Snow Goose, Bosque del Apache NWR, New Mexico. Canon EOS3, Canon 400 f/5.6,Provia100F +1, evaluative metering at -1/3

Image 3: Snow Goose, Bosque del Apache NWR, New Mexico. Canon EOS3, Canon 500 f/4.0IS,Provia100F +1, evaluative metering at -1/3

Image 4: Least Bittern, Wakodahatchee Wetlands, FL. Canon EOS3, Canon 400 f/5.6,Provia100F+1, evaluative metering at -0

Image 5: Feeding Great Egrets, Alligator Farm Zoological Park, St. Augustine, FL. Canon EOS3,Canon 500 f/4.5, Provia100F +1, evaluative metering at -1

Image 6: Immature Green Heron, Anhinga Trail, ENP. Canon EOS3, Canon 400 f/5.6, Provia100F+1, evaluative metering at -2/3

Image 7: Canon EOS1v and Mountain Bluebird, watercolor on paper

Equipment for Nature Photography

a beginner's guide by Bob Atkins

For someone who wants to get into nature photography for the first time there is a bewilderingamount of equipment available. Which body, lenses and accessories to chose is the question mostheard from beginners. This page will attempt to answer those questions:


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First of all though, read the Nature Photography Guide for a broad overview. I'm going to try not torecommend any particular brand names (but I will fail in that attempt). Whether "A" or "B" is "better"frequently turns out to be a subject for endless (and often pointless) debate. Check out the reviewson photo.net for one set of opinions.

I'm assuming that a beginner isn't going to want to spend many thousands of dollars to get started.The suggestions made here assume a budget of around $1000, which I think is the minimum amount(if you are buying new equipment) needed to get started on the right track. You can do it for less, but

unless you really had to, you wouldn't want to.

Camera Body

You need a body which allows full manual override of any automatic function. You mustbe able touse manual focus, even if it's an autofocus camera. You mustbe able to set exactly what shutterspeed and aperture youwant, even if it differs from what the camera's built in light meter says. Youalso really need some kind of provision for a mechanical or electronic remote release.

It's very nice to have a depth of field preview function, mirror lock-up, an auto-winder, a viewfinderdisplay that shows exposure information, multiple exposure capability, manually setable film ISO,

exposure compensation and so on. These are not absolutely essential, but if you can get them, takethem. You don't have to use all the functions, but if you need one and it isn't there, you'll miss it.

You can probably find all the essentials on the mid range models of most camera manufacturers. Theextras are available on some mid-range models, but not on others, so check the camera featurescarefully. Canon tend to provide more features on their mid and low end models than othermanufacturers do. You don't need the top-of-the-line body, but you should probably avoid the bottom-of-the-line model too. Your budget will decide which exact model, but as long as it has the basicfunctions mentioned above, it will be just fine. For a current AF camera, the cost will probably be inthe $300-$500 range.

If you ever intend to get really serious about photography, you should probably think hard aboutgoing with either Nikon of Canon. Though other camera makers make excellent products, the Nikonand Canon systems are probably best tuned to the needs of the serious nature photographer.

Lenses

For someone starting out who wants the best "bang for the buck", I'd recommend two lenses. A wideangle zoom and a telephoto zoom. The wide angle should start at 28mm and go to somewherebetween 70mm and 105mm. It need not be too fast (= expensive). A typical lens would be a 28-105/3.5-4.5 or something similar. 28mm is wide enough to be a real wide angle (35mm isn't). The

second lens would be a telephoto zoom, starting out between 70mm and 100mm and going out to300mm. Again, this will not be a fast lens, probably something like f4 or f4.5 at the short and and f5.6at 300mm. 300mm is just long enough for wildlife work, but don't expect the ultimate in sharpnessfrom a mid range zoom like this. The total cost of this pair of lenses will probably be in the $400-$600range. If you can find two lenses that have the same filter size (58mm would be typical), it will makelife easier for you.

I would notrecommend starting out with a 28-200 zoom. Though such a lens covers a lot of ground, ithas a number of problems. First, 200mm isn't really long enough for wildlife work. Second, it probablywon't focus very close at 28mm (you need this feature for those "everything in focus" landscapeshots). Third, the optical quality of such zooms isn't that great.

I would also recommend sticking with the camera manufacturer's lenses rather than buying cheaper3rd party lenses. They will hold their value better and probably function better (especially on complex,all electronic cameras like the Canon EOS system). There are, no doubt, exceptions to this. Some3rd party lenses are quite good - just be careful.


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Tripod

You will need a tripod. If you don't have one you might as well not bother trying to do any high qualitywork. Most of your images will not be sharp, and since you don't have premium optics to begin withyou can't afford to lose any sharpness at all. You might say that some great photographers neverused a tripod. Quite true, but they weren't trying to do nature photography.

With a basic lightweight body and zoom lens outfit like this, you can get away with a fairly light tripod

(say 3 or 4 lbs). I'll break my "no brand name" rule here and suggest looking at Bogen and Gitzotripods and the small Bogen ball heads. With Bogen this should cost about $100, with Gitzo probably$200+. Be aware that if you get really serious, you will be buying another, bigger, heavier, moreexpensive tripod and head. You can buy it now, if you think you will be prepared to carry it around!

Accessories

A copy of John Shaw's book "The Nature Photographer's Complete Guide to ProfessionalField Techniques". This is #1 on the list for a reason!

A high quality, two element, close-up diopter to fit the telephoto zoom for macro work A remote release for the camera A polarizing filter (a circular polarizer for all AF and some MF cameras) A warming filter - 81A, 81B or 812 A UV filter (maybe - you can probably use the warming filter instead) Lens hoods for each lenses A bag to carry it all in

You will now have spent something like $1000+ to get a good basic outfit that should be capable ofexcellent images if you use it right.

Specific recommendations

I know, people just hate generalizations. They want to be toldwhat's best. Here then is my ownpersonal pick of items for a low cost introductory camera system. You may well have other opinions(that's what the comment server is here for, see the bottom of this web page). You can also check outthe photo.net equipment reviews.

Camera Body - Canon EOS ElanII - best "bang for the buck" in my opinion. Wide Angle Zoom - Canon EF28-105 USM - If the EF24-80 USM becomes available. it might

be an equal or better choice, depending on quality and price (both unknown right now). Telephoto Zoom - Canon EF100-300 USM, or EF75-300USM depending on your budget.

Optically there is nothing to chose between them. The 100-300 USM is nicer to use and has a

non-rotating front element. Tripod - Bogen 3001 or 3021, depending on how much weight you are prepared to carry and

how tall you are. Tripod head - Bogen 3226 or 3055 Ball Head. Both are cheap ($40 or so), both work fairly

well, neither is great - but you don't get a great ball head for $40! Filters - Tiffen and Hoya are fine. Multicoated filters are desirable and not that much more

expensive than uncoated filters. Coated polarizers are hard to find though. Where to buy it all - I like B&H Photo. They are not perfect, but they are less likely to try to

screw you than any of the other mail order discount stores I've ever dealt with and they havedecent prices. Also see Where to buy a camera on photo.net.

Alternate Views

There is a certain school of thought along the lines that all "consumer grade" lenses are inferior, andyou might as well start out by buying the "pro grade" lenses from the start. There is some truth here,but not so much as to make this line of thought "the one true way". John Shaw (and many others I


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assume) have pointed out that an average lens used with excellent technique can produceremarkable (and marketable) images, while the best lenses used with sloppy technique just wastefilm. So sure, if you have lots of spare cash and don't mind the weight, buy the really expensive 28-70and 70-200 f2.8 APO lenses. It will increase the basic system price though, from around $1000 tomaybe $2500-$3000 (if you stick with manufacturer's lenses).

You can also, of course, buy used equipment. This can either be current AF bodies and lenses, orolder, manual focus equipment. If you plan on expanding your system then it's probably wise to stick

with current equipment systems (e.g. Canon EOS) or a system that allows use of older, MF, lenseson current bodies - basically this means Nikon. Used equipment typically sells for between 65% and80% of the current discount price (i.e. the price B&H Photo advertise) depending on age, conditionand desirability. The downside is that you don't get warranty protection. The upside is it costs less,and will probably hold 100% of its value (it may even increase in value if it's a high quality item)should you ever sell it.

Looking to the future - what comes next?

What comes after this outfit? Well, most wildlife photographers would want to add a longer lens. Ifyou are still looking for the cheapest (but still decent) way to go, that's probably a 400/5.6 APO lens

from one of the 3rd party lens manufacturers. This will cost somewhere in the region of $600. Knowthat if you get reallyserious about wildlife work, you won't be happy with this lens and you will want alonger and/or faster and/or sharper and (but not or) much more expensive lens to replace it. Note thatit's actually cheaper to buy it now than first buy the lower cost lens, then sell it at a loss, then buy thelens you really wanted in the first place!

If you are a landscape photographer you might want to add a really wide angle lens, which, on abudget, probably either means a 20mm f2.8 lens or something like a 20-35mm f3.5-4.5 zoom. Expectto pay $300-$500 for either one. The fixed 20mm will probably be faster, have less flare, be smaller,lighter and take smaller (=cheaper) filters. The zoom will give you more flexibility. Your choice.

If you get hooked on macro photography, you might want a macro lens that focuses down to 1:1 (lifesize image on film) without adding a close-up lens. A 100mm macro is a good choice since it allowsmore working distance than a 50mm macro. Expect to pay from $200 to $500 for a decent macrolens.

If you get reallyhooked, you will want to start collecting "pro" series lenses. Big, fast, expensiveglass. Be warned that photography can become a large bottomless pit you shovel money into if youreach this terminal stage.

guide to nature photography

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