From time to time, I find it useful to review and fine tune my strategies for photographing nature. These principals help the photographer utilize his or her resources and not squander precious time and money, which is always useful but is even more important during these tough economic times.
Continue readingWhen it comes to attracting birds into camera range, nothing is more effective than water. Only a limited number of species come to feeders to eat seed, fruit and nectar, but all birds come to water to bath and drink. Using water for bird photography can be especially powerful if you happen to l...
Continue readingThere are few places on earth that can captivate the imagination and inspire nature photographers to “get out there” like the tropics. The biological riches of these exciting destinations are unparalleled and these regions are rife with opportunities for nature photography. Consider...
Continue readingIn animal photography, the subject’s eyes must be in focus. If they’re not, most professional wildlife photographers will tell us that we’ve missed the shot. Why? Because when we look at a picture of an animal (or person) our eyes go to the subject’s eyes first. If they...
Continue readingThe English Lake District has long been associated with tourism. Since the earliest days, visitors have strived to convey the images from their minds’ eye to others. Some in words as with the Lakes Poets, some by painting including Turner and Constable, and as the process developed more la...
Continue reading“Amazing!” “Stunning!” “Breathtaking!” “Awesome!” “Freezing!”
These were some of the comments that were shared at the two sunrise shoots during NatureScapes’ first annual event this past December in Bosque del Apache National...
Continue readingLast year was highly fulfilling for me in terms of photography, and I had more goals for this year, building on everything I felt was going well. However, as they say, life is what happens while you’re making other plans. A number of things didn’t work out as needed, and most of my p...
Continue readingEditor’s note: This article appeared originally in Mark Graf’s blog. Our thanks to Mark for agreeing to republish it here. Mark opens: “Quite a few folks talk about failure as part of the process of learning, especially when it comes to expanding creativity. part of t...
Continue readingOn the last day of our six week high-speed flash hummingbird photography shoots in southern Arizona, I shot 20 gigabytes of these marvelous birds in flight. We were leaving the next day for the three day drive back home to Pennsylvania, and I was busy packing the truck with the assorted flashes,...
Continue readingTo maximize the potential of an area and its subjects, always gather as much information as possible before arriving. To make the most of your shoot, talk to others who have been there shortly before, but never assume things will be the same.
Ask yourself questions about the specific location:...
Continue readingAbruptly removed from Gondwanaland about 160 million years ago and left to its own devices in the Indian Ocean, Madagascar, shaped somewhat like a folded omelet, started developing a natural history all on its own. As with many of the other exotic islands, Madagascar developed its own unique spe...
Continue readingThis is a continuation of the article I wrote a few years ago, “The Mathematics of Depth of Field.”
In the earlier article, I presented some equations and plotted some results from them. I concluded with a series of “rules” about depth of field (DOF). There were sever...
Continue readingMy first article for NatureScapes.net was a whirlwind tour of the world of inkjet printing. It provided an overview of the essentials, such as equipment choices (printer, ink, and paper) and color management. Read my previous article on Getting Started with Inkjet Printing.
Continue readingFor compelling bird photos, go beyond portraits. An animated NatureScapes.net thread recently discussed whether or not “boring” would be a valid bird image critique. As bird photographers, it’s a good exercise for us to consider what draws viewers to a particular bird photograp...
Continue readingMany nature photographers dream about going to Africa one day to indulge in shooting the abundant wildlife, birdlife and landscapes it has to offer, and to soak up the feeling that is uniquely Africa. When one is finally ready to get the dust and dung of Africa on one’s feet, a decision mu...
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