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Tips
June 14, 2010
After a slow start to 2010, things are starting to roll. Most of the
spring birds are back, and some are already on their second brood. I’m
getting a lot of reports about baby owls, and bears. I’ve photographed a
bald eagles nest for the first time this year, and that just might have
made my 2010 complete. You don’t get many second chances on shots like
that! Spring is almost gone. Many of my spring goals in photography fell
way short. As many of you “die hard” nature photographers out there
know, there is never enough time. Digital photography is still growing
fast. Every time I receive a new photo magazine, something new is coming
out. The latest is video in the DSLR’S. As a still photographer, I can’t
get too excited about the video feature. It depends on what you want to
do in nature photography. Right now I use an entry level digital camera,
which does a great job. I tell people in my talks that there isn’t a bad
digital camera out there. Even the point & shoot cameras do a fine job.
Again, it depends on what you want to do with photography. I still
believe that it isn’t the type of camera, but the person behind that
viewfinder, and what they see, that makes the “perfect” picture.
Remember, in the remainder of the year, follow your photo lists. Take
the shots that you believe will be the best composed. Composition is a
key word in photography. Background is another key. Stop, even for a
split second, and look at your background. It might make a big
difference in your photo. Enjoy my updated website. There will be more
to come,
Keep shooting !!
March 11, 2009
2009 is upon us already. It’s time to make our wish lists for the upcoming year. I always make a list of the things I would like to photograph the most during the year. I often do not photograph everything on my list in any given year, but it gives me a goal to work for. Being a wildlife and/or nature photographer, sometimes your goals are hard to meet. Conditions, having much to do with the weather, play a large role in this goal. Let’s just hope we have good weather conditions in the year to come, so most of our photographic goals are met. An example of this is happening in the first part of 2009. The weather has been very cold and snowy. This keeps me out of some of the places I like to go back in the deeper woods. Spring will get here, and then on to the goals.
Digital photography is now firmly established. I hope everyone out there has tried it. I see some film labs are shutting down. I believe this will happen more and more. Digital advances are happening almost daily. I can’t wait to see what’s going to be available in just five or so years from now.
So, my tip for the year is simple – make a photo list, and try to photograph everything on it. It will be fun to try, even if you don’t make your whole list. There’s always next year.
Keep on shooting.
November 25, 2006
In the last few years, photography has made a remarkable turn
around. Digital Photography, which was thrust upon the public, virtually
overnight, has taken over the photo world by storm. Everywhere you go
you see digital cameras in use. What has happened here? Where is film?
Never fear, there are film cameras still being made, and new film
advances on the market every day. This brings me to my topic, or tip, as
the title says!
Just over a year ago, when I would give talks on outdoor photography, I
wouldn’t even mention digital! I was a die-hard film guy, and nothing
was going to change me. The more I read about digital, the more I began
to have a real interest in the subject. I soon had the feeling that if I
didn’t get on the bandwagon soon, I would be left in the dust. Late in
2005 I bought my first digital camera. It was a SLR that would use
all my lenses. Then came 2006, when I began using the digital only.
I have not used any film since! Not being a genius
on the computer, it has been a learning experience all the way, which I
have fallen in love with. My “tip” or just plain advice is very simple.
Try digital! You don’t have to buy a five thousand dollar camera to
start. The digital point & shoot cameras work very well, and have great
optics, with a low price tag. I now find I have the freedom to take
better pictures, because I can see instantly what my exposure is, how my
focus and background is, and if it isn’t right, I erase it. Digital may
not be for everyone, but it works for me. My photography is all still
“natural”. No “superimposing” scenes or animals that shouldn’t be there.
I do use the computer to brighten and sharpen the images, when
necessary, but what you see is really there! Yes, I still have my film
cameras. That’s what got me here, I just can’t let them out to pasture!!
Check my galleries. I’ll bet you can’t tell which are digital or film!!?
September 6, 2002
One of my basic tips for amateur nature photographers out there is simple - Try to take your camera with you, if possible, whenever you leave the house. I often take my camera with me to work. Nature is very unpredictable, and you never know when a great photo opportunity will be right in front of you. If you don't have a camera the photo will be lost.
An example of this is early in the spring of 2002, while I was at work with no camera, I got a frantic call from the people in our first floor office to come down right away. When I arrived, there was a "Sharp-Shinned" hawk that just made a kill on a Starling not more than ten feet from a open office window. It guarded its catch for at least a good ten minutes before flying off. What a photo it would have been...I often think, if I only had my camera that day!
I have people coming up to me almost every day saying "You should have been with me the other night, I saw this or that." My first words are always, "Did you have your camera with you?" You know what the answer always is!
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