wildlife photography blog - The Wildlife Photography Apprentice

July 30, 2023June 16, 2024

Mastering the Photographic Hunt: Enhancing Your Tracking Skills for Exceptional Wildlife Photography

Nature never ceases to amaze us with its vast array of creatures, each occupying a unique niche in the ecosystem. Observing and understanding animals in their natural habitat can be an enriching and educational experience. As a wildlife photographer one skill that can greatly enhance your wildlife encounters and thus photographic opportunities, is animal tracking. Tracking allows us to follow in the footsteps of our wild neighbors, deciphering their movements, and behaviors, and even gaining insight into their survival strategies. In this post, we will explore the art of animal tracking so you can use these skills to improve your wildlife photography.

July 4, 2023May 6, 2024

Beginning Wildlife Photography: The Photographic “Time Out”

Part 3, After the Shoot

So now you’ve arrived at the end of your amazing wildlife photographic adventure and are ready to relax. Wait a minute, before you collapse into your lazy-boy recliner, there’s one last checklist to think about, the post-shoot checklist. In part three we will discuss some things to consider once you have taken all your photos to guarantee superb results.

July 1, 2023May 6, 2024

Beginning Wildlife Photography: The Photographic “Time Out”

Part 2, During the shoot

As we discussed in part one of the photographic “time out” blog, a pre-session checklist can be useful to ensure we don’t miss critical aspects of planning a wildlife photography session. That checklist guarantees we will have done everything we need beforehand to improve our chances of success. In part two we will discuss the in-session checklist items that will make sure our actual time photographing is just as successful. Let’s look at a during-the-shoot ” Time Out” checklist.

June 25, 2023May 6, 2024

Beginning Wildlife Photography: The Photographic “Time Out”

Part 1, Before the Shoot

“To err is human”, is a common phrase. In the operating room mistakes can be very costly and have severe consequences for the patient. In order to decrease the risk of errors, every operating room goes through a process known as the “ time out” prior to the start of each case. Everyone stops what they are doing while the nurse identifies the patient, the proposed procedure, that the appropriate area is prepped, and that the required instruments are available. Each individual must verbalize agreement before the procedure can begin. While photographic mistakes don’t have quite the same consequences as mistakes in the OR, they can still ruin your day. I once drove two hours at four in the morning to catch a sunrise, only to arrive at my destination and find I forgot my cable release. Not a huge mistake but the quality of the photos I took that morning suffered as a result. Taking “Time Out” beforehand would have prevented the problem all together.

June 9, 2023May 6, 2024

Wildlife Photography: “It’s not the camera, It’s the photographer”, well, maybe not.

“It’s not the camera, It’s the photographer”. I wish I had a nickel for every time I’ve read that in a photography book or magazine, or saw it argued on a photography forum. While it may be true that a great camera won’t make a poor photographer take great photos, it’s also true that it won’t hurt either. Throughout my life, I’ve been fortunate enough to have several hobbies in addition to photography. If there is one thing that I have learned for sure over and over again, it’s that you should buy the best equipment you can afford the first time around. A good carbon fiber fly rod won’t catch more fish, but it will make the experience of fly fishing easier, more efficient, and a lot more fun. The same holds true for golf clubs, skis, backpacks, and most certainly cameras and lenses.

May 27, 2023May 6, 2024

Wildlife Photography. Capturing Nature’s Majesty: Big Bend National Park, a Wildlife Photography Paradise

Big Bend National Park is a magnificent destination for wildlife photography, with a diverse range of species and habitats to explore. The possibilities are vast with a wide range of animals such as black bears, mountain lions, bighorn sheep, and over 450 species of birds, as well as stunning landscapes that provide a perfect backdrop for capturing memorable shots of the region’s unique flora and fauna.

May 17, 2023May 6, 2024

Beginning Wildlife Photography: Composition in Wildlife Photography

A great wildlife photo is one that captures the essence and beauty of the subject in a unique and compelling way. There are many elements that can contribute to a great wildlife photo. Sharp focus, good exposure, emotional impact, unique perspective, storytelling, technical skills, and last but not least, Interesting composition. The photo should be well-thought-out, using techniques such as the rule of thirds, leading lines, symmetry, and framing to create a visually appealing and dynamic image.

Part of composition is capturing drama and emotion when possible

May 1, 2023May 6, 2024

Beginning Wildlife Photography. Super Telephoto Lenses, What to Know.

Buying and using a super-telephoto lens for wildlife photography can be a daunting task, especially if you are new to this genre of photography. A super-telephoto lens is generally considered any lens with a focal length of 300mm or more. These lenses are essential for capturing wildlife images from a distance, allowing you to capture detailed shots of animals without disturbing their natural behavior.

**A 600mm f4 allows you to get close to skittish subjects like this Wood Duck**

April 14, 2023May 6, 2024

Wildlife Photography: Photographing Osprey in West Texas

Ospreys are magnificent birds of prey that are loads of fun to photograph. Their manner of fishing by diving feet first is exhilarating to watch and a challenge to photograph. Living in West Texas you may think your chances of photographing an Osprey might be slim but even though Ospreys are not common in West Texas they can be found more often than you think. During their migration, they can be found near any body of water such as freshwater lakes and playas as long as there are good fish populations. The best time to spot them is during the fall migration, late September through mid-November. Believe it or not, all of the photographs posted in this blog were taken in Midland Texas. Let’s explore some things about Ospreys that will help you improve your chances of photographing one next fall.

Adult Osprey have average wingspans of 5 1/2 feet or more

April 1, 2023May 6, 2024

Nikon Monarch M5 8×42 versus Vortex Viper 10×50, two great binoculars.

Like a lot of wildlife photographers, I carry binoculars with me when I go out to photograph. I recently found that my Nikon Monarch 3 binoculars were not focusing correctly. Because of their age, I decided to replace them with a new pair from Vortex Optical, the Viper HD. After my new purchase, I had nothing to lose so I decided to test the lifetime warranty from Nikon. I sent the old pair in for repair. Somewhat to my surprise two weeks later I received a new pair of Monarch M5 binoculars in their place along with a letter stating that the others were unrepairable and would be replaced at no charge. Kudos to Nikon for honoring their lifetime warranty. I now have two great binoculars and what follows is a review of both.