The Wildlife Photography Apprentice
A Wildlife Photography Blog with information about wildlife photoraphy techniques, locations and subjects based out of West Texas.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Wildlife photography is a rewarding and exciting hobby, but locating wildlife can be a challenging task. Finding the right location and knowing when and where to look for wildlife is key to capturing stunning images. In this article, we will discuss some things you can do to locate wildlife to photograph in their natural settings.
I was visiting my family for the holidays several years ago when my niece casually starting talking about her ” Blog”. She commented eloquently for some time about blogging and followers and all sorts of puzzling things. At the time, I didn’t have the slightest clue what a blog was. Having graduated college as well as graduate school and considering myself well educated I was embarrassed to admit that “Blog” was a word I didn’t know. To me it was some mysterious word, with origins on the internet, familiar only too hip, with it, young people unlike myself. After a few uncomfortable moments, the conversation politely moved on to other subjects, and the nervousness associated with being exposed as ignorant soon abated. On the drive home I resolved that I would never be caught so unhip and uninformed again. I would thrust myself into the internet world of the young and become a blogger myself. As a wildlife photographer, blogging about a subject I knew and liked seemed as though it would be as easy as falling off a log. Little did I know what I was getting into. Wildlife Photography blogging is challenging but fun at the same time.
Keeping your ducks in a row is an old expression for sure but some expressions remain useful and are timeless. Photographing wildlife is complex and involves a process with many individual steps or “ducks” to keep in sequence if you want to achieve the best outcome. Most people who haven’t tried wildlife photography before think you just walk out the front door, take a photo of an animal, and put it online, perhaps because these days with smartphones that’s exactly how most photographs are taken. Those of us who photograph wildlife regularly for business or pleasure know it’s a bit more complicated than that. To produce your average random wildlife photo you could just depend on getting lucky once in a while but to produce good quality wildlife photos consistently, they have to be preceded by a significant amount of study and preparation, as well as a multistep post-processing routine. Photographing Ducks is fun and is a good way to illustrate the multiple steps that are involved. Lets’ take a look at how I like to keep my ducks in a row while photographing ducks.
When I was a kid we used to play touch football in the street. Because there wasn’t an offensive line we had to count ten seconds out loud before we could rush the quarterback. When we counted we would use Mississippis because supposedly it takes one second to say “One Mississippi”. Say it ten times and you could rush the quarterback. I was out recently looking for wildlife to photograph when I came across a number of beautiful raptors that caused me to harken back to those days. I found myself counting each of the several birds circling overhead in Mississippis as if I were a kid on the football field. One Mississippi Kite, Two Mississippi Kites, and so on.
I think it was Humphry Bogart who said, “She had the kind of eyes you could get lost in”. I love to photograph owls for a lot of reasons but mostly because of their eyes. They have the kind of eyes you can get lost in. When beginning to photograph wildlife it’s important to understand that an animal’s eyes are the most important part of the composition of a wildlife photo. Because of their large prominent eyes, owls offer a great opportunity to practice this principle. Owls, however, are very reclusive nocturnal creatures for the most part which can make finding them and subsequently photographing them quite difficult. There is one species of owl however that is relatively easy to find and is active during the day. The Burrowing Owl. If you want to practice your wildlife photography and work with a subject that has great eyes, then burrowing owls are just the trick.
