Photography News Issue 45

Photography News | Issue 45 | absolutephoto.com

DaysOut

Fight the clutter to improve wildlife shots 3. Aimfor animals

Whether you’re heading to a safari park, a sanctuary or something further into the wild, there are two main problems that photographers face when shooting wildlife: access and framing. That is to say, getting a good, unobstructed view of the subject and reproducing it large enough in the frame to have an impact. Vantage point is important for both. The closer you can get to the subject, the more detailed they’re likely to appear, but if you can’t move as close as you’d like, there’s no substitute for increasing the focal length. Even budget telephoto zooms reaching the likes of 300mm can give good results, but if you still find you’re coming up short, it’s well worth looking at a Tamron or Sigma 150-600mm zoom. If you’re shooting animals in captivity, you’ll find fences to be a problem. Fortunately though, you can render fences virtually invisible with the right camera settings. Start by switching to aperture-priority mode, then zoom to the lens’s longest focal length. Next, dial in the widest aperture available (the lowest f/number). On very fast lenses, this could be something around f/2.8, but on most telephoto zooms it’s likely to be f/5.6 or f/6.3. Now, get

as close to the fence as possible and focus on the subject. You’ll see the links in the fence disappear. On close inspection, you may see some ghostly impressions of them, but it’s a small imperfection in the scheme of things.

Above With the right settings you can get good wildlife shots almost anywhere. Shooting with a 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6 lens at 300mm and pressed against a chain link fence, the wires are rendered almost invisible. Left Lenses such as Tamron’s 150- 600mmG2 give incredible reach, making them excellent for wildlife shooting wherever you are.

Above At your location, find a good vantage point and frame closely on the subject, for wildlife shots with greater impact.

Tell a story with a series of close-up studies When we travel to new places, or take in new situations, our senses can be overwhelmed by all the fresh information, and we tend to concentrate on the bigger picture. As a photographer that can often come through in our pictures as a string of lazy, wide-angle compositions. 4. Find the details

with static exhibits; take some time to shoot close-ups of the machines themselves, their grilles, badges, chrome work. Pop the bonnet or get into the cabin and you’ll find even more to shoot. You’ll find opportunities like this everywhere, and a series of themed detail shots makes a great accompaniment to your general photography. To make the most of details, it’s well worth packing a macro lens along with the rest of your kit, allowing you to focus closer than normal and fill the frame with detail. If your camera or lens has image stabilisation, switch that on for crisper pictures.

If you’ve ever found yourself guilty of this, it’s time to steady your brain and look for the things in the scene that are important. Seek out the most interesting perspectives and your pictures will benefit. Something else you can concentrate on is detail. Say for instance you’re at amotor event such as a classic car rally or a track day

Left and above If you can train yourself to think on the small scale, you’ll find that most locations are packed with details ready for you to shoot. Here, a collection of close-ups from static cars at a track day make a pleasing series of studies.

Left Include a macro lens in your kit bag and you can indulge in some detail-based projects throughout the day. Close-up shooting is a great option to have, especially when you’re let down by the weather.