Posts Tagged ‘Juan Pons’

    

Wildlife Week: Respect Wildlife

Saturday, May 29th, 2010

Pileated Woodpeckers, Chatham County, NC

No image, no matter how good, unique or special it may be, is worth stressing, endangering or otherwise harming wildlife. As wildlife photographers, we all need to be advocates for wildlife, after all, if we, who love to photograph them, are not, who will?

As wildlife photographers we need to set the example for others, we need to take responsibility for our actions and make every effort to lessen our impact on wildlife and the environment. There any number of organizations promote their own code of ethics for safe and respectful enjoyment of nature, and I will list a few of those at the end of this article.

Here is my basic set of guidelines that I follow. I’ve made these simple and to the point in an effort to make it easy to remember and stick to.

  • First do no harm – The foundation of the wildlife photographers ethic. You must always ask yourself if the next action you are about to take will bring any harm to wildlife. Sometimes it’s is very clear cut, sometimes it’s a little more difficult to discern what consequences your actions make have. In any case you should always be considering the welfare of your subject first and foremost.
  • Leave no trace behind – We have all heard this before. This means not to alter, modify disturb or destroy any habitat, food source or surroundings. Leave your location in the same state than you found it.
  • Never harass wildlife – This means never to never taunt, bait or force an action out of your subject. Be patient! The most beautiful wildlife photographs result from natural behavior. Never interfere with animals engaged in breeding, feeding, nesting, or caring for young. Learn the habits of your subjects; Respect and protect your subject, look for signs of stress. If you notice your subject is altering it’s behavior as a result of your actions, stop. Learn to recognize wildlife alarm signals for the safety of both wildlife and yourself.
  • Enjoy yourself – We all have to remember why we wake up early in the morning, endure mosquitoes, ticks, chiggers, leaches and whatever other nasties mother nature throws at us when we are sitting in a blind for hours on end. We are out there to enjoy wildlife, and if we are so lucky, we get to make some great images in the process. So enjoy yourself.

Eastern Bluebird Nest, Chatham County, NC

Keep up with Juan on The Digital Photo Experience and learn about Juan's workshops at Wild Nature Tours.

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Wildlife Week: Patience & Persistence

Friday, May 28th, 2010

Fighting Big Horn Sheep, Yellowstone NP, WY

If you want to be successful at wildlife photography you need two things; patience and more patience. Well, persistance helps as well.

In all seriousness, besides the few lucky shots we all get from time to time, you need loads and loads of patience and need to be very persistent in order to consistently make memorable images. Wildlife can’t be directed, rushed or posed, otherwise it would not be wildlife.

Here are three tips to help you:

  • 30 Minute Rule – When observing and photographing wildlife there is what is commonly referred to as the 30 minute rule. What this means is that once you enter an environment you have caused a disturbance with the wildlife within the immediate area. Wildlife will take approximately 30 minutes to “settle” down and accept your presence, given that you are still during this period and have broken your “human” outline. You break your outline by covering yourself with some simple camouflage netting or other similar material. You’ll be surprised how close some wildlife will get to you once you have done this.
  • Work Subjects Over and Over – This simply means never being “content” with the images you have of a specific subject or species; never thinking you have made the best image you’ll ever make. Keep working the same subjects over and over, make more images with different backgrounds, under different weather and light conditions, and during different times of the year. Just as an example, during my last “Winter in Yellowstone” photo workshop (Feb 2010) we had the opportunity to make quite a few images of big horn sheep, some under very spectacular conditions. Most workshop participants had dozens if not hundreds of images of the sheep. On a different day, we ran into the sheep again and I asked the participants if they wanted to make some more images of the sheep, and all indicated that they thought they already had all the images they wanted/needed. I immediately stopped the vehicle and made everyone get out to make some more images, explaining that although I believed this was the same group of sheep, the conditions where not the same as the previous day and you never know what will happen. Not more than 15 minutes after we set up to make some more images the sheep started fighting! We spent the next hour or two making some incredible images like the one above! Had we continued on thinking we had all the images we ever wanted we would have missed this spectacular display!
  • Look for Patterns in Behavior – I have to admit that I am not the most patient person on the world, specially when I am sitting inside a blind in sweltering heat. In order to limit the amount of time I spend in situations like this, I look for patterns in behavior of my subjects and schedule my time in the blind accordingly. This way I maximize the chances of making great images while in the blind.

Keep up with Juan on The Digital Photo Experience and learn about Juan's workshops at Wild Nature Tours.

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Wildlife Week: Habitat

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

American Oystercatcher, Isabela, PR

You may have heard me say over and over again that in order to make the best images of wildlife you need to know your subjects, and know them well. One of the first things to learn about your subject is what is their preferred habitat.

Knowing your subjects preferred habitat is important, not only for locating them, but also in planning the kind of images you are going to make.

I enjoy animal portraits as much as everyone else, and I am known to make many “bird on a stick” images. However, my preference is for images that showcase wildlife in one of their preferred habitats. Images that include habitat tell so much more about that species, plus they can serve as a great compositional element.

Ruby Throat Hummingbird on Nest, Goose Creek SP, NC

Here are a couple of tips on including habitat with your wildlife images.

Supporting Habitat – While I like to include habitat in my images, I almost always make sure that my subject is the main focus of the image. I try to select background elements that compliment my subject, and not detract from it. I try to include habitat elements that frame my subjects and place them in an environment without detracting from the subject.

Separation – Even though you are trying to include some some of the background elements into the image in order to support your main subject, it’s important to maintain separation between your subject and the background. Use only as much Depth-of-Field as you need to keep your subject in focus and no more. There is such as thing as too much DOF.

Simplify – Avoid extraneous objects, one of the tricks I learned a long time ago that has helped me tremendously is to scan the periphery of my viewfinder just before tripping the shutter. What this allows me to do is make sure that I avoid any extraneous objects such as protruding elements, and that I don’t have any competing background elements. At first this may take some time to do consciously, but with practice you will find yourself doing this very quickly and sub-consciously.

Prothotonary Warbler, Chatham County, NC

Keep up with Juan on The Digital Photo Experience and learn about Juan's workshops at Wild Nature Tours.

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Wildlife Week: Connect

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

Copperhead Snake, Chatham County, NC

I don’t often hear many people talk about connecting with your subject when shooting wildlife, after all how can a human connect with an animal, right?

Well, I can tell you categorically that yes you can connect with your animal subjects, but more importantly you want your viewers to connect with the subjects in your photos.

Here are a few tips on creating a connection between your photos subject and viewer:

  • A Different Perspective – I review quite a few images from amateur wildlife photographers asking for feedback on their work. And I have to tell you that the biggest mistake I see people make is photographing an animal from standing height, usually looking down at the animal. This, in my opinion, is the quickest way to make an otherwise spectacular subject look rather ordinary. The reason for this is that as humans we are used to seen the world from standing height, when you create an image that provides a different perspective, a different point-of-view if you will, you are providing your viewer something different to look at.
  • Eye Level – To make a connection, you need to be looking at your subject at eye level. So get down, lie on your belly if you must. I’ve been known to lie down and crawl on geese poop for hours to get down low enough to connect at eye level with my subjects. An added benefit to this, is that animals will see you as less threatening when you are at eye level to them.
  • The Right Pose – Capturing your subject at the right pose is key to presenting them in as favorable way as possible. Additionally the right pose should present your subject in as a natural state as possible. 

I hope these few tips help you in creating a stronger connection with your subjects.

Nutria (invasive species), Lake Mattamuskeet, NC

Keep up with Juan on The Digital Photo Experience and learn about Juan's workshops at Wild Nature Tours.

 

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Wildlife Week: Capture THE Moment

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

Coyotes Fighting, Yellowstone NP, WY

Nothing adds more interest to a wildlife photo than action. Whether it’s a fox pouncing on a mouse, a wolf chasing an Elk, or, as in the image above, two coyotes fighting, action provides us with a glimpse into the everyday life of the animals we are photographing. Because of this, action makes our photo viewers want to take a closer look, linger a bit longer on our images, and ultimately make a stronger connection with our images.

Capturing THE Moment is quite possibly the biggest challenge in photography. But you can stack the odds in your favor with these few quick tips.

  • Know Your Subject – knowing your subject is paramount for making a great image. Study your subject, learn its behaviors, its social structure, and its diet. You can never really predict what wildlife will do at any moment, but by knowing your subjects intimately, you can increase your chances of being ready to trip that shutter at the right moment and “Capture THAT Moment”.
  • Patience & Perseverance – You must be patient, and wait for the moment, never, ever prompt a wild animal to perform for you. This not only puts the animals welfare at risk, but in many cases it is also illegal. You must observe and try to capture that moment many many times before you make THE right image. You may have to sit in a blind for days to get that ONE moment, often lasting fractions of a second, and you may have to do it repeatedly to get just THE right image. Sometimes you may get lucky, but as they say, luck favors the prepared.
  • No Machine Gun Action – When you think the moment is about to happen don’t just hold that shutter button down and let it rip… Chances are that if you do this, your buffer will fill up and the crucial moment will take place when your buffer is full preventing you from capturing the real peak moment. This is where knowledge of your subject and repeated observations come in handy, you will get better at predicting the moment. Then shoot in short bursts, trying not to fill the buffer if you can. Oftentimes, great shots present themselves when you least expect them. Be deliberate as to when you trip your shutter.
  • Shutter Speed – Try shooting at the highest shutter speed you can. 1/1000 of a second or higher if you can help it. Don’t be afraid to increase the ISO if needed. I would prefer to get a little noise/grain in my image than get a blurry image.
  • Focus – When photographing wildlife, I prefer to de-couple the AutoFocus function from my shutter button. I shoot Canon cameras and these have had this feature for as long as I can remember. This puts me in complete control as to when when the AF engages by pressing a button on the back of the camera with my right thumb. and not when I press the shutter button. What this allows me to do is focus on my subject, then recompose and be ready to trip the shutter whenever I need without fear that the camera will try to re-focus. The last thing you want the camera to do is try to refocus when you are trying to capture THAT moment, producing a blurry image, or worse yet, missing the moment completely. This takes some time to get used to, but I find it indispensable when photographing wildlife.

Keep up with Juan on The Digital Photo Experience and learn about Juan's workshops at Wild Nature Tours.

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