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| When and Where: How
to Rapidly Improve Your Wildlife Photography |
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I look back on some of my earliest
photographs and wonder, what in the world was
I thinking. Either the subjects look like dots
in the frame, or, if I did happen to get one of
my subjects large enough in the frame to be recognized,
the exposure was usually off.
People spend thousands of dollars on film, equipment,
books, and travel, to take photographs of wildlife.
Unfortunately in many cases that is all that happens.
We press the shutter release on our camera, in
an attempt to produce an image that we will enjoy,
and enjoy sharing with our friends and family.
However, the final results are not often how we
envisioned them.
These tips are the least expensive; easiest to master,
and offer the biggest opportunity for improvement
of any other two tips I could offer.
1.) Location, Location, Location
The best places to take wildlife photos for most
are where you find other people, and the wildlife
has become accustomed to humans.
Here are some examples:
In the Everglades, you’re driving along US
41 and see a beautiful Great Blue Heron on the bank
of the canal that runs along the road. You stop
the car, get your camera ready and you get the photograph,
unfortunately the Heron is on the other side of
the canal, about 150 feet away from you. The dot
look is in full effect. Or in this case the Heron
is on your side of the canal, you stop, open the
your car door and the Great Blue flies off before
you can fire a frame. Both are very frustrating
cases. Here is the cure. Anhinga Trail, Eco Pond
and Shark Valley. These are places located in the
Everglades National Park, and you do not need super
telephoto lenses to take photographs and make pleasing
images you will be proud of. Here are some examples
of places to find friendly wildlife: Fishing Piers,
Fish Camps, Well Traveled Board Walks (watch for
vibration) State and County Parks. In Florida, we
have so many  options,
I’ve included some of the most productive,
just in case you choose to visit and take pictures
in this wonderful area.
1.) Anhinga Trail, Everglades National Park
2.) Shark Valley, Everglades National Park
3.) Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Delray Beach
4.) Alligator Farm (Wild bird rookery)
5.) The Fishing Pier, Sanibel Island
6.) Ft. DeSoto - North Beach, St. Petersburg
7.) Gatorland (Wild bird rookery)
8.) Lake Morton, Downtown Lakeland
9.) Dunedin Causeway, Dunedin
10.) Medard Park, Turkey Creek
2.) The Golden Light Rule
Photography is all about light! We use the best
equipment we can afford, the best film and processing,
why not use the best light? Light adds color, warmth
or coolness, texture and depth to a photograph.
 On
clear days, I shoot for approximately the first
two and last two hours of each day. I do this because
I love the warm color the morning and afternoon
sun provides for my images, it is also a lower contrast
light, so it is easier to photograph subjects such
as the white wading birds that are so common in
Florida. The light just after sunrise and before
sunset is also very soft, as the sun is filtered
through the thickest layers of the atmosphere. Photographs
made this time of day can provoke a strong mood.
The effect of warm light is more evident on film
than to the naked eye, but in time, you will be
able to know when the light is too cool or harsh
to make the images you prefer without looking at
a watch.
Now for those overcast days, and overcast days are
completely different ball games. When it is overcast,
I shoot all day long! The lower contrast provided
on these days is much like using a giant soft box
you would see in a studio. The color temperature
is cooler, however a warm up filter like an 81a
or 81b will help bring the color temperature back
to a more pleasing range. When conducting tours
I always hope for clear mornings and afternoons
with a dose of overcast for the middle part of the
day.
Light is the most critical and least expensive element
of making a pleasing photograph, take advantage
of it!
As a photographer, it doesn’t get much better
than being at the right place at right time. Our
mind can be the best photographic tool we have,
but we must give it good information, such as when
and where to make the best photographs. Even with
the finest equipment and film, you will still get
poor results, shooting at poor locations with poor
light.
If you would like specifics about the locations
mentioned in this article, please email me at james@wildflorida.net.
Shoot Early and Often,
James Shadle
Wild Florida Photography |
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