I’m a fairly frequent visitor to the Canon Photography Forum…I get to see some amazing photographs over there. A few weeks ago, our guest post author, Joe Nordman, posted some photos of an Owl along with a narrative of how he saw the opportunity to move and get a better photograph than was initially presented. I asked Joe if he’d be interested in writing a post about his thought process when shooting wildlife.
Guest Post by Joe Noordman
My name is Joe Noordman, a Canadian, retired, with a camera virtually glued to my hands. I spend most days in the bush and other areas where birds and animals frequent.
I won’t bore you with some obscure curriculum vitae but let’s just say I have been taking pictures for a long time and have made all the mistakes that are possible to make. By following along you just may avoid making similar ones that will inevitably arise to bite you.
Three Anatomical Factors
To start off, let me take you through a simple exercise that, when practiced enough, will become second nature to you and will serve you well. I simply call it three anatomical factors that must be empowered to produce good compositions and they being, the eye, the finger and the foot.
Rather than explain in detail what that means allow me to show you.
Last week I was fortunate in meeting a Barred Owl with virtually no fear of humans. When I first saw him, he was flying from a tree branch, to perch on the stump you see in the picture.
For many photographers, taking a dozen shots of this magnificent bird, as he sits, would be a thrill and they would be well pleased. The problem is that only one of the anatomical elements is being used in this photograph – the finger. At 8 to 10 frames per second they would fill a card and they’re eyes would be the size of dinner plates.
After the first few ‘record’ shots, they should already be thinking how to produce the best picture possible. Now’s the time for element #2 – the eye. Pull your eyes back into your head and use them for seeing a bigger picture than just the owl.
As a photographer you should be asking yourself these questions.
- How much of the bird can I see?
- Is the light coming from the right direction?
- What will produce the best back ground to show case this bird?
- Where will I have to go to accomplish this?
These questions bring us to the third element – the foot.
As I quickly processed these thoughts I started to move to the bird’s left hoping he wouldn’t launch from the stump before I could accomplish what I had in mind.
In this picture you can see that a certain amount of proper framing is starting to take place and a bush in the back ground is entering the frame for contrast. What I did see was that some of the tail still was missing and there wasn’t enough free space under the owl’s talons. Perhaps this landscape format wasn’t the best either.
At this time, I turned the camera into a portrait position but I was still coming up short with what I thought the final photograph should look like. A few more moves and it all came together. I positioned myself far enough to the bird’s left that the light was quartering the subject, the bush in the background had nearly filled the frame and I had backed up enough so there was sufficient free space all around to formulate a composition that was to my liking.
After some judicious post processing and photo shopping, the image I wanted was there before me.
Many beginners suffer from ‘mezmorization’. They see the bird, the finger works but the eye and foot have yet to be utilized to get better results. They can’t help themselves since their brain is in a state of suspended animation.
The question may be asked. “But how can we do all that with an owl?” The answer is a simple one: practice on birds that are easily photographed and are tolerant of people moving around them. A Chickadee is a fine example of a good bird to practice with. Practice enough and it will become second nature to you when faced with more exotic species.
One More Thing
While I have the space on this blog, allow me to add one more point frequently overlooked by new photographers. Many photographers ask themselves (and others) the following question: which picture should I display to the public?
By giving this some thought you are helping yourself to better pictures in the field also.
Just because your subject is sharp and the image quality is good doesn’t automatically make the photograph eligible for public display.
In this picture the Nuthatch is sharp and has good IQ. Perfect huh?
Unfortunately the out of focus foreground is distracting and takes away from the bird. The tail has been cut off and both feet have been amputated. This picture is slated for the trash bin. By moving my feet (Hmmm this sounds familiar!) just slightly, I can change the appeal dramatically.
In this picture all of the bird can be seen including the tail and feet. The foreground is no longer an annoying factor. Should none of this be possible in your attempt, well, there’s always tomorrow.
Happy shooting!
Joe Noordman
Related posts:
Guest post – 3 Factors for taking a good photograph by Joe Noordman – http://bit.ly/aj0XOT #photography #birdwatching #birds #togs