20 INDISPENSABLE
PHOTO
TIPS
IAN PLANT
reamscape dian plant photographys 20 Indispensable Photo Tips by Ian Plant Copyright Š 2013
All rights reserved. This book, and all of the photographs and written text contained therein, are the intellectual property of the author and are protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the prior written permission of the author. Author: Ian Plant Publisher: Dreamscapes Editor: Chris Flack
Twenty photos. Twenty tips. Simple as that. My mission is to educate, inspire, and entertain others in the art of nature photography. So I make my books practical, informative, fun to read, and pack them with plenty of delicious eye candy. This eBook introduces you to many important concepts in nature photography. The ideas in this eBook are covered in greater depth on my blog and in other books and video tutorials for sale on my website; to delve deeper into how to improve your photography, visit the blog or my online store. Enjoy the book—you'll be taking better photos in no time!
Ian Plant World-renowned professional nature photographer and writer Ian Plant is a frequent contributor and blogger for Outdoor Photographer Magazine, a Contributing Editor to Popular Photography Magazine, and a monthly columnist for Landscape Photography Magazine. Ian’s work also appears in many other books, calendars, ad campaigns, and magazines available worldwide. Visit his website for plenty of gorgeous images, and daily inspiration and education in the art of nature photography from top pros in the business.
20 INDISPENSABLE
PHOTO
TIPS
IAN PLANT
1
shoot stunning light
We all love beautiful sunrises and sunsets, so it almost goes without saying that you should take photos at these times—but I’ll go ahead and say it anyway. When the skies light up with color, you should be taking photos! Sunsets and sunrises are usually most intense when partly to mostly cloudy skies prevail; as long as there is a large enough gap on the horizon where the sun is going up or down, you’re likely to get colorful light striking the clouds, as is the case with the image to the left. “Los Cuernos”—Torres del Paine National Park, Chile. Canon 5DII, 45mm, polarizer filter, 2-stop graduated neutral density filter, ISO 200, f/11, 0.4 seconds.
Quick Tip: A two- or three-stop graduated neutral density filter can come in handy when shooting sunrise or sunset, helping to balance bright skies with relatively dark foregrounds.
2
turn obstacles into opportunities
I was getting nasty lens flare from the setting sun just outside the image frame. My solution? Use the flare creatively. Selecting a small aperture, I created a radiating burst of light framing the lone tree in the meadow. Whenever a technical or artistic problem arises, find a way to turn it to your advantage. “Light is Life”—Mt. Rainier National Park, USA. Canon 5DII, 37mm, ISO 100, f/16, 0.4 seconds.
3
wait for the decisive moment
It is important to wait for the moment when your subject does something interesting; stretching its head, yawning, biting—or as is the case with this sea turtle, surfacing for air. Becoming a master of the moment will greatly improve your photos. Ideally, the moment will tell a story about your subject. It may take some waiting, but when the right moment comes, you’ll be glad you were patient. “Snorkeling”—Gladden Spit and Silk Cayes Marine Reserve, Belize. Canon Powershot S100 with Fisheye Fix Underwater Housing and Fix UWL-28 Fisheye Wet Mount Conversion Lens, ISO 200, f/4, 1/320 second.
4
lead the eye
Nothing demands our attention more than leading elements. Leading lines in particular can be very powerful, but leading elements can include other shapes, or even a progression of objects from foreground to background. Leading elements encourage the viewer to travel deep into the composition, creating a high level of visual engagement. For the image to the right, I used a strong leading line—formed by the reflection of the sky in the water within a flooded slot canyon—to direct the viewer’s eye from foreground to background. “Into the West Away”—Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, USA. Canon 5DIII, 14mm, ISO 100, f/11, 2.5 seconds. Quick Tip: Lines provide an obvious visual cue pointing to what is important in an image. If you use a leading line, make sure it points somewhere interesting. If it points, for example, outside of the image frame, then you’re not going to excite viewers, but rather confuse them.
5
go with the flow with long exposures
Although humans perceive the passage of time, cameras can record time in ways our eyes cannot. Moving elements gradually lose distinctness and form, becoming abstract and artistic blurs and brush strokes. Long exposures can
help you capture a new perspective on reality, and show the world in an unexpected way. “Moonscape”—Adirondack State Park, USA. Canon 1DsII, 12mm, ISO 100, f/11, 17 minutes.
6
focus on shapes
Nature has an infinite variety of cool and interesting shapes—use them to your advantage! Look for swirls, circles, triangles, curves, and other simple, powerful shapes to create boldly graphic and visually engaging images—such as this curve created by the interaction of shadow and light. “Shadows and Sand”—Death Valley National Park, USA. Canon 5DII, 50mm, ISO 50, f/11, 1/15 second.
7
make a statement with reflections
Reflections are a great way to add some extra style to your nature images. Still water often works best, although rippled or moving water can create abstract reflections. Reflection images often work well with a 50/50 split between the subject and its reflection; sometimes, however, other variations make more sense. Consider photographing only the reflection itself and add a hint of mystery. For the image to the left, my position was such that the reflection (at first glance, at least) doesn’t quite seem to match the birds above, adding an eerie quality to this photograph. “The Gathering”—Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, USA. Canon 5DIII, 500mm, ISO 800, f/9, 1/500 second.
8
draw attention to the center
Radiating diagonal lines leading from the image corners to the center can be very effective at grabbing the viewer’s attention and holding interest over time. The key to success is to also have areas of off-center interest, creating a visual tug-of-war between the center and other parts of the composition. “The Devil’s Eye”—Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, USA. Canon 5DII, 14mm, polarizer filter, ISO 400, f/11, 0.5 seconds.
9
tell a story
The best photographs tell a story about their subject—such as a well-earned nap after a hard day of monkey business. “The Politics of Distraction”—Tambopata National Reserve, Peru. Canon 5DIII, 500mm +1.4x, ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/200 second.
10
use visual anchors
Visual anchors are bold, eye-catching elements which help simplify an otherwise busy composition by attracting the viewer’s attention. The visual anchor provides an obvious reference point, and a place for the viewer to start their visual journey. Other elements of the scene may attract the eye, but the visual anchor will always command attention. The best visual anchors lead the eye deeper into the scene, and then attract the eye back to the anchor, staring the process over (and hopefully over) again—the boulder in the foreground of the image to the right is a good example. The effect is a composition which captivates the viewer, making it hard to tear their eyes away. “Virgin Waters”—Chugach State Park, USA. Canon 5DII, 21mm, polarizer filter, ISO 100, f/11, 0.8 seconds.
11
light up the world with flash
Flash is a vital, although often ignored, nature photography accessory. Flash has multiple uses: it can be used at low power to add an attractive “catch light” to a wildlife subject’s eyes, it can provide fill light for a subject in shadow, or it can be used at night and during twilight to create surreal images (such as the one to the right). Start experimenting with flash, and look for interesting ways to incorporate flash into your work flow—it can open up many bold creative opportunities. “Night Heron”—Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, USA. Canon 20D, 500mm, flash, ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/4 second.
Quick Tip: A “flash extender”—basically, a lightweight, portable device which focuses and concentrates the output of your flash through a magnifying filter—can help you illuminate distant subjects.
12
provide context Don’t just zoom in tight—consider taking a wider view to provide context and show your subjects interacting with their environment. For this image, I didn’t just want a picture of elephants; rather, I wanted a picture that said “Africa.” So I zoomed out to show the surrounding landscape, including the characteristic tree on the left. The result doesn’t just merely record a moment—it tells a story as well. “The Spirit of Africa”—Etosha National Park, Namibia. Canon 5DIII, 70mm, ISO 6400, f/2.8, 1/60 second.
13
keep it simple Exclude extraneous elements that confuse your composition. Boil each subject down to its essence. If something doesn’t add to an image, exclude it. Here, the image needed just a few elements: the floating icebergs in the foreground and the radiating pattern of twilight clouds in the sky above. Anything less, and the image would have appeared empty and static. Anything more, and the impact of the moment would have been lost. “Time Stands Still”—Jökulsárlón, Iceland. Canon 5DIII, 16mm, polarizer filter, 1-stop graduated neutral density filter, ISO 400, f/8, 82 seconds.
14
focus on the eyes
“The eyes are the window to the soul”—this popular expression applies with double force to wildlife photography. For many images, an animal’s eyes are the most important part of the picture—the eyes tell the story. By making the eyes the focus of your images—and I mean this both literally and figuratively—you can greatly improve your wildlife photographs. Above all, make sure that the eyes are in focus. Beyond that, pay close attention to what the eyes are doing and the direction they are pointing. For the image to the right, eye contact gives the viewer a sense of being there right in front of the bear. One can’t but help feel like they’re being stalked with such hungry eyes upon them. “Standoff”—Lake Clark National Park, USA. Canon 5DII, 400mm, ISO 1600, f/5.6, 1/400 second. Quick Tip: Sometimes autofocus will try to lock on to your subject’s ear, head, or nose instead of the eyes. If you are having this problem, try using a smaller aperture (such as f/8) to give you enough extra depth-of-field to ensure the eyes are in focus.
Framing is an effective tool for creating depth in a photograph, simplifying a composition, and focusing attention on important elements of the scene. Examples of commonly used frames include trees, natural arches, and old barn windows. Frames can also be abstract, formed (for example) by areas of deep shadow or a contrasting color. “Desert Window”—Arches National Park, USA. Canon 5DII, 17mm, 10-stop neutral density filter, ISO 200, f/18, 30 seconds.
15
frame for emphasis
get low . . . get close . . . get in your face!
16
If you really want to wow viewers, get low and close to interesting foreground elements with a wide-angle lens. An “in-your-face” perspective can really give viewers a sense of being there in the scene. Also, the juxtaposition of nearby foreground elements and more distant background elements creates an illusion of perspective and scale, which helps encourage the eye to wander through the image. For the shot to the right, I got very close to the foreground rocks with a wide angle lens. I wanted to exaggerate their relative size and importance; by making the cobbles more prominent, they are able to visually compete with the colorful sunrise and other elements in the background. “Eventide”—Acadia National Park, USA. Canon 5DIII, 17mm, 2-stop graduated neutral density filter, polarizer filter, ISO 400, f/11, 5 seconds.
17
shoot twilight
The colors of twilight can be otherworldly. Moving elements (such as clouds and water) blur during long exposures and a colorful, soft light bathes the landscape. Twilight photography means shooting on the edge of light, requiring long exposures. Adjust your ISO to lengthen or shorten exposure times if necessary. “Ancient Portal”—Isle of Lewis, Scotland. Canon 5DIII, 17mm, polarizer filter, ISO 100, f/11, 30 seconds.
18
shoot backlight
Although some photographers live by the maxim “shoot with the sun at your back,” I’m always on the lookout for opportunities to do the exact opposite. Backlighting presents some unique technical challenges, but the results are well worth the effort. Backlighting can often be dramatic, creating striking and graphic images which attract attention from viewers. The impact of backlighting can be especially powerful when the subject is in the light and the background is in shadow. Here, I photographed this bison rolling around in backlit dust at sunset—with a very evocative (some might say demonic) result. “The Beast”—Yellowstone National Park, USA. Canon 5DII, 500mm lens, ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/1250 second. Quick Tip: Flare is a significant challenge when working with backlit subjects. To prevent flare, shade your lens with a lens hood or your hand. This stops stray light from striking the glass.
19
fill the frame
It is often (but not always) a good idea to fill the frame with visual elements. I don’t mean that you should try to stuff everything including the kitchen sink into your composition, but you should include a sufficient number of visual elements to nicely fill the frame. For example, for the image to the right, there is an even distribution of visual elements progressing from bottom to top—no area of the image is left blank or empty. Multiple visual elements help encourage the viewer to wander through the composition, and to study multiple areas of interest. Of course, many compositions work with few elements and plenty of empty space—but that is a lesson for another day! “The Snake River”—Grand Teton National Park, USA. Canon 5DIII, 61mm, 2-stop graduated neutral density filter, ISO 100, f/11, 1/30 second.
20
get off the beaten path
You don’t need to trek deep into the wild to make great images (although there is certainly nothing wrong with doing so)—you just need the courage to try something different. Don’t merely follow in the tripod holes of the photographers who have come before you. Strive to develop a style which is your very own, and never be afraid to try new places and subjects. Dare to dream big, and big things will come to you. “Dawn Greeting”—Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina. Canon 5DIII, 24mm, ISO 400, f/6.3, 1/640 second.
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