Whether you use your phone’s camera or a DSLR camera, you can photograph wildlife. While the DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera with a good lens is the preferred camera for wildlife photography, that doesn’t mean you can’t get a nice photo with your phone’s camera. You just have to know the capabilities of your camera. For instance, I know I’m not going to get a nice head shot of a bald eagle or a good image of a bear running through the woods using my phone’s camera. But I do know that I can capture a beautiful sunset or a self portrait in the field with my iPhone to share with others when I don’t have my DSLR handy.

I want my photograph to not just capture a good likeness of my subject but also reflect what I’m feeling when take the shot. On a photo shoot of Bald Eagles in Alaska on a cold, snowy morning, I addressed the technical aspects of the shoot like which lens to use, what should I set the ISO & f/stop to prior to going into the field. In the field, I’ll experiment with various compositions, but ultimately I want to capture just enough of the subject and its environment to convey what I’m feeling when I take the picture. In this particular photo, you can feel the cold snow and you can sense the power of the Bald Eagle. To me, it’s much more than just a picture of a Bald Eagle. It’s my way of sharing the beauty and the thrill of photographing wildlife at that particular moment in time.

For those of you that don’t know where to start, I suggest you “practice” like I do when I’m not out in the field shooting. You can be in your backyard or a local park. You don’t have to photograph wild animals. I practice quite a bit by photographing my dogs playing in the backyard. I experiment by shooting from different angles, I use different lenses and I vary my depth of field. Probably the most important thing to consider the quality of light. The majority of photographers prefer shooting either early in the morning, late in the day or when it’s overcast for a good reason. If I shoot at noon on a sunny day, my photos will lack the detail and the warmth I’m looking for.

So the next time you’re out with your camera, try to think beyond the technical aspects of photography and challenge yourself to capture the passion of the moment.

The post Photographing with Passion appeared first on Lucid Images Wildlife Photography.

Very rarely are we ever in the right place at the right time WITH a camera set up. This particular day, I had set up my camera and tripod with flash in my backyard near the feeders. This was taken back in 2002 with the Nikon D1H and 600mm lens set at f/4.0. The flash was necessary as it was early in the morning.

I’ve always found it tricky to photograph Carolina Wrens because they rarely stay still very long. This particular wren landed on the branch, looked both ways and then did a very quick display (there must have been a female wren nearby). I was able to fire off 5 shots of this little guy before he flew off.

Yes, some of this can be attributed to luck, but I like to think it’s because of all of the hours I’ve stood waiting for birds to land near where my camera is aimed. What helps make this shot is the nice blurred background (f/4.0) and the soft light. The flash filled-in some areas that would have been dark and lost detail. All-in-all, this is one of my all-time favorite images of a perching bird.

The post Right Place – Right Time appeared first on Lucid Images Wildlife Photography.

Features:

• Video tutorials explain the use of all features and will have you editing your images in minutes.
• Share your edited images on Facebook, Flickr or Twitter.
• Save multiple sessions to resume your work later.
• Undo any number of accidental brush strokes.
• An alternative view mode highlights the regions that will remain in color with a red tint. This makes it easier to see and adjust the boundaries between color and black & white regions.
• Choose from 4 different brushes (hard or soft edged, opaque or transparent)
• Work in landscape or portrait orientation.
• Hide the toolbars in full screen mode.

Download Color Splash.

The post Color Splash appeared first on Lucid Images Wildlife Photography.

However, with the widespread availability of digital cameras today, deciding on the right camera can often be confusing. There are three types of digital cameras available for beginning and amateur photographers: the Compact Point-and-Shoot,  Professional Consumer – Prosumer Fixed-Lens and the Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR). Camera selection depends upon two factors: the type of photography you want to do and the amount of money you’re willing to spend on camera equipment.

The point-and-shoot camera is the easiest to use. In most situations, it takes a nicely exposed and focused picture. If you only plan to take pictures of your family, this is the camera for you. They are lightweight enough to carry almost anywhere. Just place the camera in your purse, shirt pocket, backpack or tackle box and you’ll be ready to record that special moment. All you need to do is aim and press a button.

The prosumer fixed-lens camera is an advanced digital camera that has automatic as well as manual controls along with a high-quality fixed lenses. Prosumer cameras have both an LCD and a viewfinder. These cameras are typically larger but can still easily fit into your purse or backpack.

The DSLR is the standard camera for most advance and professional photographers. They are much more powerful than a point and shoot or prosumer fixed-lens camera and give you a lot more control over the way your image turns out. One of the differences is you can easily change lenses on your DSLR camera. The quality and variety of these lenses can make a tremendous difference in your photographs. You also have the ability to adjust aperture, which controls depth-of-field (how much of the photograph in front and and behind the subject is in focus) and shutter speed. This is essential for the serious photographer. However, this flexibility and control comes at a price. This simplest point & shoot cameras start around $75, with prosumer cameras starting around $300 . A basic DSLR camera and lens start around $500. Make sure that if you spend the money an DSLR camera, you are actually going to use the features you pay for.

Tips for Taking Better Photographs

1. To keep your camera steady, lean against a tree or solid object; sit down and brace your elbows on your legs; place your camera on a beanbag or crumpled up shirt to support your camera.
2. Roll you finger over the shutter release button. This is similar to squeezing the trigger of your gun. It increases the accuracy of your shot or in the case of a camera, creates a sharper images.
3. Be sure to look and see what objects might be directly behind your subject. You don’t want any “trees” growing out of someone’s head.
4. It’s a good idea to not take photographs outdoors around noon on sunny days. The light is too harsh and colors will appear faded in your photographs.

The post Capturing the Moment appeared first on Lucid Images Wildlife Photography.