20

PHOTO
IAN PLANT

INDISPENSABLE

TIPS

reamscape dian plant photographys

20 Indispensable Photo Tips
by Ian Plant Copyright 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 bookyou'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. Ians 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.

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PHOTO
IAN PLANT

INDISPENSABLE

TIPS

shoot stunning light

We all love beautiful sunrises and sunsets, so it almost goes without saying that you should take photos at these timesbut Ill 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, youre likely to get colorful light striking the clouds, as is the case with the image to the left. Los CuernosTorres 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.

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 LifeMt. Rainier National Park, USA. Canon 5DII, 37mm, ISO 100, f/16, 0.4 seconds.

turn obstacles into opportunities

wait for the decisive moment

It is important to wait for the moment when your subject does something interesting; stretching its head, yawning, bitingor 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, youll be glad you were patient. SnorkelingGladden 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.

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 lineformed by the reflection of the sky in the water within a flooded slot canyonto direct the viewers eye from foreground to background. Into the West AwayGlen 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 youre not going to excite viewers, but rather confuse them.

lead the eye

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. MoonscapeAdirondack State Park, USA. Canon 1DsII, 12mm, ISO 100, f/11, 17 minutes.

Nature has an infinite variety of cool and interesting shapesuse them to your advantage! Look for swirls, circles, triangles, curves, and other simple, powerful shapes to create boldly graphic and visually engaging imagessuch as this curve created by the interaction of shadow and light. Shadows and SandDeath Valley National Park, USA. Canon 5DII, 50mm, ISO 50, f/11, 1/15 second.

focus on shapes

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) doesnt quite seem to match the birds above, adding an eerie quality to this photograph. The GatheringDing Darling National Wildlife Refuge, USA. Canon 5DIII, 500mm, ISO 800, f/9, 1/500 second.

make a statement with reflections

Radiating diagonal lines leading from the image corners to the center can be very effective at grabbing the viewers 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 Devils EyeApostle Islands National Lakeshore, USA. Canon 5DII, 14mm, polarizer filter, ISO 400, f/11, 0.5 seconds.

draw attention to the center

tell a story

The best photographs tell a story about their subjectsuch as a well-earned nap after a hard day of monkey business. The Politics of DistractionTambopata National Reserve, Peru. Canon 5DIII, 500mm +1.4x, ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/200 second.

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use visual anchors

Visual anchors are bold, eye-catching elements which help simplify an otherwise busy composition by attracting the viewers 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) againthe 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 WatersChugach State Park, USA. Canon 5DII, 21mm, polarizer filter, ISO 100, f/11, 0.8 seconds.

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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 subjects 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 flowit can open up many bold creative opportunities. Night HeronBlackwater National Wildlife Refuge, USA. Canon 20D, 500mm, flash, ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/4 second.

Quick Tip: A flash extenderbasically, a lightweight, portable device which focuses and concentrates the output of your flash through a magnifying filtercan help you illuminate distant subjects.

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provide context
Dont just zoom in tightconsider taking a wider view to provide context and show your subjects interacting with their environment. For this image, I didnt 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 doesnt just merely record a momentit tells a story as well. The Spirit of AfricaEtosha National Park, Namibia. Canon 5DIII, 70mm, ISO 6400, f/2.8, 1/60 second.

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keep it simple
Exclude extraneous elements that confuse your composition. Boil each subject down to its essence. If something doesnt 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 StillJkulsrln, Iceland. Canon 5DIII, 16mm, polarizer filter, 1-stop graduated neutral density filter, ISO 400, f/8, 82 seconds.

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focus on the eyes

The eyes are the window to the soulthis popular expression applies with double force to wildlife photography. For many images, an animals eyes are the most important part of the picturethe eyes tell the story. By making the eyes the focus of your imagesand I mean this both literally and figurativelyyou 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 cant but help feel like theyre being stalked with such hungry eyes upon them. StandoffLake 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 subjects 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 WindowArches National Park, USA. Canon 5DII, 17mm, 10-stop neutral density filter, ISO 200, f/18, 30 seconds.

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frame for emphasis

get low . . . get close . . . get in your face!

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. EventideAcadia National Park, USA. Canon 5DIII, 17mm, 2-stop graduated neutral density filter, polarizer filter, ISO 400, f/11, 5 seconds.

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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 PortalIsle of Lewis, Scotland. Canon 5DIII, 17mm, polarizer filter, ISO 100, f/11, 30 seconds.

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shoot twilight

Although some photographers live by the maxim shoot with the sun at your back, Im 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 sunsetwith a very evocative (some might say demonic) result. The BeastYellowstone 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.

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shoot backlight

It is often (but not always) a good idea to fill the frame with visual elements. I dont 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 topno 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 spacebut that is a lesson for another day! The Snake RiverGrand Teton National Park, USA. Canon 5DIII, 61mm, 2-stop graduated neutral density filter, ISO 100, f/11, 1/30 second.

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fill the frame

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get off the beaten path

You dont 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. Dont 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 GreetingLos Glaciares National Park, Argentina. Canon 5DIII, 24mm, ISO 400, f/6.3, 1/640 second.

Explore Your Vision

Nature photography inspiration from top pros in the business . . . at your fingertips!

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