Input desired for project.

DsrtVW

I have been asked to do a class for a local nature center. It is a beginners class for nature photography,
I have made a list of things beginners need to know both in photography realm and how to approach subjects plus the ethics of same.
We are starting with the basics. I still consider myself a beginner so I still make mistakes that I can teach them to avoid.
I know I cannot possibly cover everything, would appreciate input from the group here if you were involved in this venture. To maybe find new angles and things I may have overlooked.
Thank You in Advance

JohnDC

A couple of basics come to mind from my own learning as a beginner:
1. Learning how to approach birds and other wildlife so that you can get close and get a good shot. Most beginners will probably not have long lenses, so this would be important.
2. Different kinds of lighting (e.g., back lighting, and frontal lighting)--and not expecting too much from harsh overhead lighting.
3. Most important: the basic settings of higher shutter speed for moving subjects and and adequate exposure, with the ISOs to match. It seems like the most common mistakes made by beginners are getting blurry shots because of too-slow shutter speeds and getting under-exposed shots because of too-low ISOs.

DsrtVW

JohnDC wrote: »

A couple of basics come to mind from my own learning as a beginner:
1. Learning how to approach birds and other wildlife so that you can get close and get a good shot. Most beginners will probably not have long lenses, so this would be important.
2. Different kinds of lighting (e.g., back lighting, and frontal lighting)--and not expecting too much from harsh overhead lighting.
3. Most important: the basic settings of higher shutter speed for moving subjects and and adequate exposure, with the ISOs to match. It seems like the most common mistakes made by beginners are getting blurry shots because of too-slow shutter speeds and getting under-exposed shots because of too-low ISOs.

Thank you John those are on my list too. The really tough thing is knowing what kind of crowd I will have, no way of telling til that day just going to have to be prepared

puzzledpaul

A big ask / topic ... especially when you don't know who you're going to be dealing with - good luck !

A few thoughts – no particular order / priority.

Clothing – wear appropriate clothing for the task and environment. If you’re uncomfortable for any reason, you’ll not want to stay ‘in the field’. Be prepared to get messy / dirty. Take food / drink if you’re likely to be out for a while, and something to lie / kneel/ crouch on (I use half a roll mat) as it’ll help to insulate you from damp / wetness underfoot.

Check the weather, but don’t be put off by it. Getting snow / rain / wind etc in frame can make a somewhat different shot. Additionally, those people who never venture out in such conditions will never get this sort of shot.

Be aware of any dangers that are present, whether from the subjects, environment, insects / ticks, bio hazards (eg polluted water), other people etc. Tell other people where you’re going (esp. if going alone) … phone batteries – as well as camera batteries can die suddenly.

Find a convenient, local site that has potential and become familiar with it and the habits/routines of its occupants – get to know the best places to go at different times of day and year for getting decent shots. Visiting said site on a regular basis can also have other benefits if you meet other (like minded?) people – such a ‘network’ might inform you of interesting species / events … and also be interested in buying some of your pics in the future, if they’re not snappers themselves?

Obtain permission from the landowner if you find somewhere that’s on private land.

Natural wonder / beauty exists all around us – one doesn’t have to travel thousands of miles to get dramatic / exciting / colourful shots. There’s often a market for ‘different’ shots of local wildlife because it’s covered to a lesser degree than more exotic species.
Just because a subject is commonplace doesn’t mean it’s been depicted in all possible ways / lights.
In the case of macro, interesting subjects often reside under your doorstep – as well as ‘on’ it – almost zero travelling involved.

Imo, it’s extremely rare that there’s not something interesting and photogenic happening somewhere on one’s ‘local patch’ – any lack of capturing it is almost always down to me – pilot error/wrong gear / place / time etc is invariably the reason.

Look for appropriate vantage points that let you take pics from a viewpoint that lets you afford the subjects the respect they deserve. They have every right to be doing whatever they are doing – even though we might consider otherwise because it doesn’t ‘fit in’ with how we think life should be.

Getting down to the subject’s eye level is almost always suggested in any publication associated with wildlife photography as this offers many photographic advantages, and also helps to reduce the sense of ‘looking down’ on a subject. If water is involved, the horizon line / level is immediately apparent and its position can make a world of difference to a shot.

Whenever I’ve taken a shot that I think would’ve been even better from a lower pov, I consider it a missed opportunity – a win for convenience

Look at / study the pics of other (well known) photogs – see what sort of things you like to see in a pic … and consider blending in such ideas, without just copying.

Experiment.

With respect to the shot itself, I’ll paraphrase something that zoomer wrote in a thread in the people forum, which I think is spot on

Lighting
Background
Composition
Pose.

pp

JohnDC

Something I missed on the first round. As part of lighting and composition, something I use on every photo trip is Stephen Trainor's The Photographer's Ephemeris (TPE). It's free, beautifully done, and gives you the times of sunset, moonset, sunrise, moonrise, and the compass directions of where these events will happen on the horizon. There are computer versions and app versions. Also available on the web are sites that give times of twilight, etc. The program "Heavenly Opportunity" (inexpensive shareware) also provides information about the sky position of the sun and moon at any time and date--good for those shots framing the sun or moon over certain mountains, valleys, arches, trees, etc. These data would allow even the newest newbee with a point-and-shoot to get the best lighting and plan outdoor shots with with more interest.
http://photoephemeris.com/

Harryb

puzzledpaul wrote: »

A big ask / topic ... especially when you don't know who you're going to be dealing with - good luck !

A few thoughts – no particular order / priority.

Clothing – wear appropriate clothing for the task and environment. If you’re uncomfortable for any reason, you’ll not want to stay ‘in the field’. Be prepared to get messy / dirty. Take food / drink if you’re likely to be out for a while, and something to lie / kneel/ crouch on (I use half a roll mat) as it’ll help to insulate you from damp / wetness underfoot.

Check the weather, but don’t be put off by it. Getting snow / rain / wind etc in frame can make a somewhat different shot. Additionally, those people who never venture out in such conditions will never get this sort of shot.

Be aware of any dangers that are present, whether from the subjects, environment, insects / ticks, bio hazards (eg polluted water), other people etc. Tell other people where you’re going (esp. if going alone) … phone batteries – as well as camera batteries can die suddenly.

Find a convenient, local site that has potential and become familiar with it and the habits/routines of its occupants – get to know the best places to go at different times of day and year for getting decent shots. Visiting said site on a regular basis can also have other benefits if you meet other (like minded?) people – such a ‘network’ might inform you of interesting species / events … and also be interested in buying some of your pics in the future, if they’re not snappers themselves?

Obtain permission from the landowner if you find somewhere that’s on private land.

Natural wonder / beauty exists all around us – one doesn’t have to travel thousands of miles to get dramatic / exciting / colourful shots. There’s often a market for ‘different’ shots of local wildlife because it’s covered to a lesser degree than more exotic species.
Just because a subject is commonplace doesn’t mean it’s been depicted in all possible ways / lights.
In the case of macro, interesting subjects often reside under your doorstep – as well as ‘on’ it – almost zero travelling involved.

Imo, it’s extremely rare that there’s not something interesting and photogenic happening somewhere on one’s ‘local patch’ – any lack of capturing it is almost always down to me – pilot error/wrong gear / place / time etc is invariably the reason.

Look for appropriate vantage points that let you take pics from a viewpoint that lets you afford the subjects the respect they deserve. They have every right to be doing whatever they are doing – even though we might consider otherwise because it doesn’t ‘fit in’ with how we think life should be.

Getting down to the subject’s eye level is almost always suggested in any publication associated with wildlife photography as this offers many photographic advantages, and also helps to reduce the sense of ‘looking down’ on a subject. If water is involved, the horizon line / level is immediately apparent and its position can make a world of difference to a shot.

Whenever I’ve taken a shot that I think would’ve been even better from a lower pov, I consider it a missed opportunity – a win for convenience

Look at / study the pics of other (well known) photogs – see what sort of things you like to see in a pic … and consider blending in such ideas, without just copying.

Experiment.

With respect to the shot itself, I’ll paraphrase something that zoomer wrote in a thread in the people forum, which I think is spot on

Lighting
Background
Composition
Pose.

pp

Paul myself and others use the Dgrin white skin. I can't speak for the others but I can't read your post.

Harryb

I would concentrate on some basics about exposure, light, and composition.

puzzledpaul

Harryb wrote: »

Paul myself and others use the Dgrin white skin. I can't speak for the others but I can't read your post.

Thanks, Harry - hopefully ok now?

Harryb

puzzledpaul wrote: »

Thanks, Harry - hopefully ok now?

DsrtVW

puzzledpaul wrote: »

A big ask / topic ... especially when you don't know who you're going to be dealing with - good luck !

Yes I am both excited and terrified at the project. It will be like shooting my first wedding so nervous until I started shooting frames.
If the classroom goes south I will just haul them outside and start shooting:D
Thank you for the input Paul it helps with perspective to hear from others and what is important to them.

DsrtVW

JohnDC wrote: »

Something I missed on the first round. As part of lighting and composition, something I use on every photo trip is Stephen Trainor's The Photographer's Ephemeris (TPE). It's free, beautifully done, and gives you the times of sunset, moonset, sunrise, moonrise, and the compass directions of where these events will happen on the horizon. There are computer versions and app versions. Also available on the web are sites that give times of twilight, etc. The program "Heavenly Opportunity" (inexpensive shareware) also provides information about the sky position of the sun and moon at any time and date--good for those shots framing the sun or moon over certain mountains, valleys, arches, trees, etc. These data would allow even the newest newbee with a point-and-shoot to get the best lighting and plan outdoor shots with with more interest.
http://photoephemeris.com/

Great that is not on my list , I will include it on the list of informational links. I find myself trying to working in the celestial bodies when possible.

DsrtVW

Harryb wrote: »

I would concentrate on some basics about exposure, light, and composition.

Yes I find myself going of on tangents then reminding myself to keep it simple.

peargrin

Not an expert by any stretch, but one simple, small piece of advice I was given was to try to make sure to capture an image with the catch-light in a bird or animal's eye. I've found it really makes a big difference in the life of an image, and it's something frequently overlooked by beginners. Best wishes for your project...they are lucky to have you! Cheers, pear

DsrtVW

peargrin wrote: »

Not an expert by any stretch, but one simple, small piece of advice I was given was to try to make sure to capture an image with the catch-light in a bird or animal's eye. I've found it really makes a big difference in the life of an image, and it's something frequently overlooked by beginners. Best wishes for your project...they are lucky to have you! Cheers, pear

Thank You for your input