Welcome to the Wildlife Photo Tips Forum

[MaggyNoLia]

Originally Posted by TheLorax

Man oh man I feel like a charity case.

You shouldn't. I'm only about 2 months ahead of you. The first digital camera I owned was a year and a half ago and that was not really a camera, but rather a digital scope. With the scope I was limited on what I could take pictures of. It was really good for long distances, but trying to get a shot of the family right in front of me wasn't something that it could do well. Now, don't get me wrong here....I've used digital cameras for quite a few years, but they always belonged to other family members. They weren't mine and I didn't learn any of the features that came along with those borrowed cameras. Finally I got my own camera for Christmas this year. I felt like it was a Rubik's cube at first. All those buttons and knobs. Reading the manual I saw words I barely understood. I took pictures that were not good and watched my nephews, all under 10, take better shots than I did with their little cameras they got for Christmas. So, I searched out help....online tutorials, books...whatever I could find to help me understand what I was doing wrong, and I'm learning. The more you read, the better you'll understand. It may take reading the same thing a few times, but as you mess with your camera and read a few articles more and more will start coming together for you...I promise you.

[tineckbone]

I have a Nikon D60, 18-55mm lens and a 55-200mm lens. I have been an avid photographer since I was about 11 years old. I guess that I have been taking pictures now for about 37 years. I love to take pictures of everything. One tip that I can give is for taking pictures of flowers or just about any close up shot outside. Wait for a completely overcast day. The lighting will be flat, no shadows but still bright enough to take pictures without a flash. The first picture is one that I took yesterday with those conditions.

The other thing you can do is wait until the sun goes down a bit and use the flash. That will have a tendency to have only the subject of the picture lit up and the background will be darker. The second picture is an example of that. The third picture is an even more dramatic example of waiting until it is a bit darker outside and using the flash.

You can also use the sun to your advantage by shooting "through" the subject with the bright light behind it, the picture I took for the April photo contest is a very good example of that. Not all subjects are good for that type of photography though and you have to fill the viewfinder with the subject, not always that easy to do...


The only other tip I can give is this...breathe and squeeze. Don't hold your breath and push the shutter release button. Breathe slow and easy and just keep putting more pressure on the button until the shutter goes. Keep your finger on the shutter release button with just enough pressure to actually feel the button under your finger. When you have the composition just right then add more pressure until the shutter captures your prized photograph!

[havalotta]

Awesome!

[BooBooBearBecky]

tineckbone,
Thanks for the photography tips!

I had no idea it was better to take close up photos on an overcast day. No wonder why so many of my "bug on flower" photos turn out more like "blobs on some kind of plant" photos.

BTW....thanks for sharing your fantastic flower photos!

[tineckbone]

Thank you BooBooBearBecky!

[Sage]

Just a couple quick and easy tips for aesthetically pleasing compositions, and especially if you're considering submitting photos to contests.

Don't plant the subject smack in the center. Bad. Crop if necessary.

Don't have diagonal lines leave the frame right at the corner. Bad. Crop if necessary.

Make the subject the obvious focal point, with as little junk around it as possible. If you wish to put the subject in a broader context, include some surrounding detail.

Try to use the "Rule of Thirds". Many cameras have grid lines for thirds under "display"
Otherwise, divide the frame into nine sections, two lines across, two lines vertically. Place your subject at the intersections, usually inside the center section.

Since outdoor nature shots are dependent on various weather conditions, they can benefit from exposure tweaking in virtually any photo-editing program.

Practice these tips and you will be thrilled with your fantastic results!

[havalotta]

Don't have diagonal lines leave the frame right at the corner. Bad. Crop if necessary.

Really..... I've done that on purpose. Sometimes both ways.... Actually, I find it quite a challenge.
It gives me the feeling of motion and play. So it's a bad thing ha?

[Equilibrium]

Here's my recent attempt at "capturing" the magical effects of a setting sun on an American Beech. I tried.... I failed. That's a pillow case behind the new leaves.

[Equilibrium]

Here's another attempt at catching very busy ants I discovered underneath a stock tank. I swear there WERE ants there when I lifted up the stock tank to take a photo but.... I have no clue where they went in the minute or so it took me to get my camera and run back. I did like the labyrinth they created though and really thought the photo woulda turned out better than it did. It looked really cool to me at the time.

[havalotta]

I've been playing around with black backgrounds.....I want to see the florals POP.
So far I've tried black paper, cardboard, velvet stapled to cardboard.......
What do the professionals use or do? Are their photos computer enhanced or tweaked? or do they use an actual back drop of sorts...If so what? I'm ready to move and groove......