If you are thinking about becoming a wildlife photographer, one of the first things you can do to increase your chances for success is through research. This is where you should spend most of your time before you start on your adventure. If you don’t, you will almost certainly become very frustrated. There is a vast amount of research resources available to the wildlife photographer, and the more you understand the species you are interested in, the greater success you will have.

If you start to build a library of wildlife books, you can use these research materials to study, identify and locate all the species around you, as well if you plan on traveling. For instance, if you are interested in bird photography, field guides can help you identify, locate and understand their behaviors. You can also learn about their mating, migration, and where they can most commonly be found.

The Internet is also a great place to learn about wildlife, which also includes information and images to quickly help the wildlife photographer. If you have a great understanding about the subjects you are interested in, the chances greatly increase of coming back with “The Shot”. All wildlife has behaviors that require the attention of the wildlife photographer. For instance, if you know where they can be found, when they feed, when they rest and when they mate, your success rate will greatly increase.

The time of day is critical, for the best time to photograph wildlife is during the early morning and late evening hours. This is the time when they are most active, from hunting, bathing, moving, flying and searching. Just like us, the heat of the day is when most will rest and hide, and we also know the light is at its harshest, so those who are early risers or late arrivers will have the best chance of success.

To start doing your homework, check out your local bookstore or online for books and information that will get you started in learning about the subjects you are interested in, but also what is around you already. To get you started, here is a list of some books that every wildlife photographer should have in their arsenal:


----------

The Sibley Field Guide to Birds: A comprehensive guide to birds of North America with illustrations of birds in varying plumages and positions to assist in identification.


Florida's Fabulous Series: If you live or visit Florida, this series of books has just about EVERYTHING that this diverse and beautiful destination has to offer.


The Reef Set: This 3-book set is the complete and extensive guide books to just about anything and everything that can be found in our oceans.


The Life of Mammals: This is the companion book to the very popular BBC Television program from David Attenborough.


National Geographic Guide to Wildlife Watching: Includes best times to visit, the types of wildlife you can locate, and where to go to find them.


The Blue Planet: This is the companion book to the very popular Discovery Channel television program that is simply the best ever produced.


Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide: An outstanding visual guide of some of the worlds most beautiful animals from all over the globe.


AAA's Photographing National Parks: This book covers many of the U.S. National Parks and is beautifully illustrated. Each park has its own overview and details provided regarding photography hot spots.


The Encyclopedia of Animals: 608 pages of wildlife, from the largest to the smallest, this book illustrates wildlife in the world around us like no other.

----------


This tip was taken from the new and exciting course at the Perfect Picture School of Photography, Wildlife Photography 101. Want to learn more? Then join me for the most comprehensive course taught on the internet about wildlife photography today! Click here to learn more about Wildlife Photography 101.

The Joy of Photographing People Using Small Flashes

Last week, I got opportunity to shoot portraits of different people in different settings at Paso Robles, California. Here are some tidbits:

1. The Happy Couple:

As my friend and I were walking in a park at dusk, we come across a young couple cuddling on the chair. They gracefully accept our offer to take couple of pictures of them. I set up a westcott 43" umbrella(in shoot-through mode) and my Canon 580ex II on a light stand, about 5 feet away from the couple, at about 8 o'clcok position to the camera left. I used 70-200mm IS canon telephoto lens to isolate their faces. Both the camera and the flash are in manual mode, and the flash is triggered by pocketwizard transceiver. As my friends were chatting with them, I quickly tested the flash exposure, and made some adjustment. Suddenly, the couple is laughing hard, I seized the moment by clicking away a dozen shots. The above image is one of my favorite.

2. Sophia in the shower room:

This time, my assignment is to shoot a beautiful model Sophia, at the bathroom in a gorgeous Victorian House. After some brainstorm, got an idea. I had her put a towel around the head, standing in the bathtub, pretending just finishing the shower. (Thank God, she didn't mind to mess up her hair with the towel). There is no room for light stand, but fortunately, I had my friend Martin as VAL (voice activated light stand), and he was over 7 feet tall. I put a Canon 580ex II and 43" shoot-through umbrella on a small Bogen Nano light stand, and Martin held it high to the right of Sophia, I took couple shots, the light wrapped around her nicely.

3. Abducted by UFO:

Sean, Steve and I were wandering around in a park at sunset, we found couple of big electrical boxes, and decided to use them as interesting background. After some test shots, an idea came to me, I like to make some cold vs warm contrasty shots. First, I set my camera white balance to tungsten(it makes daylight blue), then I put one canon flash on top of the electrical box with head facing down. The key light comes from a flash(with a full CTO gel attached to the head) on 43" shoot-through umbrella to my right. I also had steve hand-held a snooted flash pointing to Sean's right ear. All 3 flashes are triggered by pocketwizard. Lastly, It's Sean's turn to make some faces and poses, and he was really good at it, you can clearly see the result here.

William Yu

Nikkor 200mm Macro lens f/11 @ 1/60 second, ISO 200

Following the announcement last week of our February contest winners, we received an unusually large number of emails. Most of the emails expressed an interest in the story behind the photograph taken by our second place winner Angie Wright. Her simple yet striking image of "oil and water" had most everyone shaking their heads with disbelief and of course the question of "HOW" she did it.

Having "been there and done that" myself some years ago, I went out onto my back deck, just yesterday in fact and shot a few images of "oil and water" and as you will quickly see, it is an easy thing to shoot. The 'trick', as I am sure Angie will agree, is deciding what kind of colored background you wish to use AND to be patient! Hunching over this set-up with your camera and lens on tripod, waiting for the right arrangement of oil and water to form will test your patience, but it's truly worth it!

This is NOT a difficult set up. I have used a glass bread pan, placed atop two large drinking glasses. For my background, I have placed one of my 'wild and crazy colorful shirts' underneath the bread pan. I filled the pan about 2/3rds full with water and than simply poured a number of small drops of cooking oil into the pan.

I shot the two close-up images you see with my Nikkor 200mm Macro. You don't need a macro lens to do this shot but you will need a set of extension tubes. When placed between a lens that offers up 60-100mm focal length, you too will soon be enjoying some "unbelievable" images like you see here! And if it's not clear by now, let me end by saying, THIS TECHNIQUE IS NOT DONE IN PHOTOSHOP!




Nikkor 200mm Macro lens f/11 at 1/80 second 200 ISO

Bryan Peterson

Founder/PPSOP

Orchids

It's been a really long winter here in Maine, so when I was recently invited to shoot at an orchid nursery, I jumped at the chance! Spending the morning in this tropical paradise was absolutely heavenly!

Orchids are not the easiest flowers to shoot, and a nursery provides a very busy background, so isolating a single orchid for a flower portrait was a challenge. When you are shooting a complicated flower, simplifying the background becomes essential. The owner also did not want the orchids moved, so replacing the background with something simple was not an option. Luckily, I had packed my Lensbaby Composer and the macro kit accessory, so I could easily make the background fade into soft blur. I shot many images with a straight lens too, but it was the Lensbaby that gave me the images I wanted.

The day after the shoot, we had a huge snowstorm and lost our power for a few days, so I was really appreciative of the three hours I spent in the tropics!

Here are a few samples of the images I shot, all with the Lensbaby Composer and double glass optic.

Happy shooting!

Kathleen Clemons

Instructor
The Joy of Photography
Capturing the Beauty of Flowers
Lensbaby Magic
The Art of Food Photography

Telling A Story With A Photograph



On a Saturday afternoon in February, I had the pleasure to spend quality time with the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary in Tampa, Florida to learn and document through photographs just how severe the problem is of hooked and injured Brown Pelicans. Standing on the south pier of the Sunshine Skyway Pier which offers one of the most dramatic panoramic views of Tampa Bay, it also is one of the most popular spots on the west coast of Florida to fish as the pier offers world-class opportunities and attracts both the recreational and professional fishermen alike. It is also here that Brown Pelicans are hooked and injured. Through the dedication and hearts of numerous volunteers they are rescued, rehabilitated and released back into the wild.

While I photograph Brown Pelicans quite a bit here in Tampa, Florida, it wasn't until I spent that Saturday did I learn more in a few hours then all of my prior years photographing them combined. This was more about being a photojournalist then a wildlife photographer, and timing and speed is everything. Being able to think on the fly about lens choice, aperture, composition, depth of field, focus point, ISO, exposure, shutter speed and perspective must come natural and at a split second, for if I miss the shot, then the story won't be told. I have no time to think about what has happened, but only about what is going to happen and I have to be ready for it.

This is where all my years of experience comes together, and it is that experience that allows me to tell the story using my photographs. It is through those photos that I must draw emotion, educate and give an insight into an event that few have ever seen. I can't fumble with my equipment or be unsure of myself, as I must be in position, ready and not be shy about doing it. All the while in the back of my mind I am looking for that one shot to bring it all together to put the finishing touches on the story. I can't use words, for as once a wise man said "A picture is worth a thousand words...".

It was then that I turned around and found it...





I want to thank the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary for allowing me to spend a day with them on the Sunshine Skyway Pier to observe, document and learn more about these adorable birds.

----------
Click Here Read About My Experience And What I Learned

Click Here To View The Entire Gallery Of Photos Taken That Saturday
----------

I highly encourage anyone who not only loves to fish, but also has an interest in enjoying these birds get involved by volunteering in their local area or just by being more vigilant in keeping an eye out for these beautiful birds. It is up to all of us to see that our water and shore birds are here in Florida for generations to come, for without them, we will loose something special that we will never be able to replace.

Robert La Follette
www.robertlafollette.com

A "HOT-SHOT"

Have you ever used a fish-eye lens? The fish-eye lens allows for some up close and personal views of the world we live in. It is the lens that often answers the question of "What does the world look when seen from the point of view of the..." Again, due to its really wide and sweeping vision and its close-focusing capabilities, 4", this lens can go just about anywhere and offer up any number of fresh viewpoints of the world.

If you could squeeze into the mailbox what view is offered up when the postman delivers your mail? If you could crawl inside a very large shoe, what view is offered up when the foot enters the shoe? If you could sit on the back shelf of the refrigerator, what view would you see when someone in the family shows up for their 2AM feeding? If you could sit on the end of the spoon, what view would you have when you daughter takes her cough syrup? What view would you see if you were the end of a needle about to give someone a shot of Novocain? If you could crawl inside your oven, what view would you see when someone comes along and takes out the cooked pizza?

Lots of questions here and by no means is this a complete list! What does the office garbage can see from its low point of view, when someone throw's a wad of paper into it? And on and on it can go, but for now let's tackle at least one of these questions, beginning with the pizza in the oven.

Before placing my camera and full frame fish-eye lens on the at the back of the oven, I engaged the camera's built-in flash, setting it to rear curtain sync and set the camera to Aperture Priority Mode, choosing an aperture of f/16 for maximum depth of field, along with pre-focusing the camera to its shortest focus point of 4". (Auto focus has been turned-off as usual.) In addition I had engaged the camera's self-timer to fire 5 seconds after first pressing the camera's shutter release. All that remained was to explain to the model that he needed to just stand there for a few seconds acting as if he was about to take the fresh baked pizza out of the oven. (Getting my model to do exactly as I directed was the easiest part of the shoot since the model in this case is me! The wife and kids had left earlier in the day to head out for the 'spring sales' so my choice in models was truly limited.) Holding the pizza with one hand and firing the shutter release with the other hand, I held the position you see here and five seconds later, this was the result; f/16 at 1 second. For those who don't know about rear curtain sync, here is how it works, in capsule form: Instead of the flash firing at the beginning of the exposure, it fires at the end. With the camera in Aperture Priority Mode, the initial exposure was taking into account the light outside the oven which was the available light on me and the light in our well-lit kitchen and at the end of the exposure time, the flash went off, an illuminated the interior of the oven, along with the Pizza and my hand and oven mitt. Easy stuff, really, it is!

And of course the really more pressing question: DID I ACTUALLY SET MY NIKON D-300 WITH THE FULL FRAME 14MM FISH-EYE LENS INTO A 400 DEGREE OVEN!? Of course not! The oven is actually at room temperature. So how do I explain the RED-HOT COILS overhead? I made a simple COLOR BALANCE Adjustment Layer in Photo-Shop and added RED, thus turning the normally grey oven coils to a "glowing RED!"

All My Best,

Bryan F. Peterson

Founder/PPSOP

The Village in the Painting

Do you remember the beautiful sceneries in the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". I have recently visited the village where some of those impressive scenes of the movie were shot.

The village name is "Hong", it's about 6-hour-drive away from Shanghai. The ancient architectures in the village are well preserved, and it has been designated by United Nations as World Cultural Heritage Site. The entire village forms the shape of a bull and has unique ancient irrigation systems, providing waters to entire village. It's so gorgeous and peaceful that it is called "The Village In the Painting".

Frankly, this village is photographer's paradise. For portrait photographers, it's perfect place for environmental portraits, shooting local people in their living environment. For architectural photographers, the culturally distinctive "Hui" style houses and interior designs are presenting limitless opportunities. For landscape photographers, the village skyline, the lake at the front and the pound in the middle of the village are a few highlights among endless picture perfect spots. Spring and Fall are the best time for photography here, In late March, the canola plant(shiny yellow) and peach trees(pinky red) are in full blossom all around the village, and in late September, fall colors are surrounding the village. Well, I missed both seasons this time, but to me, no matter what time I come, this village is always beautiful.

I only have 2 lenses with me this time, Canon 24-70mm and Sigma 8mm fisheye. The fisheye is the new member of my camera bag, and I have fun with it. To use this lens properly, I have to focus really, really close to the subject, only few inches away. Another interesting observation of the image taken by this lens on a full frame camera: you will see the barrel wall of the lens in your image!

I will definitely come back to village again. This short trip is just the beginning, I would like see it through my camera in drizzle, in a cloudy day, in the fog, in the spring, in the fall, etc...


This image was shot at early morning with Sigma 8mm fisheye, a lady brought out these baskets of vegetables, prepared for farmers' market. You can see clearly the screw lines on the barrel of the lens.


Early in the morning, someone is drying a basket of freshly made tofu on the side the pound in the middle of the village.


This is the typical courtyard of a "Hui" style house. I took a couple exposures with Sigma 8mm fisheye and created this HDR image.


A early morning shot of withering lotuses, at the lake in the front of the village.


A fisheye shot at the entrance bridge to the village.

Click here for more Hong Village images of this trip.

William Yu

www.chinaphotoworkshop.com

BACKGROUNDS

A detective will say, What about his background? An employer will say, Tell me about your previous employment. A doctor will say, Tell me your medical history. Background "checks" are the norm in everyday life-except in photographic composition, (and marriage)! How many couples would even make it to the alter if one or the other spouse first did a thorough background check? Ah, but love is often blind, driven by emotion and passion and that same passion is what prevents so many photographers from recording some really great images.

Amateur photographers are often so taken by the subject before them that they fail to look at the background of their composition. And often times they still cannot see the problems with the background, even after processing the image on the computer.

What causes background trouble? Several things. At times it can be the wrong aperture (resulting in too much depth of field), not paying attention to light (resulting in too much contrast between light and dark), the wrong point of view (resulting in that telephone pole sticking out of your daughter's head). And then there are those jarring tones or shapes in the background that are a disturbing contrast to the focused subject (for example, that out-of-focus background of purple flowers makes for a disturbing tonal contrast when seen behind the bright red tulip).

The solution is a simple one, really it is! Get into the habit of asking yourself EVERY time (and before pressing the shutter release) "Does my background help or hurt the foreground focused subject?" Before long, this question becomes such an integral part of the shooting process that many students report that they actually spend time looking for the perfect background FIRST!

PHOTOS-My daughters and I had just returned from sledding at the nearby park, when my eyes caught site of some frozen icicles hanging off of the gareden hose.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my Leica D-Lux 4, making the quick snapshot you see here. Clearly, the image you see here is a 'mess' and by a mess I mean that my one lone hanging piece of garden hose and icicles IS getting some serious competition from the background; competition from all of the other "lines" to be even more specific. The additional curvilenear lines from the garden hose and the horizontal lines from the siding of the house create a chaotic and confusing composition. All of this background confusion and chaos is akin to trying to watch and listen to the television reporter, reporting live from the scene, yet having to put up with the young kid in the background who is jumping up and down, waving his arms furiously, hoping to get his three seconds of fame.

I returned to the house and from the guest closet I grabbed the large red Christmas wreath box and unfolded it and placd it behind the lone piece of garden hose and icicles. I felt that I was now ready to make a much more compelling image.

Hand-holding my Leica D-Lux 4, I was able to compose that much stronger composition as this image shows. Gone is the confusing background, resulting in an image with far more impact, thanks to nothing more than a large red unfolded box. *Leica D-Lux 4 at 5.1mm, (effective 24mmm in 35mm terms) at f/4 at a 1/30 second with ISO 200.

And finally, when is the best time to shoot a vertical composition? Right after you shoot the horizontal composition! *Leica D-Lux 4 at 5.1mm, (effective 24mmm in 35mm terms) at f/4 at a 1/30 second with ISO 200.

*Unlike my 'bulky Nikon D-300, the little Leica D-Lux 4 (not much bigger than a pack of Marlboro 100's) offers up a host of valuable reasons why you might consider buying one for yourself! If you love macro, you will love its ability to focus down to 1/3 of an inch at the wide angle focal length. And speaking of focal lengths, it offers up an effective 5.1-12.8 zoom lens, (35mm equivalent is 24mm-60mm) and captures a 10+ mega-pixel file each and every time. In addition, it offers up the wide aperture of f/2 when shooting at the 24mm angle and f/2.8 when shooting on the 60mm end. That's fantastic news when shooting in low-light and/or when you forgot the tripod. Of course it offers up Aperture, Shutter, Program Modes BUT also full manual exposure and even manual focus! I love this camera! The only downside is that it's not cheap, ($865.00) but than it wouldn't truly be a Leica if it were! To learn more about this camera, click the link below.
http://www.adorama.com/ILCDLUX4BK.html?searchinfo=leica%20d-lux4&item_no=1

Happy Shooting Everyone!
Bryan F Peterson/Founder
www.ppsop.com

It is here where you will learn how a 1/125 second can provide a lifetime of memories!

I am often asked about the story behind a particular picture of mine, but none stands out more than the story I am about to share with your now.

In 1990, I was living in Bavaria, Germany. It was during the month of June, while traveling the many back roads of Northern Germany, near the town of Bremen, that I came upon numerous farmers who were out and about tending their livestock and fields. It was near one such farm that I actually ran out of gas and it was at this same farm where I caught site of a young farm girl who was at that moment, doing her best to catch a large baby pig that had got out of its pen. A few moments later, I met her Grandmother and learned that the young 'farm girl' was in fact her granddaughter, a 'city-girl' from Hamburg who was only visiting for the next two weeks. (I spoke just enough German to get myself in and out of trouble!)

Over the course of the next several hours, I not only made a number of images around the farm, including the picture of the Grandmother that you see here, but was also given a few liters of gas that would easily get me to the next gas station. After accepting the unexpected invitation for lunch, I found myself sitting down at the dining room table enjoying a very fulfilling German lunch of white garden potatoes in a white gravy sauce with fresh garden peas, fresh homemade bread and the "most tender, freshest chicken breast I have ever tasted!" It was at that moment, that the Grandmother explained, "Well it better be fresh, because it's the same chicken you photographed earlier today!"

Yikes, little did I know that I had immortalized this chicken!

Come join any number of our classes which start tomorrow, Friday January 9th, and we'll help you do an even better job of recording images that will provide a lifetime of memories!

All my best-
Bryan F Peterson
Founder/PPSOP