Nature
Photography - Natural Light For Great Wildlife Photos
by Andrew Goodall
Wildlife
photography combines a range of skills, both creative and
technical. Many people struggle with one aspect in particular;
knowing the best light for capturing their wildlife photo.
To
take a top-class wildlife photograph,
you need to know your animal; where to find it, how to approach
it without scaring it away, and how to know the precise moment
to press the button to capture the character of the subject.
Often a wildlife photographer will spend hours trying to get
a good shot. What a shame, then, if all that effort is wasted
by taking your photo in bad light.
As
a nature photographer, I have learned that the ideal light
for a photo can vary depending on the subject. Landscape photos
are usually best photographed in sunny weather, early in the
morning or late in the afternoon when the contrast is low
and the light is soft and colouful. On the hand, rainforest
photography is usually best in the middle of the day, in cloudy
weather to eliminate extremes of light and shade. To understand
the best lighting for wildlife photography, you can take a
lesson from both landscape and rainforest photography.
To
get the best light for a wildlife photo, you are really looking
to minimize contrast, and to eliminate shadows from important
areas; most importantly across the face of the animal.
If
you take your photos in the middle of a sunny day, you are
bound to encounter shadows in all the wrong places. Bright
light is likely to overexpose parts of the subject, while
the face and the underside of the animal could be lost in
heavy shadow. The result will be unattractive, and lacking
in much of the detail that should give character to your photo.
There
is nothing wrong with taking your wildlife photos on a sunny
day. Just remember the lesson from landscape photography and
seek to take your photos early in the morning and late in
the afternoon. At these times the subject is illuminated from
a more horizontal angle, so the full face of the animal is
well-lit; you are less likely to have shadows over the eyes
and other important features. If there are shadows, they will
be much softer because the contrast is much lower when the
sun is low in the sky.
The
light at these times is also much more colourful, with the
golden hues you associate with sunrise and sunset. This is
a classic technique for improving landscapes, but it can be
just as effective for wildlife. The warmth of the light can
create an intimacy in your pictures that is completely lost
in the harsh light of midday.
The
second approach is to follow the rule of rainforest photography,
and take your photos in overcast weather. This allows you
to catch your subject in very even, low-contrast light.
I
find cloudy days particularly useful for animals with glossy
surfaces. Frogs, for example, have damp, shiny skin that reflects
a lot of light. In glaring conditions a green frog may appear
mostly grey or silver in a photo. On a cloudy day the same
frog will be shown in its true colours.
Birds
can often appear more colourful on a cloudy day, for the very
same reason. The sun shining on glossy feathers can create
a lot of reflection, robbing the photo of its natural colour.
It may seem the opposite of what you would expect, but the
dull light of a cloudy day can actually produce the truest
colours in a bright wildlife subject.
One
final question you may ask: should you use a flash to illuminate
a wildlife photo? My answer to that is a definite "NO."
Flash photography bathes the subject in white light, coming
from directly in front of the subject. It may illuminate the
subject, but at the same time rob it of the natural play of
light and shade that makes a good photo so appealing.
Some
wildlife photography experts use multiple flashes to brightly
illuminate a subject from every possible angle. This approach
can work very well, but remember; these are experts in flash
photography. If you are at the beginner stage, I recommend
learning to work with natural light. When you get the hang
of it, I guarantee you will be happy with the results.
Andrew
Goodall's top selling ebook "Photography In Plain English"
is a great place to start learning the art and skills of nature
photography. Find it at http://www.naturesimage.com.au along
with a great collection of Andrew's landscape and wildlife
photography. You can also sign up to the online newsletter
for free gifts and tips on photography.
Article
Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Goodall
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