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by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
If there’s one question fledgling photographers often ask, it’s “How did you get such a nice background?” Backgrounds are an essential element of a photograph that are often neglected. In fact, it’s safe to say that a background is as important to a composition as the subject itself. After all, a distracting one will detract from an image.
In this guide, we’re going to cover the many methods used to capture clean, smooth backgrounds in our images. This will encompass the settings and gear involved as well as the in-the-field techniques you can
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
Through the cacophony of forest sounds, your ears home in on a buzzy, almost garbled ascending song. Perhaps you recognize it immediately, or maybe you need to confer with one of the trusty internet databases or apps. You train your eyes on the canopy, scanning for movement of any kind, when you see it: the cerulean warbler, a small rowdy songbird with wings slightly splayed from the body. Quickly, you lower your binoculars and train your camera on the little blue passerine before snapping a few frames.
The resulting photos clearly show the
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
Birds, they’re all around us. If you haven’t paid much attention to them, you’re not alone. But, once you do, you’ll have a hard time stopping. If you haven’t yet dabbled in bird watching, known colloquially as birding, we have just one question. Why not? Birding is the perfect way of partially disconnecting from the digital world we find ourselves in and connecting with nature through observation, and one of the most relaxing pastimes imaginable.
If you’re fascinated by our feathery friends but don’t know where to start, we’ve got you covered
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
Birding is, by definition, the recreational hobby of observing and identifying wild birds in their natural habitat. Finding birds is the easy part. Just go outside and stop, look, and listen, and you’ll notice our feathery friends like you’ve never seen before. But how do we identify them? We need to consider a few physical attributes of the birds, from their overall shape to the length of their tail and more.
Birds come in all sorts of elaborate shapes, sizes, and color patterns that make them stand out, or in some cases, remain hidden from
Posted
Landscape and wildlife photographers swear by photographing at sunrise and sunset. But, there is another time of day when you can shoot nature photography and still get beautiful results. Join Sam and Matt in the Everglades to learn how to capture photos both in golden hour and blue hour.
0:00 Intro
0:52 Why Sunrise & Sunset?
6:44 Blue Hour for Landscapes
9:34 App for Identifying & Finding Birds
10:13 Mid-Day Wildlife & Landscapes
11:52 App for Tracking the Sun & Moon
12:31 Time of Year
13:26 How Early to Arrive
14:03 Can You
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
The a7R series has long been popular among wildlife photographers for the big files and associated crop-ability so to speak. That said, one area where the R could use some improvement is in the speed department. After all, it was never designed to be a wildlife camera; Its bread and butter was always resolution with landscape, portrait and studio photographers making the most use of all the extra detail. But, as tends to happen, Sony bends the rules.
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
Portrait Photography, or portraiture, is the specialized genre of the artform focused on capturing personality and expression of an individual or group. While most commonly used in reference to photographs of people, it can also apply to pets and wildlife.
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
There is nothing that can replace the extreme close-up view of a rare bird in the wild. Binoculars can get you close but, if you want to look the bird in the eye or confirm that identification for your life list, you need a spotting scope. Spotting scopes pack incredible magnification in a generally simple and lightweight package that is
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
There’s an old adage that claims in order to be a wildlife photographer, you need a lot of time and a lot of money. This is only partly true. Many great wildlife photo opportunities can occur in urban parks and even in your own backyard, as long as we know what we’re doing. In this article, we’re going to cover a number of essential tips that will help you become a better wildlife photographer.
If you’ve read our introduction
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
Do you plan your images? Really think about that question. Do you have an idea of an image before you head out for a shoot, or do you let the moment inspire you as the pieces fall into place? There's no wrong answer here. Planning or "pre-visualization" is a key piece of the photography puzzle that some put a lot of thought and effort into while others effortlessly come up with ideas on the fly.
No matter how you go about taking a picture, there is some level of planning that goes into a shot. With that said, there's a big difference between
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
Composition in photography refers to the way in which we arrange visual elements in an image. It's how we position the subject in the frame and how all elements combine to create a visually appealing photograph.
All photographs © Mathew Malwitz
Expensive cameras and long lenses can only get us so far. It's not the gear that makes the photo, but the photographer. A creative and observant eye is the key to making visually pleasing photographs. These skills can be learned, and with practice, you'll be well on your way to creating strong
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
Any place in the world can be a photo destination in the winter, but the general idea is to explore a few locations that offer wonderful photographic possibilities in winter that they might not offer in summer. We want to make use of all that snow and everything else the cold temperatures have to offer. After all, we can enjoy the warmer weather come spring. We can always blend in a bit of that warm escapism we all crave after a few months of short days, snow, and cold.
Lake Reschen and South Tyrol, Italy
The Tyrol region of northern Italy and
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
Despite what you might have seen on the internet, you don’t need all the money and time in the world to photograph wildlife. Sure, an African safari would be nice, but it is by no means the only way to capture stunning images of wild animals. In fact, regardless of where you live, odds are there’s a vast ecosystem that likely goes unnoticed. If you have trees in your neighborhood, you’re off to a great start.
What You Need to Photograph Wildlife
While gear plays a crucial role in our ability to photograph wildlife, it isn’t everything. In this
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
If there’s one area of wildlife photography that challenges even some of the most consummate artists, it’s birds in flight. A dynamic flight shot shows action, and a bit of technical prowess. As you can imagine, capturing birds in flight is no easy feat.
To consistently capture these shots, one must be proficient with their gear and have a knowledge of animal behavior. We’d go as far as to say you need a bit of luck too, but what is luck if not preparedness meeting opportunity. In order to make the most of the opportunities that present
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
Photography is by definition, the capture of light on a light sensitive surface. That surface could be glass, tin, film, or a digital imaging sensor like those found in most modern cameras. The amount of light that reaches our light-sensitive surface is what we can define as exposure.
A good exposure will look accurate to life or the photographer's creative vision. It will maximize an images quality and