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How to isolate your subject from the background

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Photo by Matthew Fletcher
Photo by Matthew Fletcher

Isolating your subject can create a powerful image, but have you ever found yourself wondering how to keep your subject sharp while blurring the background? There are two simple keys to achieving this effect:

  • Get close to your subject, while maximizing the distance between your subject and the background
  • Use a large aperture (smaller f-number)

The larger aperture, e.g. f/4, will create a shallow depth of field, which means your subject will be sharp, but anything closer to, or further away from the camera will appear blurry (the opposite is true for smaller apertures, e.g. f/22, where you will have a greater depth of field and more of the image in focus). [Read more…] about How to isolate your subject from the background

Photo Essay – Wintering Raptors in Indiana

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Photo by Vic Berardi
Photo by Vic Berardi

A chill in the breeze, a beautiful prairie grassland, a retreating bank of dark clouds and a loneliness that’s hard to describe. Winter in the Dakotas? No, Indiana. Specifically southwestern Indiana where re-claimed surface mines are in abundance. And with them an array of wintering raptors that live virtually unnoticed.

Nestled between the small towns of Dugger and Pleasantville in Sullivan County, Indiana lies Hawthorne Mine. At first, one might suspect that this is an unlikely spot for wintering raptors but upon closer examination the careful eye of a hawk watcher will reveal a sizable wintering population of Rough-legged Hawks and Northern Harriers as well as Short-eared Owls. Also present to a lesser degree are Red-tailed Hawks, American Kestrels, Red-shouldered Hawks and Merlin.

This was our destination for New Years 2009, to explore and hopefully photograph the surroundings as well as any raptors that were present. [Read more…] about Photo Essay – Wintering Raptors in Indiana

What is a natural photograph?

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Photo by Vic Berardi
Photo by Vic Berardi

Sometimes as nature photographers, our minds focus too much on getting a good photograph, instead of just enjoying nature and being there to capture some of the light we come across.

It’s important to keep nature natural, and I’ll tell you a story to help illustrate what I mean. It’s about the ethics of attracting animals by “baiting” them–feeding them in an effort to get them to come closer to you, so you can get a photograph. [Read more…] about What is a natural photograph?