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dragonflies

Quick Tip for Identifying Your Unknown Subjects

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Flame Skimmer (Libellula saturata)
Photo by Steve Berardi
One of the most rewarding parts of nature photography is learning how to identify your subjects. When we place a name on something, it somehow makes us feel more connected to it.

When you first meet someone new, the first thing you tell them is your name.

And, so naturally, when we photograph something we haven’t seen before, we immediately want to know what it is.

But, it’s not always easy to identify your subjects. Sure, you probably know all the common birds and insects of your area, but what if you’re hiking down a trail and see this amazing looking butterfly for the first time?

Well, there’s one thing you can do that’ll make it A LOT easier to identify that butterfly later: [Read more…] about Quick Tip for Identifying Your Unknown Subjects

Top 10 PhotoNaturalist Posts of 2010

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With 2010 coming to a close in a few days, I thought it’d be good to check out the top posts of the year. So, here they are:

  1. How to Photograph Dragonflies (free ebook)
  2. 5 Reasons to Minimize Your Gear
  3. 5 Great Resources for Nature Photographers
  4. Why You Should Memorize the F-Number Series
  5. Quick Tip For Getting Sharper Wildlife Photos
  6. 9 Tips For Photographing Wildflowers With a Point and Shoot Camera
  7. How to Photograph Wildflowers With Flash
  8. The OTHER Reason to Use a Tripod
  9. How Do You Know When to Upgrade Your Equipment?
  10. What Went Wrong With This Sand Dune Photo?

I hope you had a great holiday season and a great year! And, cheers to a whole new year of capturing natural light 🙂 [Read more…] about Top 10 PhotoNaturalist Posts of 2010

Quick Tip for Getting Sharper Closeup Photos

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Variegated Meadowhawk (female) / Photo by Steve Berardi
Variegated Meadowhawk (female) / Photo by Steve Berardi
In a previous post, I explained a quick way you can get sharper photos by adjusting the “picture style” on your DSLR (if you’re shooting in JPEG). Well, another small way you can make your closeup photos appear sharper is by photographing your subject in front of a contrasting background.

The photo above is a good example. The dragonfly is pretty bright, but the background is much darker. This strong contrast of brightness helps emphasize the edges, making the outline of the dragonfly appear much sharper.

This is actually how most sharpening algorithms work in post-processing software: by increasing the contrast of brightness between edges it makes those edges stand out more and appear sharper. That’s why oversharpened images have those ugly halos. [Read more…] about Quick Tip for Getting Sharper Closeup Photos

How to Photograph Dragonflies (free eBook!)

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Today I’m happy to announce the release of a free eBook about photographing one of the most unique insects on the planet: dragonflies. The eBook was written by my father, Vic Berardi, who is an outstanding photographer of hawks, dragonflies, and wildflowers.

This 18-page eBook is not meant to be a complete guide on the subject of photographing dragonflies, but it includes many great tips for dealing with the unique challenges of dragonfly photography. You’ll get the most out of the book if you already have a basic understanding of how to use your camera (you’re familiar with the terms aperture, shutter speed, ISO, depth of field, etc). [Read more…] about How to Photograph Dragonflies (free eBook!)

“Wow, you must have a really good camera!”

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Photo by Martin Taylor
Photo by Martin Taylor
Anyone who has ever taken a sharp, properly exposed, and well-composed photo has heard these very words.

A couple of years ago someone I know, a writer of three published books and numerous articles, came across some of my flower photos. He looked at them intensely and said, “Wow, you must have a really good camera!”

I stared at him looking perplexed then smiled and said that I thought his writing was excellent and that he must have a “really good keyboard and computer!” He understood. [Read more…] about “Wow, you must have a really good camera!”