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Wildlife

Remember To Always Put Safety First

August 26, 2012 by Steve Berardi 13 Comments

Photo by Jackson Hole Central Reservations (used under the CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 license)
Photo by Jackson Hole Central Reservations (used under the CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 license)
Today I read a sad story about a man who was attacked and killed by a grizzly bear while trying to photograph it in Denali National Park (Alaska). Apparently, he was photographing it for over eight minutes, and got within 50 yards of the bear. The bear probably then felt threatened, and attacked the man.

Whenever you see wildlife, it’s always exciting. And, especially as photographers, I think we get even more excited than the average person, and totally forget about safety sometimes in the pursuit of a photograph.

But, it’s important to remember that wildlife can become dangerous if they feel threatened. [Read more…] about Remember To Always Put Safety First

Filed Under: Wildlife Tagged With: alaska, animal, bear, denali, grizzly, national, park, photograph, regulation, safe, wild, Wildlife

Three Reasons to Photograph Wildlife at Eye Level

August 21, 2012 by Steve Berardi 21 Comments

Photo by Steve Berardi
Snowy Plover / Photo by Steve Berardi
When you encounter wildlife, it’s pretty easy to get excited, isn’t it? It doesn’t happen often, so when you’re lucky enough, the first thing you’re probably thinking is, “wow, I do not want to scare this thing away!” (well, unless it’s a bear or mountain lion, heh).

In that moment of excitement, it’s easy to forget about camera techniques and just start snapping photos from where you’re standing. But, if you want an intimate, sharp, and isolated portrait of any wildlife subject, you’re gonna have to get down to their eye level to snap the photo, and here are some reasons why: [Read more…] about Three Reasons to Photograph Wildlife at Eye Level

Filed Under: Wildlife Tagged With: background, bird, birds, bokeh, focus, nature, photography, photos, plane of focus, sharp, sharp focus, technique, Wildlife

Why You Should Always Shoot Lots of Photos

May 29, 2012 by Steve Berardi 8 Comments

Creosote Bush / Photos by Steve Berardi
Creosote Bush / Photos by Steve Berardi
There seems to be a common habit among photographers to take just one shot of something and then immediately move on.

Although you can definitely get good shots this way, I think it’s also beneficial to slow down a little bit and take lots of photos of your subject. Here are a few reasons why: [Read more…] about Why You Should Always Shoot Lots of Photos

Filed Under: Tips Tagged With: bracketing, capture, changing, composition, exposure, golden hours, landscape, light, lots, photos, sharp, sharper, sharpness, shoot, shots, take, Wildlife

How GPS Can Help Your Photography

March 26, 2012 by Steve Berardi 7 Comments

GPS DeviceI just recently started hiking with a handheld GPS device to log my hikes and so I could have elevation data wherever I go. But, I’ve also started using it as a tool for photography. Here are a few ways it’s helped me:

#1 – Keep track of good spots for landscape images

This probably happens to you a lot: you’ll be hiking on a trail and come to this amazing vista or perfect rock formation and you realize it would make a great landscape image if the weather or lighting conditions were just a tad bit different. Maybe you just want some of that nice sunset light shining on a mountain peak, or maybe you want a nice puffy cloud to hover over a particular rock.

Well, a GPS device can help you keep track of these spots, simply by adding waypoints. Then, once you get home later, you can write some notes about that particular spot (e.g. “come back in April when there’s more flowers in bloom” or “come back at sunset in winter, when the sun will be at the right angle to shine on this mountain peak”). [Read more…] about How GPS Can Help Your Photography

Filed Under: Landscapes, Tips, Wildlife Tagged With: blind, burrow, camera, clock, device, elevation, geo-tag, geographical, geography, geotag, geotagging, gps, landscape, nature, photography, topographical, Wildlife

Watch the Premiere of The Last Lions This Friday on Nat Geo WILD

December 13, 2011 by Steve Berardi 1 Comment

Photo by Beverly Joubert
Photo by Beverly Joubert
This Friday, the documentary The Last Lions will make its television premiere on Nat Geo WILD (check your local TV listings for the start time). The film documents the life of a lioness named Ma di Tau (“Mother of Lions”) as she protects her cubs from enemies to ensure their survival.

The film was created by Dereck and Beverly Joubert, two very passionate filmmakers/photographers who have dedicated their lives to documenting and protecting the lives of wild lions.

Unfortunately, the population of wild lions is rapidly declining, mostly due to habitat loss, hunting, and disease. In 1950, the African lion population was estimated to be around 400,000. But, today, the population is down to just 20,000. [Read more…] about Watch the Premiere of The Last Lions This Friday on Nat Geo WILD

Filed Under: Wildlife Tagged With: Beverly, big, cat, Dereck, documentary, feline, geographic, Joubert, last, lions, nat geo, national, wild, Wildlife

How To Get Started With Animal Tracking

November 7, 2011 by Steve Berardi 3 Comments

If you’re serious about wildlife photography, then it’s helpful to learn a little about animal tracking. Knowing where an animal typically hangs out or walks around can significantly increase your chances of being in the right place at the right time.

Learning how to accurately track animals can be a long process, but here are a few simple ways to get started: [Read more…] about How To Get Started With Animal Tracking

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: animal, app, beginner, books, introduction, iphone, photography, smartphone, track, tracking, tracks, wild, Wildlife, workshop

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