Photography Techniques Archives - Page 4 of 5

Judging The Nature Conservancy Photo Competition 2016

Nature Conservancy Australia contacted me in June to see if I’d be interested in being a judge for this year’s Nature Photo Competition. Of course I would! I’ve admired the work of the Nature Conservancy in the US for years. They also spread their activities around the globe and have successfully protected over 48 […]

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Announcements, Beautiful Images, Conservation, Exhibitions & Artworks, Nature and Wildlife, On the Beaton Track, Photo Competitions, Wildlife Photographybirds, landscapes, Nature photography, photo competition, wildlife, wildlife photography

A quick lesson in quick lighting

What makes this family “portrait” so pleasing? No, it’s not the fact that it’s my family – my sister and nephews. It’s the lighting. My sister has taken this “selfie” while keeping in mind all the rules of a good photo: 1. Tight cropping. She’s not afraid to even chop a bit off one of

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People Photography, Photography Equipment, Photography Techniques, Quick Tipsbounce light, family, grab shot, portrait, smartphone

Don’t frame too tight

Sometimes, when I’ve been judging photo competitons, I’ve had to evaluate an image where the subject in the photo is wedged so tight in the frame that you get an uncomfortable feeling looking at it. When I’ve commented that “there’s no room to breathe” the photographer usually rebuts me by saying “but I’ve been criticised

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Bird Images, Cute Animals, Nature and Wildlife, New South Wales, Photography Techniques, Quick Tips, Wildlife Photographybird photography, composition, hollows, Nature photography, old growth trees, photography, tree hollows, wildlife portrait

A Powerful Story (or The One That Got Away)

As a nature and wildlife photographer I’m outdoors a lot and I often get into scrapes. They make entertaining stories to share on blogs and elsewhere. One time, however, it was my photographic subject that got into one – or almost. I was walking home one cool August night, in the quiet seaside village of

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Did You Know?, Nikon, Threatened species, Wildlife Photographyflash photography, night photography, nocturnal, owls, powerful owl

How to Photograph Owls

How to photograph owls? Well. This is a tough one. Owls are one of the challenges of wildlife photography because there are so many things going against them: they’re nocturnal, they’re camouflaged and their small. Mostly. You really have to have a good grasp of the photographic technicalities to beat all these odds. On the

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Wildlife Photography

Sticks from the sky: photographing Australia’s insect giants

A stick insect dropped in one day. Not a large one. Probably blown in by the wind, which we’ve been having a bit of last few days. (In fact I’m writing this under “cyclonic” conditions.) I thought everyone knew about stick insects. They look like sticks and they are large. But my quick post on

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Macro Photography, Nature Photography

An Aussie Christmas Story

Early one morning, I spotted some galahs feeding in my neighbour’s Christmas Bush. It was just after dawn, too early to disturb anyone, But you know what it’s like when you have to get the shot, right? Nothing is going to stop you, certainly nothing as mundane as getting permission to trespass in your neighbour’s

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Wildlife Photography

Will I see you at the Australian Garden Show Sydney?

Here’s an article I wrote to help promote the Australian Garden Show Sydney. It’s happening this weekend! I’d love to see you there; you’ll find me at The Aperture Club’s tent.

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Announcements, Beautiful Images, Flower Photography, Flowers & botanicals, Macro Photography, Photography Workshops

Preparing for a photo assignment – when you can’t

When I photograph an assignment I do lots of research and preparation beforehand. But where an event is involved, I don’t know what the situation or locale will be like or what the opportunities will be. It’s almost impossible to prepare. So I have a specific strategy. I say to myself over and over “colour

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Australian Geographic, Behind the Scenes, People Photography

An artful life: Scotland Island, Sydney

I photographed an article for Australian Geographic recently and it’s now also online. If you don’t have a subscription to the Australian Geographic newsletter, you can see it here. Give a thought to the lead picture which is an overview of Scotland Island on a sparkling summer day. It almost looks like an aerial shot.

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Landscape Photography, New South Wales, People Photography