Hello fellow nature and wildlife photographers!

Esther BeatonConservation, Environment, Mentoring, internships, Nature and Wildlife, Nature Photography, New South Wales, On the Beaton Track, South Australia, Wildlife Photography

Here is an opportunity for your photos to do some powerful good. Let me tell you the story behind this wonderful new grant created especially for those devoted to conservation photography. I “knew” Wayne Lawler going back to the days in the 1980’s when my stock agency, Auscape International, represented him as one of its contributing photographers. I only knew … Read More

Add More Sparkle to Twilight Shots

Esther BeatonLandscape Images, Nature and Wildlife, Photography Lighting, Photography Techniques, Travel Photography, Workshops & CoursesLeave a Comment

sunset behind the subject

Talking about night time events, well, dusk really, one of the key things a photographer has to prepare for is the need to add light, that is, more light than is available from the sky.  At one of our recent Meetups, we started at The Haven in Terrigal. There were birds, boats, waves and people. The best part was the … Read More

Whitsunday Islands Photography Sailing Safari

Esther BeatonAnnouncements, Landscape Photography, Photography Tours, Photography Workshops, Queensland, Travel Photography, Workshops & CoursesLeave a Comment

I’ve been wanting to do longer than one-day workshops and heres’s one that will thrill some of you to bits. Together with Southern Cross Sailing Adventures, I’ll be running workshops aboard a well-known tall ship, the Solway Lass. But wait, theres’s more! It will be in the Whitsundays, a land beautiful beyond belief. There’s the amazing Whitehaven Beach, the dolphins, … Read More

Think the Reciprocal Rule is safe? It fails with high resolution cameras

Esther BeatonBird Images, Photography Techniques, Photography Workshops, Quick Tips, Wildlife PhotographyLeave a Comment

Tawny Frogmouth (Podargus strigoides) on nest among casuarina trees, Lake Tuggerah, Central Coast, New South Wales

The reciprocal rule is handy to know when you are hand-holding your camera, especially with a long lens attached. It states “always use a shutter speed whose reciprocal is faster than the focal length of the lens”. So if you’re hand-holding a 500 mm lens, you have to use a shutter speed of 1/500 or faster. I still don’t fully trust … Read More

28 Best Reasons to do Bird Photography

Esther BeatonBird Images, Photography Techniques, Photography Workshops, Wildlife PhotographyLeave a Comment

Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) (subspecies coromandus) at nesting site, in willow tree, farm dam, Dooralong, Central Coast, New South Wales

Bird photography is the most challenging, difficult, expensive and time-consuming of all the areas of nature photography. Why on earth would anyone want to go to all that trouble? But something’s going on, because not only is there a rapid rise in bird watching, but also in nature and wildlife photography. If you’re not already on trend, maybe some of these … Read More

Tripods and heads for Bird Photography

Esther BeatonPhotography Equipment, Photography Techniques, Photography Workshops, Quick Tips, Wildlife PhotographyLeave a Comment

Gimbal head holding 200-500 mm zoom lens on Benbo tripod.

A tripod comes with three features: the legs, the head and the mount. Each is an important choice. Needless to say, the more solid and heavier the tripod, the more sturdily it will hold your long lens. A well-built tripod will last decades (like my magnificent and trusty Benbo as you can see by these pics). The legs should splay … Read More

Judging The Nature Conservancy Photo Competition 2016

Esther BeatonAnnouncements, Beautiful Images, Conservation, Exhibitions & Artworks, Nature and Wildlife, On the Beaton Track, Photo Competitions, Wildlife PhotographyLeave a Comment

Eye Spy by Mark Seabury

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 million hectares of land and thousands of … Read More

Tips from a Judge: How You Can Win the Next Big Nature Photography Competition

Esther BeatonPhoto Competitions, Photo CritiquesLeave a Comment

Australian Geographic just announced that this year’s ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition is now open. I believe this is one of the most lucrative competitions available at present. It’s almost like a big secret. Everyone knows about the BBC wildlife competition, but hardly anyone knows about this Australian regional equivalent. In both cases the prize money is BIG … Read More

Let’s Encourage Young Photographers

Esther BeatonPhoto Competitions, Photo CritiquesLeave a Comment

I’d like to acknowledge a budding young nature and wildlife photographer, Mikaela Clews. She won the Young Encourage-ment award at the recent Gosford Council photo competition. Mikaela Clews deserves a lot of credit for getting out into the bushlands around Gosford, New South Wales. The aim of the photo competition was to portray how nature is on the city’s doorstep. Mikaela … Read More