Author: Beatrice Bisais Page 8 of 32

Photography can be one of the most fulfilling hobbies (or professions) you can ever take up, but that certainly doesn’t mean that it’s something everyone can do well right off the bat. It takes a lot of skill and knowledge to take good pictures, whether you’re doing it for yourself or for a living.

So how does one gain that knowledge, other than through experience? Sure, you could sign up for classes, but if you’re looking for a way to pick up some great tips and you don’t have a lot of spare time or money, there are a lot of great books out there that can help you get started.

Here’s a sampling of some of the most highly-regarded instructional photography books of the last ten years or so.

Close-ups of dangerous animals, incredible shots of dangerous landscapes, images of remote, lonely locales – these are the sorts of photographs that we see and think, “How did they get that shot?”

As it turns out, incredible pictures often require photographers to take incredible risks. For every nicely-posed portrait shot, there’s another photo for which a photographer had to get up close and personal in unexpected ways.

Often this risk comes from subjects in the animal kingdom, but they can also be due to bad weather, or precarious ground. Here are a few amazing stories from photographers about how they got the perfect shot in some very imperfect situations.

Octavio Aburto, environmental photographer

(image above)

Octavio Aburto takes photos to promote ocean and water conservation, and he often has to swim with some testy underwater animals, most notably crocodiles and alligators.

Aburto has gotten some frighteningly close photos of both these reptiles, and he’s done so by following one rule: Be absolutely still. Apparently, that’s how you can get great pictures of a crocodile’s rows of teeth.

Christian Pondella, climber extraordinaire

Source: Christian Pondella

Christian Pondella has gotten some truly breathtaking shots of icy wonders like a half-frozen waterfall in Canada and of climber Will Gadd’s ascent of Helmcken Falls in British Columbia.

The only way to do that, of course, is to follow the climbers. This often involves dangling perilously from frozen mountainsides, overlooking icy, cavernous ravines.

Chris McLennan and  William Burrard-Lucas, wildlife photographers

Source: William Burrard-Lucas

Photographers Chris McLennan and William Burrard-Lucas have both taken some amazing photos of lions in the wild, but they’ve used some modern technology to do so. Both men attach cameras to remote-controlled motorized buggies that are built for off-road work and send them into the pride.

They’ve caught some incredible images, and on at least one occasion, McLennan’s camera was carried off by a hungry lion, only to be unceremoniously dropped when they realized it wasn’t edible.

Amos Nachoum, shark whisperer

Amos Nachoum patrols the seas taking pictures of Great White sharks with the intent of proving that they’re not dangerous to humans. But he’s very different from most wildlife photographers – when he’s taking pictures of these deadly predators, he doesn’t use a cage. In just a diving suit, he uses his 50mm lens to snap his striking photos.

Nachoum doesn’t stick to just sharks, either – he leads wildlife photography expeditions all over the world for those who want to get a totally unfiltered look at nature.

Clark Little, surf photo snapper

Source: Clark Little Photography

Surfer-turned-photographer Clark Little has captured breathtaking images of monumental waves, often simply jumping in the water and clicking away with little regard for waves that can be powerful enough to break a human’s back.

But the risk pays off when his photos reveal larger-than-life waves and the people who ride them.

Tom Ryaboi, rooftopper

Source: Tom Ryaboi

There’s a name for photographers who climb to great heights on man-made structures like towers and skyscrapers: Rooftoppers. People like Toronto’s Tom Ryaboi, for example, who estimates that he’s climbed more than 100 buildings to capture dizzying shots from the very top of cities around the world.

Paul Bride, rock climber

Source: Paul Bride

Paul Bride, who calls himself the “Master Of Mountains,” has taken some amazing photos of rock-climbing while hanging on by only a few ropes and pulleys from some of the most gorgeous mountains in the world.

Bruce Omori and Tom Kuali’i, volcano viewers

Bruce Omori and Tom Kuali’i take some of the most dangerous photos on the planet: They capture pictures of hot lava inside and around active volcanoes, whether it’s from above in a helicopter or much closer to the source.

Predrag Vuckovic, thrill-seeker

Source: Limex Images

And then there’s Predrag Vuckovic, an extreme photographer who gets incredible shots in multiple situations, mostly centered around extreme sports.

His shots of gliders, motorcycle racers and underwater adventures are breathtaking enough, but Vuckovic truly excels in photographing what’s called “extreme canyoning.”

Dangling by a rope into some of the most beautiful canyons, valleys and waterfalls on Earth, Vuckovic gets up close to some of the most breathtaking scenes in nature, using his keen eye and quick instincts to capture images that no one’s been able to before.

Not all of us are made for “extreme photography.” But thankfully, you can still capture beautiful photos without putting yourself in imminent danger – or even any danger at all. Get some pointers on nature and outdoor photography with our post “Expert Tips for Photographing Your Next Outdoor Adventure,” or read up on smartphone photography with “How to Make Your Smartphone Photographs Look (Almost) Professional.”

Spring and summer offer countless opportunities to get outside to capture some of the floral beauty with your digital camera. You often don’t have to go far to find subjects bursting with color. In fact, gorgeous flowers may be as close as your front yard. Here are 5 tips for taking better flower photos even if you’re a newbie photographer.

1. Get up close and personal

Walking around a garden can be peaceful, but if you want your flower photos to really pop, change your perspective. Get down near the flower and use a macro lens or the macro mode on your camera if it has one. (Often the icon for the setting is a flower, which helps you remember when to use it.)

2. Consider lighting

Most people think that sunny days are best for taking flower photos, but actually harsh, bright sun can wash out the colors, so it’s better to take photos on overcast days or near sunrise or sunset.

Another great time to shoot flowers is right after a rain so you can capture raindrops on petals. (Or you can cheat and bring a spray bottle outside with you to get a similar effect.)

3. Change the background

A beautiful flower sometimes may grow in an unattractive place like an alley or scrubby vacant lot. If the background doesn’t work, you can bring your own. Photos of flowers on white or black backgrounds can be particularly striking. Take a big piece of cloth with you in your bag. This trick works well for photos of flowers indoors as well. If you receive a gorgeous flower arrangement, put it in front of a piece of black velvet to show it off.

4. Use a tripod and remote shutter release

Spending a lot of time at flower level can be tiring and hard on the knees, and it can be difficult to keep the camera still.

Also, it’s almost inevitable that while you’re sitting there, a little gust of wind will come up right when you take the photo. Any movement of the camera or the flower will lead to blurry photos, so if you have a tripod, set it next to the plant. For the sharpest photos, consider using a remote or cable release to capture the flower at exactly the right time.

5. Get creative with composition

Many times, placing the flower right in the middle of the frame can result in a less interesting image than if you place it off-center. Photographers often refer to the “rule of thirds.” Imagine breaking the image into thirds horizontally and vertically so you have nine sections. By placing your subject along the lines or the intersections, the composition often is more dynamic. You also might consider photographing just part of a flower, such as the petals or a bud.

Taking photographs of flowers is not only fun, it also forces you to examine and truly appreciate the intricacies of nature’s beauty. For more tips on taking great photos, read our post “Tips for Taking Amazing Landscape Photos.”