DOCSLIB.ORG

Wildlife Photography Lesson 3

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Wildlife Photography Lesson 3 WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY LESSON 3 Wildlife Photography Learning The “Formula For Success” BY ROBERT LA FOLLETTE Lesson 3: Formula For Success Photographing wildlife is all about being prepared. The more you have some basic understandings of the fundamentals you are well on your way to being successful. Sometimes luck has a little to do with it but more often then not it’s those who have honed their skills that the results are greater. As we have already learned the foundations are a very big part of the formula for success and now we must take those skills and execute them to achieve the results we all desire. There are many ways to achieve success but the key is that no two experiences will ever be the same. Whether it be the landscape, subject, weather, light or conditions, you will be constantly adjusting and compensating for your !1 WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY LESSON 3 environment. However, if you start with a solid formula you will quickly realize that your successes will far outnumber your failures. So to get started down that road for a lifetime of great wildlife images, let’s explore the secret formula to success. Your Camera Settings: Each and every time I set out to capture some amazing wildlife photographs I have a “starting point” where I adjust my settings on my camera. No matter what the conditions are, I always have my camera set up in the following (keep in mind this is for a Canon body, so if you are using a different manufacturer adjust your settings accordingly): MODE: Aperture Priority ISO: 400 F/STOP: 6.3 AUTO FOCUS: AI Servo DRIVE: High-speed Continuous Shutter Speed: 1/320s FOCUS POINT: Center Aperture: f/6.3 METERING: Evaluative ISO: 800 WHITE BALANCE: Cloudy Lens: 300mm QUALITY: RAW !2 WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY LESSON 3 American Oystercatcher Since I set my camera using the above formula all I need to do now is focus on the Oystercatcher. f/5.6 | ISO 100 | 1/400s Now let’s take a look in-depth on each of those nine settings in our “Formula For Success” and why I use them: MODE: Many have asked me why I choose Aperture Priority as opposed to Shutter Speed Priority or Manual Mode. The answer is actually quite simple. For me I want the largest aperture, or in another word, limited depth of field so that my subject is in crisp focus but the background is not. This insures me that my subject is isolated from their background and now is the focal point in my composition. The background then becomes complimentary and doesn’t compete with my subject for my viewer’s attention. !3 WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY LESSON 3 Gopher Tortoise When I came across this endangered Gopher Tortoise I wanted to capture what the world looks like from his perspective. I threw on my 10-22mm lens and at 10mm I got right on the ground with him to bring him up close and personal to the viewer. f/4.0 | ISO 800 | 1/250s ISO: I always start at ISO 400 and from there will adjust my setting depending on what my shutter speed is. If it is too high I simply lower it to 200 or perhaps even 100. If I don’t have enough I then raise it to 800 or higher. Remember the rule of thumb to follow is that you need at least 1/(focal length) to effectively handhold your lens, so if you have a 400mm lens, you should always strive to have at least 1/400th second for you shutter speed to avoid camera shake. If it drops below that threshold a tripod or monopod will help out by stabilizing your lens and avoid camera shake. Alternatively many of the newer lenses also have Image Stabilization or Vibration Reduction, which !4 WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY LESSON 3 are also very useful when you left your tripod at home! F/STOP: My workhorse lens is my EF 400mm 5.6L lens. Since most lenses can be soft when shot wide open (using the lowest aperture), I simply go 1/3 above that setting, which is f/6.3 for that lens. So for instance, my 70-200mm 2.8L I use f/3.2. Some may notice a difference when viewed on their computer at 100% zoom while others may not. But since all lenses get progressively sharper the higher you go in aperture 1/3 stop higher then the lowest setting ensures me that I am getting a nice sharp image and avoid any potential for softness. AUTO FOCUS: This setting is key. Since we are shooting with a wide-open aperture our depth of field will be very limited (shallow). With longer lenses this is much more critical then with shorter lenses but the thing to remember that wildlife is ALWAYS moving. They just never sit still,no matter how hard we wish! So with that, using AI Servo (or Continuous Focus for Nikon) ensures us that we will have focus on our subject. If your subject moves just a few inches toward or away from you and use One Shot (or Single Shot on Nikon) your subject will be out of focus since from the time you press the shutter halfway to lock exposure and focus then fully depress the shutter to take the photo that slight delay may be all that is needed to have an out of focus image. By “tracking” your subject you avoid this and your success rate will GREATLY increase. Only when my subject is standing still or not moving will I change my auto focus to not track (One Shot) when composing my image. !5 WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY LESSON 3 Butterfly While taking a walk in a local park I came across this beautiful butterfly as he was going from flower to flower enjoying the nectar. I used my 400mm lens but I also put on an extension tube to turn my lens into a super macro lens since with a regular macro lens I would have had to been real close and butterflies typically will fly away. f/6.3 | ISO 400 | 1/800s DRIVE: The moment between a good photograph and a great photograph can literally be a split second. More often then not it’s when you are not pressing the shutter button does it happen but you can avoid that by shooting in continuous mode. The purpose here is really quite simple for if you shoot a series of 3, 4 or more images in a split second you can greatly increase your chances of getting “the shot”. Each and every wildlife photograph I take is one of at least 3 since now I have the luxury of picking out the “best” shot of the series and thanks to digital I can simply toss the others. !6 WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY LESSON 3 FOCUS POINT: If my subject is moving or flying I use my center point exclusively to track its movement. No matter how many focus points your camera may have the center point is the most sensitive for locking exposure and focus. It also makes it easier to track your subject since all you need to do is keep your subject in the middle of the frame. Only when my subject is standing still or not moving will I change my focus point when composing my image. METERING: Today’s digital camera does an amazing job about 90% of the time when it comes to properly exposing my image. So much research and engineering has gone into the computer inside your camera to give the photographer a great exposure very rarely will I use any other setting for metering other then evaluative which means the camera will expose the subject using the entire frame of view. While there are also other modes such as partial, center-weight and spot metering, using evaluative works in just about every situation I have ever come across. !7 WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY LESSON 3 Male Tiger Even if you can’t make your way to exotic locations your local zoo is a great place to capture some amazing images that if you take the time to plan them out can look as if you were there. In this photo I paid careful attention to my background as I wanted to make sure that there was nothing to indicate that this was a captive animal and after some exploration. I found this angle which gave me just what I was looking for and the rock gives it a real nice natural balance. f/6.3 | ISO 400 | 1/200s WHITE BALANCE: When most users get their first digital camera or SLR they notice that they can change the white balance to just about every type of light known to man. From Average White Balance (AWB), to Shade, Cloudy, Sunny, Tungsten, Florescent, Flash, Custom and possibly others most will try to adjust to what they feel is !8 WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY LESSON 3 the correct setting. Since shooting wildlife means you will be outdoors I set my camera to Cloudy and forget it. By doing so it will add a pleasant “warming” to my images since on most cameras the cloudy setting is around 5700 Kelvin. For my money Average White Balance (AWB) is too cool and doesn’t have the “pop” as cloudy does. QUALITY: It is difficult to describe the extent of the differences between RAW or JPEG, but if you imagine them in terms of elasticity for instance it is easier to understand. There is only so much "pushing and pulling" you can do to a JPEG image before you start to lose the quality of the final image.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Still Photography
    Still Photography Soumik Mitra, Published by - Jharkhand Rai University Subject: STILL PHOTOGRAPHY Credits: 4 SYLLABUS Introduction to Photography Beginning of Photography; People who shaped up Photography. Camera; Lenses & Accessories - I What a Camera; Types of Camera; TLR; APS & Digital Cameras; Single-Lens Reflex Cameras. Camera; Lenses & Accessories - II Photographic Lenses; Using Different Lenses; Filters. Exposure & Light Understanding Exposure; Exposure in Practical Use. Photogram Introduction; Making Photogram. Darkroom Practice Introduction to Basic Printing; Photographic Papers; Chemicals for Printing. Suggested Readings: 1. Still Photography: the Problematic Model, Lew Thomas, Peter D'Agostino, NFS Press. 2. Images of Information: Still Photography in the Social Sciences, Jon Wagner, 3. Photographic Tools for Teachers: Still Photography, Roy A. Frye. Introduction to Photography STILL PHOTOGRAPHY Course Descriptions The department of Photography at the IFT offers a provocative and experimental curriculum in the setting of a large, diversified university. As one of the pioneers programs of graduate and undergraduate study in photography in the India , we aim at providing the best to our students to help them relate practical studies in art & craft in professional context. The Photography program combines the teaching of craft, history, and contemporary ideas with the critical examination of conventional forms of art making. The curriculum at IFT is designed to give students the technical training and aesthetic awareness to develop a strong individual expression as an artist. The faculty represents a broad range of interests and aesthetics, with course offerings often reflecting their individual passions and concerns. In this fundamental course, students will identify basic photographic tools and their intended purposes, including the proper use of various camera systems, light meters and film selection.
    [Show full text]
  • Elements of Screenology: Toward an Archaeology of the Screen 2006
    Repositorium für die Medienwissenschaft Erkki Huhtamo Elements of screenology: Toward an Archaeology of the Screen 2006 https://doi.org/10.25969/mediarep/1958 Veröffentlichungsversion / published version Zeitschriftenartikel / journal article Empfohlene Zitierung / Suggested Citation: Huhtamo, Erkki: Elements of screenology: Toward an Archaeology of the Screen. In: Navigationen - Zeitschrift für Medien- und Kulturwissenschaften, Jg. 6 (2006), Nr. 2, S. 31–64. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25969/mediarep/1958. Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Dieser Text wird unter einer Deposit-Lizenz (Keine This document is made available under a Deposit License (No Weiterverbreitung - keine Bearbeitung) zur Verfügung gestellt. Redistribution - no modifications). We grant a non-exclusive, Gewährt wird ein nicht exklusives, nicht übertragbares, non-transferable, individual, and limited right for using this persönliches und beschränktes Recht auf Nutzung dieses document. This document is solely intended for your personal, Dokuments. Dieses Dokument ist ausschließlich für non-commercial use. All copies of this documents must retain den persönlichen, nicht-kommerziellen Gebrauch bestimmt. all copyright information and other information regarding legal Auf sämtlichen Kopien dieses Dokuments müssen alle protection. You are not allowed to alter this document in any Urheberrechtshinweise und sonstigen Hinweise auf gesetzlichen way, to copy it for public or commercial purposes, to exhibit the Schutz beibehalten werden. Sie dürfen dieses Dokument document in public, to perform, distribute, or otherwise use the nicht in irgendeiner Weise abändern, noch dürfen Sie document in public. dieses Dokument für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke By using this particular document, you accept the conditions of vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, aufführen, vertreiben oder use stated above. anderweitig nutzen. Mit der Verwendung dieses Dokuments erkennen Sie die Nutzungsbedingungen an.
    [Show full text]
  • Wildlife Photography Tips by Chris Baker 2 Topics
    LET’S GET WILD! WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS BY CHRIS BAKER 2 TOPICS • Equipment • Settings • Wildlife Habitats and Behavior • Shooting Tips • Post-processing • Final Tips 3 CAMERA BODY COMPARISON Portability/ Image Autofocus Quiet Customize Burst Weight/Size Quality Speed Shutter Controls Capability Point and Shoot Best Worst Worst Best Worst Worst Superzoom DSLR Worst Best Best Worst Best Best Slightly Better Mirrorless Best Better Best Best Best than DSLR 4 FULL FRAME VS CROP SENSOR • Crop sensor cameras have a natural magnification for a given focal length lens…great for wildlife! • Full frame cameras have better high ISO capability due to larger pixel sizes • Good for low light situations • Good when higher shutter speeds are required • Not as critical with good light 5 WILDLIFE LENSES • Typical wildlife photography setups use telephoto lenses with focal lengths >200mm • Quality telephoto zooms that won’t bust your budget and are hand-holdable • Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 • Tamron 150mm-600mm f/5-6.3 • Sigma 150mm-600mm f/5-6.3 • Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L • Professional grade telephoto lenses are very expensive and require tripods or monopods • Prime (i.e. single focal length) lenses tend to focus faster and produce sharper images than zooms • Teleconverters (TCs) are an inexpensive alternative to increase focal length of a given lens 6.4 lbs 7.4 lbs 8.4 lbs 6.8 lbs 10.1 lbs • Decreases aperture • Decreases image quality • Decreases autofocus speed • Example: 200-500mm f/5.6 + 1.4x TC = 280-700mm f/8 6 WHAT’S IN MY BAG? • Cameras • Nikon D500 (APS-C DSLR) • Nikon Z6 II (Full Frame Mirrorless) • Lenses • Nikkor 500mm f/5.6 PF • Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G II • Te l e c o n v e r t e r s • Nikon TC-14E III • Nikon TC-20E III 7 EXPOSURE TRIANGLE REVIEW 8 CAMERA SETTINGS • Shutter priority (i.e.
    [Show full text]
  • The Positive and Negative Effects of Photography on Wildlife
    Gardner-Webb University Digital Commons @ Gardner-Webb University Undergraduate Honors Theses Honors Program 2020 The Positive and Negative Effects of Photography on Wildlife Joy Smith Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.gardner-webb.edu/undergrad-honors Part of the Photography Commons The Positive and Negative Effects of Photography on Wildlife An Honors Thesis Presented to The University Honors Program Gardner-Webb University 10 April 2020 by Joy Smith Accepted by the Honors Faculty _______________________________ ________________________________________ Dr. Robert Carey, Thesis Advisor Dr. Tom Jones, Associate Dean, Univ. Honors _______________________________ _______________________________________ Prof. Frank Newton, Honors Committee Dr. Christopher Nelson, Honors Committee _______________________________ _______________________________________ Dr. Bob Bass, Honors Committee Dr. Shea Stuart, Honors Committee I. Overview of Wildlife Photography The purpose of this thesis is to research the positive and negative effects photography has on animals. This includes how photographers have helped to raise awareness about endangered species, as well as how people have hurt animals by getting them too used to cameras and encroaching on their space to take photos. Photographers themselves have been a tremendous help towards the fight to protect animals. Many of them have made it their life's mission to capture photos of elusive animals who are on the verge of extinction. These people know how to properly interact with an animal; they leave them alone and stay as hidden as possible while photographing them so as to not cause the animals any distress. However, tourists, amateur photographers, and a small number of professional photographers can be extremely harmful to animals. When photographing animals, their habitats can become disturbed, they can become very frightened and put in harm's way, and can even hurt or kill photographers who make them feel threatened.
    [Show full text]
  • Wildlife Photography Over Nature Photography
    International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention (IJHSSI) ISSN (Online): 2319 – 7722, ISSN (Print): 2319 – 7714 www.ijhssi.org ||Volume 9 Issue 9 Ser. II || September 2020 || PP 49-52 Wildlife Photography over Nature Photography D. Randula Podduwage1, R.M.Patrick Ratnayake2 1, 2 – Drama & Theatre and Image Arts Unit, Department of Fine Arts, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. ABSTRACT Wildlife photography is one of the most popular genres in photography. Although the history of wildlife photography goes back more than 100 years, until recently there was no internationally accepted definition for it. Since 2015, a number of leading photography organizations around the world have filled this gap, establishing the wildlife photography genre as a more consistent subject area, subject to a common international definition. The main purpose of this article is to identify the exact shape of the wildlife photography genre by considering the specific newly introduced definition with referring to existing sources. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- Date of Submission: 10-09-2020 Date of Acceptance: 25-09-2020 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- I. INTRODUCTION Capturing nature and wildlife images is an exclusive subject area of photography. It consists with the collaboration knowledge of few subjects like Photography, Art, Technology,
    [Show full text]
  • Photographic Equipment Guidelines the Farm Lodge Lake Clark National Park, Alaska
    Photographic Equipment Guidelines The Farm Lodge Lake Clark National Park, Alaska by Jim Barr Professional Nature, Adventure Travel, and Outdoor Sports Photographer President, American Society of Media Photographers, Alaska Chapter Photography Guide, The Farm Lodge, Lake Clark National Park Introduction. Here are some general and specific equipment suggestions for photo tour participants. These start and build from “ground zero”, so just blend this information with the equipment that you already have. Equipment is important, but...the old cliché “cameras don’t take pictures, people do” really is true. So don’t put too much emphasis on the equipment. We’ll help you get the most out of what you have. On the other hand, a bear’s face would need to be within two or three feet of the lens for a frame- filling National Geographic quality close-up with a small point-and-shoot or cell phone camera. Not healthy for the photographer (or the bear), and not too likely to happen. The right tools do help. Keep size, weight, and portability in mind. You’ll be traveling to Port Alsworth on a small plane, and deeper into the bush each day on an even smaller one. Space is limited. We’ll also be doing some walking. Bears will require a mile or so of light hiking each way. On landscape days we may hike further and sometimes over rougher terrain, but you can leave heavy wildlife gear at the lodge or in the airplane. We do have options that limit the walking necessary, but there will always be some.
    [Show full text]
  • The Quick Focus Way to Sharp Pictures
    The Quick Focus Way to Sharp Pictures Highly Accurate Quick Focus System -pinpoint sharpness every time- Clear QF Indicators -error-proof, fuss-free- Bright Viewfinder -with clear laser matte focusing screen- QF Functions With Any FD Lens -wide-angle, zoom, macro, telephoto- Aperture-priority AE + Manual Mode -the choice is yours- Simple To Use -light and compact, too- It should have been the perfect picture. The exposure was exact and you framed it beautifully. But when the film came back from the developer's you found that your prize shot was blurred and indistinct. It happens even to pros, but now Canon has come up with a way to ensure you never suffer the disappointment of poorly focused pictures again. It's called the Ouick Focus (OF) system and it's the star attraction of the new AL-1. Easy-to-see arrows point which way to turn the lens' focusing ring and a green spot lights when your subject is in sharpest focus. No more eye strain or guesswork trying to judge the optimum focus. And because the Quick Focus is a TTL (through-the-Iens) system using three CCO line sensors, it works with any of Canon's over 50 FO interchangeable lenses. Other features help make the AL-1 one of the easiest to use SLRs ever. Its bright viewfinder incorporates an overall laser-matte focusing screen with convenient focus frame, while microcomputer "brains" take care of ranging detection, exposure and control decisions. And it's an aperture-priority AE camera, which means that you select the aperture and the camera sets the correct shutter speed.
    [Show full text]
  • Image-Making and Wildlife Conservation
    Watch the Birdie: Image-making and Wildlife Conservation Claudia Springer, PhD Framingham State University Published in: Explorations in Media Ecology volume 10, numbers 1 & 2 (2011): 7-23. Abstract Photography and the modern wildlife conservation movement became entwined soon after their shared emergence in the middle of the 19th century. This article analyzes how photography, film, video, and digital imaging have shaped the movement and continue to exert influence. Images often dictate our knowledge of animal species in the wild, but they can be deceptive, and they have hindered as well as helped conservation efforts. The profusion of wildlife conservation imagery and continued politicized debates over appropriate strategies make it important to investigate the conflicted alliance between mechanical reproduction and the conservation movement. Keywords Photography, film, digital imagery, conservationism, wildlife, endangered species. Author biography Claudia Springer is assistant professor of English and film studies in the English Department at Framingham State University in Framingham, Massachusetts. Her teaching and research interests are film studies, cultural studies, and contemporary world literature. This article was selected as the best faculty paper at the 2010 Media Ecology Association Convention at the University of Maine. Dr. Springer is the author of Electronic Eros: Bodies and Desire in the Postindustrial Age (1996) and James Dean 1 Transfigured: The Many Faces of Rebel Iconography (2007), both published by the University of Texas Press. It was cause for rejoicing when a photograph of a South China tiger appeared in fall 2007. Seldom does a species thought to be extinct make an appearance, and a South China tiger had not been seen in the wild since 1964.
    [Show full text]
  • A Wildlife Photographer's Guide
    The Photography of Natural Art Images Brad Hill www.naturalart.ca Exposing Nature’s Art [email protected] The Photography of Naturalhis guide Art was Images produced to assist you in preparing for your BC • A section on the wildlife photography ethics we willBrad all Hill follow on coastal photo tour with Natural Art Images. It is intended as a your photo tour. helpful supplement to the information you have (or will) receive • A “Choosing Your Camera Gear” section that includes a description Tin your Trip Bible and, as such, may overlap on some of the same topics. of the special conditions and constraints you’ll face on virtually all Any conditions or constraints that are specific or unique to your trip – coastal BC photo tours with Natural Art Images (and how they may and that could impact on your gear choice – will be covered in your Trip impact on your gear choice). Bible. • A “Tips & Tricks” section that should help you significantly while on This guide covers four main areas: the photo tour. • A description of the “nature” and style of wildlife photography you’ll Enjoy! encounter on your photo tour (which I think of as the “expectations management” section!). www.naturalart.ca Exposing Nature’s Art [email protected] The Photography of Natural Art Images Brad Hill The Photography “Style” On Our Photo Tours don’t know the specifics of the shooting conditions ahead of time and thus may put more onus on the photographer to make snap technical and All our BC coastal photo tours are genuine “photography in remote creative decisions in a field setting.
    [Show full text]
  • Wildlife Photography on Private Lands a Market Study
    E-467 03-08 Wildlife Photography on Private Lands A Market Study Miles Phillips, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, The Texas A&M System Photos by Miles Phillips According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, 11.7 million people in the United States travel for the purpose of photographing wildlife. In 2007, members of the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) and a small number of individual photographers who had paid a fee to photograph wildlife on private lands in Texas were asked to complete an online survey about their experiences. Eleven landowners who offered fee-based wildlife photography on their land completed a related survey. The survey results show that private landowners can provide a highly satisfying experience for wildlife photographers. This study also indicates that the current market for fee-based wildlife photography is not well devel- oped and depends on a mix of key species, site amenities, and marketing efforts. Regional and seasonal desirability is influenced by general scenery and climate as well as by wildlife. The study indicates that, although interest is growing, most people are not aware of the benefits of fee-based wildlife photography opportunities on private lands, and so the level of demand is still largely unknown. Some landowners have begun to profit from this enterprise, but others have not yet made the profit they need to continue their operations. This pilot study was intended as a starting point for learning whether fee-based photography has potential as a way for agricultural operators to diversify their income while conserving wildlife.
    [Show full text]
  • Choosing the Right Lens for Nature and Landscape Photography
    Choosing the Right Lens for Nature and Landscape Photography ROB SHEPPARD 2 | Dedication Acknowledgements I dedicate this book to all of my students from around the My family is terrific. My wife is always so supportive and country and the world who have taught me how people helpful, especially during these times of major changes learn about nature and photography and how I can better in the photo business. My son loves education, that is his share ideas about both. career, and I always learn something in my discussions with him. My daughter is also a writer and photographer and I find her fresh approaches inspiring. Now my son is married and I look forward to learning from my new daughter-in-law. Second, I really have to acknowledge the folks at Peachpit Press for starting up photo e-books. I think we are just in the beginning stages of this fascinating way of combining words and photos in beautiful ways. I also thank all of them for the great work they do and the support they give to make sure their authors, like me, create a book that we can all be proud of. 3 | About the Author Rob Sheppard believes we all have a unique vision to share through photography. The craft of photography matters if you want your photos to communicate. Nature photography is not just about clever photos briefly shown on Facebook or Instagram. It’s about finding ways to create meaning in your photography and connect people with the natural world. Black and white has the power to do exactly that.
    [Show full text]
  • “Take Only Photographs”: Animal Photography’S Construction of Nature Love
    Brower Back to Issue 9 “Take Only Photographs”: Animal Photography’s Construction of Nature Love by Matthew Brower © 2005 Contemporary woodlore suggests that to properly respect nature we should “take only photographs and leave only footprints” when we enter the wilderness. This expression takes photography as a model of non-interventionist right practice and offers a vision of nature as a non-human space in which humans do not belong. 1 In this schema photography appears as a non- intrusive, environmentally friendly activity that shows proper respect for the fragility of nature. This rhetoric positions nature photography as maintaining a separation between humans and nature.2 It assures us that photography keeps us at an appropriate distance from nature. Thus, nature photography is the figure of an ideal relation to nature; it provides access to nature while leaving it untouched. Nature photography offers us an image of nature that it at the same time forbids us to occupy. It is this relation to nature that is at work in wildlife photography. In his essay, “Why look at Animals?”, John Berger argues that wildlife photography presents an image of the animal as fundamentally separate from http://www.rochester.edu/in_visible_culture/Issue_9/brower.html (1 of 27) [1/22/07 2:48:32 PM] Brower the human.3 He further suggests that nature photography is not simply a convenient rhetorical figure for humanity’s separation from nature but is central to the operation of this ideology. Wildlife photography shows images marked by their “normal invisibility” positioning the animals depicted in a realm outside the human.4 The photographs show us animals we could not normally see.
    [Show full text]