photo tips
Tip # 1
Digitally defying darkness
- Paul Burwell
Most modern digital cameras have the ability to take photographs in low-light
conditions that would have made photography next to impossible just a few years
ago. The sensitivity of film or digital sensors to light is measured in a term called ISO.
The traditional trade-off for using higher ISO's is an increase in noise on the film or
the digital image. Although many photographers rarely consider making photographs
at an ISO setting higher than 400, today's digital cameras often have the ability of
producing great images at ISO 800, 1600 and even 3200.I recently had the
opportunity to photograph two Black Bear families. Suffering through near
freezing conditions and drizzly weather was tough enough for the end of May, but I
couldn't imagine missing out on this photographic opportunity because of the low-
light conditions. To maintain shutter speeds fast enough to stop the action I started
the evening photographing at 800 ISO and by the time the evening was over I was
photographing at my camera's maximum of 3200 ISO.
When opportunity strikes, ratcheting up your digital camera's ISO can get you the
results you want.
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Location: Near Sandy Lake, MB
Camera: Canon 1Ds Mark II
Lens: Canon 70-200 F2.8L IS,
1.4x TC @280mm
Exposure: 1/500th of a second at F5.6,
ISO 1600
Misc: Really Right Stuff BH-55
ballhead, no noise processing |

Location: Near Sandy Lake, MB
Camera: Canon 1Ds Mark II
Lens: Canon 70-200 F2.8L IS,
1.4x TC @150mm
Exposure: 1/400th of a second at F4,
ISO 1600
Misc: Really Right Stuff BH-55
ballhead, no noise processing |
Tip # 2
Common subjects, 'Catchy' Results
- Kelly Funk
In the world of wildlife photography, there's a
multitude of factors that will make
even the most common subjects stand out; the use of catch-lights
in the eyes is one
of those. The eyes are the most important part of an animal's
features and catch-
lights help to bring a feeling of personality and connection to
those subjects.
Front lighting will help you achieve these results
by using the sun to create those
dramatic eyes, and if you're backlighting, some form of artificial
light will need to be
used to get those all important eyes to light up; not easy and
not always practical
but very dramatic as an end result.
Don't miss a thing, subscribe
to the magazine today and get more of Kelly Funk's
how-to advice delivered right to your door. |

Camera: Nikon F100
Lens: Nikkor 400mm/2.8
Exposure: Shot at f/5.6 1/125 sec
on Provia 100 slide film
Misc: Gitzo T-pod, Manfrotto
heavy-duty ballhead
|
Camera: Nikon F5
Lens: Nikkor 400mm/2.8 with Nikkor
1.4 tele-convertor
Exposure: Shot at f/4 1/60 sec on
Provia 100 slide film
Misc: Gitzo T-Pod, Manfrotto
heavy-duty ballhead
Assistant held white reflector to
the right of the subject. |
TIP # 3&4 • TIP # 5&6 • TIP # 7&8 • TIP # 9&10 • TIP # 11
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