Table of Contents
Introduction 6
Ethics 8
Chapter One: Equipment 10
Digital SLRs 12
Lenses 14 Lens types for nature photography 16
Camera supports 18
Useful accessories 20
Storage 22
Camera care 24
Chapter Two: Exposure 26
Exposure 28
Aperture 30
Shutter speed 32
Histograms 34
White balance 36
High-key and low-key photography 38
Exposing to the right (ETTR) 40
Chapter Three: Composition 42
The rule of thirds 44
The rule of odds 46
Negative space 48
Motion 50
Perspective 52
Colour 54
Breaking the rules 56
Chapter Four: Lighting 58
Direction of light 60
Dawn and dusk 62
Weather 64
Silhouettes 66
Seasons 68
Using a reflector 70
Artificial lighting 72
Chapter Five: Close-up Photography 74
Technique 76
Macro flash 78
Butterflies 80
Dragonflies and damselflies 82
Spiders 84
Amphibians 86
Reptiles 88
Chapter Six: Birds 90
Technique 92
Autofocus 94
Making and using a hide 96
Setting up a garden feeding station 98
Wetland and coastal birds 100
Birds of prey 102
Flight photography 104
Chapter seven: Mammals 106
Technique 108
Research and observe 110
Fieldcraft 112
Visualizing black and white 114
Environmental portraits 116
Deer parks 118
The decisive moment 120
Chapter eight: Plant life 122
Technique 124
Maximizing image sharpness 126
Wild flowers 128
Plants within the landscape 130
Shape and form 132
Fungi 134
Seasonal changes 136
Chapter Nine: Post-processing 138
File types 140
Processing a Raw file 142
Sharpening 146
Exposure blending 148
Noise reduction 150
Archiving 152
Chapter Ten: Creative Assignments 154
Break the rules 156
Convey motion 158
Build your own feeding station 160
Explore urban wildlife 162
Concentrate on one species 164
Study the environment 166
Frequently asked questions 168
Glossary 170
Useful websites and downloads 172
About the authors and acknowledgements 173
Index 174
