Table of Contents
Acknowledgments viii
Introduction ix
Chapter 1 Gearing Up: Cameras, Lenses, and Accessories 1
Cameras for Wildlife Photography 3
DSLR Cameras 3
Mirroriess Cameras 11
Compact Cameras 12
Lenses for Wildlife Photography 14
Magnification 14
Aperture Characteristics 16
Sharpness 17
Teleconverters 19
Accessorizing Your Camera Setup 21
Tripod 21
Flash 23
Packs and Bags and Other Accessories 25
Photographing Wildlife with Tablets and Smartphones 26
Caring for Your Camera and Lenses 28
Chapter 2 Exploring Exposure 31
Exposure Defined and Explained 31
Elements of Exposure 35
Shutter Speed 35
Aperture (Depth of Field) 36
ISO 37
Relationship of Exposure Elements 39
Exposure and Camera Settings 43
Exposure Compensation for Difficult Subjects 44
Chapter 3 Working with Light 49
Basic Light Patterns in Wildlife Photography 50
Front Light 51
Sidelight 53
Backlight 55
Overcast (Flat Light) 58
Silhouettes 61
Daily Changes in Natural Light 64
Chapter 4 Composition 69
Composition Defined and Explained 69
Basic Compositional Rules 71
Rule of Thirds 71
Level Horizons 74
Subject Framing 76
Focus 78
Depth of Field 82
Perspective 83
Composition Killers 88
Chapter 5 Finding Wildlife 91
Urban and Backyard Wildlife 92
Zoos and Other Facilities 95
State and National Parks 99
Wildlife Refuges and Wilderness Areas 103
Local Hot Spots 106
Photo Tours and Safaris 107
Other Travel 111
Chapter 6 Photographing Birds 113
Bird Behavior Basics 114
Movement Patterns 115
Seasonal Activities 117
Migrations 119
Backyard Bird Photography 121
Photographing from a Blind 124
Photographing Nesting Birds 129
Flight Photography 134
Chapter 7 Photographing Mammals 143
Mammal Behavior and Habitat Basics 145
Movement Patterns 148
Seasonal Activities 158
Pelage Transitions 161
Urban Mammal Photography 163
Photographing Dangerous Mammals 164
Photographing from a Blind 168
Chapter 8 Photographing Reptiles and Amphibians 171
Reptile and Amphibian Behavior Basics 172
Movement Patterns 174
Seasonal Activities 178
Appearance Transitions 182
Photographing Dangerous Species 184
Chapter 9 Photographing Small Subjects and Macro Photography 187
Specialty Equipment for Small Subjects 188
High-Magnification Lenses 188
Macro Lenses 190
Adaptable Cameras 193
Basics of Macro Photography 194
Photographing Insects 201
Chapter 10 Special Techniques and Situations 207
Flash Photography and Wildlife 208
Enhancing Motion 211
Panning Techniques 213
Shutter Speed 214
Photography in and on Water 216
Underwater Wildlife Photography 219
Dealing with Extreme Environments 222
Chapter 11 Image Processing, Storage, and Sharing 227
Storage and Backup 228
Filing Systems 230
Photo Processing Software 232
Basic Photo Processing Techniques 235
Cropping 235
Exposure Adjustment 235
Leveling 236
Color Correction 236
Photo Sharing 238
To Sell or Not to Sell? 240
Index 244
About the Author 252
