If you’re just getting started in photographing birds and other forms of wildlife, you’ve come to the right place. The following episode from the Safari Expert YouTube channel will set you straight by explaining the best camera settings to choose for various subjects and situations.

Instructor Villers Steyn is an experienced South African wildlife photography expert who regularly helps his clients configure their cameras properly while photographing animals on safari. But you don’t have to travel to faraway locations, or photograph exotic animals, to take advantage of his advice. That’s because his tips are equally valuable when shooting at a local park, game reserve, or even at the zoo.

It certainly would be nice if there was a single set of default settings that you could use for every scene, but like with other forms of photography, that’s not the case. As Steyn explains, “you have to adjust your camera settings based upon what you see: the light, the subject and your goal in a specific situation.”

That said, it certainly helps to begin with a good choice of go-to settings that you can quickly modify as needed. The best times to photograph wildlife are typically early morning and late afternoon when many animals are active and searching for a meal. When shooting shortly after dawn, when the light is really low, Steyn uses the Aperture Priority mode and choose the lowest f/stop provided by his lens.

He also recommends relatively high ISO settings like 1,600 or 3,200. As he explains, “the low f/stop lets in a lot of light, allowing the camera to choose the fastest shutter speed for the conditions. And the high ISO makes the camera’s sensor nice and light sensitive.” He also explains why you should set EV-Compensation to zero.

Steyn also makes sure that his autofocus mode is set to AI Servo/AF-C (focus tracking) for reasons he explains. When shooting in the afternoon he uses these same settings, other than dropping the high ISO to 400. As light levels fall he increase ISO accordingly.

There are a few more tips and tricks as the lesson proceeds, and they’re equally important, so pay close attention and you won’t be a novice wildlife photographer for long. Then take a look at Steyn’s instructional YouTube channel, where you find more great advice for increasing your wildlife photography skills.

On a related note, be sure to check out an earlier tutorial from another expert who explains why “bold eyes” are the key to great wildlife photographs and how to enhance the effect when processing your images.

We’ve all captured photos during the day that didn’t make the grade, either because of flat lighting, unimpressive colors, or a variety of other considerations. Rather that tossing these images into the trash, how about transforming them into dramatic nightscapes that really grab attention?

This tutorial from the Lou Imag’in YouTube channel demonstrates a three-step process for getting the job done. It’s easy enough for Photoshop users of all skill levels, and only takes four minutes to explain.

Instructor Lou, namesake for the channel. is an accomplished shooter and image-retouching expert with experience in fashion, commercial, and other styles of photography. She kicks of this episode by explaining what type of photos work best for this straightforward technique, and others that do not.

If you want optimum results Lou explains why you should avoid applying this technique to images shot under harsh light. Instead she recommends using photos like the dull foggy scene in her example, captured with flat illumination and subdued colors. In other words, boring images are a great fit for a conversion will be both compelling and realistic.

As you’ll see, there’s a simple method for “turning on” streetlamps. She provides a link beneath the video to her previous lesson that explains how easy this is to do. She also discusses the importance of enhancing a daytime sky and making other important adjustments that turn on a viewer’s eyes.

Once you’ve selected the right photo, Lou’s second tip is to add a moon and stars to the image, because these elements are important symbols of the night. In other words, “even if your image isn’t very dark, in people’s minds a moon and stars mean this is a night image.” She includes another link to her earlier tutorial that explains the simple process for adding these “essential” elements.

Lou’s final tip has to do with the importance of careful color grading when converting a dull day scene into a nightscape. In this regard she says, “if you add blue tones to an image you’ll greatly intensify a convincing nighttime mood. She demonstrates how to accomplish this process by using Lightroom’s Adjustment Layers sliders.

These modifications rely upon simple Lightroom tools like Color Balance, Selective Color, Hue/Saturation, Gradients Maps and a few others. Obviously, you needn’t employ all these tools, but only those that are appropriate for the image at hand.

After watching the video head over to Lou’s informative YouTube channel where you’ll find a variety of great tips and tricks for elevating your post-processing skills.

We also recommend watching an earlier tutorial from another image-editing expert who explains how to sharpen soft, blurry images with Photoshop’s easy-to-use Unsharp Mask tool.

Exposure bracketing in an invaluable technique when photographing outdoor scenes in high-contrast situations that make it impossible to capture what you see through the viewfinder in a single shot. In this episode you’ll learn what one pro says is the easiest way to get the job done.

Instructor Jalen Oban is a landscape photographer who explains the technique like this: “By taking multiple shots of the same scene at different exposure levels and blending them together, exposure bracketing ensures that both the highlights and shadows are properly exposed” The result is a more balanced and accurate final image.

This method is particularly useful when the dynamic range of a scene exceeds the capabilities of your camera’s sensor. Examples include landscapes shot at sunrise or sunset with bright skies and shadowy foregrounds. The process involves capturing three shots of the scene; one exposed for the highlights, another for the shadows, and a third to balance out the overall exposure.

Then all that’s necessary is to blend these photos together in the simple manner that Oban explains to arrive a final composite image that “retains detail in both the brightest and darkest areas of the scene.” He uses an image from his recent trip to Yosemite National Park to demonstrate how easy and effective this is to accomplish.

Some cameras have a built-in Auto Bracketing mode that simplifies the process, but there’s no need to worry if the camera you use doesn’t have this capability. That’s because you can manually adjust the shutter speed to achieve the necessary variations in exposure.

After returning home Oban imported his three images into Lightroom and selected them in the Library module. Then he right-clicked and navigated to Photo Merge HDR to initiate the merging process. Next he demonstrates how to refine the HDR image by applying adjustments to contrast, color balance, masks, and other parameters to achieve the specific result that you desire.

Bottom line: Exposure bracketing is a very powerful method for overcoming the challenges of difficult light and the density-range limitations of a camera. With Oban’s straightforward method of shooting and merging multiple photos you’ll be able to create  stunning results that greatly exceed your expectations.

Oban’s instructional YouTube channel is full of helpful techniques like this one, so be sure to pay a visit and explore when you have time.

We also suggest watching the tutorial we posted recently from another accomplish pro who demonstrates how to set focus for shallow depth of field when shooting landscapes, macro, and other outdoor photographs.

Sigma Corporation of America just announced the 50mm f/1.2 DG DN | Art Lens, an ultra-fast standard prime lens for L-mount and Sony E-mount full-frame mirrorless cameras. Featuring Sigma’s first-ever 13-blade rounded diaphragm, Dual HLA-driven floating focusing design, plus dust and splash-resistant construction, the new 50mm f/1.2 is said to be the lightest weight in its class and is 30% smaller than the Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG DN | Art lens.

Featuring an optical formula that comprises 17 elements in 12 groups (including four aspherical) the Sigma f/1.2 DG DN | Art Lens utilizes internal focusing driven by their proprietary HLA (High-response Linear Actuator) autofocus system.

Measuring just 3.2 x 4.3 inches (81 x 108.8mm) and weighing 26.3 ounces (745g), Sigma’s newest prime lens is manufactured in Japan at their Aizu factory.

Sigma’s 50mm f/1.2 prime lens is expected to be available on April 18, 2024 at a retail price of $1,399 through authorized Sigma retail partners.

For more information, visit Sigma’s website, or visit them on Facebook, X (Twitter) or Instagram.

∞ Shutterbug Staff