There’s no better way to learn than listening to a top pro explain the secrets to his success, and that’s what you’ll find in the following tutorial from acclaimed South African wildlife photographer Mark Dumbleton. His popular YouTube channel has the simple goal of helping other shooters capture better images in the field and make them look amazing.
This six-minute episode is the result of conversations between Dumbleton and several other professional wildlife photographers. He kicks off the tutorial like this: “I’ve spoken to many pro photographers about how they set up their cameras, and they all say the same thing, and in this video I’ll show you the camera mode they all use and explain why.”
Dumbleton also discusses important metering techniques you should use for getting the light right under a variety of conditions, along with several other wildlife shooting methods that contribute to great imagery. And keep this in mind: You needn’t go on safari to in search of exotic game, because everything you’ll learn will prove valuable for capturing photos of birds and other more common animals at a local park, game reserve, or even in your own backyard.
The lesson begins with a quick discussion of key exposure setting as they pertain to this genre of photography. One common denominator among Dumbleton and his experienced colleagues is this: “We need to react swiftly to situations and minimize the need to adjust camera settings on the fly.”
This is one reason that Dumbleton often prefers Aperture Priority mode, along with the fact that f/stop control is “crucial for achieving desired background rendering and precise subject focus.” And he provides examples of the significant difference this makes in the look of every image you shoot. Bottom line, wide apertures blur backgrounds while narrow apertures increase depth of field.
Shutter speed, on the other hand, is “crucial for freezing action or intentionally blurring action” for creating unique effects. That’s why different subjects require different shutter speeds depending upon how fast they’re moving (or if you’re dealing with a static scene in which an animal is at rest). Once again, Dumbleton provides some impressive examples of what you can expect when shooting at both long and short shutter speeds.
The foregoing is just a small taste of what you’ll learn in this quick and important lesson. After discussing all the technicalities of using the right gear and properly configuring the camera, Dumbleton concludes the video with some very helpful personal shooting techniques.
His instructional YouTube channel offers an abundance of solid information for wildlife photographers of all skill levels, so be sure to take a look.
And don’t miss the related tutorial we featured from another top expert, with several solid tips for processing wildlife photographs so they look as good as possible.
Understanding how to control depth of field (DOF) is essential for most forms of photography, and this technique can make the difference between a ho-hum image and one that makes viewers exclaim “Wow!” And nowhere is this more essential that when photographing macro subjects in the field—or even when shooting closeups of tiny inanimate objects at home.
That’s because DOF plays a pivotal role in accentuating a key subject by separating it from other areas withing the frame. You’ll learn how to unlock the secrets to this technique in today’s comprehensive 21-minute guide—whether you’re a beginner or a more experienced shooter.
Instructor Stewart Wood is an accomplished pro specializing in macro photography with a portfolio of mind-blowing images. He’s also a popular instructor who regularly passes along the new techniques he learns so that you can take advantage of them too. His goal for this episode is to help you “perfect your macro shots and tell compelling visual stories by mastering the art of depth of field.”
Wood coves plenty of ground in a hurry, so we recommend jotting down a few notes for future reference. He discusses a wide variety of topics, from essential gear, the impact of camera-to-subject distance, and powerful techniques like focus stacking and others.
The bottom line is that you’ll learn how to manipulate aperture settings to isolate a subject and capture intricate details with stunning clarity. And, after all, that’s what great macro photography is all about. Wood begins by explaining the concept of DOF, and how it pertains to this particular genre.
Wood spends a couple minutes discussing aperture settings and illustrates how different f/stops will dramatically impact your results. In this regard the concept of diffraction is a crucial one because, as you’ll see, image quality tends to suffer as you stop a lens down beyond acceptable limits—typically f/5.6 or f/8. That’s why it often makes sense to control exposure by modifying shutter speed and/or ISO.
The focal length of your lens also factors into the equation, as does the level of magnification it provides. The crop factor of a camera, if you’re not using a full-frame model, is another important consideration. As far as composition is concerned, it’s important to understand the impact that camera angle and camera-to-subject-distance have on your results.
When it comes to editing your images there’s a method known as focus stacking that can pay huge dividends, and you learn how this process works. Essentially this involves shooting multiple photographs of the same scene—each with a different point of focus—with the camera locked down on a tripod. Then you merge the shots during post processing to achieve one final image with ideal DOF exactly where you want it.
Wood concludes the lesson by explaining how to use everything you learned to become a much better visual storyteller. If this guide strikes your fancy be sure to visit Wood’s instructional YouTube channel where you’ll find other lessons that will elevate your macro photography skills.
