The real seal
To discover the true nature of a seal you need to see it underwater says
Alex Must ard, who is in his element when he captures a joyous encounter
Wild OR CULTIVATED, plants and flowers
grow in many different guises.But while they
can vary greatly in size, shape, color and
appearance, most plants can be approached
in much the same way photograpically for
all kind s of plant life, technique and way is
which you light them is actually quite similar.
Therefore, whether you visit a local park,
public gardens our advise will ensure your
return with incredible images time after time.
Depth of field
The aperture you select will have a large
influence on how your nature images look.
The size of the aperture greatly dictates the
am ount depth of field the zone of acceptable
sharpness in front of, and behind, your point
of focus wide aperture like f/4 produces a
shallow depth of filed, ideal if you wish to
render background detail pleasantly out of
focus. A small aperture like f/16 generates
plenty depth of field, which is best suited to
images where you want the the subject to
be sharp through it. It is important that you
dont let your camera automatically control
aperture selection,which would be the he case
if you were using program or shutter priority
mode. Instead manually select apertures by
using either your cameras aperture priority or
manual exposure mode. Depth of filed is also
affected by the focal length of the lens and
camera to subject distance,with the zone of
sharpness appearing
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Outdoor Photography APRIL 2014
Lighting
The lights quality and direction is a key
ingredients foa any nature image. Strong
sunlight is often best avoided as it can be
too harsh to capture the finest detail.While
shadowless light might be considered dull
and lifeless or some subjects. a bright buat
overcast day is perfect for flower or woodland
photography.On days like this,the cloud cover
simulates one softbox, producing beautiful,
evenly lit results,in fact, in strong light , it can
be worthwhile casting your subject in shade
using your shadow or an umberella to lower
contrast and allow you to capture
authentic color and detail.
Genenrally speaking, overhead light is best
avoided as it casts ugly shadows by placing
a reflector nearby or by using a small burst
of fill in flash. Traditionally, the best light is
during early morning and evening,when is
naturally softer and warmer. The suns low
position casts longer shadows that accentuate
shape and form so it is well worth setting
your alarm early and staying out late. Also,at
either end of the day, the suns low positon
makes it easier to shoot subjects in beautiful
backlight. Backlighting when the principal
light source is positoned behind the subject is
particularly well suited to plants and flowers.
As a regular reader of OP, I am well aware
that this feature usually presents serene,
covert glimpses into the natural world. So
I hope you will forgive this departure, not
because this is an underwater photo, but
because it shows a thoroughly interactive
British wildlife encounter. The fact I was
underwater at the time was crucial. If
you’ve only met seals – our most abundant
marin HX[[X[8