Shoot sharp! That is what I learned from Grant Atkinson, one of South Africa’s top wildlife photographers. With modern DSLR camera equipment, there is no reason NOT to make certain that every image that you use on a public platform is not pin sharp.
If it ain’t sharp then delete it, it is very seldom that modern photographers only shoot one frame and there are likely to be sharp images amongst those.
I started my photographic journey using a film camera, I had to check composition and sharpness manually before shooting. I have carried this habit into my digital work and it helps cut down on wasted hours in post-production trying to salvage an image.
There is an old adage that asks the question “How do you eat an elephant”? and the response is “One piece at a time”!
It is the same rule that needs to be applied when taking images of large game species like rhino. In this case, seeing that I already had a 560mm, f/5.6 lens on my Pentax K3iii body, I had no option but to shoot the horns only. That being said, some might say that I should have included the eyes, but for me, the image tells a story as it is. Good enough for me as I never shoot to be critiqued by a camera club.
There are a plethora of mobile-phone photographers flooding Instagram with thousands of mediocre images, and there are professionals who take your breath away with stunning images, so how do you make yours capture the attention of the viewer and the moment as you experienced it.
Oxpeckers make for great subjects, especially when perched on the back of a rhino. These birds , are often found in groups of large animals and can pop up in the most interesting crevices and orifices! Spend time watching them rather than focussing on the mammals that they are perched on.
I am not saying that you should never photograph a large animal whole, there are instances where the whole is better than the sum of the parts…especially when ‘cute’ is involved.
Always remember that photography, like all creative art, is subjective and that what you see in your image might not be perceived in the same manner by others. Pack up your trunk, it is time to move on? Trunks and tusks make for great photographic opportunities.
Use the foliage as part of the image. Using the leaf on the left of the image will give you some idea of the actual size of an elephant…if you were at all uncertain.
Don’t put your foot in it! Shooting from a below-ground hide can produce some interesting angles. But you will need to be patient as, unlike a game drive where you go looking for animals, you have to wait for them to come to you. But the end result, like this foot that was no more than 3m from my lens.
The eyes have it. Are they the window to the soul? Make certain that your eye images are sharp and keep in mind that you can often see reflections in them that will take the image to a different level.
Another image where I had the wrong lens, but it worked. This bull was part of a herd that was on the far side of a waterhole and again it was the 560mm, f/5.6 that was on a K3ii body. When I next looked this animal had walked around the water and come to eat of a tree about 5m from where I was seated.
Buffalo always look at you as if you owe them money. Use that to your advantage. Most of my images are shot using a Sigma 50-500mm lens, which gives me the freedom to shoot either the whole or select parts of the subject in my viewfinder.
Predators seem to have the ability to stare at you in a manner that makes you believe that they are capable of staring deep into your soul. Or perhaps they perceive you as a potential meal?
If you are out on foot while shooting, constantly check your surroundings for species that you might not have seen. That being said, you should never venture out alone. It is always preferable to have someone with you who can focus on the surrounding rather than having an eye glued to a viewfinder.
Photography, like fishing, makes for great fire-side tales and the end of an event-filled day in the bush. There is always that one image that was missed or an image that you are so excited about capturing that you want to share how it was achieved.
Importantly, remember that it is not about the size of your lens or the complexity of the camera body that you are using. Eventually what it boils down to is having a good eye for what YOU want to capture and how you want to present your work.
One of my favourite pictures, taken by Elly Gearing in 2019 at the lodge where I saw my first wild Pangolin.
All the images on my Blog are taken with Pentax K series bodies and a mixture of Pentax and Sigma lenses. My go-to lens for many years has been a Sigma 50-500mm lens, but one day, Pentax will make a 400mm f/2.8 for which I would be prepared to sell a kidney.
My photographic journey started off with a Pentax Spotmatic F that was given to me in 1974 and I have been brand loyal ever since.
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and may not be used without permission.
