Winter wildlife photography can be tricky, especially if you have to deal with snowfall and a white landscape. It’s always interesting to photograph the natural and unique wildlife of the alpine region in Victoria and NSW, or in various parts of Tasmania, during snowfall, or overseas in places such as Antarctica and the Arctic Circle. Here are some tips on how to handle winter wildlife photography:

#1 Be Thorough With Your Research

Before you book your trip and pack your bags, do some research on winter wildlife photography. You’ll save some time and effort if you know where you should go to get the best wildlife and landscape pictures. Here are some points to consider before you leave:

• When is the best time to visit the alpine regions for photography?
• Which animals would make the best subjects for winter wildlife photography?

Research is even more important if you intend to visit other countries that have colder winters, especially if they’re in the Northern Hemisphere.

#2 Know Your Camera Settings

There’s a reason why people wear protective eye-gear when they ski or trek in snow-covered landscapes. The white ground reflects light intensely and overwhelms a subject in a photograph. If you intend to take wildlife pictures in the snow, you should experiment with the ideal settings for your camera. Switch to the manual mode and adjust your settings to get the best exposure and details.

You need to fill the frame with snow, determine whether it’s overcast or bright and reflective, check the settings, and then alter them according to your preferences. Be careful to avoid underexposure because you don’t want the snow or the subject to look dull and grey.

#3 Be Mindful of the Shutter Speed

Animals move quickly so you need to adjust your shutter speeds to keep up. If your shutter speed is too slow, your picture will be blurry and out of focus. Some wildlife are very fast and can be barely visible to the naked eye, especially if the temperature is too cold and the ground is covered with snow. You may have to increase the ISO as well, but that shouldn’t be a problem with many modern day cameras/sensors.

#4 Consider the Background

In wildlife photography, the focus of the picture should be the animal rather than the background. As winter landscapes can be very beautiful or overwhelming, it’s easy for the animal to become lost in the details or overpowered by the background. Before you click the shutter button, look at the image in the frame and determine if the animal is showcased well. This is important if you’re working with smaller wildlife like birds, rodents, and insects.

You can use larger apertures (smaller number) to ensure your background blurs out. Try taking multiple shots from different angles, to get the best results.

#5 Take Care of Your Gear

If you’re using your camera in very cold weather, you need to be careful. Avoid sudden temperature differences, as this can create instant condensation, making photography impossible. If your camera has been in a cold environment for a while, let it warm up a little before you carry it to a warmer location. Same goes with from a warm, humid environment, into the freezing cold.

If you have a passion for African wildlife, nature or travel photography and would love to go on a specialised small-number, professional African photo safari, please get in touch with Michael Snedic at WildNature Photo Expeditions. You can call him on 0408 941 965 or fill in this Contact Form and he will get back to you ASAP.

Cameras, like all modern devices, tend to attract dirt and dust. That’s especially true if you go on nature photography excursions because there’s plenty of dust in such environments. Most of the dirt and smudges tends to settle on the camera lens, which can have an impact on the picture quality. It’s important to learn how to clean and maintain camera lenses before you go on a photography excursion. Here are a few suggestions that can help you maintain the lens:

#1 You Don’t Need to Clean it Daily

It’s a common misconception that camera lenses should be cleaned daily with cleaning solutions, as this can cause more harm than good. You could eventually wear down and permanently damage the delicate lens surface. You should clean the lens when you see a layer of dust or smudges on it. I recommend that you install a UV filter on the lens, as this filter will protect the lens from dust, scratches, smudges, and possible breakage. It’s a great preventive measure that will help you preserve your lens for a longer period of time.

#2 Use Lens Cleaning Liquid

You’ll find this liquid in almost all professional camera stores. Alcohol-based cleaning solutions are the most effective cleaners available in the market because they don’t leave residue and cleaning streaks on the lens. The solution evaporates almost immediately after it cleans dust, grease, and fingerprints. Just be careful not to use too much because that can damage the lens surface permanently. You should use a drop or two of the solution, rub the lens gently to agitate the dirt, and wipe everything away.

You can also blow breath on the lens surface to moisten it and wipe away the dirt with a cloth. This is a good solution if you only have a fine layer of dust on the lens.

#3 Special Cleaning Tissues

You can find specialised cleaning tissues in a camera store. The’re made from a very fine material so they won’t scratch the lens surface during the cleaning process. Normal facial wipes or tissues aren’t a good substitute because they will cause damage to the lens. The camera lens cleaning tissues are softer and designed for single time use. They’re great for nature excursions because you can use and discard them immediately after you’re done.

#4 Cleaning Cloth

You can use a microfiber cloth to clean your camera lens as well. This material will wipe away all the dust, debris, grime, and finger prints on the lens. However, you need to keep the cloth clean and dust-free to ensure it doesn’t damage the lens. The dust and debris on the microfiber cloth can scratch your camera lens, especially if there are large particles of dust on it. Just blow on the lens to remove the large fragments and make sure your microfiber cloth is clean before you wipe the lens.

#5 Blowers

You can also use a blower, such as a ‘Giotto Rocket’, which I have used for years. It’s a small, handy device that will pump air on the surface to remove the dirt and debris. You can use this tool to clean your lenses and external parts of your camera.

If you have a passion for African wildlife, nature or travel photography and would love to go on a specialised small-number, professional African photo safari, please get in touch with Michael Snedic at WildNature Photo Expeditions. You can call him on 0408 941 965 or fill in this Contact Form and he will get back to you ASAP.

There’s something incredibly artistic and intriguing about black and white photographs. When taken correctly, these pictures often carry intensity, focus, and an almost otherworldly beauty. Black and white photographs can convey silence and thoughtfulness, which makes them very appealing. However, it’s important to use the right techniques when you take these images.

#1 Focus on Contrast

Dramatic black and white photographs have a stark contrast between the blacks and whites. Many photographers deliberately set black and white areas of the photograph at 100%, which creates a sharp contrast in the picture. That’s what catches the audience’s attention immediately when they look at that picture. It also increases the drama and intensity of the image, creating more impact.

It’s also important to keep both the white space and the black space in the picture completely clean, with only the subtle gradient that showcases the real texture of the subject being photographed. You can achieve all of this through careful editing.

#2 Exposure

Every photographer must understand how to handle exposure. If you know when to overexpose or underexpose, you’ll be able to highlight features and bright out subtleties. Exposure is a key ingredient in black and white photography because you deal with lights and shadows and not colours. If you set your camera to overexpose, the bright areas in frame will appear cleaner and more vivid.

For example, an overexposed picture of the sea in bright sunlight will remove most of the texture of the sea surface but emphasise the play of sunlight on it. If you underexpose the same scene, the texture of the sea will stand out and add dimension but underexposure will take away some of the brightness.

#3 Balance is Important

Balance is an important aspect of any photograph because you want to maintain flow and ensure there’s harmony in the picture. Of course, some professionals deliberately create disharmony in an image to disturb the viewer and illicit strong feelings. However, that only works for specific subjects. In most pictures, you need to maintain a good balance between the dark and light.

Balance doesn’t mean that the dark and light should be present in equal amounts. They should play off each other well to create a dramatic shot. For example, a small dusting of bright stars against a pitch black sky can be stunning if the balance between the stars and sky is just right.

If the blackness overwhelms the stars completely and they appear to be just a few white spots, the picture will be uninspiring. However, if the balance between the two is just right and the cluster of stars is illuminated well enough, their brightness will emphasise the intense darkness of the sky while the darkness will highlight their glow.

#4 Shapes and Textures

Colours add dimension and depth to a picture. Without them, you need to create depth and dimension with textures and shapes. If you don’t do this, the picture will look flat and lifeless, so it won’t appeal to anyone. When you compose the frame of the shot, take some time to understand the scenery and determine what can be used to lead the audience’s eye and become the focus. The intension is to create flow and movement in the photograph so it looks alive instead of being bland.

If you have a passion for African wildlife, nature or travel photography and would love to go on a specialised small-number, professional African photo safari, please get in touch with Michael Snedic at WildNature Photo Expeditions. You can call him on 0408 941 965 or fill in this Contact Form and he will get back to you ASAP.

Taking pictures out in the rain can be quite difficult and requires a considerable amount of skill and effort. Rain makes things even more difficult, even though it adds an element of beauty and challenge to your photographs. It can be very exciting to take pictures of wildlife and landscapes in the rain because the resultant pictures are often unique in their own way. Unfortunately, if your camera isn’t fully weather-sealed, rain can also damage your sensitive camera equipment and render it useless. I recommend that you consider the following tips to ensure your equipment is safe and dry.

#1 Protect Yourself First

Before you purchase products that will help you protect your camera, get some waterproof clothing to protect yourself from the rain. There are many manufacturers that provide clothes specifically designed for nature photographers. This rain gear (such as breathable Gortex) can be a little pricey but its worth the splurge, as it keeps you warm and comfortable.

#2 Rain Sleeves

Rain sleeves are simple and effective. Most of these sleeves come in universal sizes so they are able to accommodate lenses of all size. The rain sleeve closes around the viewfinder and has drawstrings to ensure that the sleeve protects the camera from the rain.

#3 Storm Jacket Cover

Portability is always a big concern for wildlife/landscape photographers because they can’t always lug around heavy rain gear. The storm jacket cover is an ideal solution for that because it can fit into a small-sized holder and is made from water-repellent fabric. You can remove this from the small case and place it on your camera in no time, which ensures that your camera isn’t exposed to moisture for too long.

#4 Carry Cleaning Equipment

It’s important to remove any moisture from your camera equipment as quickly as you can. A good cleaning kit will help you remove any drops of water or excess moisture from the surface quickly. Moisture can ruin the picture quality, especially if it’s present in and around the lens. Use the soft cloth from the kit to wipe off the moisture and drops of rain during your shoot.

#5 Keep an Eye on the Weather Conditions

Moisture and water has a way of seeping through the cracks and crevasses so sometimes the rain jackets/sleeves and umbrellas just aren’t enough. You should keep an eye on the weather report to determine to know what kind of conditions you can expect during your shoot. If the weather report warns of heavy showers or storms, it would be a good idea to stay indoors and cancel the day’s excursion. No amount of protection and rain gear will keep your camera completely moisture-free during a heavy rainstorm, so it’s better to be safe than sorry in this case!

If you have a passion for African wildlife, nature or travel photography and would love to go on a specialised small-number, professional African photo safari, please get in touch with Michael Snedic at WildNature Photo Expeditions. You can call him on 0408 941 965 or fill in this Contact Form and he will get back to you ASAP.

Macro photography allows you to capture images with minute detail. In this type of photography, every pattern and texture stands out and captures your attention immediately. While great macro pictures can be stunning to look at, they require some practice and skill. Below are some tips that photographers can use to help them achieve great macro photographs.

#1 Equipment

Owning some decent equipment will help you to capture great macro images. Here are a few suggestions:

• A macro lens that has a focal length of anywhere between 50mm to 200mm. The longer the focal length, the further away you can be from
• A sturdy, good-quality tripod to keep your camera and lens steady. Carbon fibre tripods are often sturdy but not as heavy as metal ones
• A remote or cable release to minimise camera movement. Camera shake can cause movement that can cause blurry images.
• A macro clamp, if you intend to shoot pictures of flowers and leaves. It will keep the subject steady and can be clamped on your tripod leg.
• A macro flash or LED ring light, to help you add light when hand-holding and shooting an narrow apertures (i.e. f16 or f22)

#2 Learn How to Focus

How you focus can alter the picture completely and highlight different elements of the subject. If you focus properly, you’ll be able to capture exquisite details and textures in your photograph. I try and use manual focus for all of my macro shots, especially when using a tripod. Manual focus can take a bit of practise but well worth the effort.

When hand-holding your camera, auto focus is recommended, especially for moving subjects.

#3 Depth of Field

This is one of the most important aspects of macro photography. You need to decide which parts of the subject you want to highlight and focus on. This would allow you to choose what you want to blur and what you want to bring into focus. For example, if you want to take a picture of bees hovering around a flower, you need to decide whether you want to focus on the bee or the flower.

By manipulating the depth of field, you can focus on the bee and make the flower, or any other background, relatively indistinct. The background will still be there and you’ll still see the entire picture, but the focus would be on the texture, colouring, and movement of the bee.

#4 The Importance of Aperture

Depending on what aperture you use, you can completely change the look of your macro photo. Smaller aperture settings will give you more depth of field while larger settings will give you smaller depth of field.

You can control aperture by choosing the Aperture Priority mode on your camera. The device will still adjust for exposure automatically in this mode. If you want control over exposure, use exposure compensation when using Aperture Priority. Alternatively, use manual mode for full control of your aperture and exposure.

Try to take multiple pictures from different angles during your photography session. Often it’s the angle you don’t expect that turns out to be the best composition.

If you have a passion for African wildlife, nature or travel photography and would love to go on a specialised small-number, professional African photo safari, please get in touch with Michael Snedic at WildNature Photo Expeditions. You can call him on 0408 941 965 or fill in this Contact Form and he will get back to you ASAP.