Category: nature

Into the Wild

Hints and tips for photographing animals and insects

A bee gathers pollen from a Borage Plant, Elder Farm, Somerset

Happy world earth day one and all.

Mother Earth is a complete marvel and should be celebrated everyday, but on the 50th anniversary of it’s special day, I hope that many more people will be thinking seriously about the best way to protect her. One of the biggest benefits of the current situation seems to be the improvements to the state of the ozone layer and air quality, it has also allowed nature and wildlife to thrive in places it normally wouldn’t . With the nice weather continuing in the UK I thought today I would do a little post about capturing animals and wildlife with your camera (or phone).

Finding a subject to shoot and how to shoot it.

We can help the wildlife and ourselves by attracting some wildlife into our own gardens , bird feeders and watering stations are really useful and give an easy focal point to watch, a lot of the birds will become regular visitors and will allow you a certain amount of trust which should make it easier to photograph them. You can even buy bird feeders that will attach to a window, so you don’t even need an outside space.

Tip 1: Using a long lens (telephoto/ or zoom) and a hide or a bush to hide behind is great idea if possible, but staying still when trying to photograph wildlife is the most important thing to do, as animals are easily spooked. Once you have got a few shots that you are happy enough with then you can try and move closer to your subject if your lens is not quite long enough by taking a few slow steps at a time, but don’t rush it, its better to get something you can crop in post production instead of nothing at all.

Insects can be attracted by planting plenty of plants and flowers, look out for bulbs and seeds that are bee friendly, the bright colours make for attractive backdrops for our photographs. Alternatively don’t cut down your weeds. Dandelions especially in early spring can be a life saver for bees who pollinate 85% of all the world flowering plants, so helping them is really helping all of us and it means less weeding. Dandelions are also edible for humans so you really can’t go wrong. Watering stations for bees are also important and something that is overlooked, just filling a shallow dish with some small pebbles and a little water gives them an easy place to drink.

Tip 2: A macro lens is really invaluable when shooting details and small subjects like insects. They range in price and quality but relatively cheap lenses can be bought for all camera types and as add ons for most phone cameras.

Peahen and an Elephant both shot on a long lens with a wide apeture

Tip 3: Find a plain or simple background, so your picture is all about your subject. You can use your aperture to soften the background if it looks a bit messy, I would shoot at a maximum of f5.6 but ideally lower. If you are using a phone that allows it, you can try setting it to portrait which will give you the same effect. Try focusing on the eye as it is what people are drawn to ( though maybe not with the insects).

Tip 4: BUT check your speed. Always take notice of your shutter speed this will help make sure your photographs are sharp. This becomes increasingly important when photographing action or moving animals. In aperture priority mode for instance the shutter speed can be modified by changing the aperture and ISO values. With good camera and lens support a portrait can be photographed at anything from 1/50 to 1/320 second shutter speed. When things start to move the speed of your shutter needs to increase, to help capture the movement and keep your image sharp. Walking animals from 1/400 to 1/800, running animals from 1/1000 to 1/1250, flying birds from 1/1600 to 1/2500, and small, fast flying birds at 1/3200. Check out some of the local wildlife pictures taken by Somerset Photographer Les Pickersgill on his facebook page he has some great shots of Birds and insects in flight.

Bathing Elephants in Addo Elephant park, South Africa Feb 2020

Tip 5 : BE READY. Choose your camera settings for what you want to shoot BEFORE you set out to find your subject, animals don’t tend to give you a second chance.

Tip 6: Practice. If your not ready to shoot the fast moving creatures, practice first, try it out on your pets, dogs are generally more helpful than cats in this situation, but you can try both, they will move around so you can practice capturing the motion, and will give you a few chances to test camera settings. Alternatively, and a fun one to try with small children. Find a snail, you can easily move and place a snail in a scene you can set up yourself, a nice easy slow starting point to get you going.

Have fun out there and please post you results on my facebook page at Aisling Magill Photography.

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Photography hints and tips

Using photography as therapy

As April is National Stress Awareness month, and this time around we are all living in this exceptional circumstance I thought I would start my series of tips with you by talking about how we can use photography as a stress buster and tool for a bit of creative relaxation.
Photography is not always about making the prettiest picture, but it is a great way to release some creativity and express yourself. It doesn’t need to be complicated and some of the simplest things can make for the greatest of images.
So how to find your inspiration? Don’t force it, If you don’t feel like taking pictures then it’s probably not going to work for you. Only take pictures when you WANT to, it needs to be enjoyable and not a chore.
We are somewhat limited at the moment but there are still plenty of photographic opportunities.

Go on that walk

For me, there really is nothing better for the soul than just going for a long walk in natural surrounding especially with the dog. I rarely take my camera ( I know I really should), but I always have a phone camera to hand in case I see something that attracts me. Of course this is something you can do in the garden or around the house just as well if you are in isolation or just don’t fancy going out. A lot of mental illnesses, depression, and other problems arise from inactivity. We’re stuck in our offices, and in particular our homes right now, so any form of exercise can really help lift the spirits. Dance is really good for this as it helps to occupy both body and mind. A ‘Photographic walk’, works in the same way by making you think while you move.

  • TIP 1: If you do have a camera my advice is to take it, pop it over your shoulder as it will add that extra gravitas to your purpose and will help remind you to take those pictures.
  • TIP 2: Try an earlier morning or late evening walk during what is know as the golden hour, just after sunrise or before sunset, when the sunlight is at its best and gives everything a golden glow. Weather permitting of course.
  • early morning sky, shooting into the sun
  • Hazy morning sky with side on sun
  • TIP 3: Be mindful of where the sun or that light source is in relation to your subject, if its behind you are you casting a shadow ( and do you want to?) . If its behind the subject is it bleaching it out? Wherever the light is coming from will have a profound effect on what your image looks like, so just remember you are in control of it. You may just have to work around your subject to get it to look how you want.
Back lit vultures create a nice silhouette

TIP 4: Look for the detail, nature is a real marvel, and I love photographing its little details. The shapes and colours that she provides are incredibly up-lifting. I love that photography gives us the opportunity to find beauty in the mundane or everyday.
walk slowly, and look at the ground, or up in the trees. There is a lot that we miss by not looking around us.

Details of nature from a recent walk during lockdown

TIP 5: Think about your composition, try using the rule of thirds. The “Rule of Thirds” can help you create well balanced and interesting shots. This involves dividing your image up into 3 sections, both vertically and horizontally and framing your subject in one or two of the four corners where the divides meet. Most cameras and phones will have guides that you can turn on which will show you the exact position of these.
I will say right up front however that rules are meant to be broken and ignoring this one doesn’t mean your images are necessarily unbalanced or uninteresting. However a wise person once told me that if you intend to break a rule you should always learn it first to make sure your breaking of it is all the more effective!

TIP 6: Take more pictures. So you found something you want to photograph? Don’t just take one photograph from one angle, shoot around your subject, try bending down low or getting up higher ( though let’s not do anything too dangerous now!) shoot it from one side and then the other. Providing you are working on a digital phone or camera you can take as many pictures as you want and can always delete the ones you don’t like, but you very often won’t get the chance to photograph the same thing again, in the same lighting and weather conditions etc , so make the most of it. It might surprise you.

All pictures above were taken on an Iphone SE.

Thanks for taking the time to read this , I hope you have found it useful, please share your results with me on social media and do get in touch if there is a particular subject you would like me to cover. Enjoy your walk.