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Capturing Critters Through the Lens

Jan 19, 2009
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I often think that there is a misconception out there that photography as an art form is easy, especially as there is an excellent range of cameras which do a remarkably good job even set to auto where we can just shoot away to our heart’s content. Now, it’s true, in my opinion, that the top of the range digital cameras do a fantastic job but I also feel that the photographer needs to know what they are trying to actually achieve in the photograph and it is another form of art after all where the person looking through the lens has to consider composition, lighting, focal point, background, colour, texture, mood, personality, focus etc before pressing the shutter. You will understand that I’m not talking about quick snapshots in this article but photography as an art form.

I have included this post due to my current photography competition which I am running entitled “New Year Garden Guests” which is open to amateur photographers like myself . I am not a photography expert but I do have professional training in art and design. I thought that these examples I am about to show you and discuss might give you some tips and inspiration for the competition.

Ok, this is a real example of a mini photo shoot I had with a garden guest - the fantastic stick mantid which has personality plus! I have only ever seen two and this series is from my second sighting and he appeared quite out of the blue when I was in the bathroom, believe it or not, and I happened to see him on the outside of the window. Now, I have to confess at this point that I am particularly “obsessed” with any form of wildlife in my garden since I purchased my camera and it has opened up a whole new world that I never knew existed to the point where I do not want to weed my yard for fear of killing some of these critters I have photographed. How’s that for the ultimate excuse in not working in the garden!

Shot 1

Shot 1 is the very first photograph I took (outside my bathroom window) simply to show you that this is a real photo shoot. This is what I consider a to be a “snap shot” and a picture that is taken quickly, without any thought, simply to capture the moment or evidence of what you saw. The only bonus is that he happens to be looking right at the camera. I was using an additional macro lens to take these photographs.

Shot 2

Shot 2 is an improvement as I have zoomed in to get rid of the ugly, unnatural background of the window but there is still the ugly brick background with some strong shadows which detract from the mantid. He is looking up at the camera which is good and his head is a focal point but still not the ideal shot.

Shot 3

Shot 3 is much better as I have zoomed in further on the mantid’s face which is nice and sharp and has minimised the ugly brick wall background but it’s still not the ideal background due to the lines and distant brick wall.

When It's Safe to Cross

In "When it's Safe to Cross", my stick friend started to travel away from the window, onto the concrete path. This shot has some interest as he is crossing from a man made environment to more natural environment and there is a bit of character about him, pausing to reflect which way he will go, like crossing a road, so I called it “When It’s Safe to Cross”. This is where you can introduce personality into your shots and come up with some clever titles to express the moment. I have also slightly darkened the background which detracted from the insect and created a soft halo around the mantid’s face.

Tip Toes

Now the best ones from the shoot and I love the photograph which I have called "Tip Toes" as it really portrays the praying action they have and he almost looks like he’s playing the piano with his head semi tiltled saying “Am I doing alright?” I like the composition and there is the rule of thirds which is important in composing an image. The soft background makes the stick mantid really pop and become the focal point plus the personality aspect has been brought out.

Checkin' You Out

"Checkin' You Out" works because it purely focuses on the mantid’s head which is what I was interested in and he is looking straight at me. To help minimise and softly darken the background I have used a vignette effect or filter which goes in a circular direction in this shot and basically creates a soft black border which blends nicely into the existing background.

Shot 4

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Shot 4 I love for many reasons - the detail of this wonderfully prehistoric looking creature and he appears to be washing his face with his tiny talons or whatever they actually are. I love the composition as he is placed diagonally across the frame and again off centre. The background is soft and natural, making the stick mantid really pop out and that eye just seems to be looking at you the whole time.

I hope you have found this helpful and what I didn’t mention before was patience and having lots of it while you wait and wait for the critters to get into different positions without scaring them. This guy just LOVED the camera though and was so slow moving that he was a great model! I took lots of shots from many different angles as well which you simply must do - try profile, from above, down low, close-up etc. One thing I never ever do is to remove a creature from their natural environment for the sake of a photograph - if it’s not meant to be then there will be other days.

Remember, if you want to enter the “New Year Garden Guests” Photo Competition please sign up for my Newsletter (look for the chimp on the side bars of my website). You will also get 3 free wallpapers to download and lots of other tips and goodies in the newsletter plus more info about the competition, the prizes, closing date etc.