M
acro photography is a sub-
ject you can explore year-
round, in any season and just
about anywhere. Success in macro
can be technically challenging, but
that’s also one of its benefits. It’s an
opportunity to practice and strengthen
your compositional skills, your use
of light and your attention to details
like precise focus. Plus, you can likely
find subjects within a few steps from
where you’re reading this. In “Focus
On Macro,” Darrell Gulin shares the
inspiration and top tips for making
close-up images that he has gained
over many years of creative macro
work. Also in this issue, we present an
introductory guide to macro lenses that
explains the basic concepts to consider
when choosing a lens. Every major
camera maker, as well as the leading
third-party lens makers, offer a macro
lens, so there’s an option for everyone
who wants to dive into the details ofclose-up photography.
HDR, or high-dynamic range, pho-
tography has gotten a bad rap over the
years, mostly due to folks overdoing
it with adjustment sliders, resulting in
a grainy, edgy look that’s artificial.
But true HDR photography produced
by combining bracketed exposures
doesn’t have that look. When done
right, HDR looks like a well-exposed
image with lots of detail. As good as
modern digital camera sensors are with
handling dynamic range in high-con-
trast scenes, there are times when the
contrast is so extreme that only a grad-
uated neutral-density filter—or HDR
“done right”—can render the scene
with all of the detail in the shadows
and highlights that we want to capture.
In “When To Use HDR,” Josh Miller
walks us through his thought process
to decide when HDR is the answer and
how to use the technique effectively
in those cases.Spring brings us a variety of photo
opportunities, and while wildflower
blooms likely come to mind, it’s also
a season when one of nature’s unique
spectacles occurs in Maine, as alewives
migrate to spawn, and, with them,
ospreys arrive to do some fishing. It’s
a great chance for wildlife photogra-
phers to capture birds in flight, and in
“Alewives & Osprey,” Howard Arndt
shares his knowledge of the birds’
behaviors as well as techniques for
creating your own portfolio of images.
Even if you can’t make it to Maine
to witness this annual ritual, many of
Arndt’s tips can be used for photo-
graphing birds wherever you may be.An Important Message
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From Digital Photo
Welcome to our community of photog-
raphy enthusiasts—we’re glad to have
you join us! We’re confident that, as
a former subscriber to Digital Photo,
you’ll find Outdoor Photographer to
be an exciting and informative journal.
Within its pages you’ll discover:- Inspirational portfolios from lead-
ing professional photographers. - Expert advice to take your photog-
raphy to a new level. - How-to instruction on new technol-
ogy and photographic techniques. - Information on top destinations
for nature photography. - Reviews of the latest cameras and
gear. - Insights into the arts and ethics of
wildlife photography.
Again, welcome to the Outdoor
Photographer community!
–Wes Pitts, Editor
in this issue
contributors
Darrell Gulin is a past
president of the North
American Nature
Photography Associa-
tion (NANPA) and a
Canon Explorer of Light. He has
traveled to all seven continents and
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iÀi
he goes. See more of his work at
gulinphoto.com.Josh Miller’s photog-
raphy has appeared in
the pages of publica-
tions throughout the
world. He also leads
photo workshops in the western U.S.,
Alaska and Central America. Learn
more at joshmillerphotography.com
and follow him on Instagram
@joshmillerphotography.Howard Arndt is a
wildlife and conserva-
tion photographer
based in Amherst, New
Hampshire. He has
been published previously in
Outdoor Photographer and has been
recognized by Audubon and Adiron-
dack Life. See more of his work at
howardarndtphoto.com.12 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com