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Technique
One of the by-products of
contre-jour photography is the
halo of light that appears around the
subject. This is known as rim-lighting,
and it’s a great way of highlighting shape
and form. Mammals with fur coats work
particularly well in this respect, but birds
in flight can also look spectacular with
golden light burning through the wings,
giving them a translucent appearance.
Experimenting with exposure can yield
spectacular results. When backlighting
your subject, look for areas of dark
shadow to place your subject against
and underexpose by up to three
stops. The shadows will be drastically
underexposed and should appear black,
with only the rim-lighting visible.
Silhouettes
Winter is the perfect season to
capture silhouettes, as the skies can
be mesmerising at dawn and dusk.
A well-executed silhouette should be
simple yet graphic, and the subject
should be instantly recognisable.
Wintering geese and swans are great
subjects, especially in flight against a
vivid, winter sky. When tackling birds
in flight, focus settings become crucial.
Expanding your focus area will make
it easier to track the birds, but if the
background is clean and unobtrusive,
you may find the active point easier.
This will also allow you to compose
your images in-camera, without having
to change focus points. To capture not
only single birds but also larger flocks, a
zoom lens will offer more versatility.
Rather than framing tightly, always keep
an eye out for opportunities to include
the environment, since images such as
these tell the viewer a more complete
story and so are often more interesting
than a simple portrait.
One of the trickiest aspects of shooting
silhouettes is calculating the correct
exposure. Switch to spot metering and
take a reading from the brightest area of
the sky. This will give you a good base
exposure from which to work. Then,
depending on the brightness, you should
increase this exposure by up to one full
stop. The brighter the sky, the more extra
exposure you should add. If there is a
dense covering of cloud and the sunrise
appears muted it may, however, not be
necessary to add any compensation. If
you are planning to include the sun in
the frame, wait until it is very close to
the horizon or when it is covered by
a thin layer of haze, mist or cloud.
Capturing motion
Unfortunately, winter isn’t always
full of clear, high pressure days with
BEN’S TOP TIPS FOR SHOOTING WINTER WILDLIFE
High key
Flat light and winter weather can offer
the perfect opportunity to experiment with
a high-key effect. The key is to keep things
simple. During periods of snow and frost,
seek out a pale subject and expose to
the right to keep the whites clean and
prevent underexposure.Blue hour
During the brief periods before sunrise and
following sunset, the light temperature cools
down and blue hues become more apparent.
This is known as the ‘blue hour’. Pictures
taken at this stage of the day take on a
serene and ethereal quality. Keep your ISO
setting high as light levels will be low.