Whenever you have the chance to photograph an unusual animal or other
subject, spend as much time and get as many photographs as you can,
EHFDXVH\RXPD\QHYHUKDYHWKDWRSSRUWXQLW\DJDLQ(YHQDWQLJKWSXWWKH
camera on a tripod or use a high ISO and keep shooting. And never put
off until tomorrow what you can photograph today. Don’t rely on certain
conditions, such as fog, to reappear when you’re ready to take pictures.
)LQDOO\ZKHQ\RX¶UHRXWLQWKH¿HOGDQG\RXVHHDEHDXWLIXOVFHQHDVN
\RXUVHOI:KDWRWKHUSKRWRJUDSKVDUHKHUH"6KRRWIURPGLIIHUHQWDQJOHVRU
get in close for a tight shot. Try to see how you can take the blank slate that
is the photograph in your mind and create it in the real world.
- Observe the animals in your neighborhood or your own pets and try to
photograph them in a way that makes the ordinary extraordinary. Learn
how to photograph a bird on a branch in your backyard, but compose the
shot so that the eye moves naturally through the frame. Do a silhouette
of a bird that you can really look at or pan your dog or cat as it moves
through the yard. Think of your local park as the plains of Africa, the
mountains of the Himalayas, or the jungles of the Amazon. And don’t
just do portraits—do environmental portraits.
Assignment