Little details makes a difference in your photos.
I’m starting a new series of articles on tips to improve your photography, i will use photos that i took and show how i got them, how i made changes in the field to get what i wanted or how to improve them during the processing.
Little details can make-or-break a good shot, you have to pay attention in the field while you compose before you press the shutter button. If you wait until your subject have a better posture or better light falling on it, this is part of becoming a good photographer. Another way to improve a photo is during the post processing by adjusting the levels, color balance etc….. but also cropping to fine tune your composition.
I selected a photo of a Jaguar that i took at the Granby ZOO this week to show you some of the things that I did to end up with the finished shot. I had no choice but to shoot through a thick and dirty glass and handheld (I didn’t take my tripod with me). I used my Canon 7D with the 400mm/5.6 L, 1/250 sec. at f/5.6, ISO 400.
On this photo the head of the Jaguar is turned just enough that we don’t see all the details of it’s eye and the photo loose some impact.
I took several shots of this Jaguar and finally got a good one that we can see all the details in it’s eye. This is before doing any Processing, see below for the final resulting image after the processing.
After selecting the photo with my subject in the best position, I needed to do some Processing, i adjusted levels and contrast as usual. The OOF background in the upper right corner was distracting to my eye, so I cropped the photo to eliminate it, now the viewers eye don’t get distracted by it.
Jaguar at the ZOO.
Yesterday we went to the Granby ZOO which is open even during the winter, it’s different to see the animals in the snow. I’m not finished processing my photos but here is one that i was surprised that came out sharp since it was taken through a thick dirty glass.
Taken with my Canon 7D and 400mm/5.6 L.
Butterflies in Liberty photo series.
I’m finally finished editing my photos from our visit at the Butterflies in liberty at the Montreal’s Botanical garden . It’s such a great event, not just for photography but for the experience also. All my photos were taken handheld because a tripod is not allowed inside due to the tight spaces and it would be dangerous for the other visitors. The SR system of my Pentax K50 was useful since I was not using flash, my Canon kit didn’t had IS but I was able to get some sharp shots with my 24mm STM.
Small Postman, Taken with my Pentax K50 and Tamron 90mm Macro. 1/125 sec. at f/4.5, ISO 800.
Scarlet Mormon, Taken with my Pentax K50 and Tamron 90mm Macro, 1/60 sec. at f/5.0, ISO 1250.
Blue banded Morpho. I liked that the colors of the butterflies are matched by the colors on the leaf. Taken with my Pentax K50 and Tamron 90mm Macro. 1/80 sec. at f/4.5, ISO 800.
Scarlet Mormon. Taken with my Pentax K50 and Tamron 90mm Macro. 1/125 sec. at f/3.5, ISO 800.
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Monarch. Taken with my Pentax K50 and Tamron 90mm Macro. 1/60 sec. at f/4.0, ISO 800.
Blue banded Morpho. My Canon 24mm STM was also useful with it’s close focusing ability, I like to use it to show more of the “habitat”. 1/200 sec. at f/5.6, ISO 800.
Orange-barred Sulphur. They were very difficult to find, they were nearly the same yellow as the flowers. Again, my Canon 24mm STM did a great job. 1/400 sec. at f/5.6, ISO 800.
Doris Longwing. Taken with my Canon 7D and 24mm STM. 1/160 sec. at f/7.1, ISO 800.
Weekly photo of 28 February 2016
Just a teaser for you, more photos coming soon from our visit to the Butterflies in liberty at the Montreal’s Botanical garden. I went there with my family and my brother Dominic to take photos, it’s a great event that is fun for everyone !
Rice Paper butterfly. Taken handheld with my Pentax K50 and Tamron 90mm Macro, 1/400 sec. at f/2.8, ISO 800.
Weekly photo of 21 February 2016
Friday morning on my way to work I stopped along a field with an old wooden fence covered with frosted vegetation and fog in the background. I used my Canon 10-18mm STM at 12mm to get a wider view.
Ducks on a cold Canadian morning.
Yesterday it was -28°C (-38°C with the wind chill factor), a good occasion to go to the St-Louis river in Beauharnois to photograph the Mallard Ducks that stays there all winter. At these temperatures it’s important to be well dressed if you want to stay warm and keep shooting, especially your hands, i did put hand warmers in my mitts to keep my fingers warm.
First, here is some photos of the river to show you the habitat:
Here is a photo taken at the base of the waterfall, down the river there is less ice and the Ducks have access to open waters and foods. Taken with my Canon 7D and 10-18mm STM at 12mm.
Taken with my Canon 7D and 10-18mm STM at 11mm.
Since it was very cold, there was a thick layer of fog over the river and it was difficult to get accurate focus on the Ducks.
Canon 7D with my 70-200mm/4 L.
Canon 7D with my 400mm/5.6 L.
This Male is trying to stay warm in the water. Canon 7D with 400mm/5.6 L.
Time to eat to get some fuel to stay warm, it’s tail was covered with ice. Canon 7D with 400mm/5.6L
I also found Cedar leaves in the snow in the forested area along the river, so I took close-up shots.
Canon 7D with my 24mm STM.
Pentax K50 with DA 40mm XS
Weekly photo of 07 February 2016
It’s Ice fishing season here in Canada, not the greatest winter but we finally got enough ice thickness so that peoples can now put there ice fishing cabin out on the ice. I was too early (around sunrise), so nobody was fishing yet. I posted the B&W conversion because I felt it was better looking than the color version.
Taken with my 7D and 24mm STM, ISO 125 at f/10, tripod
