Wildlife Photography

Behind the Shot: Fire Crane Flight

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Gear used for this shot The key to this shot was preparation and pre-visualization of the final image. I was driving back down through the Yukon on the Dempster Highway, returning from a trip to the Arctic Ocean. On trips like this I often adjust my sleep schedule so that I don’t miss the best hours of the day, and in this case, I had slept through the middle of the day and then hit the road in the evening. Not only does that mean I’m driving during the nice evening and morning light, but also at the best time …

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Be Prepared to Focus Manually!

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For this Behind the Shot post I wanted to discuss a recent situation that I think everyone needs to be prepared for. Autofocus performance varies from brand to brand, but even the best – at this time that is certainly any Sony camera with their Real Time Eye AF system – can get caught out by complex situations with a lot of foreground clutter. Equipment Used For This Shot It’s therefore important to understand your camera system and lenses well enough to be able to switch to manual focusing at the drop of a hat. For some lenses and cameras …

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Behind the Shot: Diving with Sea Lions

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I went diving with sea lions off the coast of Vancouver Island! In this post I’ll tell you everything about how this image was shot, and share some stories from my trip.

Behind the Shot: Coyote Closeup

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How do you find wildlife to photograph? That’s a good question, and one that is often asked. Everyone has their secret spots, but sometimes you just have to put the miles in. You’ve just got to get in the car and drive!

Behind the Shot: Rookery Rock Removal

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This photo was taken from a zodiak on a recent outing in Nanaimo, BC. I really liked the clouds in the background, the great textures on the rocks and the sea lions barking away on the rocks. As you’ll see from the original image though, there was a distraction that had to be removed in Photoshop, so I thought it would be a good candidate for a BTS post! Equipment Used for This Shot Canon 5D Mark IV Canon 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 L IS II Lexar Professional 128GB CF Cards Adobe Lightroom CC Adobe Photoshop CC A boat! Photographing from a …

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Behind the Shot: Incredible Elk Antlers in Banff

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Find out how I created this image of these impressive elk antlers in Banff. I’ll reveal the compositional choices that were made before I pressed the shutter, as well as showing you the major edits that were made to the image in post processing.

Behind the Shot: Wise Wildlife Photography Backgrounds

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This photo was taken in Jasper National Park, Alberta. Jasper has an abundance of wildlife and you often come across things while you’re just driving from A to B, as was the case with this bighorn sheep on the side of the highway.  Now, shooting things on the side of the highway is far from ideal, but I’m not one to pass up a good opportunity when I see one coming my way. This guy was still a little ways up the road from me but was making a pretty good pace in my direction. Rather than drive straight up …

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Behind the Shot: Grizzly on the Rocks

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This week we’re taking a detailed look at how, and why I created this image of a grizzly bear in British Columbia. What technical and compositional choices do you think I made to maximize the result from this quick encounter? Find out…