Creative Nature Photography Essential Tips and Techniques

by Coster, Bill

• ISBN13: 9781553658474
• ISBN10: 1553658477
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-05-31
• Publisher: Greystone Books

Summary

Called a "master lensman" (Bird Watching) and "one of the worldis leading bird photographers" (Outdoor Photography), Bill Costerhas become an authoritative source for instructional photographic guides. After the success of his first guide, Creative Bird Photography, he returns with a gorgeously illustrated, inspirational guide to nature photography that is packed with practical advice and presented in his characteristic informative but accessible writing style. In Creative Nature Photography, Costertakes a fresh approach to the subject. He discusses the worldis key habitatsofrom coasts and mountains to arid and polar regionsoin separate chapters, each containing images of specific aspects of the environment, starting with landscapes and moving on to plants and animals. Each photograph demonstrates particular points and approaches, taking into account light conditions, terrain, and the general surroundings. Fascinating anecdotes about Costeris experiences in each habitat bring the images to life. Each photograph is accompanied by detailed technical data, as well as information about locations and other issues that need to be tackled to achieve the perfect shot. There is also an up-to-date chapter on photography basics, including equipment such as cameras and lenses.

Author Biography

Bill Coster is one of the UK's leading wildlife photographers, and his work frequently appears in national bird and wildlife magazines and journals. He also has a regular monthly column in Birds Illustrated. He leads bird photography tours in North and South America and has travelled to every continent on earth in search of memorable images. Coster has lived in Essex, England for over 20 years, and it is from here that he sets out in pursuit of photographs of the natural world.

Excerpts

From the introduction:I have been interested in natural history from an early age, so when I bought my first camera it was that animals would be my first photography subjects. I became keen to record the exotic species and locations I saw in my travels. Over time the photography became increasingly important, until I was planning trips based primarily on photographic potential. In tandem with the improvement in my photography, I began to have my work published in magazines and joined a major picture library specializing in nature. I remained a semi-professional nature photographer for a number of years, and at the same time established a successful career in IT with a large company. Although I enjoyed the work, I never felt really comfortable with corporate culture, and eventually made the decision to give up the day job and concentrate on photography.Since then I have never looked back. I have travelled extensively to quickly increase my stock of images so as bring in more income. Throughout my new career I have always had the enthusiastic support of my wife Diana, who accompanies me whenever possible. Having that extra pair of eyes when photographing wildlife has proved very useful. Travelling together also enables us to spend more time at locations and explore their photographic possibilities more fully than could be done in short visits. Nature photography is a very broad subject, ranging from the all-encompassing landscapes of the world's wild places to the minute detail revealed in a close-up of a small insect. The relationship between the landscape and the plants and animals that live in it is a very close one. It is the adaptations of living things to enable them to meet the challenges of thriving in each unique environment that has resulted in the huge variety of species on our planet. ***In this book, each of the world's key ecosystems is discussed in a separate chapter. The first chapter describes the photographic equipment required for nature photography, based largely on my own experience. I have endeavoured to give straightforward advice to anyone faced with the bewildering choice of equipment available. The subsequent chapters form the core of the book. Using a similar approach, each chapter begins by capturing the entire landscape of a specific environment, then gradually works down to details of the plants and animals that inhabit it. I have focused on the best photographic opportunities in each environment, so the balance of the subjects in each chapter varies - you do not find many insects in the icy polar regions, for example, so there are none in that chapter.Digital cameras were used to create most of the images in the book, except in cases where a film image better illustrated a point or environment. Images captured with digital technology come with a wealth of data that includes details of the camera settings employed when the pictures were taken; this has been used to provide technical data on these pictures. This information is not available for the film images, and this is reflected in the exposure details provided for these pictures.