{"id":956,"date":"2016-10-23T21:35:06","date_gmt":"2016-10-24T01:35:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dwgloag.ca\/wordpress\/?p=956"},"modified":"2024-03-11T20:22:18","modified_gmt":"2024-03-12T00:22:18","slug":"getting-close","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dwgloag.ca\/wordpress\/2016\/10\/23\/getting-close\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Close"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"getting<\/p>\n

Wildlife photography is about getting that perfect shot.\u00a0 You know, the one where the subject occupies two-thirds to three-quarters of the frame, the eyes are tack sharp, the image has a narrow depth-of-field, and the exposure is perfect.\u00a0 The latter three are relatively easy.\u00a0 You simply adjust the camera\u2019s settings to suit your photographic vision, and press the button.\u00a0 But the first often involves using more magnification, or getting close.<\/p>\n

Magnification<\/h4>\n

Using more magnification is certainly an option, if you have it in your camera bag.\u00a0 Most people don’t.\u00a0 They can\u2019t afford the amount of magnification they desire.\u00a0 For the longest time, I couldn\u2019t.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been taking photos for over 40 years, and didn\u2019t purchase my 600mm lens until about 20 years had passed.\u00a0 When you\u2019re talking over $10K for a lens like this, it\u2019s easy to see why.<\/p>\n

Getting Close<\/h4>\n

That leaves the second.\u00a0 Fortunately, this is significantly less expensive.\u00a0 It is more about knowledge than anything else.\u00a0 In the rest of this article, we\u2019ll talk about some things you can do to make option two work for you.<\/p>\n

Changing your position relative to your subject seems like an easy thing.\u00a0 You simply pick up your stuff, and take one or more steps.\u00a0 And that would be true if we were talking about a statue, or a vase full of flowers.\u00a0 Unfortunately, we\u2019re not.\u00a0 Wildlife, in general, is wary of people.\u00a0 And as such, will move away at the most inopportune times.<\/p>\n

In my experience, this tends to be when the subject fills one-quarter to one-third of the frame.\u00a0 It\u2019s not a hard-and-fast-rule, but you get the idea.\u00a0 It\u2019s simply too far away to be considered a perfect shot.<\/p>\n

So, what do you do?<\/p>\n

Noise<\/h4>\n

First, and foremost, you need to be quiet.\u00a0 No talking to others in your party, no humming to yourself \u2026 even in whispers.\u00a0 Sound carries, especially in wooded areas, or over water.\u00a0 Wildlife is tuned to hear things that we might not, and they\u2019re nervous.\u00a0 It\u2019s a survival trait.\u00a0 So keep the noise down will help you in your getting close efforts.<\/p>\n

While I\u2019m on the topic of noise, I\u2019d like to say a word about bird calls.\u00a0 Many people use them to attract wildlife, and bring them to a specific location.\u00a0 These can take many forms, most often special whistles, or recorded sound on a cell phone.\u00a0 They are generally affective, but not in the fashion you expect.\u00a0 In fact, it\u2019s likely the opposite.<\/p>\n

If we take birds as an example, using calls generally has two results.\u00a0 First, the call is interpreted as a threat, the bird\u2019s anxiety increases, and it leaves the area.\u00a0 Second, the bird interprets the call as a rival, it\u2019s anxiety increases, and the bird comes to investigate.\u00a0 Since many birds are territorial, this often results in a fight.\u00a0 So while you will have some success attracting the birds, you are causing the bird anxiety, and ultimately, harm.<\/p>\n

The bottom line, if you are considering the use of bird calls, please don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Camouflage<\/h4>\n

The next thing you can do is blend into the background.\u00a0 Wildlife looks for unfamiliar silhouettes, like the outline of a person, and reacts accordingly.\u00a0 This is the purpose behind camouflage.\u00a0 It changes your appearance so you blend into the background.\u00a0 There are many types and color schemes available.\u00a0 Pick the one that matches well with your intended purpose.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t say this enough, camouflage works.\u00a0 I have heard a number of people say that it isn\u2019t necessary.\u00a0 And that may be true, in some circumstances.\u00a0 But in my experience, if you want to get consistently close, you need to use camouflage.\u00a0 Failing this, darker earth-tones are good \u2026 greens, browns, dark blues, dark reds, and blacks.\u00a0 Leave the eye catching, bright colors, at home.<\/p>\n

Blinds<\/h4>\n

Blinds are obstructions, situated between you and your intended subject.\u00a0 Their main purpose is to remove your silhouette from the background.\u00a0 This is similar to camouflage, except that with blinds, only a minimal part of you is visible (usually the top of your head and your lens). \u00a0Another difference is that you generally don\u2019t wear blinds, although that is changing with the release of products like LensHide from a company called LensCoat.<\/p>\n

There are two general categories of blinds, those that are naturally occurring, and those that are available commercially.\u00a0 The naturally occurring type consists of trees, rocks, bushes, hills, and such.\u00a0 Anything in nature that you can hide behind and use to obscure your presence.\u00a0 There are many types available commercially; semi-permanent buildings, portable tent-like enclosures, blankets, and walls.\u00a0 Generally, you can move these about with ease.\u00a0 But once in place, they tend to stay put for the duration of the activity.\u00a0 Look at companies like Ameristep on the Internet, for more information.<\/p>\n

Inching<\/h4>\n

I use the term to refer to the process of inching closer to your subject, while hiding in plain sight.\u00a0 It is an art \u2026 plain and simple.\u00a0 Some people are really good at it, and some are not.\u00a0 At first, I fell into the latter group, but have improved significantly over the years by following a couple of simple rules:<\/p>\n