Video: Composition, camera settings and creativity in wildlife photography

 

 

Wildlife photographer Kristi Odom is back with the third of four episodes in a Nikon-sponsored wildlife photography series for B&H. The first video focused on what gear Odom takes into the field for wildlife photography and last week, we shared a great video all about how to research and photograph wildlife safely. This week, we join Odom in the field as she does wildlife photography and discusses composition, camera settings and creativity.

'Whenever I'm taking a photo, I ask myself three questions: What do I see, what do I feel, and what can I eliminate?' Odom says in the video below. Framing has a lot to do with the lattermost question. Photoshop magic aside, everything you include in your photographic frame will be there forever, including distracting and unnecessary elements. Odom says that it's important to make sure you don't cut off part of your subject with the edge of your frame. Further, while you want to fill as much of the frame as possible, it's important to maintain context in the image and be able to tell a compelling story about wildlife. Of course, there are always exceptions to these general rules. You can cut off part of your subject, 'but you have to do it in a very specific way to make it work,' remarks Odom, 'It's a very hard thing to do.' She is constantly looking around the edges of every photo she takes to make sure that each side is where she wants the image to start and stop.

When thinking about composition, Odom regularly considers how a viewer's eye will move through the frame. One way you can influence how a viewer moves through your photo is by using shapes. Odom also talks about the Fibonacci Spiral and how you can utilize that to create impactful, appealing compositions.

What about camera settings? Your selected camera settings can help you develop a personal style. For example, the aperture can be a creative choice. An image shot wide open at something like F2.8 or F4 can tell a very different story than an image shot at F8 or F11. Shutter speed can also tell a different story. A tack sharp photo of a moving animal tells a different story than a blurrier image shot at a slower shutter speed. Blurry doesn't mean bad. Odom often tries to get a sharp shot first, with a slower aperture and a faster shutter speed, and then progressively takes riskier images with shallower depth of field and slower shutter speeds.

Next up is creativity. How you feel in the field when you're photographing a specific animal will help inform the story you want to tell with your images. Your unique perspective is what drives your creativity and allows you the opportunity to capture images that nobody else can capture.

Be sure to watch the full video above to see some incredible footage and photos of wolves. And stay tuned for next week's video, the final installment in Odom's wildlife photography video series. To see more from Kristi Odom, visit her website and follow her on Instagram.

(Via B&H)