A
Aluminum cases, hard-sided, 168–169
Aperture size and image sharpness, 146
Autofocusing (AF), 36, 66, 92, 94
and extension tubes, 144
single shot, 95
B
Back-button focusing, 98
Built-in flashes, see also Flashes
for closeups, 152–153
problems with, 155
C
Camera(s), 7, see also Digital cameras; Photographic equipments
backpacks, soft-sided, 169
bag setup strategies, 171–172
choices, 29
clubs, 18–19
handling the equipment, 15–16
pro versus amateur, 29
purchase of, 43
straps, 167–168
Camera, features
accepts a cable release, 35–36
adjustable self-timer, 33
back-button focus, 36
choice between RAW or JPEG or both, 36
high-megapixel count, 30–31
large buffer and fast write speed, 31
large LCD monitor, 36
mirror lockup, 33
spot meter, 36
Camera, protection of, 36
camera batteries, 41
camera straps, 39
dealing with hot and cold temperatures, 39
lens cleaning, 39–40
protection from shocks, 39
sensor cleaning, 40–41
Canon close-up lenses, 142–143
Close-up lens, 143
and zoom lens, 142
Closeup nature photography, see Nature photography, closeup
Crop factor, 142
D
Dedicated flash(es), 150, 158, 160, 162, see also Flashes cords, 152
Depth of field, 130
in closeup photography, 145, 146
Diffusion
cloths, 149
disks, 148–149
Digital cameras
for closeups, 139
crop factor and, 142
mirror-lockup, 148
self-timers in, 148
Digital nature photography programs, 177–178
Digital single-lens reflex (D-SLR) cameras, 92, 159
Dynamic focus, 96
E
Electronic flashes, see also Flashes
adjusting light ratios for two flashes, 164–165
advantages and disadvantages, 155–157
built-in flashes, problems with, 155
dedicated flash, 150, 152, 158, 160, 162
extenders, 158
flash exposure, 158
flash exposure compensation guidelines, 159
inverse square law and, 157–158
meters, 159–160
power for, 164
rear-curtain sync in, 163
selection of, 158–159
stands, 164
supporting flash units, 164–165
three-flash setup, 165
TTL flash metering, failure of, 158–159
uses of, see Electronic flashes, uses
Electronic flashes, uses
for color improvement, 162
to freeze motion, 162–163
increase contrast with, 162
as main light source, 161–162
as only light source, 160
reduce contrast with fill-flash, 160–161
Exposure, aids to get good
highlight alert, 56
histogram, 55
problem situations for autoexposure, 56, 58
Exposure, ISO considerations
digital grain, 60–61
digital noise, 61
shooting strategies, 61
Exposure compensation, 58
compensating manual exposures, 59
exposure bracketing, 59–60
understanding the exposure compensation button, 59
Exposure meter, 50
ambient light and reflectance problems, 50–51
aperture priority, 53
center-weighted averaging, 52
evaluative or color matrix metering mode, 52
manual exposure, 55
metering choices, 52
partial metering, 52
problem with your camera’s meter, 51–52
shooting mode choices, 53
shutter priority, 54–55
spot metering, 52–53
Exposure theory
aperture values, 48–49
equivalent exposure (reciprocity), 49–50
F-stop intervals, 49
shutter speed values, 49
Extension tubes, 144–145
F
Fast lenses, 64, 66, see also Lenses
File format, choice of, 46–47
Fill-flashes, 164
for closeups, 153
reduce contrast with, 160–161
Flash(es)
bracket, 152
built-in, see Built-in flashes
electronic, see Electronic flashes
meters, 159–160
sync speed, 159–160
Flash exposure, 158
compensation control guidelines, 159
Flash remote controllers, 152–153
Flash techniques for closeups, 150–151, see also Electronic flashes
built-in flash, 152–153
dedicated flash cords, 152
fill-flash techniques, 153
flash remote controllers, 152–153
placing, holding and triggering the flash, 151–152
f-number, 72
back-button, 98
I
Image(s)
quality, importance of, 7
raw and jpeg, 46–47
sharp closeup, techniques for, 145–146
sharpness and aperture size, 146
Images, nature photographic
digital projection of, 177–178
printing of, 176–177
Images, strong, composition of, 119
begin shooting the panoramic, 134
fantastic panoramics, 131
focus carefully, 134
format, 129–131
guidelines, 120–123
keeping the image simple, 127
level the camera, 131
level the tripod, 131
mark the panoramic sequence, 134
numbers of subjects, 128
panoramic software, 134
placement of subject in main frame, 124
rule of thirds, 124–125
telephoto lenses, 123–124
telephoto lens strategies, 123
use a specific white balance, 131, 134
use manual exposure, 134
use of leading lines, 128–129
wide-angle lens viewpoints, 123
Instructional photography programs, 19–20
Internet, information on, 24
Inverse square law, 157–158
J
JPEGs, properly exposing, 47
L
Lens bag, long, 170–171
Lenses
accessories, 77–78
for closeup photography, 142–143
crop factors, 66–68
depth of field, 66
focal length, 63
image-stabilized lenses, 68–69
lens choices, see Lenses, types of
for macro photography, see Macro lenses
maintenance, 79
perspective, 69
telephoto, 69
vibration reduction (VR), 68–69
working process, 63
zoom, 142
Lenses, accessories
lens hoods, 77–78
teleconverters, 78
Lenses, types of
constant and variable aperture zooms, 71–72
macro lenses, 77
medium telephoto lenses, 74
standard lens, 74
super telephoto lenses, 75–76
telephoto lens, 74–75
tilt/shift lenses, 76–77
using zoom lenses in the field, 72
wide-angle lenses, 72–74
zoom and prime lenses, 69–71
Light, and photography, 101–103
amount of, 103–104
choosing the color space, 111
color of light, 106–109
computer software adjustments, 115–116
contrast, 113–115
direction of light, 111–113
effect of excessive, 104–105
filters, 116–117
jpeg and white balance considerations, 110–111
lower contrast with electronic flash, 115
neutral density filters, 106
qualities of, 103
reflectors, 115
selection of appropriate time of day, 105
split-nd filters, 115
Light, direction of, and photography
backlight, 112–113
front-lighting, 111
sidelighting, 112
Light, for closeups, change in, 148
diffusion cloths, 149
diffusion disks, 148–149
Light-modifying devices, see Reflectors
M
Macro lenses, 143
long, pros and cons of, 140–141
100 mm, 142
200 mm, 141
50 mm macros, problems with, 142
Nikon and Canon lenses, 142–143
true, 139–140
Macro photography, 138–139, see also Macro lenses
Magazines, on photography
Digital PhotoPro, 17
EOS Magazine, 18
Nature Photographer, 17
Outdoor Photographer, 17
PCPhoto, 17
Popular Photography, 17
The Trail Rider, 18
WildBird, 18
Magnification, 137–139
and extension tubes, 144
Manual focusing, 64
autofocusing, 94
Meters, flash, 159–160
Mirror-lockup, 148
Multiple flash photography, 158, 163–164
N
Naturalist, 7
Nature photograph, 1–7
factors making good, 9–11
Nature photographers, professional vs. amateur, 9
Nature photography, 175
digital projection of, 177–178
images, printing of, 176–177
images, publishing of, 178
organizing images of, 178, 180–181
post images on web, 178
prints, display of, 176
protect special places, 176
reading about, 21–24
as source of income, 176
teaching, 178
Nature photography, closeup, see also Reflectors
aperture size and sharpness, 146
flash techniques for, 150–153, see also Electronic flashes
lenses for, see Close-up lens
light for, 148–159
magnification and, 137–139
mirror-lockup, 148
self-timers, 148
sharp images, techniques for, 145–146
wind problems, solution for, 147–148
Nikon close-up lenses, 142–143
O
On-camera flash, see Built-in flashes
P
Photographers, nature, 9
Photographic equipments, see also Cameras
camera backpacks, 169
camera bag setup strategies, 171–172
camera gear, flying with, 172–173
camera straps, 167–168
hard-sided aluminum case, 168–169
long lens bag, 170–171
photographer’s vest, 169–170
shoulder bags, 169
soft-sided cases, 169–171
Photography, see also specific entries
flashes for, see Electronic flashes
macro, 138–139
magazines on, see Magazines, on photography
nature, see Nature photography
sharpness and closeup, 145–146
PhotoMechanic, 178
Photo tour, 20–21
Photo workshops, 20
Plamps, 148
Power points, 124
R
Raw images, properly exposing, 47–48
Rear-curtain sync, 163
Reflectors, 149–150
cross-lighting with, 150
using, 150
S
Second-curtain sync, see Rear-curtain sync
Sharpness and closeup photography, 145–146
Shooting habits, development of, 7
Shoulder bags, 169
Shutter speed, flash, 159, 160
T
medium, 74
strategies, 123
super, 75–76
Through-the-lens (TTL) metering system, 158
failure of, 158–159
Tripods, 81
accessories, see Tripods, accessories
carrying, 84
choice of, 82
features of, 82–84
focusing, 92
manual focusing, see Tripods, manual focusing
specific choice, see Tripods, specific choices
useful focusing techniques, see Tripods, useful focusing techniques
Tripods, accessories
avoid using protection filters, 89
cable and remote releases, 91
firing the camera, 91
getting sharper results, 89
image-stabilized lenses, 88
image-stabilizing techniques, 88–89
keep lenses clean, 89
L-brackets, 87
mirror lockup, 89–91
quick-release plates, 86–87
RAW and JPEG considerations, 92
self-timer problems, 91
sharp apertures, 89
shooting hand-held, 88
tripod problems, 87–88
Tripods, manual focusing
autofocusing, 94
Tripods, specific choices
ball heads, 85
gimbal heads, 85–86
tilt/pan tripod heads, 84–85
tripod heads, 84
Tripods, useful focusing techniques
back-button focusing, 98
continuous autofocus, 95, 96, 98
single shot AF, 95
V
Vests, for photographers, 169–170
Vibration reduction (VR) lenses, 68–69
W
White balance
auto white balance, 108
color temperature, 109
custom white balance, 108–109
daylight, shade, and cloudy, 108
flash, 108
jpeg and raw, 110–111
tungsten and fluorescent light, 108
Wind problems, in photography, 147
mirror-lockup, 148
plamps (plant-clamp), 148
self-timers, 148
Working distance, 75
Z
Zoom lens, 142