Introduction to Wildlife Photography
For those starting out in wildlife photography, this course will show you how to photograph an incredible variety of birds and mammals throughout the British Isles. We will look at equipment, techniques and locations to find charismatic species and make striking images. The course will build an appreciation of what makes a good wildlife photograph and how to bring all the right elements together.
The morning will concentrate on fundamental techniques such as:
· What is wildlife?
· Composition
· Focus
· Light
· Aperture
· Shutter speed
· Exposure
· Equipment
We will look at close to wildlife including working with habituated subjects, fieldcraft, camouflage, fixed hide, pop-up hides, using your car as a hide and constructing your own garden hide. When and how to use artificial lighting will also be considered.
In the afternoon we will look at where to find wildlife in the British Isles, both close to home and further afield. Habitats covered are gardens, farmland, downland, woodland, freshwater wetlands, intertidal wetlands, rocky coast and mountains.
Participants will be encouraged to photograph birds in their gardens and at wetlands near their homes (suggestions will be provided). We will also consider the ethics and legal aspects of wildlife photography; what should we be prepared to do and not do to get a picture?
The course concludes with an exercise in which participants will be invited to constructively criticise a selection of the tutor’s photographs and will be invited to comment on specific technical aspects.
Level: To get the most out of the course students should already understand the basics of exposure, shutter speed, aperture and ISO; and be comfortable handling their cameras using both aperture priority and manual exposure mode.
Recommended Photographic Equipment: Digital single lens reflex camera or mirrorless or equivalent capable of taking acceptable quality images at ISO 1600 or higher, telephoto lens (e.g. 400mm or longer), tripod and/or monopod.
Group size: Maximum of 8 participants.
Date: 12 September 2024
One day workshop tutored by Robert Harvey, cost: RPS Member £68.00, RPS Non-Member £91.00
I run this zoom workshop in association with The Royal Photographic Society and bookings can be made on their website.
“May I say how much I enjoyed the workshop yesterday. You covered a great deal of ground and put me in a much better starting position as I begin to attempt some wildlife photography. I have now booked on your Masterclass day in early February and look forward to that.”
“Yes, very enjoyable, I was reticent in booking a zoom workshop as I didn’t want to just sit and watch, but Robert made it very interactive, and this worked really well with a small number of participants.”
“Thank you for sharing your images, knowledge and experience with us, and for putting so much time and energy into the preparation for this course. I thoroughly enjoyed both days, and came away with lots of things to think about and useful pointers.”
“Thanks Robert for a very useful and enjoyable day. I have already started to train myself to move the focus point without taking my eye off the viewfinder and am now experimenting with M settings. Off this afternoon to my local wetlands to see if I can actually get any decent results!”
“Thanks for a very good and informative day. The content was interesting and informative, full of advice and new ways of doing things, for me at any rate, which I am hopeful will help me get better results in the future. I look forward to the next session. The content was excellent with both technically and aesthetically - the pictures were marvellous. I was really impressed by the way you encouraged and got participation from the audience. It made the day fly by. The pace was fine. I thought the discussion on the ethics was useful and a necessary adjunct to the syllabus and something that could have been so easily overlooked. It is an issue that is obviously worth debating.”
“Robert Harvey proved to be an excellent tutor with a deep knowledge of photography and his wildlife subjects. On the strength of this workshop, I have booked a place on his next available course (Landscape Astrophotography).”