Shoot into the sun (Ian Plant)

An oft-repeated “rule” of wildlife photography goes something like this: “Always shoot with the sun to your back.” Huh? I often wonder were this one comes from. I can’t imagine anything more boring than evenly lit subjects! When shooting wildlife, I do the opposite—I often choose a position where I am facing the sun, especially around sunrise and sunset. A back-lit subject can be very powerful, especially when juxtaposed against a dark background. Also, only when you face the light will you get reflections in water or other surfaces. Furthermore, in some situations you can include the sun itself in the image, which can make for a very effective compositional statement.

Great egret stalking for prey, Huntley Meadows

Exposure can be tricky when shooting toward, or into, the sun. Check your histogram to make sure that you are not overexposing or underexposing important elements of your scene. It is best to shoot when the sun is relatively low in the sky; otherwise, severe contrast might prevent you from getting a balanced exposure. When the sun is low on the horizon, and heavily filtered by atmospheric particles, its light is much less intense than when it is high in the sky—and much more colorful as well. Use graduated neutral density filters or fill-flash to further reduce contrast. Even using all these techniques, you may find it impossible to simultaneously hold detail in both shadow and highlight areas. Don’t despair—just use your best judgment to achieve an appropriate balance. The world won’t end if a few of your highlights or shadows lack detail. In fact, dark areas can be used to very powerful effect, such as when parts of the scene are rendered in silhouette.

Great blue heron, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

~ by mountaintrailphoto on July 30, 2008.