NEWCOMER question

[addieglen]

<p>Hey everyone,<br>

I am just starting photography, so im in the learning process, but when im trying to shoot nature (landscape, animals, trees, ect...) when i get my telephoto lense, how much do i need to be aware of flash use in lower light conditions ( Far away and up close). to some this may be a dumb question but we all started somewhere, so haters please dont reply, thanks.</p>

<p>Glen.</p>

 

[jautey]

<p>These are all my own opinions and observations.</p>

<p>You will find many with different answers.</p>

<p>Mostly you won't use flash in nature photography, mostly. There will be times when you do, and most of those times it'll be off camera.</p>

<p>Why not? Let's start with wildlife photos. The surest way to spook critters is bang away with a flash. That's not to say it isn't done or there aren't times when it necessary, it's just generally not a good idea and experience will be the best guide.</p>

<p>You'll use flash with landscape/macro photography more often.</p>

<p>With landscape photography the times you use flashes is when you're tying to gets some light on either a particular object, in which case you'll either walk the flash over to it and flash away on a timed exposure or plant the flash and remotely trigger it. Other times you'll want to really highlight something in the foreground, say flowers, against a broader background during the twilight hours. To accomplish this a good way is to off camera strobe it. Just enought to give it some give it some color without washing the background. Othertimes you'll use the flash to isolate a subject. There are a lot tricks on using a flash for nature photography. <br>

Flashes only have a certain range, so if you're thinking of lighting up the mountain range you photographing forget about it. Anything past maybe 50 (It may be much more or less, I don't have the technical details in my head) yards is past the power of most on-camera flashes. Again, and this is just my style, I use flashes to highlight and lite objects in the foreground and isolate others.</p>

<p>There are a ton of books out there on using strobes. Also a blog that I enjoy is http://strobist.blogspot.com/</p>

<p>I hope this helps.</p>

[addieglen]

<p>Awsome info, thank you very much Erica, that put alot into perspective for me :)</p>

[jautey]

<p>Outdoor photographer magazine might also be a good resource. It's mostly a gadget rag, but it does have good information, advice, tips and tricks and such, for new outdoor photographers. Many will pooh pooh it, but it's not expensive and has been a good source of information, especially when I was just starting out.</p>

[stemked]

<p>The best way to get started, pick up a good photography book! I would highly recommend almost anything written by John Shaw, he has several good books that are well-written. When I used to teach Nature Photography I used to use his books in my class. He has general topics on Nature photography as well as specific topics (macro, landscapes, etc.).<br>

Next look at a lot of images. photo.net is an excellent place to start. I would suggest looking at the top rated nature photos as well as the general nature photos. Some will be good, some will be bad. You learn from seeing what works and what doesn't, both technical (lighting, poor depth of view, etc) and composition issues (image subjects too busy, too centered, etc.)<br>

Once you have any SLR camera with any lens THE BEST PURCHASE IS A SOLID TRIPOD. And then USE IT! You will improve your images far more substantially using a tripod initially than any new lens purchase. Once you discover what your passion is in nature photography, you'll have a good idea what you want next. Crazy about flowers, bugs? A macro lens. Landscapes? Some extra sharp primes, maybe a tad wider than you had before. Birds, other animals? Save up, that telephoto (with mega tripod/ wimberly head) will put off your next purchase of a car.<br>

The truth is no one can tell you what your next purchase will be, you need to find your passion and pursue it. Remember, lenses are nothing more than tools to help you with your vision, this isn't a hobby about putting a bunch of expensive glass on the mantle.</p>

 

[Two23]

<p>The single most important thing for you as a beginner is to learn how to see light, and know how to use each kind to its best effect. As for flash, the more I learned about it, the more I use it. <br>

Kent in SD</p>

[craig_meddaugh]

<p>I actually try and avoid using a flash as a key light (unless I absolutely have to) but fill flash is indispensable. Fill flash rarely, if ever, spooks your subject and can go a long way to improving your photographs in suboptimal lighting conditions. Fill flash can also add nice "catchlights" to they eyes of your subjects. You should definitely have a flash in your bag. I use mine about 80% of the time, about the only time it comes off the camera is when eye shine is going to be a problem or when dealing with especially skittish or distant subjects. </p>

[steven_robles]

<p>I wouldn't worry so much about a flash like said above by some people... I have 2 SB-800s that I only use for weddings and headshots. What I do recommend, like stated above is having a good tripod. One that is rigid and one that you can clean out.. When I first began photography I went through tons of cheap tripods and it ended up costing my big time! I suggest you just get an expensive one and save the money in the long run.. As for a telephoto lens.. if you are shooting alot of landscapes, I would go with a wide angle over a telephoto. I have a Tamron 11-18 and Sigma 70-200 2.8, and I hardly use my telephoto when shooting landscapes. So unless you know for a fact you are going to be shooting alot of wildlife, Id save the money. But if i were you, just experiment. Go out and have fun. Learning light is what you need to know and its fun to learn stuff at your own pace and time. For the time being, use a flashlight to light your objects...create a short/long exposure and use a flashlight. Like here I used a long exposure and lit the road with a flashlight.<br>

 

[macpherson]

<p>The topic of flash in nature photography is rather broad. As you're a beginner, I'd advise you to get familiar with the flash in some much more controlled settings, like your kitchen. Experiment and see how it performs in different situations, and try to get your hands on a good diffuser to soften the light. Consider getting the flash off-camera with cords or remote triggers like a Pocket Wizard. </p>

<p>Once you're off-camera and set up with remote triggers, you can add several flashes and expand your coverage. You can also get more creative with things like gels to adjust the color of the light as well as light modifiers - snoots, barn doors, grids, etc. (Just give those a quick google)</p>

<p>Out in the field, one of the first things you'll notice is that the distance a flash will cover is very limited, so if you're planning to throw some fill light on a bird that's across the river, it just won't work. But if you want a dramatic backlight illuminating a cluster of flowers 2 feet away, you're on the right track.</p>

<p>Subjects like trees will depend on distance and focal length. Too far away and you're back to the same issue of limited flash distance. Whether flash will be useful depends on what you meant by "trees", which could be anything from a close up of an opening bud to a landscape of the valley below.</p>

<p>You also need to be aware that any given flash will cover only a certain width - generally as wide as something like a 28mm lens - but that varies with the flash. Many will automatically adjust for the focal length of the lens while the flash is on-camera, but if it's off camera you'll generally have to adjust the width of the beam manually through a menu setting or a push-pull mechanism on the front of the flash.</p>

<p>As far as tripods, you don't have to go nuts, but you shouldn't buy anything real cheap either. I have a solid Manfrotto and a cheaper carbon fiber made by Fancier - a no-name Chinese manufacturer (about $129 on ebay as I recall) and have used both to support my Canon 600mm f4 (a 12 pound lens). I like the cheaper tripod better because it has the latch-lock design and is more secure than the Manfrotto's twist-lock which has slipped on more than one occasion. It's also faster to set up, and in some nature applications, that can make the difference in getting or missing the shot.</p>

<p>If you end up with a long focal length lens, consider a gimbal (swivel) head. The Wimberly is the most popular - and most expensive. Manfrotto makes on for a third of the cost and it works very well.</p>

<p>Lens selection is important. If you're in to bird photography and the longest focal length you have is 100mm, you're going to miss a lot of images. But if you really want landscapes, that 600mm isn't going to do you any good either. My advice is to do more of your investing in the glass than the camera - the glass will outlive many generations of DSLRs.</p>

<p>The most important thing of all is to get out and shoot. Take a LOT of images. On a recent trip to a spot where the Osprey were feeding on spawning fish, I shot over 500 frames. 17 were worth keeping. But two of those 17 were gallery images!</p>

<p>Have fun!</p>