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Bats and Owls
Summary:
Nature photographer Dietmar Nill sits down with FotoTV to discuss his early career and present position as a filmmaker of nature and wildlife videos.
Nill reflects on his first request from a client to film a water bat as it drinks, as the ideal moment and catalytic spark for him to begin venturing out into video filming of subjects well known to him. Seizing this moment as a perfect opportunity to further develop and hone his style, he began shooting with a digital camera and with a few clicks of the camera’s buttons became a filmmaker. It fascinated him so much that he has slowly began the transition a year ago to become a full time filmmaker, even though he still shots still photos with a camera for time lapse photography, landscape and sunset photos.
Nill had an idea to photograph bats at night so he had a photoelectric sensor built especially for him because there was no available light on his locations and one of the problems he faced was the trigger delay time of the cameras he was using.
So now he always uses a photoelectric sensor for making his photographs of the animals in the wild. In this respect, the animals are literally taking a photo of themselves because they trigger the sensor with their movement, something Nill describes as fascinating.
Nill’s photos start out as an idea and he works toward that idea regardless of how long it takes---even years, until he can actually create the photo, with everything in place, all materials and equipment, he sets out to make the ideal photograph. He was born with a talent, and that talent is he can build a relationship to the animals he photographs, knowing how to act around the animals and how the animals will react to him and what they will do, even before he takes the picture. He has a lot of experience and therefore recognizes their behavior, foreseeing what will take place in the next minute enabling him to be prepared to photograph or film the animal to create stunning images.
Niall Benvie
Summary:
Scottish wildlife photographer, Niall Benvie, sits down with FotoTV to discuss his career as a wildlife photographer and nature conservationist. His close involvement with 2020Vision.org, "For a Wilder Britain" is testimony to his dedication to increase public awareness and teach the vital steps to restore and recreate the natural habitats of Britain. Through his photos, combined with words to give context to his pictures, Benvie creates images of immediacy that reflect on the loss and conservancy of natural elements, wild animals and human cultural activities, due to climate change and human encroachment.
Being a second-generation naturalist, Benvie followed in the footsteps of his father to become a farmer. It was this intimate relationship with nature that led him to become a full time wildlife photographer. Leading the call for action to preserve nature's most vital resources and free habitats, Benvie's photographs surpass just being for entertainment purposes, his images intend to educate on the important connection between the three primary life forces that exist on this planet; nature, animals and human kind.
Theo Bosboom
Summary:
Theo Bosboom is a nature photographer from the Netherlands. His career in photography started in 2003 after a photo trip to southern Africa and Namibia. Deeply impressed by the wildlife and the wonderful landscapes there, and on looking at his pictures back home, he realized just what a powerful medium photography could be.
So he joined a local nature photography club in Nijmegen and was inspired by the work done there. He saw that it was possible to make great pictures not only in faraway places but also right on his own doorstep around Arnhem.
Theo’s main focus is on landscapes. But unlike most landscape photographers he makes great use of the telephoto lens. He uses it to pick out details and structures that then have strong graphic impact verging on the abstract.
At the other extreme Theo does a lot of macro-photography. "Here the great thing is", he says, "that it can be done anytime, any place and under any weather".
A major project over the last few years has been photographing in Iceland. On visiting there in 2006 he saw that it was "a dream for photographers" but that many people had of course already taken great photographs there. To find something new he decided to go back several times a year, often in winter, avoiding the tourists in spring and summer, and to explore away from the beaten track.
Thanks to the Gulf Stream Iceland has a relatively mild climate. So to Theo's surprise it was raining when he first arrived in winter and the vegetation was green. But luckily after a few days it began to snow and "it turned the landscape into a magical place". For example the Jökulsárlón Glacier is "very special in winter: It looks different every day".
Working in Iceland is hard because the weather can change very quickly. Blizzards and sudden ice on the roads can make travelling risky. Four-wheel drive is a must.
Early in 2010 Theo witnessed and photographed the eruption of the volcano Eyjafjallajokull that, with its dust and ash cloud, disrupted air traffic in most of Europe.
Iceland is a great place for bird photography. There are a many breeding species, some of them, like the photogenic puffin, very interesting. The harlequin duck, for example, cannot be found anywhere else in Europe. And one can get surprisingly close to the birds because they are not so shy as in more populated areas.
Theo gives advice in this video to potential visitors to Iceland. If you are planning a photo trip you will need at least ten day to right round the island. If you have less time take a closer look at just one area. And if you only have a weekend or so stay in the southeast near Reykjavik, in the so-called 'Golden Triangle'. It includes the Goðafoss waterfall, and other great but less well-known waterfall and it is one of the few areas in Iceland where there are trees. Driving further east there is good chance of spotting reindeer. The coastline is in some places quite spectacular and one should also visit some geothermal hot spots to get a feeling for the power that formed the earth.
Theo's website at www.theobosboom.com has a lot of his great Iceland images and Theo generously makes an offer to help you if you are planning a visit there. Just send him an email.
Under South African Skies
Summary:
There can hardly be anywhere offering a greater diversity of subjects for animal and landscape photographers than southern Africa. And world-renowned photographer Heinrich van den Berg has taken full advantage of this wealth.
He started taking photographs swhile on holidays with his family in the national parks of South Africa. This hobby eventually turned into a small family business. Now if they go on a photo trip together one will use a wide-angle lens and the other a telephoto. In this way each can concentrate on one type of shot and not have to worry about other kinds of photograph. "This kind of frees you up a lot", he says.
Heinrich grew up in the eastern coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal, which is very diverse with mountains, bush-veldt and coast. There are great mountain landscapes, with bird heights where one can photograph vultures and black eagles. The bush is particularly good for rhinos and cheetahs. And on the coast there are interesting animals such as the log-head turtle, and whales can be photographed from the beach. There are mangroves too with many smaller animals.
In the Kruger National Park Heinrich photographs amongst others the 'big five' (Lion, Leopard, Black Rhino, Elephant and Cape Buffalo).
The third area in which he works is the western part of the country with its deserts and semi-deserts. The best place here, he maintains, is the Kalahari Desert, in particular the Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park. Here, he says, it is easy to get great photographs: The background is always out of focus, the colours are lovely and the light is beautiful. "It really is a dramatic place to photograph. In Namibia too there are many interesting kinds of animals like red-footed geckos or flamingos that one does not see in the wetter parts of the country.
The wildlife in the desert is very sparse and van den Berg has to drive around for a long time before finding something to photograph. But then it's really worthwhile. Alternatively he waits at an interesting looking place for something to happen. "Ninety nine percent of the time it's worth waiting, though".
On the danger aspect van den Berg says that it is very difficult to predict what animals are going to do. Especially leopards and hippo can change their mood very fast. Others, like the lion, are easier to 'read'. But one has always to be careful.
Initially Heinrich tried to capture animals full-frame. Now he often zooms back to get more of the environmen. This, he says, is as important as the animal itself. That way you can show the character of the animal better. The leopard, for example, is a very secretive animal. To show it sitting on a rock in an open area is not true to his nature. Much better would be a shot of the animal hiding in tree.
For the Animal Planet series on the Discovery Channel Heinrich made photographs of meerkats. Because these animals are the subject of a research project they are now habituated to humans and can be photographed at very close quarters. Heinrich used this opportunity to make photographs with a variety of wide-angle lenses and with flash lights, which didn't bother the animals at all.
You can follow Heinrich van den Berg on Facebook and find a short but excellent autobiographical sketch here.
Winfried Wisniewski
Summary:
Today, acclaimed nature photographer Winfried Wisniewski shares some of his insight on the dramatic change within nature photography during the past few years.
As a nature photographer, Wisniewski’s priority years ago was to create photo documents of nature, and for him it was primarily animals. The method back then was capture the object or animal in perfect sharpness. Unfortunately such styles of photos are no longer popular today and are more likely to be overlooked and thrown away by the photo editors of major magazines. Today it is about presenting nature and animals from an entirely different aspect.
Back when Wisniewski started photographing nature, most photographers had a background in biology. Today, it is the other way around; most come from a photography background, so the difference in perspective is quite clear and the focus even clearer.
Wisniewski goes on to explain in detail the evolution of nature photography and how styles have changed. Action photography is a term he uses often, as well as pointing out the difference between emotional photography and a photo with intensity, it is clear Wisniewski is a master of his work. Even if styles change, talent is innate and Wisniewski’s photos proves he has plenty of it.
Estonian Seasons
Summary:
Young Estonian nature photographer Sven Začek describes vividly in this video his photographic year, dominated as it is by the northern seasons.
Sven started taking photographs as a hobby in 2003 while still at University. In 2005 he turned his pastime into his profession. Interestingly, he is one of the coming generation of professionals whose first camera was digital and who have never experienced analogue photography.
Taken by his father-in-law on hunting trips for moose and wild boar, Sven came to enjoy nature and the outdoor life. When the hunting season had ended he returned to the wild, this time with a camera and a long telephoto lens. He got to know the places and the animals so well, especially the roe deer, that he later exclaimed, ˝I can’t kill these guys, I know them all!“ Estonia, though small, is blessed with beautiful landscapes that Začek brings magically to us.
The prices that Estonian nature photographers can get for pictures in their home country are very low. Začek therefore had initially to do other kinds of photography, run workshops and tours. However, now that he has an outstanding international reputation Sven can follow his passion single-mindedly.
Winter is his favorite time of year: “Tracks in the snow are like a book˝, he says. In spring nature goes ’boom’ – “there are so many birds!” As a kid he was always climbing trees: Now he uses this skill to photograph birds, sitting sixty feet above the ground, swaying gently in the breeze. In summer the wanderlust grabs him and he’s off walking and photographing the unique bog lands and forests and lakesides of Estonia. Then in autumn the bigger mammals come slowly into focus again. And so the cycle of the seasons turns.
Sven’s current preoccupation is with the intimate life of the Ural owl (Strix uralensis). He has been following one individual pair of owls for over a year. And in May, during the nesting time, he was with them in their tree almost every afternoon for six or seven hours. That's the kind of patience, dedication and endurance that it takes to be a top class naturalist and nature photographer.
Sven Začek has published more than a hundred articles on nature and photography. He is editor-in-chief of the nature photography magazine LoFo and co-founder of the most popular Estonian website on nature and nature photography. Visit his homepage for more links and to see more of Začek’s cool and stunning images.
Nick Brandt 2
Summary:
In this second installment, animal photographer Nick Brandt talks to FotoTV about his epic work in Africa, focusing this time on his technique on photographing the animal’s personalities.
Brandt first visited Africa in 1995, when he was the director for Michael Jackson's Earth Song video. It was on that first trip that he fell in love with the place and the connection to the animals there.
Every animal is different and therefore each with a unique personality. Capturing that special moment for Brandt is a combination of luck and patience. There are only certain animals that let people get close to him, unlike the buffalo, which are highly guarded and territorial.
Brandt also talks about and shares several of his most famous animal photos, each depicting a unique setting and ethereally displaying the animal’s soul in full glory through his lens. His pictures are full of perfect choreography, scenes likened to those out of a Hollywood back lot studio, but Brandt’s photos are as real as real can get, and it is all about waiting for the right moment, sometimes even as long as 17 days to get the shot he is looking for.
For Brandt it is all about the right moment to capture the true personality of the animal he has before his lens.
Joel Sartore
Summary:
For this FotoTV film we have asked Photographer Joel Sartore to talk with us about his nature photography.
Joel Sartore, photographer for National Geographic for more than 20 years, made his degree in journalism at the university of nebraska. It didn't take a long time till he discovered a passion for photography. He considers himself a photographic storyteller, which fits to his educational background. His main work consists of wildlife and enviromental photography.
Allthough some of the species he gets in front of his lenses are threatened with extinction, Joel still brings a sense of humor into his photographs.
The seriousness of his projects mainly reflects in the last sentence of this video:
"I hope my pictures can give a voice to the voiceless, before they´re gone."
Costa Rica
Summary:
Tobias Hauser, who has been a photographer and photojournalist for over ten years, sits down for an informative interview with FotoTV to share some of his incredible experiences photographing the beautiful tropical scenes of New Zealand, Cuba, and his Costa Rica.
Hauser’s most current project as a photojournalist is the small Central American country of Costa Rica offering divers climates and nature, volcanoes and rain forests, and incredibly rare animals to photograph. As Hauser explains, the most important aspects are to know the time of year and season to travel to Costa Rica and how to prepare and what to expect when you arrive and make your way though the country on a photo expedition. Costa Rica is definitely a land full of beauty and adventure and Hauser definitely takes his share of risks to document the abundant animal kingdom there. From crossing swollen rivers in jeeps, to tropical flash floods, Hauser years of location traveling experience has made him well prepared to reach an inspiring natural phenomenon of Costa Rica that happens on Ostinal Beach, the turtle egg laying event, or “Arribada”.
Hauser recommends taking a competent rain forest guide when in Costa Rica. Not only to be able to locate, identify and photograph the wonderful, rare and often camouflaged animals, but also to watch out for deadly species that often may be hidden to the untrained eye. Hauser’s adventure does not end on land. Another recommended photo opportunity which he has experienced is the world’s largest shark migration that takes place in the Golden Triangle, between Galapagos, Cocos, and Malpeo.
Hauser regularly gives lectures on location travel photography, including the Philippines, New Zealand, Cuba and most recently Costa Rica. A photo book of Costa Rica has also been published.
Selective Depth of Field 2
Summary:
In his second macro photography film tutorial, photographer and editor Hans-Peter Schaub discusses and demonstrates the compositional and creative aspects of macro photography while on location at the Maximillian Park in Hamm, Germany.
Schaub focuses on teaching photographers how to improve their photos by adjusting the depth of field to achieve the desired depth of field that fits with their compositions. With numerous demonstrations test shots he shows three very important aspects photographers can use as guidelines when composing their photographs; Topic, Emphasis, and Simplicity. The use of selective focus and depth of field are two great tools to simplify the image and Schaub uses many techniques to show emphasis as well, for example, through framing choice. In advance, Schaub has chosen nature and insects as his topic, therefore photographers need to be aware of their topic before they shoot macro photography, as well as the general message of the resulting photograph, because it is what inspires people to look at the photograph over and over.
In order to use selective focus effectively photographers must first learn to understand depth of field and how to control it, because control of depth-of-field is one of the most creative tools photographers have. One of the most important points to consider in composition is isolating the subject so that it becomes apparent to the viewer what the photographer is trying to show. Selective Focus not only provides a more film-like image, it provides the photographer with the essential means for focusing the viewer’s attention on a specific portion of the shot.