Pierre Steenberg

Low angles

November 12, 2017 • Leave a Comment

You have heard me say that too often we shoot at eye level when shooting from a lower angle may be better. I have said that in the context of landscape images many times. Did you know that that is true not only for landscape images but also for wildlife shooting? There are many advantages of shooting at a low angle when taking images of animals. I...

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Get the background totally blurred

November 05, 2017 • Leave a Comment

Especially when shooting birds, the background has as much influence on the image as the bird itself. The most pleasing backgrounds are totally blurred. We don't want bright objects or spots in the background. We don't want any distractions in the background. But how do you get a good background and what makes a great background? How do you get it...

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Animal photography

October 29, 2017 • Leave a Comment

Animals can be well camouflaged; their survival depend on it. That makes them difficult to spot. Now that you have spotted them you have a second problem. They blend in with their surroundings. Your photograph will be no good if people cannot find the animal in your image. Such animals are best taken as wildlife images rather than placing them in a...

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Animal interaction

October 22, 2017 • Leave a Comment

Images showing animals interacting with each other seem to be very popular with viewers. It adds emotion, action, and life. This just takes a lot of patience. Follow the animals in your viewfinder and be ready to shoot. Nothing happens... keep following them... nothing happens... just keep on following them; patience will pay off. Be willing to st...

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Birds in flight

October 15, 2017 • Leave a Comment

Any photographer experienced in bird in flight photography will tell you that it is very tricky. Birds can move very fast and if you think they can move fast just think how fast their wings are moving. To be successful at bird in flight photography you will need the best autofocus systems out there and fast lenses. Use very fast shutter speeds to f...

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Bird photography

October 08, 2017 • Leave a Comment

Birds make great photography material and they are everywhere. To start off with you will need a long lens because they are small (generally) and you cannot always get close to them. Crop sensor cameras work best for bird photography. Autofocus is crucial so get a camera with great autofocus. Just like taking photographs of people we need to make...

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Sand dunes

October 01, 2017 • Leave a Comment

Sand dunes are fascinating and they can be very photogenic. How do we bring the best out in them? Here are some tricks and tips to help you make some impressive sand dune images: Sand dunes need to be shot when the light is really at a low angle (early morning or around sunset). This makes one side of the dune bright and the other side dark (in s...

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What about the road?

September 24, 2017 • Leave a Comment

When I was learning the craft of photography I was very young. I attended photography clubs for years. They taught me much, but they also taught me to conform to preconceived rules. Some of the very best photographers I looked up to where purists (as they called themselves). In 1985 autofocus came out in SLR cameras. Those purist vowed never to use...

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Animal landscapes

September 17, 2017 • Leave a Comment

Animals can greatly help your landscape images. They add a sense of scale. They tell a story. They tend to evoke questions. It shows them in their habitat. When we see an animal we often want to slap on a long lens and fill the frame with the animal. Now that is not a bad strategy for wildlife photography. Just once in awhile fight that urge and ma...

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Distance on a flat image

September 10, 2017 • Leave a Comment

You will hear me say this over and over again. We want people to look into our images rather than from side to side. Let me illustrate: The image to the left (or top depending on the size of your screen)(the first image) represents a poor image because the viewer just looks at it as a flat image. They look from side to side. They are looking at...

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