Pierre Steenberg

Tarangire (Tanzania) bird photography

November 03, 2024 • Leave a Comment

A rest day at camp may not be a rest day for a bird photographer. As long as the conditions lend itself to photography we are always on the hunt for images. I kept on walking back on forth throughout the camp looking for birds and butterflies to photograph. As luck would have it, I found a few. As usual, I was lucky enough to find a few birds but n...

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Cropping

October 27, 2024 • Leave a Comment

The best way to maintain resolution and to get great images is to properly frame the image when it is taken. However, birds do not always sit still waiting for you to snap away. They move fast. You don't have time to nitpick the finer elements within the frame. You basically stick to composition basics and hope for the best. When you get home you l...

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A few things to consider for bird photography

October 20, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Last week it was mentioned that photographs of a bird on a perch is also nice. Not every image needs to be an action shot. These kind of images are calming and beautiful. Here is an example. So how do we get nice images such as this one? Here are a few tips: Overcast but bright days are best. The soft defused light just works well with birds. L...

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Bird bath

October 13, 2024 • Leave a Comment

I do like images of a pretty bird on a perch. Images of birds in action are ever better. The two kinds of images are beautiful in a different sense. The static bird just makes for a pretty image while the action shot adds a bit of fascination and wonder. Both kinds of images have their appeal. Technically speaking, action images tend to be much mor...

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Macro vs Close-up

October 06, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Technically, macro photography starts at 1:1 reproduction. That means that your subject is the same size in real life as it appears on the sensor. If the reproduction ratio is smaller than 1:1, say 1:.5 than we are dealing with close-up photography rather than macro. Macro enthusiasts tend to say that the real beauty of macro only starts at 1:1 rat...

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Flash and wing movement

September 29, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Action images always seem to be more dynamic than static images. So when we see bees come and go, it is only natural to want to photograph them in flight. A lot of macro photography is done with a flash. The settings of the camera and flash impact wing movement. Moving wings make the insect look alive in the air rather than the unnatural look of an...

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Little details matter

September 22, 2024 • Leave a Comment

What makes one photograph better than another? What is the difference between a good image and a great one? In macro photography that can all come down to little details. Details matter. Look at these two images for comparison. These two images were taken during the same session at a garden. Which one do you prefer? Do you know why you prefer...

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Camera weight and macro - closeup photography

September 15, 2024 • Leave a Comment

When we work in a studio, camera weight is not always going to weigh you down (pun intended). Here we can use support systems such as a tripod. However, shooting macro or closeups out in nature is a different story. If you have followed my blog, you will know that I moved from Sony to Nikon. For me, one big con of Nikon is the weight and size of th...

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Side view versus front view in macro

September 08, 2024 • Leave a Comment

As we have already discussed, one of the major challenges of macro (or closeup) photography is depth of field (how deep or shallow the focus is). To overcome this difficulty, many macro photographers (me included, at times) will advocate for photographing the side view of the insect. If the whole insect is situated on the plane of focus then all of...

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Backgrounds in macro

September 01, 2024 • Leave a Comment

Backgrounds can make or break any image of any genre. Macro images are no exception. Backgrounds matter, a lot! In macro photography however things can get tricky when it comes to backgrounds. At times, the insect we are photographing sits still enabling you to move your position to get the best possible background. We talked about this last week....

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