The following article details ocean photography ideas and tips using the award-winning images from the 10th annual Ocean Art 2021 Underwater Photography Competition.  Visit the UW Photography Guide website to see the full list of winners.

Get Close Up to the Action

Getting up and close to the action with a wide angle lens creates a sense of action, as we’ve illustrated previously in this tutorial.  The same applies to ocean photography.  Instead of zooming in from afar, try getting in close to your subjects.  This is obviously much more difficult, but the results can be much more rewarding and interesting, as you see in the images below.

Find Patterns in the Ocean

Natural patterns exist in nature and create beautiful opportunities in ocean photography.  Seek these patterns as you explore the ocean and you may find beautiful images like you see below.

Look for Groups

Group portraits work as well under water as they do on land. Capturing underwater group photos, however, includes the benefit of working with uniquely interesting subjects. Just as you would when photographing typical group portraits, use groups to fill the frame or to highlight a particular native of this aquatic environment. Consider using a narrower aperture to increase your depth of field and capture more of the group in clearer detail, or opt for a shallow depth of field (f/2 or wider) to draw focus to a particular subject.

Find Symmetry in Your Ocean Photography

We’re naturally drawn to symmetry, making it a great compositional tool to use in your ocean photography. Fortunately, marine life offers ample opportunities to reach for this tool when capturing underwater portraits.

Try Blackwater Ocean Photography

For those with more advanced diving skills and an inclination to capture truly unique photos in the open ocean, try your hand at blackwater ocean photography. You’ll need to use downline (for safety) and off-camera lights to attract your subjects, and you should probably consult with an experienced blackwater diver (ideally, one who also practices blackwater photography) to master this technique, but as you can see, the resulting imagery is worth the time and effort.

Try Half Underwater and Half Above Water

Capture the best of both worlds with a glimpse above an under water in a single frame. When exposing for these two unique environments at once, prioritize exposing for your subject and use an underwater strobe if necessary.

Tell a story – Create a Message

Human activity continues to impact the ocean and those who live in it, as noted in creative projects from artist & photographer Benjamin Von Wong. You, too, can look for ways to create a message when capturing underwater photos and bring attention to a particular cause. While you may not find litter or other traces of human interference during your visit, capturing the beauty of the environment can also go a long way to show why it is worth preserving, especially when presented with facts that demonstrate how this environment is at risk.

Try Black and White Processing

Black and white processing can boost the drama in your pictures and, at the same time, remove a lot of the distractions that present themselves in color photos. When we remove color from our photographs, we allow the viewer to focus more closely on the intended subject with intentional lighting and composition. Try to incorporate black and white processing into your ocean photography and see how it transforms your underwater images.

About the 10th Annual Ocean Art Underwater Photo Contest

The prestigious Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition, organized by the Underwater Photography Guide, has announced the world’s best underwater photos with its 2021 winners. This year’s competition celebrates a decade in the search for the world’s best photos of marine life behavior, unique portraits of intriguing underwater critters, and images that instill an urgency for conserving our invaluable subsurface planet. Ocean Art could not have been possible without the help of our generous sponsors who have all had to navigate a changing travel and dive industry.

Dog Photoshoot Idea #1: Shoot From Their Perspective

What do dogs love more than their humans? Treats, of course! One of my favorite dog photoshoot ideas is to think about perspective angles from a dog’s POV. For this shot, I grabbed an acrylic sheet and applied a circle of almond butter just enough for my lens to peek through it. All I had to do was press my shutter as hilarity ensued and the dogs came ravaging towards my lens. Make sure the treat you are using is dog-friendly!

Dog Photoshoot Idea #2: Foreground Subject, Background Blur

This is a great tip for getting great dog portraits on an engagement session or family session. Place the dog closer to your camera and the subjects just a couple of feet behind. Hold one of the dog’s favorite treats just on top of your lens to get its attention. This is the perfect dog photoshoot idea that provides some context as to who its owner is and adds more interest to the frame. You can watch the full shoot-through tutorial here!

Dog Photoshoot Idea #3: Shoot Top Down

Similar to our first tip, try changing up your perspective this time to tell the viewer what your pup looks like from your perspective. Shooting top-down, while your dog looks up at the lens, is sure to yield some adorable photos. It’s always a good idea to use a treat as an incentive to get your dog to look at your lens.

Photo by Elke Vogelsang Hildesheim, Germany, finalist for the Mars Petcare Comedy Pet Photo Awards

Dog Photoshoot Idea #4: Capture Action

This has easily got to be my favorite dog photoshoot idea. While some of the previous tips can be shot on your smartphone camera, this one requires a DSLR or mirrorless. This technique works best when there is a lot of light and your dog is set against a black background to contrast the water droplets. Thoroughly wet your dog, or maybe choose to do this shoot post-shower. Grab your camera and set your shutter speed to 1/2000th or faster, you’ll need the speed since this motion happens so quickly. Once you’ve wet your dog, they are likely to give you a shake within seconds of placing them in the proper spot where you want to take your photo so be ready to capture the action.

Pretty much anything dogs do is funnier in slow-mo, it’s almost guaranteed. You can also record your pup in slow-motion as they run towards your lens and make sure you have a treat in hand to reward them for their performance.

Dog Photoshoot Idea #5: Use Props

This is definitely something we’ve picked up from the numerous dog Instagram accounts online – prop usage. Whether there is a holiday coming up or you got suckered into buying a cute sweater for your pup, this is the ‘paw-fect’ dog photoshoot idea for any dog owner. Make sure that when purchasing the props you make sure they are dog friendly and if they aren’t that you keep a close watch on whether or not they will accidentally chew on something they aren’t supposed to. Here we’re just using string lights for their holiday card photo shoot but you can see Rusty, on the left, is wearing a sweater as well!

Dog Photoshoot Idea #5: Take an Artistic Portrait

The awesomeness of the image above needs no description.

Conclusion

What other fun dog photoshoot ideas have you tried & loved with your pet? If you’re interested in learning more about honing in your creative skills to capture more fun and unique dog photos, make sure you watch our Creative Photography 101 course that is designed to help teach you how to be more creative using the gear you already own!

Nature Photography Tips

• Familiarize Yourself with Your Subject
• Study the Professionals
• Gather the Proper Equipment
• Choose the Correct Lighting
• Choose the Proper Distance
• Shoot from Different Angles and Perspectives
• Capture the Details
• Respect Others and the Environment

Nature Photography Tip #1: Familiarize Yourself with Your Subject

When shooting nature photos, it’s vital to know something about the subject you’re photographing. Also, having some idea where to find a particular plant or animal will help establish authenticity. It’s good to be spontaneous sometimes, but just going out and wanding around may not be the most efficient use of your time. Take time to study their attributes such as:

• Shape
• Size
• Color
• Unusual markings

Also, you want to know where they nest. What is their preferred habitat? In this case, you know that the black-backed woodpecker prefers burned-out forests. So, you may be able to find more of them after a recent forest fire. The same thing goes for plants, geography, and terrain features. By studying your subject, you understand how to bring it to life in your wildlife photography.

Nature Photography Tip #2: Study the Professionals

If you want to become a great ice skater, you will imitate what a professional ice skater does. The same thing goes for natural or wildlife photography. When checking out the professional photos in nature magazines, ask yourself these questions:

• Where was the photographer in relation to the subject?
• What type of lens did they use?
• What time of day was it?
• How much foreground is there compared to the background?

There are other questions to ask, of course. But it’s good to think about how the pros get their shots. And it also keeps you thinking about how you’re going to get yours eventually.

3. Gather the Proper Equipment

The first thing to consider is the weather. If it’s cold, you’ll need a warm jacket, gloves, and maybe a parka if it’s snowing or rainy. If it’s hot, you’ll want light clothing, a wide-brimmed hat, sunblock, and plenty of extra water. Next, consider the terrain. Hiking boots are almost always a must, especially if you have to walk long distances over rocks or unstable surfaces. Make sure you have these items:

• Camera body
• Lenses
• Tripod
• Filters
• Lens hood
• Compact flash
• Flash extender
• Extra batteries

Our most important item on this list is a tripod, easily one of the most necessary items to have on you for nature photography. It is a great tool to have for low light, motion capture, and long exposures.

4. Choose the Correct Lighting

Try to get your shot either at early dawn or right at dusk. This is photography 101. But it’s even more critical for nature photos. Natural lighting is best. However, in shadowy forested areas, consider using fill flash to bring your subject to life. Also, a flash extender can be helpful to make the supplemental light carry farther.

Related Reading: The Beginner’s Guide To Photographing Wild Birds

5. Choose the Proper Distance

If your subject is an animal, you don’t want to get too close. However, if you’re too far away, you will be left with mostly foreground and background in your photo. So, what do you do? The best compromise is to get as close to the subject as possible without scaring it away. Nature photography tip: select a telephoto lens with a focal length between 100mm and 400mm. This range will give you a good starting point. If you’re shooting closeups, consider a quality macro lens. It will pick up every detail of a sunflower or a praying mantis eating its lunch. However, keep in mind that the minimum focusing distance for some of these specialized lenses can put you uncomfortably close to your subject. To avoid this problem, choose a macro lens with a focal length between 90mm and 105mm.

Nature Photography Tip #6: Shoot from Different Angles and Perspectives

Once you’ve gotten that perfect shot of an open meadow full of mountain wildflowers, it’s time to experiment a little. First, try photographing the same subject using a different perspective. For example, you could lie prone to capture an army of giant wildflowers getting ready to invade. Or, you could stand high upon a hill to make the yellow field resemble a postage stamp. Also, don’t forget to utilize depth of field and converging lines in your nature photography. Being creative means trying different things. Don’t settle for standing 100 feet away and taking only one shot.

Nature Photography Tip #7: Capture the Details

Photographing wildlife at close range may not always yield desired results as they are often afraid or worse yet annoyed by your presence. Having a telephoto or macro lens allows you to get close and personal with nature without having to move any closer to distract them. It’s also a great option for when you are photographing predatory animals and need to keep a safe distance.

8. Respect Others and the Environment

This is easily the most important thing to keep in mind for nature photography tips. Be sure to steer clear of private property. The last thing you want is to have an angry farmer or rancher call the local authorities on you for trespassing. Yet, this is probably one of the most crucial nature photography tips.

Also, be respectful of other nature-lovers. For example, most birdwatching organizations have their own code of conduct. And the most significant rule is to never interfere with another person’s chance to get a photograph. That includes being quiet and not disturbing habitats.

Last, if you pack it in, be sure to pack it out. Don’t leave any trash behind. Even a stray banana peel can disrupt a delicate ecosystem.

More so than most other forms of photography, bird photography relies on speed and instinct. So if you choose a camera that you can’t operate with speed and intuition, you’ll likely find yourself missing many potential moments!

In other words, is having excellent autofocus capability, for example, a very good idea for bird photography? Yes, however, these days with camera interfaces being so complex, it won’t matter how good the camera’s AF is; you could still miss focus on a lot of photos if you’re confused about which AF settings to use, and which buttons/dials control those settings! Indeed, mastering your camera is critical to bird photography.

Newer Mirrorless cameras and the latest DSLRs are the best options for any birder that wants to capture images of the avian subjects they observe in the wild. The technical options that are available with professional cameras give any birder the ability to turn brief sightings into impactful works of art! In the following article, we’ll review the most important points when it comes to choosing the best camera for bird photography, including the following topics:

• Choosing a Camera Brand
• Selecting a Camera Model
• Autofocus Options
• Frame Rate Capabilities
• ISO Options
• Camera Durability

Choosing a Camera Brand

Choosing the brand of camera you want to use for bird photography is all about preference and budget.  Despite what avid users of any camera maker might say, any camera maker you go with will have an option that suits bird photography.

The camera you choose will determine the tools and accessories you will buy in the future, (especially the lenses) so choose wisely. The most popular and best brands for bird photography include Nikon, Canon, and Sony cameras. Wildlife and outdoor adventure photographers in general also love Olympus, too! There are camera body and (telephoto) lens options available from each of these brands that will help you capture professional quality images. That is, again, once you are familiar with the camera.

We’ll start talking about specific camera brands’ options next!

Selecting a Camera Model

After you have decided on a camera brand, you will need to choose a model that is able to deliver the types of photos you plan on capturing, and that is within your price range. Models increase in price as the technology and capabilities increase, but you don’t always need the most expensive or fanciest camera to get the type of shots you’re after. Before shopping, make a list of the basic and minimum options you would like in a camera and kit, and then take a look at what your brand of choice offers with those options.  Focus on the following features.

Sony has camera body options with both full-frame and APSC crop sensors on the same mirrorless E-mount, for both entry-level and flagship pro levels. They also have the benefit of multiple third-party brands offering excellent telephoto lens options to supplement the name-brand Sony lenses. Sony’s DSLR options, however, are rather outdated by now.

Nikon has excellent options for both DSLR and mirrorless photographers, with both DX (APSC) and FX (full-frame) sensors. Nikon’s DSLR bodies have a lot of excellent lens options from third parties, too. However, the Nikon Z-mount mirrorless camera bodies do not yet have third-party options. You can work around this by using any Nikon F-mount DSLR lens on the Nikon FTZ mirrorless adapter.

Canon also has excellent options for both DSLR and mirrorless photographers, with both full-frame and crop-sensor options too. Again, their DSLR mount cameras have innumerable lens options, but their mirrorless mounts, RF and EF-M, have almost no third-party options. Again, it is easy to adapt any Canon EF mount DSLR lens to mirrorless.

Autofocus Options

The autofocus capabilities of a camera are what set it apart from other models on the market, and a little bit of what drives up the price. When you are photographing birds you really need to rely on the ability of your camera to autofocus and do so quickly. The split second that it takes for a camera to focus on a subject can be the difference between getting the perfect shot or missing out entirely.  There is nothing more frustrating in bird photography than getting a near-perfect shot that is slightly out of focus or watching a moment pass but your shutter doesn’t click because the camera is still “hunting” for focus!

Pay attention to a camera’s autofocus capabilities when you are shopping for the best camera.  So when it comes to finding the best camera for Bird Photography, consider the following for their advanced autofocus:

• Sony A7 IV
• Nikon D500
• Canon EOS R5
• Olympus (OM System) OM-1

Some of these latest cameras actually have bird detection built into their autofocus system, however, it is not an absolutely necessary feature.

Frame Rate Capabilities

The frame rate of a camera determines the number of photos it is able to take per second. When you are trying to capture action shots of birds in flight, or feeding, you want to be able to snap as many photos as possible to capture the fleeting moments of the bird’s wings “pose”.

Therefore a high frame rate is especially important to any bird photographer and should be high on the list of desired options in a camera.  So when it comes to finding the best cameras for Bird Photography, consider the following for their high frame rate, many of which have 10-20 FPS (frames per second) or more!

• Nikon Z9
• Sony A1
• Canon EOS R3
• Canon EOS 1DX Mark III
• Sony Alpha a7R IV
• Olympus OM-D E-M1X
• Fujifilm X-T4

ISO Options and Requirements for Bird Photography

Solid high ISO performance in low light is often near the top of anyone’s wishlist when it comes to a new camera. It’s not too different for bird photographers.  You are typically shooting bird photography during the mornings and afternoons within the 100 to 800 ISO range. There may even be situations when photography takes you into blue hour at 1600 or even 3200.  This obviously depends on your lens aperture as well as your personal artistic preference, but having a camera with good high ISO performance will increase your flexibility.

Thankfully, literally every camera made in the last 5+ years that has a full-frame sensor is going to offer excellent low-light high-ISO performance. Many of the APSC crop-sensor cameras, such as the Fuji X-T4 and Nikon D500, have ISO performance almost as good as full-frame sensors.

Camera Durability

Most major camera makers now make sturdy weather-sealed cameras, but there are some elements of the camera that you need to be conscious of when you are using it outdoors. Not all cameras are built for the elements or tough enough to withstand heavy outdoor use.

Take a look at camera brands and bodies that specialize in making camera bodies for nature photography or outdoor use, with weather-sealing to make the camera “splash proof”. Most camera bodies these days are made of metal, too.

By the way, don’t forget to try and make sure the lens you buy is weather-sealed, too!

Best Lens For Bird Photography

This article was focused on the best camera body for bird photography, however, the right lens is equally important! Thankfully, all of the camera bodies we have mentioned have a lot of excellent telephoto lens options available for them.

Canon, Nikon, and Sony all have some truly phenomenal name-brand lens options for their mounts, whether you are looking for an affordable variable aperture lens such as a 70-300mm or 100-400mm, or a flagship, expensive “big gun” lens like a 500mm or 600mm lens.

For each of these name brands, there are also excellent third-party lens options, whether for mirrorless or DSLR mounts. Sigma and Tamron both make excellent options in the 30-700mm, 100-400mm, and even 150-600mm telephoto zoom range.

For both Olympus and Fuji mounts, there are also excellent name-brand lenses. However, they are fewer in number and may be limited in range for your budget. Third-party options are relatively limited as well.

If you want some more great tips about choosing the right lens and focal length for bird photography, check out this article here!

[Related: Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD Review | An Affordable Super-Telephoto Zoom For Sony Mirrorless]

Conclusion | The Best Camera For Bird Photography

To summarize, remember, it doesn’t matter how good or expensive a camera you buy for bird photography. No matter what, you must spend a lot of time mastering that camera if you want to be good at bird photography!

Also, remember that for bird photography the most important features to look at are autofocus speed and accuracy, shooting rate, (FPS or framerate) high ISO image quality, and of course, durability in bad weather. If you make sure to buy a camera with these qualities, you will not be disappointed!

If you are still deciding between one brand or another, honestly, they’re all excellent these days! You really can’t go wrong between Nikon, Canon, Sony, Olympus, or Fuji. The best thing you can do is to actually hold a camera in your hands. Do the camera controls make sense to you? Does it feel easy, even effortless, to operate? The best way to discover this is to try out a camera or two via rental!

Hopefully, all of these options gave you a good idea of what the best cameras for bird photography look like. With this information, you can build a camera gear kit to take with you as you head out to shoot, and focus on the creative side of photographing birds!

Now in its 6th year, the world’s premier bird photography competition saw over 22,000 entries from 73 different countries all competing for the £5,000 (about $6,900 US), grand prize. BPOTY is a strong supporter of conservation, providing financial support for grassroots projects through our partner charity Birds on the Brink, (www.birdsonthebrink.co.uk).

This selection is a sneak preview of what is still to come, with the winners being announced on the 1st September 2021.

“This year we saw an incredible 22,000 entries into the competition, with images coming in from all over the world,” said Will Nicholls, wildlife cameraman and Director at Bird Photographer of the Year. “The standard of photography was incredibly high, and the diversity in different species was great to see. Now the judges are going to have a tough time deciding the winner of the competition!”

Published by William Collins, Collection 6 is a hardback, coffee-table book featuring the best images from the 2021 competition. Across 256 pages, this book will be filled with stunning images to inspire any keen bird photographer. The book is currently available to pre-order on the birdpoty.com website.

View The 2021 Competition Finalist Images Below

Category details can be found here and the list of prizes available here.

*Content shared with permission

I had a rather late start to my career. I wanted to be a photographer when I was 15, but my mother said I could always take it up later as a hobby – so that was that for 30 years! I finally got started in 2013 when I went on safari and climbed Mount Kenya. I’m still learning the business after eight years, but my approach has always been to knock on as many doors as possible, whether it’s image downloads, prints, competitions, books, lessons, or even talks. Every source of revenue has a part to play, and it’s just a question of working out where to focus your efforts. In the last 12 months, I’ve made half my money from writing photography books and articles, another 35% from stock agencies, and 10% from print sales, but everybody’s different…

What are the Options?

Microstock

Microstock agencies are online intermediaries that accept work from photographers and then market those images to potential clients such as creative directors of newspapers, magazines and other buyers. The advantage of using them is that it’s ‘making money while you sleep’. In other words, it’s a passive income that you can build over time as you add more and more shots to your portfolio. Some agencies sell a lot of images but with low royalty rates, some the reverse, but here is the list of the ones I’ve used (in descending order of sales):

• Getty Images/iStock
• Shutterstock
• Adobe/fotolia
• DepositPhotos
• 123RF
• Bigstock
• PIXTA
• SolidStockArt
• Dreamstime
• EyeEm
• Canstock
• photodune
• ClipDealer
• Panthermedia
• Pixoto
• featurePics
• Mostphotos
• Pond5
• 500px
• Redbubble
• Alamy
• Yay Micro
• Stockfresh
• Crestock
• Zoonar
• Lobster Media

I should mention that not all agencies will accept you, and not all your shots will be accepted by any agency that does, but you shouldn’t take it personally. I make about £300 a month from stock agency sales, but my overall acceptance rate is barely above 50%!

[Related Reading: Free Stock Photos! A Short List of Free Stock Image Sites [Updated]]

Even if your pictures are accepted, of course, that doesn’t mean they’ll sell. I’ve had 16,665 downloads from microstock sites, but only 4,456 individual shots have ever been sold out of a total of 15,351. The rest of them are just sitting there, waiting for a buyer. Every now and then, though, you take a picture that goes viral: I’ve sold my jumping penguin (see below) nearly 2,500 times!

The basic process is similar across all agencies. You add titles, captions, and keywords to all your pictures and then export them as JPEG files to upload to each individual agency via their websites or an FTP service using a program like Filezilla. You then typically add the category, country, or other data for each of them and submit them for approval. The agencies then approve the ones they like and reject the ones they don’t. After that, it’s just a question of watching the money rolling in!

A useful way of doing that is by downloading an app called Microstockr. All you need to do is to set up your various agencies on the accounts page and then check the dashboard every now and then for any sales you’ve made. It’s very addictive! Sales should come quite soon after each batch is uploaded, but you may have to wait a while for payment. Most agencies have a ‘payment threshold’ of $50 or $100, which means your first payment (usually through PayPal) might take months to arrive. You’ll also need to keep adding more pictures. Buyers tend to sort images according to what’s most recent, so you definitely get diminishing returns from your shots, however good they are.

The other thing to say is that, with dozens of agencies and hundreds or even thousands of images, it gets very confusing. As a result, I’ve created a spreadsheet to keep track of the whole thing. With filenames down the left and agency names across the top, I know if each file has been submitted (‘s’), accepted (‘y’) or rejected (‘n’), and how many times it’s been sold. I keep a record of the dollar value of all the image downloads on a separate financial spreadsheet. I suggest you do the same.

Stock Agencies

In the good old days, it was much easier to make a living out of stock photography, mainly because the royalty rates were a lot higher. The difference between ‘stock’ and ‘microstock’ is simply the average price level. Stock agencies want to differentiate themselves from microstock agencies (and everything else out there on the web) in order to charge a higher price, so they generally ask for exclusive agreements over one to five years and set a higher standard for acceptance. I use Design Pics, and you can see that they sell some of my images for hundreds of dollars rather than just a few dollars for the microstock agencies. My general strategy is to offer Design Pics the first pick of my pictures before sending the leftovers to all the microstock agencies. Due to the long sales and reporting cycle, I didn’t see my first sale from Design Pics until more than a year after I’d signed up, but sales are starting to trickle in now, so it just takes a bit of patience. If you’re looking for a list of stock agencies, I recommend buying an old copy of Photographer’s Market, which is the equivalent of the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook. It has comprehensive coverage of the industry, including helpful articles and a wealth of phone numbers and email addresses for magazines, book publishers, greeting card companies, stock agencies, advertising firms, competitions, and more. I suggest buying the Kindle electronic version, and then you can download everything onto your laptop. I did that and then simply emailed every stock agency on the list – Design Pics were the only ones to say yes!

Competitions

If you just want the ego boost of seeing yourself winning a competition, then I suggest you sign up with Pixoto and enter the contests with the lowest number of entrants. It’s a peer-to-peer site, and you can organize your own competitions, so there’s a very good chance of winning something! That’s exactly what I did, and I ended up with the Judge’s Award in four competitions. However, there isn’t much prestige to something like that, and it certainly doesn’t earn you any money. Alternatively, you can scour the web for competitions, bearing in mind your chances of winning, the cost of entry, the potential prizes, and the subject matter. The UK national press is a good place to start, too, and I recently won £250 in Wex Photographic vouchers in the weekly Sunday Times/Audley Travel Big Shot competition with my shot of a bear catching a salmon (see below), but the prizes are very rarely cash – unless you pay through the nose to enter…!

Exhibitions

Putting on an exhibition may seem like a big deal if you’ve never done it before, but it doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming. The Norman Plastow Gallery where I started out is cheap, but it’s slightly off the beaten path, and you have to man the exhibition yourself, which is obviously impossible for most full-time employees. You realize pretty soon as a freelance photographer that the most expensive item on your tab is often the opportunity cost of NOT doing what you usually do when you take time off. As a tutor, for instance, I could easily have earned £1,000 during the two weeks of my first exhibition, but them’s the breaks…

If you’re looking for a list of galleries, www.galleries.co.uk is a useful starting point. London is obviously the best place to look (if you live locally), but exhibition spaces there don’t come cheap. I recently looked for galleries to use for an exhibition, and the ones in central London regularly quoted me thousands of pounds for a week! Everything is negotiable, though, so don’t give up.

I started out with 15 prints at my first solo show, but I also printed out a few postcards and greetings cards. You might not make as much money out of them, but at least you’ll get something from punters who can’t afford a print. There are some who say that cards are just a distraction, but it’s difficult to tell. I’ve had exhibitions with and without cards on sale, and it doesn’t seem to make much of a difference. However, the main reason for an exhibition is to sell prints, so that should be the focus.

One of the problems you’ll almost certainly have is knowing how to price your work. Choosing your favorite shots is easy enough – although getting a second opinion from a friend is a useful exercise – but how much should you charge? I started off at £80 for an A3 print and ended up three years later at £2,000 for a 53″ x 38″ print, so you’ll just have to suck it and see. Andy Skillen is a wildlife photographer, and he suggested a mark-up of two-and-a-half times your printing and framing costs to make sure your cash flow remained positive, but that’s just a rule of thumb.

Photoshoots

Proper professional photographers make most of their money from photo shoots, but clients aren’t easy to find if you’re a wildlife photographer! If you shoot weddings, I suppose you can put up flyers at various local venues such as churches and registry offices, but, for the rest of us, it’s just a question of plugging away, taking as many good shots as we can, and putting them online so that as many potential clients can see them as possible. It would be a dream to be able to rely on commissions from wealthy clients who called us up whenever they wanted pictures of something.

Andy Skillen told me once about a group of directors who asked him for a picture of five hippos in a lake looking at the camera. He sent them all the hippo shots he had, but they weren’t happy. In the end, he told them if they didn’t want to compromise on the picture, then they’d have to send him on an all-expenses-paid trip to Zambia for a week. Which they did! He got the shot within a couple of days and then spent the rest of the trip taking pictures for himself! That sounds like a nice way to make a living, doesn’t it?

[Related Reading: Stocking Up: Essential Tips to Getting Your Photos Hosted on Stock Photo Websites]

However, until we’re well established enough with a good enough reputation to get those kinds of jobs, all we can do is keep on snapping and use the networks that we have. I’ve worked for a milliner, a local councilor, a businesswoman, and others, but all my photoshoots have come from friends of friends or personal contacts. I’m not very good at networking – and it’s certainly not something I enjoy unless it happens naturally – but it’s very important in this business.

Lessons

I work as a private tutor as well as a photographer, so I guess it was an obvious fit to offer photography lessons. It’s finding the students that’s the real problem. One of my tuition agencies provided me with a couple of clients, while the rest came from connections I made at exhibitions and talks. You never know when you might meet just the right person, so it’s important to keep a few cards in your wallet just in case.

Talks

If you don’t mind public speaking, then giving a slideshow and talk on photography is an enjoyable way to earn some pocket money. Camera clubs and other groups won’t generally pay more than £100 (if anything at all!), but it’s also a useful chance to take along a few prints to sell and to hand out business cards. I got started after meeting a very nice woman on an Antarctic cruise, and I’ve now given talks in various places around the world:

• The Societies of Photographers
• Antarctic cruise ship
• The Athenaeum Club
• Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp
• Cottar’s 1920s Safari Camp
• SW19 Women’s Institute
• Malden Camera Club
• Watford Camera Club
• Putney Library
• London Institute of Photography
• Beckenham Photographic Society

If you want to be proactive about it, I’d simply Google camera clubs (or WI branches!) and email all of them to see what happens. As my mum used to say, you have to cast your bread upon the waters…even if it comes back a soggy mess!

Books and Articles

If you know your stuff, then writing books and articles is another route to market. When lockdown came along in 2020, I happened to see an advert on Facebook for Expert Photography, an online site that was looking for authors and presenters. I emailed them my credentials, and they ended up asking me to write an e-book on wildlife photography! It only took me a few days to write 70,000 words, and they paid me their standard rate of $6 per 100 words. They edited it down to around 50,000 words, but the money came in very handy. In fact, they were so impressed that they asked me to write another one on social media for photographers, which I did. Who knew I could be a published author? If you don’t ask, you don’t get, I suppose…

Photography Trips

One final way of making money is to lead photography trips. A lot of photographers do it to supplement their income, and it’s a good way to reduce your travel budget – especially if all the animals you want to photograph are a long-haul flight away! I recently put together a list of tour operators and emailed them all one afternoon to find out if it could work, and I soon received a call from the founder of Gane & Marshall, asking me to lead a trip to Tanzania! I offered my services for free in exchange for the chance to go on an all-expenses-paid photographic safari, but, sadly, that fell through in the end. My biggest break came when I happened to read an article by a photographer who had managed to barter his photographs in exchange for 365 nights’ accommodation at various African safari lodges. I had no idea that was possible, but I thought, “I could do that!” So I emailed around 50 camps in Tanzania and Kenya, and within a few weeks, I had 17 invitations! I ended up spending four months as the Resident Photographer for &Beyond and Cottar’s, and it was a great opportunity. It didn’t make me any money, but it would’ve cost me $1,000 a night to stay at those places as a guest, so that’s a pretty good deal if you ask me…

I hope all that was useful. If you have any more questions, please leave a comment below. It’s not easy becoming a professional photographer, but we can dip our toes in the water while we wait for our big break.

Here’s to clicking and dreaming…

Video: Canon RF 600mm f/11 Lens Review | Crazy Long & Crazy Affordable

[Related Reading: Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD Review]

What Is This Lens?

At 600mm, the Canon RF 600mm f/11 Lens is a fixed focal length prime lens that also has a fixed aperture of f/11. You can close down past f/11, of course, but it will not open up wider than f/11.

• Focal Length 600mm
• Maximum Aperture f/11
• Lens Mount Canon RF
• Format Compatibility Full-Frame
• Angle of View 4° 10′
• Minimum Focus Distance 14.76′ / 4.5 m
• Maximum Magnification 0.14x
• Optical Design 10 Elements in 7 Groups
• Focus Type Autofocus
• Image Stabilization Yes
• Filter Size 82 mm (Front)
• Dimensions (ø x L) 3.66 x 10.61″ / 93 x 269.5 mm
• Weight 2.05 lb / 930 g
• Price $699

Why Is This Exciting?

This monstrosity of a lens is exciting because up until now, if you wanted a 600mm prime lens, the only real option was the Canon EF 600mm f/4. That is the sports and nature journalist’s dream lens, but it will set you back $13,000 and some change. Remember, you’ve got to pay tax and shipping on top of that as well. It also weighs something like 7 pounds, so good luck shooting with it without a tripod or monopod. It’s just not going to work out well for you.

On the other hand, this RF 600mm lens costs $700 and it weighs less than two pounds. We get this crazy long lens that is lightweight and portable at a really affordable price point. Okay, so that’s exciting, but it brings me to my next question.

Who Is This Lens For?

Well, I would say it’s probably not a great idea to grab this lens and go out and shoot portraits, unless you like to direct your subjects through a walkie-talkie, because you’re going to be about 200 feet away. You’re not going to use this for portraits. You’re also not going to use it in any case where you essentially need compositional flexibility. You simply don’t have that with this lens.

600mm is very long, which makes this an ideal lens for journalists who like to photograph birds. If you like birds, you’re going to like this lens. It’s also great for people who like to photograph sports, like surfing, baseball, or soccer, where you’re at a good distance from the subjects.

It’s an absolutely awesome lens, and what I want you to know is how cool this lens is when it’s paired with extra resolution. I’m not talking about something like the Canon EOS R6, which I believe has 20 megapixels. I’m talking about when you pair this lens with a megapixel monster of a camera.

What you’re essentially doing is making the focal length longer. If I pair this lens with an EOS R5, or one of Canon’s other new up-and-coming cameras (which we know will include some high megapixel monsters), such as one with 50-80 megapixels, you can crop in and still have insane amounts of resolution. This effectively turns a 600mm lens into something like a 1200mm to 2000mm lens, and that’s without even adding any form of extender onto the lens. This brings me to my next point.

[Related Reading: The Beginner’s Guide to Photographing Wild Birds]

What’s It Like Actually Shooting with This Lens?

I put the lens on so that I could tell you exactly what it was like. I took this out to photograph birds, which I had never done before. I figured it would be a fun way to test this lens. I grabbed my aero bike and put a backpack on, and that’s when I first noticed the convenience of the small footprint this lens gives you. I had room in a small backpack for the camera, lens, and even a little chair as well. I rode out to Back Bay in Newport Beach, sat on my chair, and started photographing birds.

I loved getting out to the location, even after biking 20+ miles. The trip is made easier with gear like this because it’s actually lightweight and fairly portable, as I mentioned. You don’t necessarily need to have a tripod or a monopod to use this lens. I shot it handheld the entire time.

After I first put the lens on the camera, I noticed a message that instructed me to set the lens to the shooting position. I wondered, “What the hell does that mean?” Unbeknownst to me, this lens actually only operates in “rocket launcher” mode (how it looks when the lens is extended) and to get it to rocket launcher mode, you simply have to unlock a little dial at the base of the lens. It’s easy to do, but it took me about 10 minutes to figure out. Luckily, you’re good to go once you have it locked in place. However, until you put it into rocket launcher mode, or its shooting position, it’s just going to show the message the whole time. I was very annoyed at first because I was watching birds fly away, and I couldn’t figure out how to get started. Granted, I’m assuming that most of you are probably smarter than I am, so there’s that.

Funny enough, once I started shooting, I found I could’ve used a longer focal length. I soon realized that there’s no such thing as long enough, especially when you’re photographing animals. I wanted to get even closer, and that’s where a really high-resolution camera body would’ve made for an absolutely crazy combination with this setup.

It was very easy to shoot with just the LCD when the birds weren’t moving quickly. However, with moving subjects, when they started flying, it became pretty difficult to track them. I found it necessary to actually bring the camera up and shoot through the viewfinder. Otherwise, I struggled to track them. I would highly suggest bringing the viewfinder up to the eye and tracking fast-moving subjects that way.

What Is It Like Shooting at f/11?

If you’re shooting subjects moving at a decent speed, you want your shutter speed to be around 1/2000, which is sort of a sweet spot for bird photography, as well as for photographing sports and action. At least with sports, you can slow down somewhat, but for birds, we generally want to be around 1/2000. But, at 1/2000 and f/11, you’re already talking about ISO 400 in bright sunlight. I was actually shooting in somewhat cloudy weather, so it wasn’t as bright as if I were shooting under midday sun. I shot at ISO 800 just to get to the proper shutter speed of 1/2000 and f/11. That said, keep that in mind that you’re going to want to pair this lens with a camera body that can shoot high ISO as well.

What Camera Should I Use with This Lens?

When pairing this lens with a camera like an R5 or an R6 (vs an EOS R), you’re going to get better low light performance. Definitely do not drop to something like the EOS RP because although the lens will work on that camera body and give you an even smaller footprint, you’ll already be pushing the limitations of quality detail at ISO 600 or ISO 800. On top of this, you have to consider the lighting conditions for the time of day you plan to shoot. At sunset, for example, if you’re going to shoot surfers or sports, and you want to keep your shutter speed at 1/1000 or 1/2000, you might need to push your ISO up to3200 or 6400. Again, you’re going to get the best bang for your buck by pairing this lens with a higher megapixel, higher quality camera.

The other thing that I noticed was that even at f/11, you still get quite a bit of depth and bokeh, and that just has to do with the focal length of the lens. I found that the EOS R, which is what I paired it with, tended to slightly back focus and front focus, sometimes leaving my birds less than tack sharp. I think I would’ve gotten better results on the R5 or the R6 because the focus systems in those cameras should be a bit better.

Quality

I’m going to be 100% honest. For $700, getting a 600mm lens, I was blown away by the image quality. I mean, you can look at the shots that we’re showing here, and while I’ll fully admit I’m not the best bird photographer, I was still able to get some really nice shots.

Sharpness and detail, edge to edge, was fantastic. Yes, if you pixel peep this against its $13,000 f/4 cousin, then yeah, you’re probably going to get better image quality out of the more expensive lens. You’ll also get better low light performance and so on, but for what this is, for the price point, for the size, and for everything that it gives you, I was more than impressed. Based on the actual image quality, you get your money’s worth in this lens. I would buy this lens if I photographed action/sports and/or birds. It’s absolutely a fantastic lens.

Granted, this doesn’t really fit into my typical wheelhouse of portraiture, so it’s not something that I would purchase and put in my bag, but I would definitely rent it to take out on occasion.

Other Considerations

Just remember two things: 1) The lens has a tendency to front and back focus, and 2) the f/11 comes with limitations, meaning you’ll want to pair this lens with a solid camera body, like an EOS R5 or R6 or better. The EOS R, in my opinion, was the baseline minimum that you would want. I would also remind you that this is a 600mm fixed focal length lens, a specialist lens, so you really have limited compositional control beyond simply moving closer or farther away on your own two feet, and you may be limited, depending on the kind of scenes/locations that you’re shooting in.

If you’re thinking to yourself, “Well, I would really love to have this lens to go traveling with,” then you might reconsider. For those of you that like to travel and you still want telephoto capability, I would recommend something like a 70-200mm, or a 100-300mm lens, where you still have range. If you’re shooting birds or animals, where distance is a common issue, then the 600mm lens is going to be perfect for you.

I realize that this is all basic advice, given that it’s a 600mm focal length prime lens. I want you to walk away with practical advice, however, because if you’re not constantly shooting at those longer distances, then you’re just not going to be able to utilize the lens as much as you might want.

If you really want to accelerate your photography learning, from picking up the camera to mastering composition, manual mode, and even launching and running a successful business, please check out www.slrloungeworkshops.com and take a look around our library of photography courses.

The Mars Petcare Comedy Pet Photo Awards called on all pet and animal lovers to submit hilarious images of their funny furry friends for a chance of winning £3,000 and being named the 2020 Mars Petcare Comedy Pet Photographer of the Year.

[Related Reading: Presenting the Finalists of the 2020 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards!]

At a time when most of the nation was spending more time with their pets than ever, the competition saw pet lovers across the world capturing the funniest moments with their much-loved pets. With over 2000 entries from 81 different countries and everything from lovable llamas, cute cats and gorgeous guinea pigs being photographed, it’s clear that pet lovers have enjoyed spending more time with their much-loved pets.

The photography competition is now in its second year and was created by the founders of the world-famous Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam.

Not only does the competition showcase the incredibly positive impact that pets have on our lives, it also aims to raise awareness around homeless pets in the UK, a message that is at the heart of competition sponsor’s Mars Petcare and their mission of “Ending Pet Homelessness.”

The partnership is raising much-needed funds for pet welfare by donating 10% of the sponsorship fee and 10% of all entry fees to national pet charity Blue Cross, to help with its work rehoming pets and providing veterinary treatment and care.

The Category and Overall Winners will be announced on November 24th with the top image winning an incredible £3000 cash prize and be named the “Mars Petcare Comedy Pet Photographer 2020. Joining Tom, Paul, Mars Petcare and the Blue Cross on the distinguished judging panel is wildlife TV presenter and writer Kate Humble, a passionate conservationist and a huge pet lover!

Helen Warren Piper, General Manager at Mars Petcare UK says: “Celebrating our pets is central to our business, and this competition has been hugely enjoyable to be a part of. The benefits of having a pet in the home have never been clearer, and we have loved seeing so many pet lovers sharing their amazing images. We’re delighted to be partnering with Blue Cross and in addition to the funds we are raising, we hope the competition will raise much-needed awareness for homeless pets in the UK.”

[Related Reading: Presenting the Finalists of the 2019 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards!]

Tom Sullam, Comedy Pet Photo Awards, adds: “The entries this year have been completely and utterly what we needed to raise our spirits in 2020.It has been a tough year for many, but these images have not only made us laugh out loud, but also re-affirmed our desire to drastically reduce animal cruelty and pet orphanage.The positive movement created by this competition is so uplifting and hopefully we can achieve a similar reaction from all who see this competition!”

Tracy Genever, Judge, and Blue Cross Head of Education concludes: “We know the massive impact pets can have on our well-being and this joy and companionship is clear to see in all these pictures. I’m thrilled to be invited to join the finalist judging panel and can’t thank The Mars Petcare Comedy Pet Photo Awards enough for choosing Blue Cross to support this year.”

If you love the pictures and want to join The Mars Petcare Comedy Pet Photo Awards in helping Blue Cross, you can donate here: bluecross.org.uk/marscomedy-donate

For further information on the Mars Petcare Comedy Pet Photo Awards and to enter please visit: www.comedypetphoto.com and to view more of the finalists, enjoy the gallery below!

Alessandro Po London United Kingdom

Alice van Kempen Rockanje Netherlands

Anne Lindner Chemnitz Germany

Annett Mirsberger Garding Germany

Annett Mirsberger Garding Germany

Antonio Peregrino Recife Brazil

Lisa Greenspoon ottawa Canada

Beth Noble Heddon on the wall United Kingdom

Boris Purmann Munich Germany

Candice Sedighan Los Angeles United States

Carol Delaney Upper Hutt New Zealand

Daniel Szumilas SCARBOROUGH United Kingdom

Darren Hall Newcastle Upon Tyne United Kingdom

Dean Pollard Fareham United Kingdom

Dimpy Bhalotia London United Kingdom

Elke Vogelsang Hildesheim Germany

Elke Vogelsang Hildesheim Germany

Elke Vogelsang Hildesheim Germany

Emma Newton Keynsham United Kingdom

Hannah Seeger Gelsenkirchen Germany

Heather Ross Warwickshire United Kingdom

Hetwie van der Putten Helmond Netherlands

Iain Mcconnell Oswestry United Kingdom

Iain Mcconnell Oswestry United Kingdom

Ilana Rose Melbourne Australia

Jasmin Haecker Affalterbach Germany

John Carelli Green Cove Springs

Karen Hoglund Denver United States

Lianne Richards Ammanford United Kingdom

Malgorzata Russell Edinburgh United Kingdom

Mateus de Oliveira Salvador Brazil

Mehmet Aslan Hatay Turkey

Peter von SÃhnen Geestland Germany

Robert Prat OLOT Spain

Teun Veldman Heerenveen Netherlands

Tilman Wagner Bonn Germany

*Content shared with permission. All images © Mars Petcare Comedy Pet Photo Awards 2020 & the Respective Photographers