Through a lens naturally

Forest and Bird, Volume 17, Issue 4, 1 November 1986, Page 19

Through a lens naturally

Successful nature photography is a fusion of three skills — the ability to see pictures, to handle a camera quickly and confidently, and to find and approach the subject. Those fortunate enough to own a copy of The Ancient Islands (Port Nicholson Press, text by Les Molloy), will recognise that Brian Enting possesses the above three skills in abundance, his outstanding photography contributing to arguably one of the finest natural history books on New Zealand. In this article, he outlines some of the essential ingredients for capturing those special shots.

' L ‘he surf crashed repeatedly on to the head land at Karekare on Auckland's west coast. It was exciting dodging the waves and experiencing the thrill of the powerful wave action. I retreated to safer ground to change a lens, making what was almost a fatal mistake — I turned my back on the sea. Next minute I was under water, gear and all. Fortunately I have lived to tell the tale, but later I learned that locals seldom make that mistake and it’s usually the visitors who are drowned. My photographs were literally a wash out, and some of my gear ruined beyond repair, all in less that 60 seconds. Next day I salvaged some close ups of safer topics. This incident contrasts with a bush fire just beyond the borders of Carnarvon National Park in Queensland. Using a very wide angle lens — (15mm) to maximise the depth of the drama of the fire, I darted

over the burning coals to get close to the fire while ensuring at all times that an escape route was Clear. As the fire ignited fresh patches of vegetation, it flared, the heat scorching my skin and eventually forcing retreat. Both of these incidents involved risk, one was Calculated, the other not. During both incidents I was working very quickly, the adrenalin pumping through my system as | made quick decisions and called on all my photographic training and intuition to catch the right moment. Of course nature or environmental photography is not all drama and excitement. In fact it requires a great deal of preparation and patience, involving long periods of waiting. The photograph of the whitefronted tern reproduced here is the result of a reconnoitre several days before, a 500mm lense, heavy tripod, three and a

half hours of waiting and 72 shots.

Lifelong fascination

Fundamental to my environmental photography is a lifelong fascination with nature and especially the processes of nature. | simply love the subject and therefore three and a half hours photographing one bird is pleasure, combining the enjoyment of observation with the thrill of the hunt. The great advantage is that the trophy is a photograph that can be shared with others, while the subject remains alive and undisturbed. It is terribly important that nature photographers respect their subjects and have a conservation conscience. There have been numerous times when I have withdrawn from a situation without a photograph rather than destroy something through insensitivity. The most recent inci-

dent was in a remote area of Mount Tongariro where I was photographing thermal ~ activity. The ground was so fragile and spongy that it was like walking on freshly baked bread. Each additional step left an imprint, and I didn’t know how long it would take for the ground to recover. Therefore I withdrew. So what does it matter, you may ask, who would know? It’s a matter of conscience, and I hope that readers will share my respect for the wild areas and the species that live there. Today photography is a popular way of recording our interests, actions and surroundings. It is available to everybody. It is also a superb medium for recording natural history, whether we are photographing landscapes or the minute flowers of many of our native plants. Everybody can take photographs and many do. Even though I

have a studio and a variety of photographic gear I try to keep things simple. Obviously difficult subjects demand more complex approches, but many subjects can be approached with very simple equipment.

Basic equipment

The most versatile and accessable modern camera is the 35mm SLR with interchangeable lenses. There are many good brands to choose from. 90 percent of the photographs that I take are with three lenses: 55mm (micro Nikkor), 20mm wide angle, 200mm telephoto. For those starting out, the basic camera and a standard lens are fine, and allow plenty of scope. A tripod and cable release are essential for many shots, especially close ups and telephoto shots. Remember that your feet can take the place of lenses on many occasions.

Simply get closer to, or further away from your subject. Good photographs must first be recognised before they can be captured. This highlights the difference between looking and seeing. Everybody looks, but not everyone sees. Many times I have been in the field with people and been fascinated by the difference in people's powers of observation. I have heard people say ‘There is nothing to photograph here’’, when they've almost been standing on an exquisite lichen or flower. Taking photographs, like many other pastimes, requires practise and warming up. A sportsman wouldn't dream of competing without a practise or warm up. Photography is no different. Unfortunately our education seldom teaches us to really observe, so many of us have been left to teach ourselves. There are plenty of 200d books on photography and photo-

graphic books of natural subjects to study if you are interested. However, there is no short cut, anymore than there is in any other pursuit requiring skill. In spite of this we can all still take photographs that will give us a great deal of pleasure without labouring over technicalities. As already stated, anyone can take a photograph; the differences come in the levels of quality. Experience is our best teacher. All the books, articles and courses in the world will not replace rea! life experience give it a go! If it doesn’t work, analyse the mistake and try again. Minimise the number of variations in your equipment and technique. Stay with a single type of film until you understand it completely, and try to avoid being an "‘equipment freak’, who tries some new lens or camera frequently. I realise that there are people who are more interested in the equipment than the results.

That's fine, but 1 am not writing for those people now.

Be prepared

"Do you photograph to a shot list or do you just go out and look for subjects," is a question I am often asked. The answer is both. When on assignments I have a list of specific subjects to work to, and obviously try my best each time. However, one doesn’t wake up in the morning and say ‘today I am going to create a masterpiece;"’ it doesn’t work that way. Remember what I wrote about preparation and warm up. My best pnotographs are usually opportunistic, but I have nearly always been through the warm up stage — I am on location; I've prepared my gear; I’ve been working hard for some time. When the chance comes I am prepared — well mostly. As Lois Pasteur said ‘‘Chance favours the prepared mind".

Many readers I am sure will share my fascination for our wonderful forests and many will have taken photographs with disappointing results. Photographing inside forests is often difficult because of the contrasts between the dark shadows, and the light which penetrates the canopy. In spite of the tremendous improvements, modern film still has difficulty holding detail in the shadows while exposing correctly for the canopy. As photographers, we have to choose what part of the photograph is more important, and be prepared to sacrifice the rest. One of the basic rules of photography is that it is better to underexpose for colour photographs than to overexpose, and the reverse applies to black and white. Most readers will have experienced the bleached out look of an overexposed colour slide, and realised how unsatisfactory it is.

Another rule of thumb that is useful to remember concerns the focal length of lenses and whether or not they can be hand held, without camera shake, which results in blurring. The rule is this. The minimum shutter speed for a hand held photograph should match the focal length, ie, a 200mm lens requires a minimum of | 200th of a second. The rule applies particularly to telephoto lenses. Let’s return to photographing the forest. What are we trying to achieve? Do we want forest scapes? If so we will need a wide angle lense, say 20 or 28mm, and in most cases a tripod, because with many films we will need a 1 to 5 second exposure. Try hand holding for that long! If on the other hand we want to photograph details in the forest floor, or a tree trunk, we will need a standard or macro lense, but we will still need a tripod. A tripod allows for longer exposures which in turn means that a smaller aperture of around F11 to F22 can be used. The advantage of a small aperture is a sharper photograph with greater depth, and this is usually desirable in close ups.

Wildlife — special problems

Birds and animals pose special problems for the photographer and while a standard 50mm lens (for a 35mm camera) can secure some photographs, telephoto lenses are generally necessary. Again, if we ignore the more exotic lenses, a 200mm telephoto lens is a useful tool if combined with a hide or good field technique. When photographing animals there is again no substitute for experience and knowledge of the subject. Some birds, for instance, are reasonably tolerant of humans, while others can only be approached with the use of hides. Insects, in my experience, require studio or similar settings, plus electronic flash to freeze their movements, as well as provide enough light. Seldom is natural light sufficient with these small moving subjects. A great deal of patience is required here, and very careful handling of specimens, especially butterflies or moths, that become damaged so easily. Nature photography is a journey of discovery, with new and fascinating places or species continually refreshing one’s enthuSiasm. As we look for subjects to photograph, our visual senses are sharpened, and we actually begin to observe more clearly. With this heightened awareness we are better able to take advantage of those special occasions when they occur. While finishing a book on Tongariro National Park recently I was flying over the Rangipo Desert at dawn in a helicopter. Very aware that these vehicles are expensive to hire, I began working very quickly. The photograph accompanying this article captures the drama of that August morning. In fact the lighting only lasted a few minutes before the scene was transformed to dull tones, but I had the shot forever. #