"I wish that all of nature's magnificence, the emotion of the land, the living energy of place could be photographed" - Annie Leibovitz
■ Ideal for anyone who loves the natural world
■ Learn skills to shoot flora, fauna & birds
■ Improve your technique whilst creating a fabulous nature & wildlife photography portfolio
■ Great wildlife and nature destinations
■ The importance of the right gear, to know your subject, the best time of day & year & choosing particular wildlife seasons & migrations
■ Learn different techniques when shooting from boats, vehicles & on foot
■ The use of aerial shots & drones, zoo photography, nature, wildflowers
■ Tips and tricks & 14 projects to hone your skills
GENERAL PRINCIPLES
INTRODUCTION - what the wildlife & nature photography course is all about
HOW THIS COURSE WORKS - introduction | study - read the notes | do the practical projects | critique - submit images assignment for critique | certificate - receive your certificate of completion | social media - join our photography space group on facebook & instagram
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN TO PHOTOGRAPH - wildlife & nature photography overview | wildlife photography | nature photography | similarities & differences | main types
CAMERA GEAR - what camera features | author's opinion | mirrorless vs dslr | what brands | what type of sensor | full frame dslr | full frame mirrorless | cropped sensor dslr | cropped sensor mirrorless | overview on lenses | prime lenses | zoom lenses | lens features to consider | wide angle lenses | standard zoom lenses | telephoto lenses | macro lenses | lens mount information | compact cameras | hybrid / bridge cameras | wifi cameras | 360 degree cameras | action cameras | medium format & phase 1 | drones | smartphones | wildlife & nature oriented apps | film cameras | slide & print film | remote control devices | tripods, monopods & gorillapods | filters | batteries & chargers | memory cards | speedlite flash units | continuous lighting | cleaning your gear | camera bags | accessories | tips & tricks | summary
CAMERA HANDLING - quick guide | shooting modes | raw vs jpeg | metering modes | colour space | focusing modes | white balance | iso | picture style & control | exposure lock & compensation | exposure bracketing | focus bracketing & stacking | freezing & showing motion | adding light into shadows | high dynamic range (hdr) | using flash | tethering | lcd screen or viewfinder | tips & tricks | summary
LIGHTING - photography is light | types | natural light | artificial light | white balance | time the light | planning & timing | dawn | twilight | night | tips & tricks | summary
COMPOSITION - key tips | leading & converging lines | perspective | the rule of thirds | framing an image | reflections | look for unusual angles | odd & even numbers | colour | black & white | star & sunbursts | focusing on detail | showing motion | freezing the shot | viewpoint | point of view (pov) | selective focus | vertical vs horizontal | aspect ratio | the golden ratio | negative space | tips & tricks | summary | compositional aids
COMMON THEMES
MAIN TYPES OF WILDLIFE & NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY - overview | mammals | birds | aquatic, marine & underwater | macro - wildlife, insects & flora | reptiles, amphibians & crustaceans | flora | abstract
AERIAL - DRONES, PLANES, HELICOPTORS, BALLOONS - introduction | drones | considerations | the operator | key tips for drones | drone regulations | commercial & recreational usage | drone apps | planes | helicopters | balloons | aerial from the ground | summary | recommended gear
WILDLIFE & NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY FOR TRAVELLERS - before you go | time of year - wet & dry seasons, spring, summer, autumn, winter | time of day | how to go - multiple, foot, boats, vehicles, bicycles, electric bikes, quad bikes, motor bikes, snowmobiles, air, drones, horseback, camels, elephants, trains, other modes of transport | respect wild animal's space | health & safety | destinations overview | africa | gorillas | south africa | kiliminjaro | classic safaris | namibia in focus | australia | new zealand | oceania | arctic | polar bears in focus | antarctica | central & east asia | snow monkeys in focus | south east asia | indian sub continent | tigers in focus | canada | algonquin park in focus | united states of america | bears in focus | alaska in focus | south america | europe & uk | central, west & north africa | russia & siberia | lake baikal in focus | the middle east | central america
AT HOME & AROUND YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD - around your home | zoos & wildlife parks | practise on pets | dogs | cats | exotic pets | tips & tricks
VIDEOGRAPHY - overview | what type of video | what gear | key video camera features | what video camera - professional, midrange, budget | camera settings | stabilizers | gimbals | tripods & more | sound | lighting gear | video production steps | makeing a storyboard | shooting the video - camera moves, lighting, tips, do's & don'ts | editing your video | vlogging | creating a 3 min video | summary of tips & tricks
EDITING, PROJECTS & MORE
BACKUP & EDITING - file types | photo editing | editing in lightroom | other photo editing software | online photo editing services | photo sharing | auto smartphone backup | home & office backup | tips & tricks | summary
PRACTICAL PROJECTS - light | composition | perspective | selective focus | viewpoint | reflections | birds | abstract | pets | at the zoo | sun & star bursts | show motion | animal portraits | flora & trees
SUMMARY & GLOSSARY - a few more tips | the a to z guide to all things photographic
ABOUT THE AUTHORS - serena pearce code lime photography | andrew thomasson focus 10 photography
■ This course is suitable for amateurs to serious semi professional photographers alike - the course is very comprehensive
■ Whilst it's advantageous to have some background photography knowledge, the course is very detailed with easy to understand, step by step procedures to teach you every facet of camera handling skills and composition, lighting and a myriad of other techniques to become a competent nature and wildlife photographer
■ What is important is to have good camera gear. Whilst a cheap $500 DLSR is capable of taking good photographs, you need camera gear that reflects your commitment and professionalism to your craft and a bag of quality camera gear does just that
■ Any full or cropped frame DSLR camera or mirrorless camera is suitable for this course. Full frame cameras with their bigger sensors will give better results in certain situations (great for cropping in on a distant animal). Most pro wildlife photographers will also have a quality cropped DLSR as it increases a lens focal length by around a 1.5x factor. As a professional wildlife photographer you need a back up camera in case of equipment failure
■ We also suggest you have a quality compact such as a Sony RX100 MKV1 with a 8x optical zoom. We also like compacts with macro features for nature shots (ie Lumix LX100). Consider hybrid cameras like the Nikon P1000 with its incredible 125x zoom
■ We also suggest that down the track you look at a drone such a DJI Mavic Pro 2 to get into the exciting world of wildlife and nature photography from up above
■ You can commence this course with one lens such as an all rounder 70-300mm lens. However down the track as you get into wildlife photography the three main lenses in a wildlife photographers camera bag would be a 16-35mm (close up work), a 24-70mm and a 80-400mm (preferably with 2 out of 3 on its own dedicated full frame camera body). You will definitely need a long telephoto lens such as an 100-400mm, 200-500mm, 150-600mm made by various manufacturers. You will also have a 1.4x converter. A fixed 200mm, 300mm or 500mm (great for birds) would be a good addition to your kit. Each wildlife photography application may require specialised gear and if money is no object get the uber expensive Leica 1600mm f5.6 lens or a 800mm Nikkor lens for around AUD $25,000!
■ At least one external on-camera flash unit is desirable to do this course. To shoot commercially you will need another Speedlite unit as a back up
■ We highly recommend you have a quality smartphone with at least one optical zoom lens. Also offers instant posting on social media sites to promote yourself freezing to death shooting Caribou in Finnish Lapland
■ At least one sturdy tripod, U/V, ND and polarising filters and a 5-in-1 reflector (a 42" one is a good size)
Wildlife & Nature Photography Course - $490 (30% discount - reduced from $690)
If you prefer to pay via Direct Deposit (free of surcharge) please complete the information below. Submit the form and look for the confirmation and payment instructions via email. Once we have received your payment we will email you a link to download the online photography course. We will send this through WeTransfer and it may take up to 24 hours but we want to ensure these large print and screen PDF's are of the highest quality
Our courses are practical and fun with lots of tips and tricks, case studies and amazing images to inspire you
We share our experiences as working generalist photographers - lots of advice and recommendations with less jargon
Our courses are suitable for all camera types - full and cropped frame DSLR's, mirrorless, quality compacts, smartphones and drones
We are here to share our combined experience of 40 years as working professional photographers and educators with you