NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY

There are two main methods to iPad or iPhone nature photography: you can stalk the animal, or you can wait for it. It’s a challenge that way, to try to come close to a creature without scaring it. Now edit that photo and see if you can make your friends think that you found the photo on the Internet.

I take nature photos with only an iPad in my arms. Photos of all kinds of animals and also landscapes with attention centers like sun or water.

Try to sneak up on animals and see how close you can get to them in the wild, without offering them food. Sometimes you don’t get the good photo, but you get to observe the animal in its habitat until the animal sees or hears you and goes away.

With an iPad I have to get pretty close to the animal to get a decent photo, but that’s part of the challenge. On iPad, I also have a feature called Live Photo (it’s the little circular white icon at the top) and it animates the photo, so if you see a fox, but click the shutter button too late, just press on the photo to play a few more seconds of fox action. You can also so edit the photo to show the frame with the fox.

Recently I’ve been studying raptors because we have some gorgeous owls and hawks, and birds are fun to see because I don’t really have to get too close to them to get a photo of them against the sky. It’s all about contrast.

It’s all the game of, what’s the coolest animal you can see up close? And, how far can you dive into nature without scaring away the wildlife? I enjoy exploring different methods and animals with different behaviors. A robin would fly away if I approached it, whereas if I ventured near a red tailed hawk‘s nest, she would swoop down in an attempt to intimidate me. With a nearby chipmunk, I‘d stay still and wait for an opportunity. With a frog, I would quietly approach. I never choose to chase an animal to my lens, because though I’m frightened, the animal is absolutely petrified. Everyone needs a reminder that a photograph isn’t worth scaring an animal to death.

Some animals can tolerate humans. Red-tailed hawks live in rural forests or prairies, but they also like to built nests in cities, and they can survive using street lamps as trees. But a human’s gaze can cause pain to an owl. Barred and great-horned owls both have nests near my home, and they always seem so uncomfortable to be in my sight. I don’t enjoy overwhelming owls, but they are such fascinating raptors to meet. They hate to be exposed and feel very vulnerable around people though.

I am still amazed at how I managed to come so close to the creatures displayed here, but it’s a matter of technique, patience and awareness. Of course, some of these photos were originally slightly duller. It isn’t an act of cheating to brighten an image to create more contrast. But this beauty proves what human eyes and iPhone lenses are capable of.

So try to be more observant of the habitat around you. How many individual complicated communities are in action within your neighborhood? How can you peek at an awesome natural activity without interfering? Try taking your own photos, ideally in summertime. Look for birds in the sky above you, and even if you don’t have time to slip out your camera, think about the great photo it would make. And you’ll become determined to capture the beauty in every moment. Even a fly on your windowsill is an opportunity for amazement.