Great Tips to Become a Nature Photographer in Magazines and Television
Submitted by wadeinni
Ever watch the nature and animal channels or look through a wildlife magazine and see those nature photographers? You wonder, how in the world did they get those up close and personal shots, and how did they get a foot in the door to begin with.
Well the explanation is not so complicated, but the effort it takes requires patience, networking with nature organizations and publications, and following a few simple rules on location shoots. Brian Call, an expert photographer who's taken special photos for nature magazines and organizations said, many nature photographers' aspire to have their works displayed at the Smithsonian or be featured in large nature publications like National Geographics and Discovery Magazine.
To get started in the field of nature photography requires a good camera that has the option for manual and automatic control. Once you have the equipment, start practice taking as many shots as you can of animals in habitats. A good place to start is the zoo or a wildlife park. The initial run will be trial and error and getting a feel for what angles, locations, and times of day are critical for getting that one perfect shot of the animal subject.
Follow these rules.
1. Know your environment - If you do not posses a high powered add-on zoom lens for your camera and have to get close to the subjects, make sure you are well versed in the behavior of the animals first. Some animals are afraid of humans and can either be aggressive if you get too close or run away killing your chance of a great shot.
2. Do not disturb the natural habit of the animals you photograph - leave everything the way you see it. The point is to get the photo without the animal knowing you are there or feel threatened. Do not cut away trees or bushes or leave equipment that pollutes or disturbs the eco-system.
3. Take a lot of shots - Your bound to get the one shot you desire if you take many.
4. Submit your best photos for recognition - There are several very high nature organizations, and magazines that hold contests or have well sought after positions for the best photographers. The field is very competitive, so remember if you don't win an award or get featured the first time, keep submitting.
5. DO NOT manipulate photos for awards or nature publications - do not manipulate your work to create winning photographs for media or contests unless specifically told to do so. Nature organizations take this very seriously and if you are found caught producing deceptive work, you can lose credibility, any awards won, or future opportunities to work with large repuatble organizations. Now many photographers do some digital image manipulations of their own work, but not if it's to be featured in credible or high profile magazines and programs like National Geographics.
Follow these tips and you'll be on your way to becoming a great nature photographer in magazines or television.
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