Wildlife and Adventure Photography

Send us Fan Mail As it's still early in 2025, I thought that it would be a good idea to revisit the basics. I sometimes go down a particular rabbit hole myself (photographically speaking) and, in so doing, forget something basic but useful. So, I think it's a good idea to periodically go over the basics again. I've cheated slightly in that I'm talking through a free PDF that I...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the 150th episode of the podcast.    I was inspired at 3.00 am to talk about when a photograph isn't a photograph; when it becomes something more.    I've spoken about photojournalism and that type of photography has the power to influence global events. For most of us, that will not be a consideration, but being able to take good photographs, especially portr...

Send us Fan Mail Modes and the exposure triangle revisited: I spoke about this subject some time ago and I had a very positive reaction to it. So, I thought it was worth a revisit! If you don’t understand the exposure triangle, your results will be limited and it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to shoot the kind of photographs you would like to. I say this with some conviction as one of the most co...

Send us Fan Mail As I'm recording this towards the end of 2024, I've been looking back at what went well, and what didn't. And identifying the lessons I've learned this year that I can take with me into 2025 (and make a lot of new mistakes!). Something that I believe can be very helpful is to take part in a photography project. In this podcast, I'll take you through a few...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever tried street photography? If you haven't, but you're thinking about it, now is a good time to start. The primary reason for this is the frequent use of smartphones in the street. I'm sure you've had to avoid a few "phone zombies" in your time, and this makes it very easy to discretely take street photographs. People will just assume that...

Send us Fan Mail Hello again, I'm recording this podcast at the end of 2024 (Boxing Day, actually) and thought I'd share a little background to my activities this year. I've referred to it as my 'Blooper Reel' because I share some of the less glamorous aspects of wildlife photography. In particular, I thought I'd share the story of my trip to Namibia, to support EHRA....

Send us Fan Mail This week I speak with Matt Jacob. Matt is a British born Bali based photographic artist with a passion for capturing narratives through photography. He offers his audiences valuable insights into untold stories, inviting them into unfamiliar lives through aesthetically beautiful and meaningful images. From his early days with a disposable camera to his current status as a master...

Send us Fan Mail Being part of a photography community is a great way to improve your photography, connect with other photographers, and have more fun!    Not everyone has access to a local photography community. So, in this podcast, I'll talk through a few options you have if you live in a more remote location. And I'll make a few suggestions for those of you in larger communities where...

Send us Fan Mail Macro-photography can be very rewarding. Things to think about: 1. Magnification & Ratio How large the subject appears in the frame compared to its actual size. In macro photography, the subject is typically life-sized or larger. 2. Depth of Field (DOF) Using a small aperture like f/16 or f/22 can help increase DOF and keep more of the subject in focus, but may require slower...

Send us Fan Mail This podcast was inspired by another podcast that I listen to (“The rest is history”) where they spoke about Lee Miller. This, in turn, was prompted by the 2023 movie starring Kate Winslet. Lee Miller was largely forgotten until her biography came out in the 1980’s (she died in 1977). She had a privileged upbringing and, I think it’s fair to say, lacked any purpose in her life. Th...

Send us Fan Mail You might be new to photography, or perhaps you’ve just hit a creative ‘slump’. Or, maybe, you just want to step back and revisit the basics of photography. Wherever you are, here are 12 tips that might help you: There’s a lot to learn, especially with some modern cameras, so, give yourself time and just take things one at a time. I always recommend a structured course if you’re j...

Send us Fan Mail My guest on this podcast is Rachel Harris, Managing Director of EHRA Namibia. EHRA is a project I’ve personally been involved with and I recently returned from a fundraising event with them in Namibia. Rachel talks about the aims of EHRA, their beginnings and their current activities. She has built up an award-winning eco-tourism volunteer programme (active since 2004) which helps...

Send us Fan Mail I was asked this question by a listener (thank you) who is planning an exciting trip to see gorillas (and other animals). So what can you do to protect your camera in different environments?    To protect my lenses, I do a couple of things:  Buy a good quality UV filter to protect the glass at the end of the lens. While I've never scratched a lens, I would far rather replace...

Send us Fan Mail In my wildlife photography tips podcasts, I always recommend that people practice on birds. But why should they do that? Well, for one thing, most of us have access to these wild animals and they allow us to get to know our cameras. Photographing birds is also an opportunity to start thinking like a wildlife photographer:  Where is the best lighting?  How can I position myself to...

Send us Fan Mail Colin and I used to coach people on WeAreObservers PhotoWalks in Sydney. Colin has a lot of experience as (primarily) an amateur photographer and is also a trainer for Adobe. In this podcast, he talks about how he gets unique results using a smartphone and the role that editing plays in digital photography. If you want to see Colin's work, the Instagram sites mentioned are: @...

Send us Fan Mail It can be very frustrating to go away on a trip and, when you look at your photographs on a pc screen, find they're not sharp. I've put together a list of seven things you can do, to avoid blurry photos:   Check your settings.  Do you have the correct shutter speed set? Is your AF point in the right place? Have you got an unintended exposure compensation set? Make it a h...

Send us Fan Mail I believe there are two aspects to what makes a good photograph. The first is the technical side. Different people will have different ways of categorising this aspect and for the sake of this podcast I used five elements: Light and exposure Composition  Colour and tone Timing (in all its interpretations) Relationship (between the viewer and the subject) The second aspect is to lo...

Send us Fan Mail There are ideal times to take photographs of wildlife, and many times and situations that are less ideal. In this podcast, I talk about how to handle the following potential issues and common mistakes.:    Bad composition (and ideas to get around it)  Harsh lighting (what the limits are and ways to use the images)  Bad backgrounds (and a few suggestions such as varying depth of fi...

Send us Fan Mail I thought I'd try recording a podcast away from my usual studio, mainly because I've just reached Sydney after two weeks in Namibia, most of it well away from an internet connection. So, how important is experimenting and how big a role should it play in your photography? I'll also share a few things from my trip to Namibia, which included a couple of days in Etosha...

Send us Fan Mail There are a few things to consider when photographing wildlife as you'll often be off the beaten track. Here are a few of them: Who knows where you are? I suggest using "What3Words" as a way of letting people know where you are, or where you plan to be ( find out more here ). Have a good paper map and think about your 'plan B' options. Wear appropriate clo...

Send us Fan Mail I thought that it was time to review a few wildlife questions and tips. This is what I talk about: What's the best camera for wildlife photography? Is DSLR or Mirrorless better? What's the best lens? Is full frame better than cropped frame? How to wildlife photographers get so close to their subject? I've a limited budget, what should I buy? When is the best time to...

Send us Fan Mail Flash photography certainly has its place, but not always where you might think. Sure, it is one option in low ambient light situations and can also be used in daylight to make sure the subject is correctly exposed without overexposing everything else. But is a standard 'pop-up' flash the best option. Pop-ups are useful but are all but guaranteed to create red-eye when p...

Send us Fan Mail I've been interested in psychology for a long time and I'm especially interested in how it relates to photography. In this case it's composition and why certain compositional elements are very effective. In this short podcast I'll do my best to explain my understanding of seven elements: Proximity Similarity Continuity Closure Figure-ground Symmetry and Order C...

Send us Fan Mail I thought I would run through what I believe are the most important aspects of wildlife photography. So, apologies if you've heard this before (but you might hear something new, too!). These are the key things to consider and I speak about each in the podcast: Aperture Modes Auto-Focus Shutter speed Lenses/teleconverters Composition Knowing your camera Knowing your subject Le...

Send us Fan Mail Hello again,    This is for you if you can't quite get the results you're looking for. I'm sure that we've all had the experience of thinking we've just created a great photograph, only to find that the result isn't what we'd hoped for. This can be very frustrating, especially if it's something that happens often.    For me, photography is a...