Monday, 27 July 2015

Wildlife Photography Capture The Best

Whenever we are out in the wild we try to capture every bit it. Most of the time we are happily clicking the animal to our surprise, he is missing in the photo, they are either hidden behind a rock or tree. Being out  in the wild and not getting the right pictures can be frustrating, but you have to be patient and wait for the right movement. It takes a lot into perfecting the skills when in the outdoors and one has to be very sharp when it comes to using the photography equipment.

Saxen Van Coller, who has spent years doing wildlife photography still feels that it is a very challenging task, no matter how many years of experience one has. According to her when you are out in the wild you have been exposed to naked outdoors with just a camera.  There is very little time to take pictures and so the earlier you get comfortable with the surroundings the better it is for you.


When we talk about a lens then there is none better than a telephoto lens. It is all that you need to get the best close up shots. It is  also necessary to make sure the shutter speed is low so that you capture the moving animals with ease. No animal will walk near you so you will be needing a better quality lens. Keep a backup ready at all times, you never know when you will run out of battery or your lens won't work. 

Another important aspect of wildlife photography is to bring all the elements together. Take your time and be patient, this way you will love the results in the end. When you are out in the wild you need to explore the area and its surroundings to get that one glimpse. Try to adapt the area and respect the animal's habitat. Do not go too close to them and make strange noise or stop its activity. Never be a hindrance in their path, especially when they are hunting. Make sure you are as far as possible because you don't want aggravate their anger and cause trouble for yourself.
 
Saxen Van Coller suggests in case you enter a risky territory make sure you move slowly and with complete patience. Wildlife can be extremely gentle and you do not want to hinder that.  It's better if you try to learn more about the area and behaviors of the wild animals to get the best shots.

Thursday, 16 July 2015

Saxen Van Coller - Improve Your Field Craft With Simple Tips And Tricks

Wildlife photography has its own goods and dilemma. It is something that requires a lot of work and precision. Saxen Van Coller suggests that when out for a photographic odyssey it is essential that you know some tips and tricks. These help in enhancing the images and giving the desired results. Below are the list of few field craft tricks:

  • Knowing the behavior and habitat of the animal is the key. This may seem old and absurd, but the best wildlife shots are rarely taken on the spur of the moment.
  •  Wear a camouflage or neutral colored, rustle free clothing. Ditch a perfume or deodorant and be on the spot the animals are most active that is usually dusk and dawn. 
  • Getting close to wild animals is a little risky. It's better to hide or bling an essential part of the professional wildlife photography kit so that no harm is caused. 
  • Wild animals are surprisingly tolerant of vehicles, but in the worst case scenario, avoid any sudden movements once you have parked the car. 
  • To get the sharpest shorts, use a beanbag to support the lens in the door frame. Activate the camera or lens stabilizer and switch of the car engine to stop any vibrations.
  • Make an effort and take eye to eye portraits and get yourself down to the animal's eye level. This will result in a more better and intimate portrait. One can also manually choose an autofocus point that corresponds with the animal eye too. 

  • Try using  a spotting scope as big lenses cost big bucks.  You get more magnification for much less if you opt for the Digiscoping route. 
  • Using an adapter with the DSLR or compact camera can be attached to a spotting scope and to get the frame filling shots of distant birds and animals.  The only drawback is you won't have an autofocus.
  • Panning with the animals is a technique to move the camera and lens to follow a moving animal. Here the criteria is that the subject stays more or less in the same position so they appear sharp in the photo while the background is blurred. A tripod fitted with a ball head can help ensure that the pan is smooth and the image is sharp where it needs to be.
The above are an addition to the tricks that one can use to enhance the overall photography experience. These tricks, help in creating some marvelous results with excellent image quality. 

Wednesday, 15 July 2015

Saxen Van Coller- Why Canon Cameras Are Still The Favourite Of Most Wildlife Photographers?

In today's day and age, we are looking for better equipment and devices to ease our life. Gadgets today work in favor of professionals who wish to excel.  When we talk about wildlife photography here we are dealing with cameras for better image quality. A professional in this field will need the best camera that comes with latest technological advancements and improvements for better performance and use. Saxen Van Coller a professional wildlife photographer has tried various cameras and according to her Canon and Nikon are the ones that give the best results. They work perfectly in terms of autofocus and extreme low light capabilities.


 Today we will talk about the qualities of the Canon cameras and why most wildlife photographers prefer using this. For me both Nikon and Canon are clear winners, and I have been using them from quite a while. Most Canon shooters ideally carry a Canon 1DX for its amazing autofocus and extreme low light capabilities. This works best when you are out in a wildlife reserve and trying to take photographs of a panther or a herd of wild buffalo's. These work perfectly in the evening when lighting is pretty low or  the animal you wish to capture is near a water body. Below is the list of my favorite Canon cameras:

The Canon 1DX this DSLR is a powerhouse when we talk about wildlife photography. Its function is same as the D4s but it offers an amazing autofocus. Not only is the lighting fast up to 14fps this camera captures grain free images in near pitch black conditions.

Canon 5D Mark III another great choice if you enjoy shooting video and landscapes as well as the wildlife. It comes with a spectacular 3.2 inch LCD, built in HDR, great low light performance, at 6 fps and stunning videos.

Canon 7D Mark II another game changer. This DSLR hosts 10fps an improved autofocus and a sensor for low light. It is probably the best camera when you are looking for those critical wildlife photography shots. While it's a little expensive and is great for those who are not on a budget.

The Canon 6D DSLR is a full frame 20.2MP DSLR offering exceptionally high image quality and detail while it provides compatibility and convenience through its design and features. When this is paired with a powerful DIGIC 5 +image processor and a 14-bit A/D conversion, the full frame sensor is capable of recording vivid imagery with expanded sensitivity up to ISO 102400.

Canon 70D this come its lower price category and is an inexpensive option for beginners. A camera that features a 20.2 megapixel APS-C Cmos sensor and DIGIC 5+ image processor to ensure high resolution images and excellent low light sensitivity. You get well-detailed, clear imagery that exhibits natural tonality and color gradations with minimal noise when working in difficult lighting conditions.

These are some of my favorite Canon cameras. They offer excellent image quality and work in almost all extreme lighting situations, giving you those perfect wildlife shots. 

Monday, 13 July 2015

Saxen Van Coller- Give An Edge To Wildlife Photography

A photographer with a keen eye knows how and where to work. If you are skilled you will know the basic of composition, lighting, lenses, aperture, and ISO. But when we are dealing with wildlife photography, animal photographers have to face added challenges. Here they are dealing with animals who we know are very unpredictable. You cannot ask them to move here or to pose like this. You have to click them in the way they are and adjust yourself, camera, and lighting according to them.

Saxen Van Coller who has been taking wildlife pictures from years, says that one of the most important feature is being able to capture the animals lighting-quick movements. This skill takes practice and a lot of it. Here the goal is to capture a still shot of the animal so you need to work with great precision. You have to master your basics to metering the exposure and from the fieldwork to the digital workflow. It's good if you do your research well as the best shots start before a photographer sets foot in the field. Try to learn about their behavior, movements, and habitat. Along with that the best places to shoot and which direction the sunlight is coming from at various times of the day.



Patience is the virtue that every wildlife photographer has to brace. When you are out in the wild it can take a behemoth of hours to get that perfect shot. You may be lying on your stomach for hours waiting to get that perfect shot of the red throated loons near the edge of a pond.  But when you get the perfect shot you feel the wait was worth it.

Think outside the box when it comes  to your vantage point and you are definitely going to get the best. Try using drones this is something that quite a few photographers are using in recent times. These remote devices make it easier to take the cameras closer to the wildlife with causing any disturbance. This is probably on the initial stages as photographers are looking for a quieter and more smaller versions.

Saxen Van Coller says the most dramatic wildlife photographs are usually those which include a very simple and non distracting background. Here your goal should be to highlight your subject and make them stand out. Sometimes the less the better, understand the space, when there is  a tremendous amount of space and chaos usually the subject is lost in the photograph.

Wildlife photography is, not everyone piece of cake. It requires skills and knowledge and the ability to capture the best. There is a responsibility that each wildlife photographer has i.e. educating people on the behavior and habitat so that the animal is better understood and protected.

Wednesday, 8 July 2015

Saxen Van Coller- Saving The Wildlife Through Photographs

Wildlife photography is very rewarding and exciting. If you love to travel or, are an animal lover with great camera skills, then you are the right person for this job. When we talk about wildlife photography its is mainly using good field craft skills so that the results are tremendous. In today's modern world the natural settings are diminishing soon meaning that the wildlife living in the wild is also going extinct. There are probably some species of animals that have gone extinct and some are on the verge. Preserving these natural settings at some point, maybe our job.  As a wildlife photographer we can do our bit by taking photographs and using those to spread awareness.




Saving the wildlife from human encroachment is a little tough, but there are so many programs and organizations that are working to prevent the wildlife. In the mean time it is the responsibility that as a photographer we preserve these precious wildlife in a different way that is with photographs. Saxen Van Coller is working in collaboration with a number of organizations for the protection of wildlife. She is using these images to make people aware of and respond to environmental issues. She has spent most of her time using the power of photos to conserve the natural species.  She is an inspiration to many owing to her interest in the wildlife.

Anyone who grew up close to nature will have a strong affinity and would want to save it. Immersed in this habitat she used her camera skills and changed the way her professional life was moving. With a motive, she is trying to move the focus of people and connecting them to the wildlife using her photographs. Her willingness to get up close and personal to the wildlife is also worthy of praises. She has done various expeditions across various forests for photographs that have proved successful. Using her artistic skills she displays the beauty and diversity of the wildlife for an immediate impact on conservation.

Saxen Van Coller has traveled all over the world and captured wildlife and habitats of all sorts. She   is using photography as a tool for conservation and she works both as an educator and photographer who using her images is trying to hammer the importance of the wildlife.

Monday, 6 July 2015

Saxen Van Coller- A Brushing On Ways To Get Better At Wildlife Photography

In the past we have all gone through various rules of photography including the do's and Don't s. These are probably some things that every wildlife photographer needs to keep in mind. We have discussed various topics before today we talk about some more rules. There are certain written rules that people follow while there are also some unwritten ones that we follow. It is good if you know the rules, and do not break them as it may hamper you work and as a result lead to low quality images.

Wildlife photography depends entirely on the light, exposure and, the gear. You have all these in perfect balance you are good to go. Know your gear, although this sounds as the biggest cliche yet it plays an important role. To get real, great action packed photographs you have a very narrow time frame probably 5 to 30 seconds. If you do not know your camera and its abilities you will land with photos that you wished you would have never clicked. Knowing the minimum shutter speed will help capture sharp images. Along with that if you know the added margins that are in the camera or in-lens stabilization chances are you may see drastic changes.

According to Saxen Van Coller what matters the most is that you know all the necessary adjustments to the exposure/ focus settings without lifting the eye finder. This will help to capture the action packed images with a blink of an eye. Eye contact with the subject is a must as it gives life to the image. But more than that, make sure the head angle is perpendicular in relation to the camera's imaging sensor.


Another important factor is knowing the light. Stick to the hours of the golden light which means getting up early in the morning and being in the field before sunrise to get the best photographs. There may be a time when its an overcast day where the clouds act as a massive soft box to filter out the light evenly. On such days you can luckily shoot all day long contrary the subject is there. Wildlife photography entirely depends on light so it's up to you how you use the light to your best advantage to get pretty interesting images.

Last most important aspect of wildlife photography according to Saxen Van Coller is patience. When taking pictures of the untamed patience is not a virtue rather it is a necessity. The nature of wild animals is unpredictable, anything can happen anytime and very rarely you get to see them at a specific point and a specific time. Most of us get impatient when out in the field for long yet it is something that one has to work with. So be there and enjoy it and you will get the best results and photographs that will be all praises.

Thursday, 2 July 2015

Saxen Van Coller- Know The Wild And Wildlife

Wildlife photography can be a pleasant, harmless, and harmonious activity. It many ways it gives photographers a pleasure when they take risks and click pictures that are all praises. Nature and wildlife photography are very rewarding when done in the right way as it is the most challenging task. A photographer needs to put an extra effort and use these to their best resources. Shooting the wildlife is an exhilarating experience along with being tough. Saxen Van Coller has spent years taking photographs of the wild animals across various places. She has seen a tough time when it comes to shooting the wildlife. 

Wild animals are tough and ferocious creatures that need their space. Hence when you are around them make sure you give them the right space and do not enter their habitat. This way you are risking your life as you never know when they might attack. Wildlife photography is a challenging yet rewarding form of nature photography. The best wildlife images create a powerful emotional connection between the viewer and the animal. Here to get the best results one needs planning, timing, and technique.  



Wildlife photography can produce spectacular results when done with a little care and precision. Start with the urban wildlife, engage and bring joy in your work so that you are able to produce great results at the later stages. When you are in the outdoors with the animals you get to see a different side of them. If you are lucky they may be having fun in the outdoors providing numerous opportunities for you to take best shots. The more time you spend with your subject the more likely your images will be expressive and revealing. 

Saxen Van Coller
suggests take time when you are out in the wild. When going out for a safari you need to know the area and the subject thoroughly. Along with that you also need to know you subject thoroughly as this will help you take the best shots. Every photographer has his or her own style of taking pictures. There are no fixed rules you learn with time and do things your own way. 
Varying your lens choice, will possible help you to get different shots. While a nice head-shot is perfect but what brings a niche is when the animals are captured in their native environment playing around. Hunting shots also look great but are the most tough to capture. Try to get lower and more into the animal’s environment for interesting compositions. 

While you are doing this make sure you maintain a proper distance. No matter how much you enjoy taking pictures of wild animals yet a little care is needed as in the end you life is more important that take photographs.

Friday, 26 June 2015

How To Get Blurry Backgrounds?

Wildlife photography is a tough game that takes a toll on many who are new in this field. Whether you are out in the wild trying to capture a herd of elephants or deer near a water body you need to work your way carefully.  Wild animals are your subjects, yet you cannot ask them to stay still or look this way. They will do what they are doing until you enter their area and they feel you are a threat to them. Saxen Van Coller has spent years out in the field taking photographs of wild animals across various nature parks and reserves. She has done various exhibitions across the globe and has been applauded for her work.

Today, let’s talk about ways one can improve your wildlife photography. As we all know in photographing things are a little different when we are dealing with the wild. Here you need to spend more time with the subjects and the more likely your images will be intimate and revealing. Sometime when taking pictures we wish to have the backgrounds blur, so that the subject is in sharp focus.

During my initial days of photography I always had a problem. In order to get a sharp subject and the blurry background all I needed to do was select the widest aperture or use portrait mode. The result of the photographs was disappointing despite the large apertures the images in the background were all either sharp as the subject or only very slightly blurred. The focus was right, the exposure was right, but for some reason there was some issue.

When after repeated tries a lot of thinking I worked out the problem. To get the picture right, you need right aperture and for that light needs to come from one direction. But when we are working in the outdoor light comes from all directions- it’s basically all over the place.  It’s the job of the lens to direct those rays to be focused on the sensor. The further you are away from your camera’s focusing point the less the rays will converge on your sensor and thus the subject will be blurry on the image.

Saxen Van Coller says when you know how to manage the light you can probably get the perfect results an the image that is sharp from foreground to background. Distance is also another factor that matters when taking pictures ,make sure you are at the right distance to get the perfect shots. In the end what matters is how much you practice and spend time in the outdoors.

Wednesday, 24 June 2015

Choose A Fast Shutter Speed And A Telephoto Lens For Better Wildlife Photographs

Great wildlife photography is a lifetime pursuit. It can only be achieved with hours of scouting and traveling and waiting for better business opportunity. Saxen Van Coller a professional wildlife photographer believes that it is an art that requires much more patience as compared to other forms of photography. It is a form where you can spend an entire day in the hot sun without even getting a single best shot. While there may be a day out in the wild where you have just reached and within just an hour's time you get the best shot.

This is one reality that a photographer has to accept and if you have the zeal then it's time to dig deeper in the details. Today we will talk about telephoto lens and fast shutter speed. These are the two most important criteria that matter the most in wildlife photography. You need to have a very good lens and enough light to get a very fast shutter speed.



When we talk about lens, it is supposed to be a telephoto lens that is somewhere between 200mm to 500mm.  If you have a point and shoot camera you can also take the best shots, but when you are working at the professional level its necessary to work on the lens. Well, when you are out in the wild it is important to use the fastest shutter speed that your camera or the surrounding light will allow. When we are taking pictures of human things are easier, but with animals we cannot work with ease as they are fast, quick and are completely different.

Let’s take an example of a hummingbird and how fast it beats its wings to hover. With such fast speed when you capture it the wings it will probably come blurred.  So in this case to really capture the hummingbird you will need to increase the shutter speed past 1/1500s and you will get the perfect results.

Saxen Van Coller suggests that another reason you will want to increase the shutter speed is when you use a telephoto lens at long distances and you will need a long focal length like 500mm. When you shoot at such horizon, things move differently and at some point you may experience that your camera may shake, making it all the more tough to get those perfect shots.

So the last point is to try to get the fastest shutter speed. Make an effort to go out during the brighter time of the day to capture the best wildlife photographs. 

Monday, 22 June 2015

Saxon Van Coller-Why A Lens Is So Important In Wildlife Photography?

When we are shooting in the wildlife be it bears in Alaska or birds in flight the most important factor is choosing the right type of lens. No matter the subject is near or far the ultimate result is only possible when we pick the lens of correct focal length. The longer the lens and the longest focal length the better the results. When we are dealing with quality wildlife photographs we cannot get away with a cheap lens as we will not get the desired results. Hence we require a high quality and fast aperture telephoto optics lens. 

Wildlife photography is an expensive hobby hence its better to pick the right gear in order to achieve the best results believes Saxen Van Coller. If you are planning to make an investment in a lens, then this will probably give you an idea and help you make the best choice. Below is the list of various types of lens:




  • The best all around, zoom lens is the Nikon 18-140mmf/3.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S DX. While most camera lenses come with the 18-105mm, but with this lens you won’t find a better kit along with such super good quality zoom. It comes with vibration reduction, ED elements for improved quality and it can also autofocus with the D3200.

  • If you are running on a tight budget and need to get to this safari and capture wildlife photographs then the Nikon 70-300mmf/4.5-5.6G VR is the lens you will want. It is a great buy as its autofocus is pretty good in daylight and its versatile zoom is ranged between 70-300mm which is perfect for large animals. The lens is compact and easy to carry around when you are scouting for animals in the wildlife spots and safari. You may face a problem in low-light, well this is expected when we are dealing with a slow variable aperture zoom lens.

  • The next one is the Nikon 70-200mmf/2.8g VR II this is a superb lens that not only is perfect for portraits but also a perfect lens for wildlife photography. It’s rather short on long-side is one the few on which the Nikon lenses work.


With the difference in features we also see a price difference, hence it entirely suits your pocket which you wish to buy. For me these have worked perfectly and I recommend using them as they are versatile and easy to carry. In our next blog post we will elaborate and discuss about some more lenses.

Thursday, 18 June 2015

Canon Or Nikon The Better Choice For Wildlife Photography

Wildlife photography is all about the thrill and excitement.  Yet one has to be extra cautious while taking pictures as we are dealing with the untamed. Photography is not all about the subject and the location along with this what matters is the use of the perfect lens. No matter if you are a pro or a beginner if you do not have the right equipment you cannot capture great shots. Shooting images that are not that sharp as they should be creates an enormous problem for beginners and even for experienced photographers. Capturing truly sharp images is the result of using excellent lenses, employing superb shooting techniques, and accurate focusing.

After you have prepared your field of play the next thing to work on is the camera and the lens. Today we will talk about two companies Cannon and Nikon. These are the most preferred camera sellers that have helped photographers give excellent results. Well I personally use a Canon while some use the Nikon Tele primes and I have personally met a number of wildlife photographers who have created astonishing results using the Nikon equipment.



There is probably no difference between the two it’s just the photographers personal choice says Saxen Van Coller. No matter what company you choose, but before you make a purchase look at the camera and lenses you want to buy, check the prices of both the companies and whichever is in your budget buy that. A professional photographer will need the lenses that have at least a 400mm, 600mm or 800mm along with a Teleconverters. 

While most accessories give same results yet one difference that we see due to technology is that the Canon long tele primes are slightly smaller and lighter in size when compared to Nikon. This is an important factor as when you are out in the wild you need to walk long distances and one should not be carrying any heavy equipment. Most cameras offer a dipodic adjustment knob that lets you adjust the clarity of the viewfinder to best suit your eyesight. This should be done before anything else as it will help you determine when you have pinpointed focus unless you see the subject clearly in the viewfinder. Check and ensure that your camera has this particular feature.

Apart from this there are also a number of common lens accessories available in the market such as polarizing filters, extension tubes, and the Teleconverters, all these device cost less suggests Saxen Van Coller. Don’t use any of them unless you have an exceptionally good reason to do so. Try to add on minimum accessories use only in case there is a dire need. No matter what you prefer Nikon or Cannon it’s entirely up to you to produce the best results. A choice cannot be made between both the companies as both are superbly good and give amazing photos.

Wednesday, 17 June 2015

Wildlife Photography What It Is?

Photography gives a new definition to the things that we see around.  Wildlife photography is one of the most challenging aspects, but the results are extremely rewarding. The best wildlife images, create a powerful emotional connection for the viewer and the photographer. When out in the wild what matters most is planning, timing, and technique. If these are in coordination then the results are worth the risk.



 
Saxen Van Coller, who has spent a substantial amount in the wildlife taking pictures of the untamed. She has traveled to various national reserves and parks and taken risks to capture shots of her favorites. Like human portraits, wildlife portraits gain life when there is a connection between the viewer and the photograph. When we are working in nature, there is a very narrow depth of field, and nothing else to be in focus. When you are in the wild many shots are taken and you never know when the body position, the facial expression, and the composition of the image are in motion.

Another important fact that we can learn from human portraits states Saxen Van Coller is that the idea of composing based on the facing and direction. Moving animal is best captured when enough room is given to them and there is ample space. When out in the wild use light in every possible way, be it sunrise or sunset. With these you can create picturesque effects with back-lighting as it presents one of the most dramatic types of lighting a photographer has to work with, and when you are shooting an animal with a beautiful form, it can help you produce striking results.

Our brains are almost hardwired to notice faces and to look for the eyes, hence when taking photos your sharp focus should be on the eye. A tiny bit of fill light from a flash will help create effective catch light in the eye to enhance the effect.  Wildlife photography is a big game so it’s important that you know who you are playing for. Along with that you need to maintain your safety when around the animals for the best shots. Spending time and knowing the movement of the subject will help to capture them in the best way.