"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 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 & 10 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
PREPARATION - introduction | before you go | where to go | when to go | how to go | what to shoot | on location | be adaptable | back up & storage | auto smartphone back up | workflow on the road | theft & insurance | your safety & wellbeing | blogging & social media | instagram | tips & tricks | summary | recommended tools
CAMERA GEAR - a quick guide | full frame dslr cameras | cropped sensor dslrs | prime & zoom lenses | quality compacts | mirrorless cameras | bridge & hybrid cameras | 360 degree cameras | medium format cameras | adventure cameras | smartphones | drones | speedlite flash units | supplementary lighting | off camera lighting | tripods, monopods & gorillapods | filters | batteries, memory cards & backup | cleaning your gear | camera bags | accessories | tips & tricks | summary | recommended gear
CAMERA HANDLING - shooting modes | raw vs jpeg | metering modes | colour space | focusing modes | white balance | iso | picture style & control | exposure lock & compensation & bracketing | adding light into shadows | high dynamic range (hdr) | using flash | tethering | tips & tricks | summary
LIGHTING - types | natural light | artificial light | white balance | time the light | planning & timing | dawn | twilight | night | silhouettes | tips & tricks | summary
COMPOSITION - leading & converging lines | the rule of thirds | framing an image | reflections | look for unusual angles | odd & even numbers | colour | focusing on detail | showing motion | freezing the shot | viewpoint | point of view (pov) | selective focus | vertical vs horizontal | aspect ratio | tips & tricks | summary | compositional aids
COMMON THEMES
SPECIFIC INFORMATION - overview | destinations | know your gear | lightweight camera gear | respect wild animal’s space | health & safety | know your subject | time of day | time of year | viewpoint | shooting from boats | shooting from vehicles | on foot | aerial | drones | remote control devices | close up & macro | at the zoo | snow monkeys in focus | antarctica in focus | on safari | birds | nature | wildflowers | tips & tricks | summary | recommended gear
PEOPLE & WILDLIFE - frozen moments | interact with your subject | framing | colour coordination | lens perspective | backgrounds | common mistakes | tips & tricks | summary | recommended gear
LANDSCAPES & WILDLIFE - overview | technique | light | composition | deserts | mountains | tropics | waterfalls | seascapes | abstract | cityscapes | tips & tricks | summary | recommended gear
AERIAL & DRONES - aerial photo techniques | drones | middle island wa | tips & tricks | summary | recommended gear
WILDLIFE IN CITIES - melbourne | sydney | london | kathmandu | delhi | vancouver | queenstown | perth |
ABSTRACT - abstract nature photography | abstract aerial | abstract zooming | abstract panning | abstract motion blur | best lenses | tips & tricks | summary | recommended gear
A FEW GREAT DESTINATIONS - iceland in focus | vietnam in focus | kerala in focus | new zealand in focus | scotland in focus | greece in focus | namibia in focus | japan in focus | france in focus | dreamtime kakadu | rajasthan in focus | fiji in focus | australia in focus | the outback in focus | goldfields wa | yarra valley | rottnest island | margaret river | tips & tricks | summary | recommended gear
EDITING, PROJECTS & MORE
BACKUP & EDITING - basics of editing | editing in lightroom | transferring files-hardware | uploading files | auto smartphone backup | home & office back up | showcasing your images | social media | selling online | photo books & frames | photos as prints | tips & tricks | summary | recommended gear
ISSUES & COMMON ERRORS - common mistakes | photos are not sharp | rotational perspective | barrel distortion | dirty sensor, filter or lens | wrong lens | unwanted reflections | slanted horizons | excess clutter & unbalanced | digital noise | over tilting | incorrect colour balance | lurid colour & hdr | tips & tricks | summary
FUTURE DIRECTIONS - amateur or pro | personality type | match your interests | practical tips for success | photo gear in the future | computational photography | the end of the beginning | tips & tricks | conclusions | summary | a personal journey
PRACTICAL PROJECTS - light | composition | perspective | depth of field | viewpoint | reflections | showing motion | freezing the subject | macro | colour balance
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs) - why do a photography space course | benefits | tutor support | accreditation | background needed | certificate | computer skills | course style | course cost | online social network club | faq hotline
RESOURCES - camera & studio gear at good prices | field guides & support | tripods | camera bags | retail outlets & processing labs | camera & lens tests | camera magazines | photography books | inspirational wildlife & nature books | indesign & lightroom tutorials | interesting photography websites | digital albums & services | photo sharing | photography tours
GLOSSARY - 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 - $390
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