Tips for Achieving Sharp Foreground at a Wildlife Photography Course

Taking sharp images becomes a challenge in wildlife photography as the animals are photographed from a long distance. Sometimes the subjects (animals) fidget around so much that capturing them at a particular moment becomes a daunting task. The trainers at every wildlife photography course teach their students how the camera and the lenses can be used for such cases. However, there are some prevailing challenges which even matured photographers face on their photography expeditions. One of them is shooting an image with water while capturing sharp foregrounds.

Problems in shooting sharp images

In order to shoot sharp landscape images with angel hair water (very fine, long strands of the waves) at the rapids or the rills, most people use slow shutter speeds. Sometimes, very slow shutter speeds are quite effective in capturing water patterns yet it tends to blur colors. Although the foreground elements look sharper in those photos, the water appears to be blurred.

A handy solution with shutter speed

Under such circumstances, you have to focus on your framing along with the shutter speed. You must isolate ice patterns, autumn leaves or other foliage against the rapids you are shooting and then click the photo. You cannot use a faster shutter speed as this means that the ice patterns or the branches might get merged with the water in the background.

However, with a slow shutter speed, the blurred water will not visually compete with the ice patterns or the branches anymore. So, the foreground and the background with stand out very nicely.

Clicking sharp images in a windy situation

There are some rules you learn in a landscapes photography workshop, which you might want to skip when the time demands it. The slow shutter speeds can help you obtain angel hair water only when the setting is tranquil. If there is a constant flow of breeze and a leaf or a branch or a flower you are trying to capture is swaying in a breeze, you must be cautious lest the foreground of the image is blurred by the wind.

In such cases, even if the slow shutter speed gives you a desired, soft background of the water, the foreground also appears to be blurred. You can use a faster shutter speed here to click a razor sharp image. True, you cannot achieve the angel’s hair effect. Yet, the overall image will be a close approximation of what your eyes actually see.

Using post-production magic

You can use post-production tricks in achieving this. You could shoot a photograph of the landscape with slow shutter speed and have the angel’s hair effect of the water in the background. Now, shoot the sharp image. You must keep the frame composition and focus exactly similar to the previous image (shot in slow shutter speed). You need to manipulate the aperture to allow sufficient light and the shutter speed to click the foreground elements properly. Now, use an image editing tool like Photoshop to combine these two images to achieve a sharp foreground against an angel’s hair water background. Those, who have attended a macro photography workshop and know the art of enlargement, will be able to visualize the effect better.

A good wildlife photography course always tries to educate the students about such intricacies to enhance their quality of photography.