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Zoom In… Zoom Out…

on Oct 13, 2015

At times, depending on the situation, it’s good to try out different photography styles. Have a look at the two images below. The first image shows a close-up picture of a lion photographed with a telephoto lens - and the second image is one taken using a wide angle lens. By taking two photos of exactly the same subject, I managed to create two totally different images from the same scenario.

13Oct15 Lion01

The first image shows the intensity of the lion, staring into the distance. A close-up also reveals details of the lion like his beautiful mane and scarred face from his many battles with other males. The camera, which was set to a wide aperture (low f-stop number), allowed me to blur the background beautifully, which really made the lion stand out.

13Oct15 Lion02

The second image shows the lion in its real environment of wide open spaces, showing the scale of the lion in its surroundings. These wide-angle images are useful for viewers because it shows that this lion was not photographed in a captive environment but rather in its natural habitat. Using a narrow aperture (higher f-stop) I managed to get more of the scene in focus, photographing it more like a landscape photograph.

So next time you are out photographing wildlife, have a look at the entire scene that stands before you. Try out different approaches using different camera lenses or different zoom ranges. This is a good way to diversify your portfolio of images while you are out in the bushveld.

Go on, try something different!

Pravir Patel

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