Whenever you take a photo, especially close up ones, place a standard sized object in the image to help viewers recognize its relative size.
The first photo to your right is a close up of a grackle dropping. The problem is without an object for scale, viewers are unable to determine just how big the dropping is.
The photo at the far right is an improvement because it used a standard sized pen to show the relative size of this vole hole and runway.
2. Watch for Shadows.
Photography is all about light and learning how to capture that light in your camera. The first photo is a good one except for the shadow of the photographer appears in the picture. When taking a photo, look at the entire frame before clicking the button.
Note how the photo at the far right does not have the photographer's shadow.
3. Watch your white-balance.
White-balance refers to the way your camera handles colors. Different lighting situations require different settings on your camera. Incadescent lighting is different than flourescent or even hot flourescent lighting. If your images are too yellow, like the one to the right, then the camera is set too "hot" meaning it is capturing too much light. If the image has a blue tint, as the deer is pictured, then the camera is set too "cold" and it needs more light.
Failure to control white-balance will lead to poor coloring of images.
4. Watch your backdrop.
Don't be so focused on the object you are shooting that you neglect to think about the background. Many well taken pictures have been ruined by distracting backdrops. Sometimes the backdrop makes it difficult to see the primary object. Remember, the eye can handle more subtleties than can be easily photographed.
Note how the trees in the background distract one's attention from the cupola. It would have been better to choose a different angle so that the trees completely provided covered the background or were absent from the background.
Contrast that with the web spinning spider. He is contrasted nicely against the cloudy sky.
Reduce Image Blur
Photos Wanted
The ICWDM is presently building a photo library of wildlife damage management
related images.
Our goal is to
tell the story of wildlife damage management in pictures and video
help people find the images they need for PowerPoints,
assist media and publishers in getting quality images
A number of people have already generously contributed. Check out our Credits Page.
