Wildlife and adventure photography

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My guest on this podcast is Rachel Harris, Managing Director of EHRA Namibia.

EHRA is a project I’ve personally been involved with and I recently returned from a fundraising event with them in Namibia. Rachel talks about the aims of EHRA, their beginnings and their current activities.

She has built up an award-winning eco-tourism volunteer programme (active since 2004) which helps to fund their conservation activities. EHRA also runs a community education programme to help the local people live with the elephants and minimise conflicts.

If you’d like to learn more about EHRA or get involved in their work, you can find out more on their website: https://www.ehranamibia.org/

And you can follow them on social media: #ehranamibia

It's time for another podcast...

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HAVE YOU BOUGHT YOUR 2025 WILDLIFE CALENDAR YET?
Put a little wildlife on your wall (or a friends' wall!). Find out more here:
Graham Elliott Photography 2025 Calendar

Support the show
Thank you for listening to my podcast. If you would like to subscribe you can do so here:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1803730/support

Instagram
It you'd like to see more of my images on Instagram, here's the link
http://www.instagram.com/grahamelliott61/

Photography Courses and more
Check out my website for photography courses and challenges... and much more:
Fine Art Images – Graham Elliott Photography

Memberships
Find out more about my Patreon membership program, here:
https://www.patreon.com/gephotography

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You can contact me directly at: [email protected]

Please don't keep me a secret! Please share my podcast with anyone else who you think might be interested.

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I was asked this question by a listener (thank you) who is planning an exciting trip to see gorillas (and other animals). So what can you do to protect your camera in different environments?
 
 To protect my lenses, I do a couple of things:

1.  Buy a good quality UV filter to protect the glass at the end of the lens. While I've never scratched a lens, I would far rather replace a UV filter than have to look at an expensive repair or even scrap a good lens.
2.  Use the lens hood. If you're moving around and the lens swings unexpectedly, the chances are that the lens hood will absorb the impact and protect the lens itself.

 
 For the lens and body, I have invested in a splash cover from Aquatech. This has an elasticated opening at one end (that I put around the lens hood) and an opening at the other that allows access to the camera controls. A clear window at the back of the hood lets me see the camera screen.
 This is great in wet environments and dusty environments and minimises the chances of water and dust getting into the camera or lens.
 
 Other hacks:

•  Keep the lens cap on until you need to use the camera.
•  If it rains, wear a good rain jacket (I recommend gore-tex as it breathes) and push your camera inside.
•  You can use a plastic bag to keep water off too.
•  Buy a backpack with hip straps and a rain cover (usually in a compartment at the bottom of the backpack).
•  Consider a camera mount you can clip to the shoulder strap of your backpack. Peak Design offer these clips.
•  Dedicated underwater housings if you need one (you can get these for smartphones too).
•  A small hand towel to wrap around the camera/lens for general protection.
•  In cold conditions keep a spare battery in your clothing close to your body (to take advantage of body heat) - battery performance drops in the cold.
•  Silica gel desiccant dehumidifiers for very wet environments. 

I hope you find this useful.

It's time for another podcast...

Support the show

HAVE YOU BOUGHT YOUR 2025 WILDLIFE CALENDAR YET?
Put a little wildlife on your wall (or a friends' wall!). Find out more here:
Graham Elliott Photography 2025 Calendar

Support the show
Thank you for listening to my podcast. If you would like to subscribe you can do so here:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1803730/support

Instagram
It you'd like to see more of my images on Instagram, here's the link
http://www.instagram.com/grahamelliott61/

Photography Courses and more
Check out my website for photography courses and challenges... and much more:
Fine Art Images – Graham Elliott Photography

Memberships
Find out more about my Patreon membership program, here:
https://www.patreon.com/gephotography

Contact Me
You can contact me directly at: [email protected]

Please don't keep me a secret! Please share my podcast with anyone else who you think might be interested.

Send us a text

In my wildlife photography tips podcasts, I always recommend that people practice on birds. But why should they do that?

Well, for one thing, most of us have access to these wild animals and they allow us to get to know our cameras.

Photographing birds is also an opportunity to start thinking like a wildlife photographer: 

• Where is the best lighting? 
• How can I position myself to get the best shots? 
• What influences the animals' behaviour? 
• How important is time of day?

These are just a few of the questions you should be asking yourself.

When it comes to using your camera, have you thought about whether back-button focus is appropriate? 
How can you get your camera's auto-focus system to work most efficiently? 
What shutter speed should you use? Are you shooting RAW?

I go through a number of these options and issues in the podcast. In some cases, there will be conflicting opinions about which option is best in certain situations. In those cases, I suggest you do what is most comfortable for you. The most important thing is for you to be shooting images you love and for you to continue to experiment with and evolve your photography. 

I hope you enjoy it.

It's time for another podcast...

Support the show

HAVE YOU BOUGHT YOUR 2025 WILDLIFE CALENDAR YET?
Put a little wildlife on your wall (or a friends' wall!). Find out more here:
Graham Elliott Photography 2025 Calendar

Support the show
Thank you for listening to my podcast. If you would like to subscribe you can do so here:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1803730/support

Instagram
It you'd like to see more of my images on Instagram, here's the link
http://www.instagram.com/grahamelliott61/

Photography Courses and more
Check out my website for photography courses and challenges... and much more:
Fine Art Images – Graham Elliott Photography

Memberships
Find out more about my Patreon membership program, here:
https://www.patreon.com/gephotography

Contact Me
You can contact me directly at: [email protected]

Please don't keep me a secret! Please share my podcast with anyone else who you think might be interested.

Send us a text

Colin and I used to coach people on WeAreObservers PhotoWalks in Sydney. Colin has a lot of experience as (primarily) an amateur photographer and is also a trainer for Adobe.

In this podcast, he talks about how he gets unique results using a smartphone and the role that editing plays in digital photography.

If you want to see Colin's work, the Instagram sites mentioned are:
@Very_Well_Adjusted: Photographs taken on smartphones and other devices such as ipads.
@Framed_Mono: Colin's black and white collection.

He also spoke about the "Nightcap Camera" App. and you can find more details by clicking the link.

It's time for another podcast...

Support the show

HAVE YOU BOUGHT YOUR 2025 WILDLIFE CALENDAR YET?
Put a little wildlife on your wall (or a friends' wall!). Find out more here:
Graham Elliott Photography 2025 Calendar

Support the show
Thank you for listening to my podcast. If you would like to subscribe you can do so here:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1803730/support

Instagram
It you'd like to see more of my images on Instagram, here's the link
http://www.instagram.com/grahamelliott61/

Photography Courses and more
Check out my website for photography courses and challenges... and much more:
Fine Art Images – Graham Elliott Photography

Memberships
Find out more about my Patreon membership program, here:
https://www.patreon.com/gephotography

Contact Me
You can contact me directly at: [email protected]

Please don't keep me a secret! Please share my podcast with anyone else who you think might be interested.

Send us a text

It can be very frustrating to go away on a trip and, when you look at your photographs on a pc screen, find they're not sharp. I've put together a list of seven things you can do, to avoid blurry photos:
 

1. Check your settings.  Do you have the correct shutter speed set? Is your AF point in the right place? Have you got an unintended exposure compensation set? Make it a habit to check your settings and take test shots.
2. You are using the wrong shutter speed.  While shooting at 1,000th of a second will freeze a lot of the action, shooting faster is likely to give more reliable results. If I'm photographing a breaching whale, I'll typically use 1/4000th of a second to freeze everything. 
3. Pre-focus on your subject where you can and use long bursts. The number of useable photos you get becomes an exercise in statistics. If you're getting one good shot in 10, you won't have much to show from a burst of 6. A burst of 20 though, should give you at least 2 useable photos.
4. Look out for foreground objects that might completely blur out through the viewfinder, but will make their presence felt by leaving a 'fog' over the subject. Look directly at your subject (not through the viewfinder) and look for leaves, twigs or anything else close to you that might become a problem in the final image.
5. Use the lowest possible ISO. High ISO will introduce noise and this diminishes the sharpness of your subject. This is particularly true in low light. Take a 'safe' shot first (to make sure you get a photo of your subject) and then progressively reduce the ISO. Use a tripod (or other support), 'silent' mode, the 3-second self-timer, or a remote control to minimise any movement you might introduce when taking the shot.
6.  Set up a 'focus box'. Use this where you can't focus directly on your subject (e.g. porpoising dolphins). Set the focal distance and a suitable DoF to have a safe focus area.
7.  Make sure you understand the AF system on your camera. Use the appropriate mode and AF point(s). 

It's time for another podcast...

Support the show

HAVE YOU BOUGHT YOUR 2025 WILDLIFE CALENDAR YET?
Put a little wildlife on your wall (or a friends' wall!). Find out more here:
Graham Elliott Photography 2025 Calendar

Support the show
Thank you for listening to my podcast. If you would like to subscribe you can do so here:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1803730/support

Instagram
It you'd like to see more of my images on Instagram, here's the link
http://www.instagram.com/grahamelliott61/

Photography Courses and more
Check out my website for photography courses and challenges... and much more:
Fine Art Images – Graham Elliott Photography

Memberships
Find out more about my Patreon membership program, here:
https://www.patreon.com/gephotography

Contact Me
You can contact me directly at: [email protected]

Please don't keep me a secret! Please share my podcast with anyone else who you think might be interested.

Send us a text

I believe there are two aspects to what makes a good photograph. The first is the technical side. Different people will have different ways of categorising this aspect and for the sake of this podcast I used five elements:

1. Light and exposure
2. Composition 
3. Colour and tone
4. Timing (in all its interpretations)
5. Relationship (between the viewer and the subject)

The second aspect is to look at the questions you are asking. I am constantly inspired by other people's work and I'll typically ask:

• How did they achieve that result?
• How can I do the same thing?

What inevitably happens after answering the second question is that I will put my spin on it and get the outcome I want.

So, if you're not sure what makes a good photograph for you (and this, of course, is all subjective), start by asking more questions. A comment that I like is that the quality of your life is determined by the quality of the questions you ask. I think this is true for photography.

Another thing to think about is the result you are driving for. So, begin with the end in mind and ask the questions that will lead to you achieving the outcome you are striving for.

And, a final comment about social media: Shoot what you love and don't worry about the number of Likes. And, ignore unsolicited comments. Only accept comments from the people you would choose to approach for feedback.

It's time for another podcast...

Support the show

HAVE YOU BOUGHT YOUR 2025 WILDLIFE CALENDAR YET?
Put a little wildlife on your wall (or a friends' wall!). Find out more here:
Graham Elliott Photography 2025 Calendar

Support the show
Thank you for listening to my podcast. If you would like to subscribe you can do so here:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1803730/support

Instagram
It you'd like to see more of my images on Instagram, here's the link
http://www.instagram.com/grahamelliott61/

Photography Courses and more
Check out my website for photography courses and challenges... and much more:
Fine Art Images – Graham Elliott Photography

Memberships
Find out more about my Patreon membership program, here:
https://www.patreon.com/gephotography

Contact Me
You can contact me directly at: [email protected]

Please don't keep me a secret! Please share my podcast with anyone else who you think might be interested.

Send us a text

There are ideal times to take photographs of wildlife, and many times and situations that are less ideal. In this podcast, I talk about how to handle the following potential issues and common mistakes.:
 
 Bad composition (and ideas to get around it)
 Harsh lighting (what the limits are and ways to use the images)
 Bad backgrounds (and a few suggestions such as varying depth of field while you shoot)
 
 As photographers, we have a variety of tools available to us and you must know how to get the best from your wildlife encounters. If you're not sure about some aspects of photography or would like to start from scratch, please take a look at my photography courses. 

It's time for another podcast...

Support the show

HAVE YOU BOUGHT YOUR 2025 WILDLIFE CALENDAR YET?
Put a little wildlife on your wall (or a friends' wall!). Find out more here:
Graham Elliott Photography 2025 Calendar

Support the show
Thank you for listening to my podcast. If you would like to subscribe you can do so here:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1803730/support

Instagram
It you'd like to see more of my images on Instagram, here's the link
http://www.instagram.com/grahamelliott61/

Photography Courses and more
Check out my website for photography courses and challenges... and much more:
Fine Art Images – Graham Elliott Photography

Memberships
Find out more about my Patreon membership program, here:
https://www.patreon.com/gephotography

Contact Me
You can contact me directly at: [email protected]

Please don't keep me a secret! Please share my podcast with anyone else who you think might be interested.

Send us a text

I thought I'd try recording a podcast away from my usual studio, mainly because I've just reached Sydney after two weeks in Namibia, most of it well away from an internet connection.

So, how important is experimenting and how big a role should it play in your photography?

I'll also share a few things from my trip to Namibia, which included a couple of days in Etosha National Park.

It's time for another podcast...

Support the show

HAVE YOU BOUGHT YOUR 2025 WILDLIFE CALENDAR YET?
Put a little wildlife on your wall (or a friends' wall!). Find out more here:
Graham Elliott Photography 2025 Calendar

Support the show
Thank you for listening to my podcast. If you would like to subscribe you can do so here:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1803730/support

Instagram
It you'd like to see more of my images on Instagram, here's the link
http://www.instagram.com/grahamelliott61/

Photography Courses and more
Check out my website for photography courses and challenges... and much more:
Fine Art Images – Graham Elliott Photography

Memberships
Find out more about my Patreon membership program, here:
https://www.patreon.com/gephotography

Contact Me
You can contact me directly at: [email protected]

Please don't keep me a secret! Please share my podcast with anyone else who you think might be interested.

Send us a text

There are a few things to consider when photographing wildlife as you'll often be off the beaten track. Here are a few of them:

• Who knows where you are?
• I suggest using "What3Words" as a way of letting people know where you are, or where you plan to be (find out more here).
• Have a good paper map and think about your 'plan B' options.
• Wear appropriate clothing (especially footwear).
• Be prepared for changes in the weather.
• Have a basic first aid kit suitable for where you are going.
• Follow a river (downstream) if all else fails!
• Carry a resilient form of id (for the work case scenario).
• Use insect repellent.

You want to have a successful and enjoyable trip, and a little forethought and planning should keep it that way!

It's time for another podcast...

Support the show

HAVE YOU BOUGHT YOUR 2025 WILDLIFE CALENDAR YET?
Put a little wildlife on your wall (or a friends' wall!). Find out more here:
Graham Elliott Photography 2025 Calendar

Support the show
Thank you for listening to my podcast. If you would like to subscribe you can do so here:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1803730/support

Instagram
It you'd like to see more of my images on Instagram, here's the link
http://www.instagram.com/grahamelliott61/

Photography Courses and more
Check out my website for photography courses and challenges... and much more:
Fine Art Images – Graham Elliott Photography

Memberships
Find out more about my Patreon membership program, here:
https://www.patreon.com/gephotography

Contact Me
You can contact me directly at: [email protected]

Please don't keep me a secret! Please share my podcast with anyone else who you think might be interested.

Send us a text

I thought that it was time to review a few wildlife questions and tips. This is what I talk about:

• What's the best camera for wildlife photography?
• Is DSLR or Mirrorless better?
• What's the best lens?
• Is full frame better than cropped frame?
• How to wildlife photographers get so close to their subject?
• I've a limited budget, what should I buy?
• When is the best time to photograph animals?
• What can I do if I don't have much time to practice?
• What are the best ways to be on the shoot?

I hope you find them useful. AND... please let me know if you have a question that needs to be answered.

It's time for another podcast...

Support the show

HAVE YOU BOUGHT YOUR 2025 WILDLIFE CALENDAR YET?
Put a little wildlife on your wall (or a friends' wall!). Find out more here:
Graham Elliott Photography 2025 Calendar

Support the show
Thank you for listening to my podcast. If you would like to subscribe you can do so here:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1803730/support

Instagram
It you'd like to see more of my images on Instagram, here's the link
http://www.instagram.com/grahamelliott61/

Photography Courses and more
Check out my website for photography courses and challenges... and much more:
Fine Art Images – Graham Elliott Photography

Memberships
Find out more about my Patreon membership program, here:
https://www.patreon.com/gephotography

Contact Me
You can contact me directly at: [email protected]

Please don't keep me a secret! Please share my podcast with anyone else who you think might be interested.