Simple Photography Tips - Looking and seeing

Simple photography tips on looking until you see - Camera and Phone-Camera

• If you're after nature images, walk very slowly

• Learn to stop and stare

• Do not disturb wildlife

OK, so this simple photography tip is part of a series about the importance of looking, and taking time to see. It's only when you do this, that you start to see things, some of which are worth photographing, others which just add another 'to note and remember' in your brain.

There is a point in the English Spring when certain places take on a magic. I know it happens elsewhere, probably where you are in the world, so what I share is still relevant wherever there is a Spring season.

A few weeks ago, my wife and I were in a nature reserve, early morning, wild flowers, bird song, light coming from a cool sun, recently risen.

I was pointing out the way the sun was picking up certain features and creating the magic. She suggested I look down. I looked, ever obedient, and saw a mass of greenery, and then green separated out from green, and leaves of different shape also.

Have a look at what I looked at:

Image One

Image One shows a fairly abstract, essentially non-photogenic scene, a few bits of wild garlic, the morning sun shining through a hazlenut sapling, and a half hidden dead branch.

Image Two

Image Two, zoomed in a tad, and there just smack on the upper left intersecting third, half hidden behind a leaf, do you see it?

Image Three

Image Three, zoomed in further, do you see it now? Yes, its a baby Song Thrush (turdus philomelos), sitting very still, pretending it's anything but what it is, and maybe hoping it's mum will turn into a fierce human eating eagle!

Image Four

Image Four, there was no alarm from parents, who were presumably searching for suitably scrummy worms and snails for it's hungry tummy. We moved very slowly, it just sat and didn't move.

Image Five

Photographically Image Five is where it sort of starts to be worth the photograph, with the face reminiscent of Winston Churchill in full grump mode, the little bird starts to fill the frame.

Image Six

Image Six, is as close as I would go, using the technique of holding my i-phone upside down on x2 zoom, and sort of using my natural skill (guessing) to get the right composition.

Whilst not illegal, it is very important not to cause disturbance, especially if the parent birds are around, and i would never put myself that close to a bird without using the zoom.

The whole of this blog is just to highlight the value of slow and careful.