Digital Masters Nature Photography [Book Review]

Normally, books on wildlife photography are packed with sumptuous, ultra close shots of wild life, going about their natural business, unaware of a photographer only metres away.

This book has that, but takes the story further by tipping in wild, wild shots of the natural environment, icebergs, cascading rivers, caves, deserts and more.

Author Hopkins has covered the wild world for over 20 years, moving from large and medium format cameras to 35mm SLRs, 4×5 sheet film, 645 trannies and on to digital capture. He confides that “photography found me later in life, a consequence of my background in geology and affinity for nature and wild places.”

He suggests that you can use this book as a workbook, accessing its contents without any particular order. The messages are clear: know your equipment; be as open as possible to what nature presents; be in the right place at the right time.

Preparation is crucial; know the seasons and their characteristics; understand the seasonal patterns of wildlife behaviour. Frequently, the inside knowledge you can gain may not come from photographers but from locals who live in the territory.

Gear up with precise knowledge of your equipment; make sure you understand all the camera’s features; comprehend the role of the histogram to fully utilize the image’s brightness range; pack a wide range of lenses; always use a tripod … and so on.

The info is techy but highly readable, which makes the book a good read in its own right. Hopkins’ writing style is conversational, with the occasional anecdote to leaven the text.

I figure the book would appeal both to beginner and experienced wild life enthusiast. Also, I enjoyed the many images that verged on the abstract … you don’t always need to shoot sharp, clean and clear. Fuzzy is sometimes the way to go!

Author: RL Hopkins.
Publisher: Lark Books.
Length: 240 pages.
ISBN: 978 1 60059 522 6.
Price: Get a price on the Digital Masters: Nature Photography: Documenting the Wild World (where it is currently 29% off)