Think Outside the Box

The purpose of photography can vary depending on the context and the goals of the photographer. Some common purposes of photography include:

  1. Capturing memories: Photography is often used to document personal or historical events, such as family vacations, wildlife, weddings, or important moments in history.
  2. Artistic expression: Photography can be a form of artistic expression, allowing photographers to convey emotions, moods, and ideas through visual images.
  3. Advertising and marketing: Photography is often used in advertising and marketing to promote products, services, or brands.
  4. Journalism and documentary: Photography plays a vital role in journalism and documentary work, providing visual evidence of events and social issues.
  5. Scientific research: Photography is also used in scientific research to capture images of objects or phenomena that cannot be seen with the naked eye. In wildlife photography, a good example is astrophotography and taking pictures of the milky way. Essentially on a good evening the milky way can be seen with the naked eye but when photographing the milky way, you are photographing more than what the eye can see.

Overall, photography can serve many different purposes and can be a powerful tool for communication, expression, and documentation.

That's photography in general, I want to dive a little deeper into wildlife photography and thinking outside the box.

What is the definition of thinking outside the box?

Thinking outside the box" refers to the ability to think creatively and imaginatively, beyond the conventional or obvious solutions to a problem. It involves breaking free from traditional or restrictive ways of thinking and approaching a situation from a new and unconventional perspective. Thinking outside the box often involves challenging assumptions and preconceptions, exploring new possibilities, and being open to new and diverse ideas. This type of thinking can lead to innovative solutions and breakthroughs in various fields, from science and technology to business and the arts.

What do you do when a sighting is flat, uninteresting, or there is no photographic opportunities on offer? Yes, you can sit and enjoy the moment and embrace your surroundings and understand what a privilege and how fortunate we are to spend time out in these incredible wilderness areas, but in terms a photography, there is always an opportunity somewhere... you just have to think outside the box.

What do we do as photographers when we have got the shot of an animal/s we have always envisioned? Although no two scenes are ever the same, there can be similarities, particularly with close up, detailed shots of your subject. Perhaps, you are like me and find it difficult to take photographs of certain animals such as elephants, buffalos and rhinos just merely because of their size and colouration.

The point that I am trying to make is that no two photographs are the same, yet sometimes from a photographic mindset we need to push the boundaries and challenge our photographic ability in order to learn more about ourselves and to better our photography in general. I believe that there is no such thing as a bad photograph, why do I say this? I believe that there is a lesson in each photograph we take, be it a good one or a back one. Bad photographs teach us what we may have done wrong or why we didn't get the result we were looking for, which means its a learning moment for future opportunities that may be a similar scenario or scene.

I challenge you to think outside the box and to try using different angles, especially when using the longer lenses to capture close up detailed shot such as the images you will see below. As I mentioned before, It is not all about the photographs and I'm a firm believer in enjoying the moment and taking time to appreciate where I am and how privileged I am to have these experiences.

Photography, to me is about memories, brief moments in time that are frozen forever and stored to view at a later stage to reminisce over, to share with friend or to share with others to create awareness about conservation and how important wildlife is, not only for us but for many generations to come.

I really hope that the images above inspire you and get the creative juices flowing and allow you the opportunity to grow as a photographer by putting your photographic ability to the test and REMEMBER every photograph has the potential to teach us and help us as we move forward on our photographic journey.

Until next time,

Trevor

Sabi Sabi and Mala Mala Photography Workshop

This ever popular wildlife photography seminar is designed for anyone who loves wildlife, safari and photography. Over the duration of the seminar, the aim is to cover all facets of wildlife photography to establish a deeper connection not only with your photographic ability but with wildlife and nature as a whole. The seminar has been created in such a way, that each individual will receive equal personal attention throughout the safari by having a small group and two Wild Eye Guides on site for the safari, allowing for ample opportunity to learn from and be inspired by the experts.

The Importance of Focus in Photography

Without focus, there is no photograph. Well, at least not one people want to look at for more than a mere second. So the importance of focus in photography is everything really.

In my opinion, it over rules exposure. I say this because you as the photographer will have good room for error on this front. Without going into the details, you can brighten a dark image and/or darken a bright one.

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