Until recently my approach to a wildlife shot I’m happy with is to get as much detail as possible and a background that isn’t too fussy. Jostling with a shallow depth of field a 5.6-6.3 aperture lens will get me, the backgrounds were looking ok.
Whilst editing some new wader photographs I did a bit of experimenting and found something pretty cool.
I like to use Adobe Photoshops Neural Filters and the software has a ‘Depth Blur’ filter.
This clever piece of AI technology will automatically mask your subject, accurately blur the foreground and background and emulate a faster low aperture lens.
It’s pretty nifty stuff. However, there is only so much you can force the blur before it starts looking dodgy and over-processed. Especially if you have branches and foliage in the background causing lines and shapes.
During the ‘Depth Blur’ process, you can adjust the following values:
Blur Amount / Saturation / Haze /Brightness
Out of curiosity, I set the Haze from 0% to 100% and suddenly my backgrounds and foregrounds suddenly got this nice high-key-like smoothness. It really adds a nice atmosphere and pulls focus onto the subject (usually a bird)
Here are some examples:
So what am I getting at…
During your time as a wildlife photographer, you will refine your process of how you capture images.
Don’t forget to experiment though with every aspect of your approach.
See what images are like if you were to get lower down to the ground than usual. Try out different natural light scenarios such as having the Sun in front of you and behind the subject. Move all the different sliders around in Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.
You might just stumble upon a completely different style you’ll love.
To see some more examples of these processes, please visit my portfolio:
scottpollard.uk
Want to gain some info on how to photograph Kingfishers?
How to Photograph Kingfishers – A Complete Guide
Fancy learning more about photographing small birds?
How to Photograph Small Birds