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Professional Photography Advice from George Lepp

Can't get enough wisdom from our venerable field editor every month? Check in every week to discover new professional photography advice and techniques from OP's George Lepp. In no time, you’ll learn the basics on how to shoot outdoor photography.

Tele-Polarizers
December 17 , 2007

Q) Would you recommend the use of a drop-in polarizer with the Canon 400mm ƒ/2.8 for wildlife or landscape photography?

B. Lemieux
Via the Internet

A) I would possibly use a drop-in polarizer with the 400mm if I was photographing landscapes that needed the effect. But with the 1.5 to 2 stops of light loss associated with using a polarizer, I would seldom even consider using it when photographing wildlife. The general need for speed and/or depth of field when capturing active wildlife will always mean that the loss of 2 stops is unacceptable. I carry a drop-in polarizer for my 500mm ƒ/4 telephoto, but have only used it a few times in the years I’ve been shooting in the field.

The Canon EF 500mm ƒ/4L lens with a 1.4x attached and a polarizer dropped was used to photograph a close-up section of Mount McKinley in Denali National Park, Alaska. I shot with the Canon EOS 20D at a setting of 1/250 sec. at ƒ/5.6 and an ISO of 100.

Reflecting On Reflections
December 10 , 2007

Q) Do you have any suggestions on photographing through glass at museums? I want to capture a dinosaur exhibit.

H. Garber
Salt Lake City, Utah

A) Anytime you have to photograph through glass, you need to employ specific techniques to make sure that you get the clearest image possible. One is to photograph as close as possible with a 90-degree angle to the glass. By shooting straight through the glass, you can minimize distortion. This is especially true on aquariums, where the water behind the glass is actually acting like a lens. Another problem is reflections in the glass. By being right up against the glass, you can eliminate all reflections—and I mean right against the glass, carefully touching it without scratching it. The way to make this work is to choose a focal length that allows the closeness to the glass while allowing the framing that’s needed. The alternative is to work at night or after hours when all the lights behind the camera can be turned off or eliminated.

Don’t forget that the lights within the display will be reflecting off the camera or even the photographer and can also show up in your image. You can look through a polarizer to see if that helps to eliminate any reflections that are left. If it helps, use it. If not, it’s best to leave it off. Needless to say, you’ll probably need a tripod and cable release with the long exposures that are typical. Auxiliary light sources can be used, but you must keep them from reflecting back into the camera by positioning them at 45 degrees to the glass and outside of the camera’s field of view.

Photographing into an aquarium is very similar to any display behind glass. Here, I used a Canon EOS 5D with a 24-105mm lens set to 24mm. Two flashes were employed at 45 degrees to the glass, and the camera was against the glass. I shot at 1/125 sec. at ƒ/16, with the ISO set to 200.

Do-It-All Telephotos
December 3, 2007

Q) I can only afford one long telephoto for bird photography. Is there a particular focal length that’s more versatile than others?

G. Karlin
Phoenix, Arizona

A) In my experience, there are two answers to the question. A quality 300mm ƒ/2.8 telephoto with matched 1.4x and 2x tele-extenders is very versatile while being reasonably priced and compact in size compared to an expensive and weighty 400mm ƒ/2.8 or 600mm ƒ/4 telephoto. The 300mm ƒ/2.8 focuses closer, maintains excellent sharpness even with the extenders attached, can be carried in a photo backpack and enables you to work with a fast ƒ/2.8 300mm, a lightweight 420mm at ƒ/4 (with a 1.4x extender attached), and a light yet reasonably fast 600mm ƒ/5.6 (with a 2x extender attached). If your D-SLR has a less-than-full-frame sensor, you’ll have the additional advantage of a 1.5x or 1.6x magnification factor, yielding as much as 960mm.

The other good option is a quality 500mm ƒ/4. This lens has a size and weight that allows handholding if necessary, focuses reasonably close for smaller birds and will maintain excellent sharpness with either the 1.4x or 2x matched tele-extenders available from the lens manufacturers. The Canon 500mm ƒ/4 also has image stabilization, which adds to its versatility and value.

This snow goose was photographed in southwestern Louisiana with a Canon EOS-1N and Canon 300mm ƒ/2.8L lens with an EF 2x tele-extender attached.

E-mail your questions to George at www.geolepp.com
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