Outdoor Photographer January/February 2020

Top Tips For Winter Wildlife Shorter days and colder weather translate into fewer crowds for winter wildlife photography. Use this to your advantage. Tip Of The Week Available on our website—or delivered directly to your inbox—our “Tip of the Week” provides shooting and processing techniques to sharpen your photography skills. Sign up today. Wild By Nature Melissa Groo’s recurring column on wildlife photography considers all of the elements for success, from equipment to techniques and good field ethics. Assignments Share your best shots in our weekly “Assignments” photo challenges. Submit your images that fit the week’s theme—you may be our next Assignment winner. Connect With Us Get the latest news and be inspired by great photos from the Outdoor Photographer community. Newsletter Subscribe today for updates on the latest features, how-to articles and photography news. http://outdoorphotographer.com/newsletter/…

Photographer: George D. Lepp Location: Hudson Bay, Northeastern Canada Equipment: Canon EOS-1V, Canon EF 100-400mm zoom lens Situation: While photographing polar bears, foxes and other fascinating wildlife of the Arctic region has now become a line item on every nature photographer’s bucket list, this photograph was taken at the turn of the century, when few had the opportunity to witness that magnificent wilderness. This Arctic fox, one of a feisty pair, was checking out a heap of ice alongside Hudson Bay. After ensuring the area was clear of polar bears, I left the protection of the tundra buggy and got into a prone position in the snow. All foxes are challenging to photograph because they move so quickly that there’s little time to compose the image. But an Arctic fox’s winter coat offers the…

Though the basic techniques and aesthetic principles of making a successful photograph haven’t changed, the tools and technologies of the medium have evolved radically since George Lepp wrote his first column for Outdoor Photographer in 1985. Digital imaging has not only made photography easier and more accessible to beginners, it also has enabled longtime photographers to do more with their archives of film images. Lepp’s photo of an arctic fox on this issue’s cover, which was shot on film many years ago, is a great example. The image as captured exhibited a noticeable amount of grain, the film equivalent of digital noise. With just a few clicks in Topaz DeNoise software, Lepp was able to remove the grain without affecting the sharpness of the subject or the image overall. This…

George D. Lepp is Field Editor of Outdoor Photographer and a regular contributor through his bimonthly column and articles on current trends in photography. He is one of the original members of Canon USA’s Explorers of Light program. See more of his work at georgeleppimages.com. Aaron Baggenstos is an award-winning professional wildlife photographer, videographer and author in nature and wildlife. In addition to his photography, Baggenstos leads small-group photo tours to some of the premier wildlife destinations on the planet. Learn more at aaronstours.com. Chema Domenech’s work has screened at prestigious venues such as Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, Wild & Scenic Film Festival, and International Wildlife Film Festival, and used in productions for National Geographic, Smithsonian Channel and PBS. See more of his work at chemadomenech.com.…

Congratulations to the winners and finalists of our Wildlife 2019 photo contest! Featured here are the Grand Prize, Second Prize and Third Prize winners. See all of the finalists at outdoorphotographer.com/photo-contests/wildlife. GRAND PRIZE Surrounded By Chaos By Dennis Stogsdill “We were watching yet another great crossing when I noticed the thousands of wildebeests start to back up as they struggled to climb out of the Mara River. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a lone zebra joining the fray, so I locked my lens on him and watched as he attempted to progress through the mass of wildebeest and was able to snap off just this one shot.” SECOND PRIZE Becoming A Cheetah By Jenny Loren “In the Maasai Mara, we were able to spend time with a female cheetah and her three cubs. We…

NEW CANON FLAGSHIP COMING Canon has announced the development of a new flagship DSLR, the EOS-1D X Mark III, an update to its EOS-1D X Mark II introduced in 2016. Details about the new camera are very limited at the time of this writing, but here’s what we do know. It will be faster than its predecessor, which is good news for the professional wildlife and sports photographers for whom this is a popular camera choice. When using the optical viewfinder, the camera can shoot continuously with AF and AE at up to 16 fps with the camera’s mechanical shutter. In Live View mode (mirror up), the continuous shooting speed increases to 20 fps. That’s 2 fps faster when using the viewfinder, and 4 fps faster in Live View than the Mark…