Canada Goose FALL FRAMED LANDING , Branta canadensis (Bernache du Canada) Ontario, Canada ©Christopher Dodds www.chrisdoddsphoto.com All Rights Reserved Canon EOS 1DsMKIII, 500mm F4IS, ISO 400, F7.1 1/1600s Manual mode. Gitzo 1325 tripod and Wimberley Head II.
Predictable patterns in nature: A pattern is easily explained as a set of recurring elements. These elements repeat in a predictable manner. Patterns can be found everywhere in art and nature. Leonardo Da Vinci was known to exploit the golden ratio (approximately 1.618), which can be seen everywhere in nature from the spirals of flowers to the symmetry of the human body. Alfred North Whitehead (an English philosopher and mathematician), once said "Art is the imposing of a pattern on experience, and our aesthetic enjoyment is recognition of the pattern".
Aside from the obvious patterns in nature, step back and study your subjects behavior, try to identify behavioral patterns. Here I watched geese fly toward me from a pond to the open meadow in front of me. At first it seemed like a random, unpredictable flight pattern; I soon realized that every so often a goose would land in the same zone. Instead of randomly shooting at anything that moved, I instead set-up with this image in mind. I pre-visualized an image of a Canada Goose framed by fall colors in nice evening light. I worked the zone undistracted by anything else that tempted me (and there were many temptations - smile). Studying your subjects behavior will make you a better nature photographer and add visual impact to your imagery.
Kudos:
I really enjoyed the Bonaventure trip for Gannets. You always had us in the best spots regardless of the weather. Your tips on flash for high key shots and postprocessing of the shots were really helpful. The Zodiac trips before going onto the island were very interesting and fun. Diving Gannets are definately a challenge to capture! .......... I look forward to doing more trips with you to further improve my skills and add to my portfolio. - - John Dupps, Middletown, OH