It’s been long overdue for a refresh, but my gear page has been updated with the latest equipment I use in the field. I’m sure I’ll come across a few more things to add in the future, but for now this is a decent list of what I’m usually traveling with. That’s not to imply I always bring everything on the list with me – on the contrary, my goal is to travel as light as possible.
Having a plan going into at trip helps lighten the load. If I’m heading to India to photograph elusive big cats, I’m definitely bringing my 100-500. If I’m just going to photograph landscapes in the Southwestern US, I might just bring my 70-200. While there is something to be said for being prepared for any situation, I prefer the convenience of less gear to manage. It also helps keep me focused on the goals I prepared for on a given trip.
Is there any gear you travel with that’s not on my list that you think definitely should be? Leave a comment below and stay tuned for updates!
Recently I posted about my amazing new Canon R5 Mark 2 and some of the features I’m loving about this camera. However for all the technology invested in capturing tack-sharp images and freezing action, its also important to remind yourself to slow down every now and again.
One of the techniques I employ often is dropping the ISO down to 100 and stop down the aperture and let the motion move across the image. This “intentional camera movement”, or “ICM” technique is a great way to convey the sense of motion in an otherwise still frame, inviting the viewer to imagine the subject in action as described by the blurred image. Ernst Haas was one of my early influences, a person who’s work I continue to admire. He was a pioneer of using this technique to show the motion in his subjects.
It takes some experimentation and often you won’t really know if you have any successful images until you’ve edited and evaluated them. Some may still show the eyes of the animal in reasonably sharp contrast to the blurred legs in motion – I like this look – but I also like those images that make me think of ancient drawings on a cave wall, where nothing is particularly defined and the entire animal is abstracted in it’s motion and the background a blurred canvas.
I won’t always see the potential in these images immediately. Some I shot on film many years ago I nearly tossed out but decided to file away at the last second. I pulled them out years later and found a new appreciation for their abstract qualities and I’m glad I did!
If you’re interested in more photos captured with this technique, check out Rhythms From the Wild.
2025 is shaping up to be another great year of travel! With planned trips to places like Egypt, Vietnam, Bhutan and much more, there’s bound to be something for everyone. Check out my events page for more information.
There are a number of workshops and photo tours that you can save a few hundred bucks on by purchasing in the early bird window – a window that closes this Monday, September 30th at midnight – sign up today, save some cash and join me on an adventure!
I just returned from another spectacular journey in Southern Africa. While the dunes of Sossusvlei are always stunning, what really made the trip this time was photographing desert elephants. While they are not a distinct species from savanna elephants, they are uniquely adapted to the harsh desert environment. They are constantly spraying sand over themselves to keep cool which creates plumes of light-filtering dust, perfect for those atmospheric images.
The wildlife on this trip was also a great opportunity to put my favorite new feature on the Canon EOS R5 Mark II to good use. This was my first trip using the camera, and the ability to recover frames from a half-second before you’d traditionally expect to has already paid dividends. When the situation is changing rapidly, the best shots often fall into this window where you’re reacting. I highlighted a few more of the new features as well as an important note about the updated batteries in this recent post while I was on-location for this trip.
This was a fantastic adventure all around. Southern Africa continues to provide an amazing array of wildlife, culture and landscapes. The company was especially enjoyable, even if they took a little too much pleasure in my squeals of fear while traversing the dunes in buggies. Our help on the ground was also able to provide some great video content on-location; be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram to check those out!
Greetings from Namibia! This has been an incredible trip so far, made all the better thanks to a generous early birthday gift from a good friend in the form of a new Canon R5 II. Still a 45 megapixel camera, performance is the name of the game here. I’m loving the pre-shoot burst mode and this feature could be critical when trying to capture wildlife in the moment. Considering the lengths I go to on many trips hoping for that one perfect shot, this feature is invaluable. Coupled with shutter speeds as fast as 1/32,000th freezing action has never been better.
Though I don’t use the video features as much as some, the options and upgrades here are plentiful, including the option to shoot in 8k up to 60 FPS. Unlike the standard 5R there is also no limit on how long you can record. Gone is the 30 minute restriction. Instead, record as long as you have the memory to do so. Across the board, performance is up with this camera and it is noticeable.
Of course, that power and performance comes with a cost. Though the LP-E6P battery that comes with the camera is the same form-factor as previous batteries, and your old batteries will work with the R5 II, video enthusiasts will want to ensure they stock up on the specific battery that comes with the camera and NOT your old LP-E6NH models. While the form factor is the same, the E6P is an upgraded battery to support the increased performance demands. you’ll still be able to shoot and record video with either battery, however some of the higher-end video features will be disabled if you’re using the E6NH model.
All that being said I’m pleased with the camera, and happy with our trip so far. Our support on the ground has been incredible and I hope you’ve been enjoying the content they’ve been posting to my Instagram and Facebook accounts. I’ll be sure to post a full gallery from this trip when I return!
A few years back when most of us were stuck indoors, I took some time to comb through my catalog collecting hundreds of photos and put together Pathways to Creativity. From wildlife to abstracts, Pathways is a comprehensive look at my work and the thought process behind it. This is an exploration of ideas and inspiration, encompassing all aspects of photography from the way I use the technology to how I employ my fine art background into compositions and framing my subjects.
Years before that, I hosted a show exploring the world through my lens. Travels to the Edge is still circulating around the country. It was an incredible experience and I’m honored to have had the opportunity to bring my travels to your home.
Enjoy this content now streaming on my on-demand page for 30% off through Tuesday, September 3rd!
Use code LD24WOLFE at checkout to claim your 30% off – Available on all on-demand video. I recommend setting up a Vimeo account for easy access to your purchases!
Sooooo many cubs! This was a different but also uniquely special trip to Katmai this year. Our usual haunts seemed to have less bears fishing, but that didn’t stop healthy looking families from hamming it up for our cameras. Adults brawling for prime fishing locations is usually a trip highlight, but this time playful cubs took the spotlight. Many of the young bears we came across were just old enough for mom to not be over-protective, and by now these bears are so used to humans that we don’t raise any alarms. This meant a lot of exploratory mischief, and we were happy to capture those moments.
Enjoy the photos! If you’re interested in capturing your own amazing photos of bears, join next year’s Katmai Bear Tour. I recently posted 10 reasons to join me in this location, and they are still as relevant as ever. Though we usually have two on the schedule, my travel only allows me time for one trip – sign up before it sells out.
Back in June I was absolutely honored to receive the University of Washington’s Alumnus Summa Laude Dignatus (say that five times fast!) award. It truly was a humbling honor to be recognized by the Alumni Association. I’ll be joining them again this September along side Greg Greene, the brilliant author behind the text in my latest book WILD LIVES. We’ll be sharing stories from the field and our outlook on the current and future trends of wildlife conservation – and much more!
Click here for details, and I hope to see you on Friday, September 20th at 7 PM in Seattle!
Working with light is the very definition of what a photographer does, and to that end it’s important to keep the various approaches and angles of light in mind to ensure you’re emphasizing what’s important to you or an essential aspect of the subject you’re capturing.
Here are a few examples of the types of lighting I consider while shooting a subject.
Front Lighting:
Front lighting is a common but difficult angle to work with. With the light coming from behind the photographer and illuminating everything from the front, shadows can be weak or non-existent as they fall behind the subject. It can also wash out colors as light is reflected directly back at the camera. This overall lack of contrast can create images that look flat, but when used correctly it can also create shots that emphasize colors, textures and patterns in more unified ways than other forms of lighting.
Side Lighting:
Conversely, side lighting provides an obvious falloff from highlight to shadow, resulting in dramatic contrast. This image, from the same location as the previous in Sedona, Arizona shows how two similar shots can look drastically different in two different lighting scenarios, in this case determined by the time of day. Side lighting can help emphasize the volume and overall shape of a subject. It will also emphasize texture quite a bit more than front lighting.
Silhouette (backlighting):
Backlighting can be used to great effect to show the shape of a subject without defining it’s volume when used to create a silhouette. It simplifies the scene, removing unimportant details. This shot of Samburu warriors in Kenya might still be an interesting subject in full light, but as a silhouette the forms of the men and their tools become one.
Rim Lighting (backlighting):
Another form of backlighting very similar to silhouette is rim lighting. This is when the light bleeds around the edges of your subject, creating a halo of light around a darker or silhouetted form. This is achieved by having a light either directly behind your subject, or behind and at a slight angle. This creates a dramatic effect that not only informs the shape of the subject, but begins to hint at volume and texture as the light bleeds over the edge of your subject. The rim lighting on these guanaco in South America hint slightly at their furry texture and brown color.
Reflected Light:
Reflected light is most often used in portraiture to provide soft, even illumination to the subject that helps to diffuse textures. In nature, it most often occurs when sunlight reflects off one surface and illuminates another, such as the walls of a canyon, or light bouncing from a lake to illuminate the forest at it’s edge.
Spotlighting:
Spotlighting is often associated with artificial lighting setups, but when it’s found in nature it can be dramatic and provide a unique look at a subject. I have many shots of tigers in full, even light. This shot stands out as the subject steps into an illuminated pocket of an Indian forest.
Overcast:
Overcast lighting, also known as diffused lighting is one of the more frequently used and successful lighting types. It provides even illumination from light to dark, without creating harsh shadows or blown-out highlights. It does the most to show all aspects of your subject, allowing for detail in light and dark areas that shows texture while still including enough information to identify shape and volume.
Your assignment, should you choose to accept it: Go out and capture a subject or similar subject in two different angles of light, noting the elements that stand out and conversely fall back out of interest in each – feel free to share in the comments below!
Book Lover’s Day falls this week; what better way to celebrate than with a flash sale? Use code BOOKLOVE24 at checkout and save 20% on any books in my online store – including my latest wildlife project WILD LIVES. Request a signature and/or custom message at checkout and I’d be happy to sign them when I’m home from my travels. As an added bonus, you’ll know you’re supporting a small business – something myself and my staff appreciate!
I’ve got books for every kind of photographer and photography fan. The Art of Photographing Nature and The Art of the Photograph are excellently written how-to books offering a variety of evergreen knowledge. Two of my most recent books, Trees: Between Earth & Heaven and Night On Earth are celebrations of beautiful flora and landscapes, and the trade edition of Human Canvas blends my experience as a fine artist and painter with photography as well as techniques and visuals in spired by cultures world-wide.
The flash sale will continue through the weekend and ends on August 11th.
It’s been long overdue for a refresh, but my gear page has been updated with the latest equipment I use in the field. I’m sure I’ll come across a few more things to add in the future, but for now this is a decent list of what I’m usually traveling with. That’s not to imply I always bring everything on the list with me – on the contrary, my goal is to travel as light as possible.
Happy Labor Day Weekend!
