Take a look through the lens of Georgina Steytler, who went from being an outlier in bird photography to one of the most passionate ethical voices in the field.
“The true art of photography … is being able to get a common bird and turn it into something beautiful.”
Georgina’s ethical photography tips
Take an ethical approach
Ask yourself whether you would tell your followers the exact method you used to capture the photo, or do you edit out parts, so people don’t think less of you.
Learn in manual
Which will also help you better understand aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, and how they interrelate.
Turn on ‘highlights alert’
Try this or a similar setting in your camera that highlights any parts of your photo that are over- or underexposed. This will also help you learn to work with all kinds of light.
Get a high-quality long lens
Georgina tells the story of a lens her husband bought her, which was intimidating at first. But once she started using it, the detail in her photos and ability to shoot birds at a distance – without getting too close – really changed the game.
Post-processing of RAW images
This is an important skill to learn, so don’t avoid it. This can mean the difference between an everyday photo and an award-winning photo.
Finally, keep entering competitions
It will help you look at your work objectively and review your photos critically. Even just following the submission process can help you with reviewing the potential and quality of your images.
WORDS: Anna Kantilaftas
This article was originally published in Issue 29 – Flights of Fancy. You can purchase this issue and enjoy more enchanting content here.
