Nature Photography How To

Let’s face it: Image noise is your enemy, and these grainy artifacts can destroy an otherwise great shot. Noise occurs when using certain camera settings, especially when shooting in low light with high ISO settings.

In the tutorial below, from Pangolin Wildlife Photography, you’ll learn how to eliminate, or at least significantly reduce, noise when shooting nature and wildlife photos. In fact, these tips from experienced shooter and safari host Janine Krayer can be used with great success for all sorts of outdoor photography.

Based in Botswana, Krayer spends most of her time in the wilds of Africa. She makes captivating wildlife images, and the techniques she demonstrates in this episode are part of her daily routine. As she says, “Grain and noise are something all photographers cringe at when reviewing their images. To be honest, we detest it.”

To minimize this problem, Krayer recommends several simple ways you can best utilize the dynamic range of whatever camera you own. She says, “its important to understand that avoiding high ISO settings forces us to compromise on other important light parameters. And that can result in the opposite effect of what we’re trying to achieve.”

Krayer demonstrates how to avoid these pitfalls by describing what she says are the four most common mistakes that result in noisy images. Along the way she provides a clear explanation of dynamic range, so you’ll understand what’s going on under the hood when employing her effective methods.

You’ll also learn how deal with low light and high contrast, simple mistakes that result in dark images, and the benefits of shooting in Raw for achieving optimum image quality. Krayer also has tips for shooting at high ISO settings, and she explains why a low ISO doesn’t necessarily guarantee less noise.

If you’re an avid nature photographer we suggest you visit the Pangolin Wildlife Photography YouTube channel, where you’ll find more valuable advice.

And be sure to check out the tutorial we posted from another expert, explaining a simple Lightroom technique for fixing distortion in travel and nature photos.