A passionate Travel, - Wildlife, Nature & Landscape Photographer
Success =
Cultivating positive relationships is an important part of succeeding. Ignore the Naysayers. You have to be able to ignore what other people are saying about you. Some try to criticize you; some want to give you unnecessary advice; some are envious, or whatever their reason might be to behave awkwardly towards you. If a person has nothing positive to say about you, keep them at a distance. Still, there are others you might have to build a relationship with in terms of having a potential client. Or there might be a fellow photographer you look up to and who could give you some useful tipps in your field. Networking in person or on social media is very essential to building up a good reputation.
Success is for me when I get the job done with some really good results, working hard for it and having persistence in achieving my goals. Not every day is like another. There are days when I would go outside on a shoot and I have seen no wildlife at all or no Aurora Borealis. Then one has to make the best of the situation and focus on something else and return another time. The more experience you get, the more you will hone your skills and the more confidence you will gain. You have to love what you do. Photography is something that I deeply care about; it is my passion.
Most successful businesses sell something they stand for. As for me, I created my own brand and I showcase my work on my website and on social networks. I have also participated successfully in several international photography competitions and won some awards.
With the right attitude you determine what you end up creating in your life. It takes time to grow as a photographer and it takes time to have a good reputation as a photographer.
If you want to achieve something, you focus on your vision and set your mind towards it.
Vision +
Build your vision from the goals and desires that you see for yourself. Find a strategy. You develop your vision by allowing yourself to think without limitations and judgements. There is no "but". A vision is something you greatly want for yourself, where you see yourself to be, what you want to become. If you go after what your heart desires, you don't quit, you go for it. We often don’t get what we want right away. Fight for it. Be open to the possibilities that your vision promises. Imagine your desires and plan how you want to achieve them. Your imagination, "your dream" becomes your vision for yourself. Believe in your vision and take action.
I often do day-dreaming and my ideas and things I want to do and achieve come often not right away in my mind. Sometimes during my day-dreams I get an idea or "aha-effect". I usually make a list and write down my daily or weekly activities that I am planning to do and scratch it out, when I have achieved these. Some I carry over to the next week, until I have achieved them.
I get some ideas by watching other photographers, but I don't copy them. I get from those my new inspirations, how I would like to shoot and where.
The above and below images, I created with a double picture effect - a framed picture in the original image. I wanted to create something different, that still makes the image stand out. I worked with my picture editing tool and had a vision how I wanted it to look like. So I was trying a first sample and created the landscape photographer image first. Being impressed on how it turned out, I decided to try it with the other photos as well. I was happy with the outcome. My vision has become my reality.
Your vision – and your emotional investment in it – are powerful tools to keep your thoughts, feelings and daily actions in continual alignment with what you desire.
Mindset
Creating the right mindset is an inside job, that comes from within you! Knowing what you want and the hows, where abouts and why's - is important for being a Wildlife-, Nature and Landscape-Photographer. Alot of preparation and organization is needed beforehand to get out in the field. Research also plays a major role before and after photographing.
I often sit there and make a plan of when I want to go, checking out the weather conditions for that time and by doing research about my subject i.e. googling my information, checking on other photographers that have been there or done a wildlife shoot of this particular animal and by being in some social media groups reading other peoples experiences. I also use apps to locate my shoot precisely. Those apps are, for instance, important when photographing the Aurora Borealis. They give you an estimate of possibilities. I keep watching the weather, i.e. are there any clouds.Then I decide on whether taking the rsik of getting to a location or not. Later I start preparing for my clothing and gear.
Mindset also means for me to not get distracted by anything or anyone. I focus on my goals for that time and organize things ahead. (booking my accommodations, preparing some snacks, etc.). If you want to be out there, you have to be early, very early to get a decent good shot. It is not one single shot, but many that I take. In Uganda, for instance, I took daily at least 1500 images with my camera. As more as you practice, as much more you learn and become more knowledgeable about your camera, surroundings and subject.
Having a strong Mindset for Photography involves awareness, focus, and a commitment to making your own good choices.
“Success is 5% strategy and 95% mindset.”
– Bob Proctor -
Extreme Weather conditions
The above images show me and the surroundings at Abraham Lake with the Ice bubbles at minus 43 degrees Celsius. Photography involves not always nice weather. As a photographer, you kneel down, you crawl, you sit down, you stand up, to get a great shot, if necessary.
I had several layers of clothes on and handwarmers inside my gloves and you can see my hair started to freeze in. The images you see were shot before and after sunset. My camera was still working, but also covered partly in ice due to the freezing cold temperatures. The weather can be very harsh. But that's also when you get the perfect conditions to photograph.
To drive to the Abraham lake from Lake Louise took 1 hour and 30 -45 minutes (one way), depending on the conditions of the road. The road to this time was covered in snow and the road was also at times icy. Some areas of the road were not melted or service maintained due to heavy snowfall. That's one thing when you get to a place, you have to be prepared for unexpected happenings; you don't only deal with the cold (see below for more stories in regards to unexpected happenings).
Patience
*Oftentimes photography gets you stuck and you do not get the image you want or imagined. It takes a lot of perseverance to get what you want.
-As I already mentioned above, it can happen that there is no wildlife at all or little to see. So you return to the same place another time. Wait it out. There is always a next time for another shooting.
*Sometimes things happen. You need to be prepared for the unexpected.
-In spring 2021, I went to Bow Lake to photograph the lake. Being usually well prepared, this time I only walked with my camera around the lake area. What I didn't see was this Grizzly Bear mom with her two young cubs. I saw them first feeding in a meadow, still in the distance. The Grizzly family actually kept walking and blocking the way back to the car, were the backpack with the bear spray was. Meanwhile it started raining and being only equipt with the camera, I was looking for a solution, waiting it out. Luckily, some cars pulled into the parking lot and people began to photograph. It was then, when I knew I could safely return to the car. Grizzly bears can be dangerous when getting to close, especially when they have young cubs. They will protect them and can become aggressive. I was able to photograph these Grizzly's within a decent distance and got some great shots.
-Another time I watched my Aurora Borealis App and checked with several groups on social media and it looked promising. So I drove up to my location (the Vermillion Lakes in Banff) and kept waiting until it was dark. But no Aurora was seen for hours. So I returned home without a shot and no Northern Lights. I learned the KP measurements have gone down. Another night the Aurora was suposed to be out, but the weather forecast promised clouds, so I went to bed. At night I woke up, being notified by my Aurora App with a KP of almost KP9. Looking outside the door, I could even see the Northern Lights dancing from home. So I put my pants on and went to Scotsman's Hill in Calgary and was lucky to see the Polar lights this time. The Aurora Borealis danced over Calgary's Skyline.
* Don't forget to have fun, when being outdoors!
Sometimes having not the right light or any ideas can be frustrating. But what is photography without the fun factor? I was trying to photograph a black squirrel at Fishcreek Provincial Park in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. But the squirrel was a fast climber on the tree, I was not able to follow, and had a snowball fight with a friend instead.
After the shoot is Before
*After shooting, the work is not finished. It is then when a photographer has to edit and work on the images.
Every shoot is unique. Every image is unique. Before heading out, I always check my equipment. I make sure I have enough memory cards and fully charged batteries. I pack my lenses and tripod and have everything clean and tidy.
When I'm back, before processing my images, I back up my photos. Then it’s time to sort through the many photos I’ve taken and to select the best one's for post-processing. Later, I take time into planning my next adventure. I'm also working on and updating my portfolio on my website and social media channels.
*This should give you a small insight into my photographic mindset, my work and about my experiences.*
I hope you like this new blog and I invite you to return to my website and pages to explore more.
Best Wishes
Ramona @ My Nature Photo Art
*All images are uploaded in low resolution and are Copyright protected. The download and use of my images without my written permission is prohibited. I have companies that track down my images and it will be pricy if unauthorized used! *
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