FAQ
1. Where did you take the pictures (in the wild, at zoos or at wildlife parks)?
2. What equipment do you use?
3. Can I buy the photos?
5. How much image processing has been applied to the photos?
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Where did you take the pictures (in the wild, at zoos or at wildlife parks)?
The photos shown on this website were mostly taken in the wild and show the wild animals in their natural environment or habitat, to which the animals have adapted.
When we started photographing animals, we occasionally visited wildlife parks and zoos, because you can practice there under easy conditions.
You can still find some of the photos, which were taken there, in the galleries. Of course they were marked accordingly in the image description.
The demands on a good nature and wildlife photographer are high. Images of animals in captivity, faked situations, extensively postprocessed photos or photos, which involved an avoidable interference with animals or even damage to
the environment, do not meet those demands.
We want to create authentic nature and wildlife photos, which enthuses the beholder for the beauty and protection of the free nature and animals. With increasing knowledge of wildlife and more experience in wildlife photography, we will
therefore focus on photographing in the wild in the future.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What equipment do you use?
Many photography beginners are eager to learn a lot from other photographers and are very interested in what kind of equipment they are using. This is why we have listed our whole photography equipment here for you. For the highest
possible image quality we use high grade (D)SLRs and lenses from Canon. Light sensitive lenses and low noise digital cameras can help the photographer to make good photos even in low light situations (like when shooting wildlife at
dusk). But the technology is only a tool. In the end it is the photographer behind the camera who spots the subject, makes the composition for the picture and presses the shutter button.
Camera body:
- Canon EOS 6D (full frame) with Battery Grip BG-E13 und Focusing Screen Eg-D
- Canon EOS 7D II (APS-C) with Batty Grip BG-E16
- Canon EOS 600D (APS-C)
- Canon A1 (with Battery Grip, Data Back A)
- Sony V1 compact camera
- Pentax Optio 430 compact camera
EOS-Lenses:
- Canon EF 8 - 15mm 1:4L Fisheye USM
- Canon EF-S 18 - 55mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS II
- Canon EF 100mm 1:2.8L Macro IS USM
- Canon EF 70 - 200mm 1:2.8L IS II USM with self-made LensCoat (Realtree MAX-4)
- Canon EF 600mm 1:4.0L IS II USM with LensCoat (Realtree MAX-4) and Really Right Stuff LCF-53 foot
- Canon Extender 1.4x III
- Canon Extender 2x III
- Canon Extension Tube EF 12 II
- Canon Extension Tube EF 25 II
FD-Lenses
- Adapter FD-EOS with correction lens
- Canon Lens FD 28mm 1:2.8
- Canon Lens FD 50mm 1:1.4
- Canon Lens FD 300mm 1:5.6
- Canon Extender FD 2x-B
Accessories:
- SIRUI M-3204X Master Carbon Mono-/Tripod
- Wimberley WH-200 II with LensCoat (Realtree MAX-4)
- SIRUI K-20X Ballhead
- SIRUI L-10
- SIRUI Quick Release Plates
- Canon Remote Controller TC-80N3 (with timer)
- Novoflex VR-System PRO II for (spherical) panoramas
- Novoflex Castel Q Medium Focusing Rack
- SanDisk Extreme Class 10 SDHC/SDXC-Memory Cards
- B+W Circular Polarizer Käsemann MRC-nano XS-Pro 82mm
- UV-Filter (to protect for the front element) from B+W and Hoya
- Cokin Z Pro ND- und Graduated Filters
- Flashes: Metz 45 CT-1
- Sun-Sniper-Strap The Pro II - Steel & Bear
Backpacks and Storage:
- Canon Gadget Bag 300EG
- Canon Deluxe Photo Backpack 200EG
- Lowepro Lens Trekker 600 AW III Schwarz
Clothing, camouflage and weather protection:
- high quality and functional outdoor-clothing mainly from “Fjällräven“
- camouflage-clothing by Deerhunter, Pinewood, Swedteam, ...
- LensCoat RainCoat Pro (Realtree MAX-4 HD)
- Kwik Camo Photography Blind (Advantage Max 4)
- Camo Form Protective Camouflage Fabric Wrap (Realtree MAX-4)
- Wildlifewatchingsupplies Tripod Leg Sleeves (Advantage Max 4)
- Wildlifewatchingsupplies Tripod Mount Cover (Advantage Max 4)
Software:
- RAW-developing and image archival storage with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
- HDR-images are created with the Enfuse-Plugin for Lightroom
- Gimp (freeware)
- Panorama photo stitcher: Hugin (freeware)
- 360° spherical panoramas and panorama-tours are made with PanoramaStudio 2 Pro
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Can I buy your photos?
This is a non-commercial website and nature photography is only a hobby for us. Any use of our photos requires our explicit written permission! If you are interested in using our images, please send us a message. Our contact details can
be found under "Contact".
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How much image processing has been applied to the photos?
As ambitious photographers we always try to take pictures which are as close as to the perfect image as possible. But often the photo does not reflect exactly what you have seen on the location with your own eyes. My concern is to
make my photos reflect my visual impression of a motif as realistic as possible, without unimportant image elements drawing attention to themselves. In this respect, I try to create photos that look as realistic and documentary as possible
in relation to the main subject of a photo and thus to show the real beauty of nature and animals.
To adjust the picture to this real impression, I usually modify white balance, overall image tonal scale, sharpness and contrast for all photos and remove the lens distortions as appropriate for every image. These processing steps are
considered a normal and fully legitimate part of RAW development. After all JPEG files are also preprocessed inside the camera accordingly.
When working with animals that can move quickly and unpredictably, it is sometimes difficult to choose a perfect image composition and framing in the heat of the moment. Or the focal length of your lens lets the subject appear too small
in the picture... Then I also often crop the photo slightly and also correct the horizon if necessary.
In rare cases, I find disturbing image elements in my photos when reviewing them on the computer, such as dust on the lens or eye-catching details in the image, which could not be excluded by another composition when taking the
picture and which distract the attention of the viewer from the main subject. Such details, which in any case do not contribute to the impression of the main motif, are sometimes removed using the clone stamp tool or I reduce the
saturation of a specific color to make the offending object less obtrusive in the image as long as this does not falsify the rest of the image.
All adjustments are made with Lightroom and serve as I said to emphasize the main subject and make it look as lifelike as possible. The interventions are often only minimally and can only be applied reasonably within narrow limits.
Excessive processing (for example too much cropping, drastic color or exposure adjustments) not only leads to poor image quality, but also the objective of a realistic, documentary presentation will be missed.
In situations with a very high dynamic range of luminosity I take several photos with different exposure times and combine them to HDR images. Panoramas must of course be put together by software, too. Such images are always
marked accordingly in the galleries.
2. What equipment do you use?
3. Can I buy the photos?
5. How much image processing has been applied to the photos?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Where did you take the pictures (in the wild, at zoos or at wildlife parks)?
The photos shown on this website were mostly taken in the wild and show the wild animals in their natural environment or habitat, to which the animals have adapted.
When we started photographing animals, we occasionally visited wildlife parks and zoos, because you can practice there under easy conditions.
You can still find some of the photos, which were taken there, in the galleries. Of course they were marked accordingly in the image description.
The demands on a good nature and wildlife photographer are high. Images of animals in captivity, faked situations, extensively postprocessed photos or photos, which involved an avoidable interference with animals or even damage to
the environment, do not meet those demands.
We want to create authentic nature and wildlife photos, which enthuses the beholder for the beauty and protection of the free nature and animals. With increasing knowledge of wildlife and more experience in wildlife photography, we will
therefore focus on photographing in the wild in the future.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What equipment do you use?
Many photography beginners are eager to learn a lot from other photographers and are very interested in what kind of equipment they are using. This is why we have listed our whole photography equipment here for you. For the highest
possible image quality we use high grade (D)SLRs and lenses from Canon. Light sensitive lenses and low noise digital cameras can help the photographer to make good photos even in low light situations (like when shooting wildlife at
dusk). But the technology is only a tool. In the end it is the photographer behind the camera who spots the subject, makes the composition for the picture and presses the shutter button.
Camera body:
- Canon EOS 6D (full frame) with Battery Grip BG-E13 und Focusing Screen Eg-D
- Canon EOS 7D II (APS-C) with Batty Grip BG-E16
- Canon EOS 600D (APS-C)
- Canon A1 (with Battery Grip, Data Back A)
- Sony V1 compact camera
- Pentax Optio 430 compact camera
EOS-Lenses:
- Canon EF 8 - 15mm 1:4L Fisheye USM
- Canon EF-S 18 - 55mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS II
- Canon EF 100mm 1:2.8L Macro IS USM
- Canon EF 70 - 200mm 1:2.8L IS II USM with self-made LensCoat (Realtree MAX-4)
- Canon EF 600mm 1:4.0L IS II USM with LensCoat (Realtree MAX-4) and Really Right Stuff LCF-53 foot
- Canon Extender 1.4x III
- Canon Extender 2x III
- Canon Extension Tube EF 12 II
- Canon Extension Tube EF 25 II
FD-Lenses
- Adapter FD-EOS with correction lens
- Canon Lens FD 28mm 1:2.8
- Canon Lens FD 50mm 1:1.4
- Canon Lens FD 300mm 1:5.6
- Canon Extender FD 2x-B
Accessories:
- SIRUI M-3204X Master Carbon Mono-/Tripod
- Wimberley WH-200 II with LensCoat (Realtree MAX-4)
- SIRUI K-20X Ballhead
- SIRUI L-10
- SIRUI Quick Release Plates
- Canon Remote Controller TC-80N3 (with timer)
- Novoflex VR-System PRO II for (spherical) panoramas
- Novoflex Castel Q Medium Focusing Rack
- SanDisk Extreme Class 10 SDHC/SDXC-Memory Cards
- B+W Circular Polarizer Käsemann MRC-nano XS-Pro 82mm
- UV-Filter (to protect for the front element) from B+W and Hoya
- Cokin Z Pro ND- und Graduated Filters
- Flashes: Metz 45 CT-1
- Sun-Sniper-Strap The Pro II - Steel & Bear
Backpacks and Storage:
- Canon Gadget Bag 300EG
- Canon Deluxe Photo Backpack 200EG
- Lowepro Lens Trekker 600 AW III Schwarz
Clothing, camouflage and weather protection:
- high quality and functional outdoor-clothing mainly from “Fjällräven“
- camouflage-clothing by Deerhunter, Pinewood, Swedteam, ...
- LensCoat RainCoat Pro (Realtree MAX-4 HD)
- Kwik Camo Photography Blind (Advantage Max 4)
- Camo Form Protective Camouflage Fabric Wrap (Realtree MAX-4)
- Wildlifewatchingsupplies Tripod Leg Sleeves (Advantage Max 4)
- Wildlifewatchingsupplies Tripod Mount Cover (Advantage Max 4)
Software:
- RAW-developing and image archival storage with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
- HDR-images are created with the Enfuse-Plugin for Lightroom
- Gimp (freeware)
- Panorama photo stitcher: Hugin (freeware)
- 360° spherical panoramas and panorama-tours are made with PanoramaStudio 2 Pro
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Can I buy your photos?
This is a non-commercial website and nature photography is only a hobby for us. Any use of our photos requires our explicit written permission! If you are interested in using our images, please send us a message. Our contact details can
be found under "Contact".
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How much image processing has been applied to the photos?
As ambitious photographers we always try to take pictures which are as close as to the perfect image as possible. But often the photo does not reflect exactly what you have seen on the location with your own eyes. My concern is to
make my photos reflect my visual impression of a motif as realistic as possible, without unimportant image elements drawing attention to themselves. In this respect, I try to create photos that look as realistic and documentary as possible
in relation to the main subject of a photo and thus to show the real beauty of nature and animals.
To adjust the picture to this real impression, I usually modify white balance, overall image tonal scale, sharpness and contrast for all photos and remove the lens distortions as appropriate for every image. These processing steps are
considered a normal and fully legitimate part of RAW development. After all JPEG files are also preprocessed inside the camera accordingly.
When working with animals that can move quickly and unpredictably, it is sometimes difficult to choose a perfect image composition and framing in the heat of the moment. Or the focal length of your lens lets the subject appear too small
in the picture... Then I also often crop the photo slightly and also correct the horizon if necessary.
In rare cases, I find disturbing image elements in my photos when reviewing them on the computer, such as dust on the lens or eye-catching details in the image, which could not be excluded by another composition when taking the
picture and which distract the attention of the viewer from the main subject. Such details, which in any case do not contribute to the impression of the main motif, are sometimes removed using the clone stamp tool or I reduce the
saturation of a specific color to make the offending object less obtrusive in the image as long as this does not falsify the rest of the image.
All adjustments are made with Lightroom and serve as I said to emphasize the main subject and make it look as lifelike as possible. The interventions are often only minimally and can only be applied reasonably within narrow limits.
Excessive processing (for example too much cropping, drastic color or exposure adjustments) not only leads to poor image quality, but also the objective of a realistic, documentary presentation will be missed.
In situations with a very high dynamic range of luminosity I take several photos with different exposure times and combine them to HDR images. Panoramas must of course be put together by software, too. Such images are always
marked accordingly in the galleries.
© 2010-2016 Manfred & Daniel Peller
