Send us a text Extraordinary wildlife, stunning scenery, and a travel vibe that is just plain awesome--African safaris are the best ! Today we dive deep into all things African safari photography including gear advice, trip planning advice, as well as specific photo strategies for wildlife, sunrise, blue hour, and landscape photography (and more) in Africa. I continue with a detailed overview of safari regions , discussing the merits and specifics of East Africa and Southern Africa photo safaris...
Feb 23, 2023•42 min•Ep. 21
Send us a text Today's digital cameras have SO many settings and modes! This can be overwhelming, but it's actually a good thing once you understand the perfect settings for your photography. In this episode you'll hear my go-to settings for every time I'm out in our wild world taking wildlife and landscape photos. If you match my settings I have no doubt you can master your camera and use these perfect (and easy) settings to capture the best photos each and every time. Check out Court’s photogr...
Jan 31, 2023•26 min•Ep. 20
Send us a text When we see a pro photographer's wildlife portraiture, there is just something special about its look. It just "looks so professional." Want to know how this is consistently possible? In this episode, we dive into how pro photographers use their tools and techniques to their advantage to get amazing portraiture of animals and emphasize that sensational contrast of blurred background with tack-sharp focus on the animal subject. Check out Court’s photography and conservation work: C...
Apr 03, 2022•17 min•Ep. 20
Send us a text Photography certainly has its fair share of fancy terms and complicated menu systems. This is even more true in this digital age. However, bracketing is actually one of the more ancestral options within a camera menu, with roots stretching firmly back to film days. Do you need bracketing? What is it? Tune in to learn all about it, the various applications, how to use it, and what are the best scenes to actually use it. Check out Court’s photography and conservation work: CourtWhel...
Mar 12, 2022•24 min•Ep. 19
Send us a text It's one of the more frequent opportunities we have as nature photographers...to capture an awesome sunset or sunrise. However, there is a big difference between just documenting it and capturing something extraordinary. And for those times where these solar displays are just mind-blowing, we tend to get lost in the moment and forget the artistry involved. I've honed these techniques and tips for years and years of photographing sunsets (and sunrises!) from all over the world and ...
Apr 16, 2021•20 min•Ep. 18
Send us a text If you are ready to take the leap and move away from using the full auto setting on your camera, I commend you. And you will be happy you did so, because your photos, and your general creativity, will shine! In this episode I walk you through the various "next steps" if you are ready to move toward greater creative control. The best part of this is that you do NOT have to immediately jump to Aperture or Manual modes to take the first step. For instance, P or Program mode is a fant...
Mar 05, 2021•23 min•Ep. 17
Send us a text Gosh I wish this existed when I was learning photography! Today I go over 10 different "photo jargon" terms that will help you understand photography better. This isn't only designed to help you talk the talk, but also to help you better learn from tutorials, photo guides, and fellow photographers that might use these terms around you. This one is straight to the point--learning definitions can be fun, right? Check out Court’s photography and conservation work: CourtWhelan.com Fol...
Feb 12, 2021•23 min•Ep. 16
Send us a text Drew is on an endless quest to photograph the world's "charismatic megafauna," as he calls it. But while his portfolio is filled with some of the best bear photography we've ever seen...sparring polar bears in the Canadian Arctic and brown (grizzly) bears fishing for salmon in Alaska are just a couple examples, it doesn't always come easy. Today we host the great Drew Hamilton himself and talk about a variety of nature photography topics, including his latest photo expedition in N...
Jan 26, 2021•50 min•Ep. 15
Send us a text Composition is king. It is absolutely critical that your final photo (after editing and whatnot) has great composition or else it's a big miss. It will miss the opportunity to make a powerful first imrpression--the WOW factor--and also miss on the lasting power of great art. Fortunately, composition is something that can be mastered both in-camera as well as when processing and editing your photos. Join me in this episode to get the full download on composition...what to think abo...
Jan 01, 2021•24 min•Ep. 14
Send us a text Our first interview is with none other than the Colby Brokvist. He wears a lot of hats, including premier Expedition Leader in polar regions of the world, conservation biologist, all around outdoorsman and backcountry aficionado. But what he quickly says what he identifies with perhaps what he enjoys most is being a Travel Photographer . Tune in here and get a glimpse into the brain of one of the greats and learn about his favorite animal to photography, that time he was 30 feet a...
Nov 07, 2020•40 min•Ep. 13
Send us a text There's nothing bigger, more exciting, or more monumental than a photo safari to Africa. Get the low down from Court on key pieces of gear that you may or may not be thinking of to ensure it's the photographic adventure of a lifetime. Check out Court’s photography and conservation work: CourtWhelan.com Follow Court Whelan ( @courtwhelan ) on YouTube for more photography tips Sign up for Court's conservation, travel and photography blog at www.courtwhelan.com View Court's recommend...
Sep 30, 2020•21 min•Ep. 12
Send us a text Wildlife photography is my jam! It's one of the most exciting kinds of photography out there. Just being amongst the world's greatest animals is thrilling...capturing them in the camera for a lifetime of memories is even better. As we all strive toward better photos, understanding your camera settings for each type of photography is becoming more and more important. I've distilled this down into the three most important settings (in my opinion) as they pertain to wildlife photogra...
Aug 31, 2020•15 min•Ep. 11
Send us a text This is the essence of photography--the balance between aperture and shutter speed. This episode does a deep dive into not only this relationship, but examples of when you want to prioritize big vs. small apertures and long vs. short shutter speeds. In addition, Court explains where and how ISO plays a part, plus recommendations for your camera settings if you shoot on aperture or shutter speed priority modes. Finally, Court will share his newest pro tip on manual camera settings ...
Aug 14, 2020•27 min•Ep. 10
Send us a text There are so many species of animals that spend their days in the trees. Good for them, but this can make photographing them VERY challenging. The difficulty comes in when the animal is high above you, forcing you to photograph against a backlit sky. How are you going to fix this? Are you going to NOT photograph that lemur? No! Follow this tips and techniques for getting the shot even in these challenging conditions. Prefer watching a video? Check out this video I made on this top...
Jul 28, 2020•9 min•Ep. 9
Send us a text Smartphones can give us mixed feelings at times, but one thing is for sure...they've given us the ability to always have a camera with us for any moment and any scene. I always say that the best camera in the world is the one you have with you , and therefore smartphones are game-changing. While traditional photography rules still apply, these little cameras present novel, creative opportunities, and some rules are more important than ever to follow. In addition, I share some of m...
Jul 09, 2020•13 min•Ep. 8
Send us a text A question many of us are faced with at some point in our photographic careers... Whether you are just starting out, or are a many-year veteran and just wondering if you're "doing it right," this is a quick 10 minute "Snapshot" episode on something VERY important to your end-product photo quality in today's digital photography world. Check out Court’s photography and conservation work: CourtWhelan.com Follow Court Whelan ( @courtwhelan ) on YouTube for more photography tips Sign u...
Jun 11, 2020•11 min•Ep. 7
Send us a text Night photography is tough! But it also produces some of the most spectacular photographs out there. Don't hold yourself back...Night Photography is wildly rewarding!! Tune in here to understand everything to get started with Night Photography. In this episode we focus on the necessary gear and key techniques for setting up the shot (focusing, composition, shot settings, etc.). Then we finish up with tips on where to go for the best astrophotography and northern lights on the plan...
May 23, 2020•47 min•Ep. 6
Send us a text In this episode, Court goes over the steps and techniques for photographing anything that is fast moving. Whether it's wildlife, athletes, or even kids playing your backyard, understanding and implementing these techniques are game-changing for photographing action. Covering proper shutter speeds to focus settings to composition and beyond, this episode is the definitive guide on photographing things that are on the move. My Full Camera Kit: Canon R5 Body Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 Canon...
May 10, 2020•35 min•Ep. 5
Send us a text There's nothing more frustrating than walking out your door and instantly getting fog on your lens that lasts for minutes. What if you miss a shot!? This is all too common in warm, humid places, but is easily preventable--with the right tips, of course! This episode goes over why it fogs in the first place, and a number of ways you can prevent this going forward. My Full Camera Kit: Canon R5 Body Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 Canon 24-105mm f/4 Canon 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 Canon 100mm f/2.8 Ch...
Apr 19, 2020•15 min•Ep. 4
Send us a text White balance is important! Let this episode fill you in on how and why to go beyond Auto White Balance and instantly see improvements in your photography. In addition, Court will share his own personal tips on how he uses different white balance settings for different types of photography. My Full Camera Kit: Canon R5 Body Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 Canon 24-105mm f/4 Canon 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 Canon 100mm f/2.8 Check out Court’s photography and conservation work: CourtWhelan.com Follow ...
Apr 07, 2020•15 min•Ep. 3
Send us a text Achieving perfect focus is one of the most important skills in photography today. Not only does tack-sharp focus make your photos look amazing, and professional, but improper focus is one of the most difficult things to "fix" in photoshop. This podcast is a start to finish explanation of focus...how to best use auto-focus, a discussion on different focusing modes, and how to get perfect focus each and every time, in a variety of situations, from wildlife to people to landscape pho...
Mar 29, 2020•26 min•Ep. 2
Send us a text In this episode, Court will share his personal five favorite tips and techniques for easily, and instantly, improving your nature, wildlife, and travel photography. From achieving tack-sharp focus to understanding how best to incorporate the storytelling element into your photography, this is the best place to begin if you want to quickly and easily improve your photography. My Full Camera Kit: Canon R5 Body Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 Canon 24-105mm f/4 Canon 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 Canon 10...
Mar 21, 2020•36 min•Ep. 1
