Photography in the Field
Passion is a major driving force in Heru Handika’s life. His passion for learning more about mammals led him to email back and forth with, then Postdoc, Jacob Esselstyn (now an associate professor at LSU) for two years before being invited on one of Esselstyn’s research trips. His determination to study under Esselstyn at LSU led him to sell one of his cameras to afford a plane ticket to join the lab for his PhD. And his passion for photography takes him trekking miles into the jungle with silica-packed socks, zip lock bags, and his trusty Fujifilm mirrorless cameras.
Currently a Ph.D. candidate in his 4th year at the LSU Museum of Natural Science (MNS), Heru’s research focuses on small mammals in Southeast Asia. One of the reasons this particular area is understudied is due to its mountainous terrain, which makes it hard to reach the more remote areas to research local faunas. Handika’s colleagues on these research trips are often recruited to hold diffusers and reflectors as he tries to take the perfect shot, giving others a glimpse into this hidden world.
Heru uses his photos to better illustrate the animals he studies and their habitats. However, he did not always combine high-quality images with his research. Back in 2014, while on an expedition in the Philippines with the Curator of Herpetology at the University of Oklahoma Dr. Cameron Siler, Heru witnessed “professional” photography in the field for the first time.
“I was into photography back then, but I could not justify investing thousands of dollars to buy a professional-grade camera.” Says Heru. “When I first saw Dr. Siler in the field taking photos of amphibians and reptiles, I was amazed by the quality of the photos he took. And that was what inspired me to improve my own photos. Eventually, I bought a professional-grade camera and lenses and learned more about how to get good photos.”
This interaction inspired Heru to combine his passion for photography and natural science into taking his own high-quality photos in the field. Scientists do not often focus on producing professional photos of the animals they study, as they do not typically use photos in research papers; however, images are important for presentations and press releases. As most media relies on images, having high-quality photos can help promote a scientist's discovery.
Words for photographers just starting out!
“When I acquired my first professional-grade camera, I soon realized that it is not the cameras that take great images. Professional equipment does give more control on taking photos and generate sharp and low noise images. It is the photographer understanding about light, composition, and the strength and weaknesses of the camera gears they use. This realization changed my approach to photography.”
To improve his photography skills, Heru focuses on learning about composition and how light affects photos. Heru made big improvements in his photos after he spent months shooting with a 23mm single focal length lenses (35 mm full-frame equivalent). The focal length limitation forced him to get creative with composition. He learned how to use shapes, lines, and patterns found in nature to aid his photo compositions.
Tips for taking photos in the field
Tips for taking animal photos
Heru mostly focuses on small animals, such as mice and frogs.
For a mouse-sized animal, use a portrait lens (50 to 135mm @f2-4) to take up-close pictures.
By using less depth of field, you make the background softer, so it doesn’t compete with the subject.
For an animal smaller than a mouse, you will need a macro lense. Another alternative is using portrait lenses with a macro extension tube.
If you are just starting out, try choosing animals that don’t move a lot.
This will give you more time to line up your shot. If you want a good animal to practice this with, try frogs!
Important! When taking animal photos, we tend to focus on our subject and forget how its surrounding environment interacts with the subject. It is always best to scan the entire frame while shooting photos so there is no distracting object that will pull attention away from the main subject.
Tips for taking landscape photos
Landscape photos are great for showing the animal's habitat!
The key to photography is light. Landscapes typically photograph well using the golden hour.
The golden hour is the last hour before sunset and the first hour after sunrise and has the softest light. If you shoot in the middle of the day, you will have harsher lighting.
There are exceptions to this rule, like shooting water which will often work during a cloudy day. The clouds help reduce glare.
Use a sturdy tripod because mountains are very windy.
Lens filters are your friends!
Polarizing filters reduce reflections and are particularly good for shooting down into water.
Graduated Natural Density Filters are darker on top and become lighter towards the bottom. This can help you take photos when there is a bright sky e.g., mountains. This way your sky won't be too bright and take away from the darker mountains.
Use panorama to take expansive landscapes, like mountains, so you can see the full area. Usually 4 shots work, but it can take as many as 11 to show the entire area!
Play with your depth of field.
Use a wide-angle lens to capture more to showcase the depth.
If you want to highlight the line of your composition, use a long line. It will collapse the depth.
Find the foreground to frame your subject of interest in the background.
Keeping yourself and your camera safe in the field
Pack camera bags with silica gel to absorb humidity.
It is best to buy the silica in bulk, then place it in a sock to then be placed with the camera in a zip lock bag. This will help reduce the chance of humidity collecting in your lens.
You will want to replace them every few weeks, unless you are working in really high humidity where you will need to replace more often.
Always tell someone where you are going!
This is particularly important if there are tigers!
Photo 1: Typical camera gears I used in the field. Depending on the logistical constraint we are facing, in some trips, I only bring one camera, a few lenses, a speedlight, and a tripod. Credit: Heru Handika.
Photo 2: My cameras inside Ziplock bags taken inside my tent during our fieldwork in Mt. Talamau, West Sumatra, Indonesia. Credit: Heru Handika.