Roger Brendhagen has mastered the art of capturing wildlife and birds with backlight. It takes a lot of planning, experience, and patience to nail these shots. And while this is not about the gear, it helps to know the camera and how to dial in the optimal settings for each shot. Roger was kind enough to share his process, gear, and techniques with DIYP readers. He will also share some of his favorite images and tell the story behind his most cherished shot.
Tell us a little about how you plan a wildlife image with a backlit subject.
How would you describe the role of patience and experience for nailing the images? Please share a bit about the technical side? How do you calculate the exposure? Do you expose for the highlights or the animal? How do you decide on aperture? On which part of the animal are you focusing on? Head? Eyes? My most cherished moment is when I finally captured an image I had in my head for more than ten years. There are only about 150 arctic foxes in the Norwegian mountains, and there is a full moon in these regions only once a month. My dream was to capture an arctic fox in front of the full moon. After a long wait and countless attempts, I succeeded a couple years ago! That was fantastic! September 19th at 19.52 o’clock is the date and time I will always remember. Inside my head there are many pictures. Some of them I have taken – and others have not yet “come out”. After ten years of waiting I got my reward. The picture I was dreaming about was the Arctic fox under the full moon, or “in it” if you like. I haven’t been around the mountains in Dovre for every full moon, and there have been many hit & miss trips in the ten years I’ve tried. Some of the times the weather forecast reported nice conditions and a clear sky. After 400 kilometers in the car I often reached the mountains shrouded in low clouds and a foggy weather. However, most of the time the conditions have been great – but then the Arctic foxes were missing.
I work in manual mode. That means that I set the shutter speed, aperture, iso and white-balance manually. I use spot metering, and in 80 % of my photography I use just one focus point – and it is very likely I hit the eye of the animal. In low light I use the group-focus system, that helps me a lot in bad light conditions. When I use rim light, I often underexpose the image. I start out with an aperture between f/8 and f/11, but that again depends on the size of the animal or bird. I like to have all of the fur sharp and feather sharp, so it’s important to think about the depth of field. Which shutter speed and ISO I go for depend on the movement of the animal and light conditions.
I like to play a lot. I’m willing to experiment with new techniques and equipment to take my photography to another level. What gear do you use for these sorts of scenes? How much do you actually pack when you go out? How do you even dress? What’s the wildest shot you’ve ever taken?
three Nikon D6 cameras, along with the14-24/2.8, 24-70/2,8, 70-200/2,8, 200-400/4, 600/4 and the 800/5,6. And of course the60/2,8, 105/2,8 and the 200/4 for macro photography. In addition, I use:LeoPhoto TripodBenro GimbalNISI Filters2 Backpacks: a LowePro and a ClickElite VoltOther items: First Aid-kit, warm clothes, knife, map, note book ++
Which are your favorite parts in Norway to shoot wildlife?
The beautiful countryside that I live in is full of photographic possibilities with forestry, wildlife, mountains, rivers and valleys which all have contributed to inspire and nurture the photographer in me.
Roger Brendhagen is a Norwegian nature and wildlife photographer who has been a Nikon ambassador for thirteen years. His images have been published in various magazines, and with around 300 travel days each year, he has visited most of the globe. Roger is also an experienced macro photographer. You can follow him and see more of his images on Instagram and Facebook. All images are shared with permission.
