I am by nature and inclination a wildlife photographer. It hasn't always been that way. I started my love affair with cameras by trying to photograph landscapes with a box camera at the age of seven. Many years later you could find me making images of the Maroon Bells, Monument Valley, and any other famous and frequently photographed landscape I could find. Landscapes were always easier for me than wildlife. They didn't require an expensive telephoto, they held still, and finding them was easy - just look for the tripod holes! Along the way I learned to practice some basic rules of composition, exposure, and depth of field. Several years ago I reached a fork in the road and needed to invest in a larger format system, or go a different direction. For me, that direction was wildlife and I have never really looked back.

This September I decided to take a trip back to the Red Rock Country in Utah. My primary location was Arches National Monument and Island in the Sky at Canyonlands. I have been to both of these locations several times and I wanted to try and get some new images and see what I could remember about how to shoot a landscape. Technically, those principles require using your camera on a tripod to stop the lens down for depth of field; hyperfocal and manual focusing; using a polarizer and/or warming filters to make those rocks red and skies blue; incorporate natural leading lines and foreground objects to give a feeling of dimension and scale; and, using the rule of thirds to avoid centering your subject. Just as crucial as the technical aspects, always shoot in the early morning and late afternoon light until sunset.

At Arches I quickly realized that I may have spent too many years looking through a 500 mm lens at wildlife and had forgotten how much work this could be. One of my favorite formations is Delicate Arch. I wanted something different. In late afternoon, I took the trail up to an overlook that gives a great view across to the formation, rather than the traditional trail that gives you direct access to the arch. Although it was necessary to wait until other tourists were out from under the formation, I made some images using some salt brush in the foreground with layered rocks and shadows leading to the arch. Pretty close to the image I had visualized in my mind before the climb.

At Island in the Sky I visited a formation called Mesa Arch. Mesa Arch makes a great early morning frame for a view of the Colorado River Valley. When I got there it was completely socked in by foggy and cloudy weather. Despondently, I sat there underneath the arch waiting for some light. After about an hour it happened, the sun peaked through. Still lots of fog in the valley and I only had light for about 5 minutes, but I got some images. Everyone knows that a wildlife photographer needs patience, but it also pays off in shooting landscapes!

I was thinking about this experience in the long drive back to Tulsa. Landscape photography isn't really all that different than wildlife if you break it down. Both disciplines require patience. Shooting landscapes can also sharpen our wildlife photography skills. I needed to get back in the habit of seeing the whole scene and not just the animal. We don't always know what bird or animal will step in front of our lens and where it will happen. Just like in landscapes, it is important to visualize exactly how you want the subjects you shoot to look. What kind of light, background and pose. Pre-visualizing that perfect image will help keep you prepared to recognize the shot when you finally get your often brief opportunity to photograph a wildlife subject. My landscape photography trip to Arches and Canyonlands was great, but more importantly, I think it will help me make better images of wildlife.

Editor's Comment: Let us know what you think! Please email the Editor to let us know your thoughts.

Colin Smith has photographed wildlife and landscapes in the US and Canada for several years. He has been published in Outdoor and Nature Photography, Tulsa World, Outdoor Oklahoma, and has written articles illustrated with photos on wildlife subjects for the Photographic Society of America Journal, and NaturePhotographers.Net, a Web-based online magazine. A number of his images will be published in the new Oklahoma Breeding Bird Atlas. Colin has lectured and presented slide programs on wildlife photography in several cities and for several organizations (most recently the Photography Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City and Tulsa Community College). Colin devotes his efforts full time to nature and wildlife photography with an extensive stock file of North American wildlife and landscapes.

Wildlife and scenic prints up to 13" by 19" are available from a wide range of subjects and locations. Slide shows/wildlife programs and lectures are also available. Feel free to contact him via E-mail at Colin Smith.