How Landscape Photography Changed My Wildlife & Bird Perspective Forever!

[@GuidoVanDeWater]

QUESTION : Do you see a big change in your way of photography when you compare old and new images?

[@VlCesenek]

Dear Guido, thank you very much for the somewhat philosophical video on how to change your view of the world, how to change the way we look at the world. It's a great inspiration and it's the basis to create your own distinctive style.

[@GuidoVanDeWater]

It's funny because I never felt that i have a real style of photography, but lately, a lot of people said to me, " You have such a unique style." Haha, I guess I'm the only one who is not seeing it 😅 but I love Moody and athmopsheric shots, and I guess I've learned to take that into all my images. Landscape, wildlife, or bird. Thanks for watching and your comment. Grt guido

[@bellasvistas3463]

Great Photographs. I enjoy how you have added the surroundings to wildlife. A great background can only help. I would often do that with portraits sometimes people appreciated the interaction with the backgrounds. Great evolution of styles. Mike

[@GuidoVanDeWater]

I can imagine that I work for people. If you photograph a farmer, you want to show his land and the farm, for example. In my opinion, isolating a subject before a blurry background photo erases all the story in the image. It's just a nice picture of a bird or animal but there is no story to it. Thabks for watching my friend I appreciate the comment! Grt guidk

[@jackq279]

Wow; thank you so much for this! I feel like I’m on a similar path - a couple years of birds on a stick, then in flight, then trying to capture more habitat and story. But I was losing inspiration with wildlife and very recently started trying landscape. Your discussion and beautiful photos helped me see things in a way that I hadn’t yet got clear in my own mind. I think your perspective of “nature photographer” is exactly what I wish to aim for! Best wishes and thanks again!

[@GuidoVanDeWater]

That is exactly what I had. At one point, I just felt I could not be creative anymore with the birds. Most of it came down to luck and not to my own creativity. That's what I found in landscapes. I could really search for something that I like. And now I can combine them both. Sunday, you will see a video where I spend a day in a bird hide. Did a lot of those years ago, but I stopped it. Somehow, I immediately felt why. There is no room for creativity, pure luck that the birds are coming. Just didn't give me any inspiration, and I felt unsatisfied when I left. So you're on the right path! Nature photographer is perfect title for me bit I photograoh everything that I like at the moment. As long as it's fun and inspirational, I'm in for it 🙂 thnx for watching and your comment. grt guido

[@CluelessYoutuber]

Good to know your eye is recovering. Great images and interesting to see how our tastes change and what we focus more as we take more photos. Really great stuff including with the special environment. It’s these kinds of details that make me drawn more. More context, story, and more dynamic to show the behavior of subject.

[@GuidoVanDeWater]

For me, that's the most difficult thing about photography to tell a story with just 1 single image. If that works, then it automatically is a great image for me. Thanks for watching and the comment my friend. Are you back in hong Kong already? Grt guido

[@siofna9709]

Hello Guido Was interessting to see how your photography changed through the years. We all learn our whole life and we are not to old to learn something new. Day by day and year by year. Grt Ernesto

[@GuidoVanDeWater]

I agree we are never to old to learn. There are so many techniques that I would love to give a try someday. The only thing we need is patience and time haha. Thanks for watching and your comment! Grt guido

[@kowkl]

Thanks for sharing your perspective on wide angle view. All the while I keep thinking those bushes behind the king fisher were a distraction but I never see it as their natural habitat. Those pictures you shown are fantastic. GWS. Looking forward to see more on your channel.

[@GuidoVanDeWater]

Most people think bushes are disturbing, and they only want clean shots with blurry out of focus backgrounds. I don't work all the time, but if you include it in the image and still manage to let the focus be on the animal, then it is great. I always keep the rule that you immediately have to notice that it's about the animal. If that's the case, then the surroundings aren't disturbing at all. And it saves a lot of money for expansive out of focus lenses 😅 thanks for watching and you comment! Grt guido

[@furiousdoe7779]

Finally great to see the animal shots . The eye problem of you was a lucky shot for us. 😂

[@GuidoVanDeWater]

Whaha, yeah, I think this video would never have existed if my eyes didn't cause trouble. Happy to see you liked the video! Thanks for watching Grt guido

[@CheikoSairin]

I also like you when photographing birds I want to photograph more zoom. But now, I prefer to photograph birds by including the landscape the bird is in. A big LIKE for your video. Thanks for sharing. Greetings from Singapore.

[@GuidoVanDeWater]

Thank you so much for your comment. I really appreciate it! I believe singapore is a great city for photography! Grt guido

[@sweden_ove2074]

Wow, that Swan in the red. And I also like a lot of your photos with environment/landscape and actions. The elephants, and so on. Background is important I notice clearly. I love the lions photo, and so many other photo. I got some good ideas for photography now. Thanks.

[@GuidoVanDeWater]

Thanks for your comment. There is also a big advantage in including the background. Photographers are always searching for blurry backgrounds. Bokeh and out of focus backgrounds is why people spend thousands of euros. But if you start to look at the background, that is far less important. So younger nice inages and it saves you money, haha. Hope you will take some amazing images! Grt guido

[@sweden_ove2074]

​@@GuidoVanDeWater Yes I will. And I think of using this thinking in aeroplane photography as well as photographing houses and barns. To put the object as a sopt into the magic landscape.

[@GuidoVanDeWater]

Oh, that will work fine, especially in your winter. When I was there in januari I saw so many neautifull houses and Barnes. Leaving lots of space usually helps. All those nice colours on your Swedish houses are amazing in winter time.

[@sweden_ove2074]

Yes it is. Especially frosty houses. I also like autumn landscapes when the gold and red leafs surrounding the object I have in the photo. I live 1.5 hour north of Gothenburg, and it's landscape with wilderness and leaf tree areas as well as pine tree areas. And especially now, the colours start to sparkle. I want early sunrise picture with the stary sky still visible and the sun light giving golden forrest light. The yesterday half moon rising in the evening was also magic, but for once I didn't have my camera in the car. Damn haha.

[@GuidoVanDeWater]

Sounds like an amazing location to live in. I stayed in linsell that is bear sveg. Also travelled to lofsdalen and orsa and I just love the courney. Would love to see it in autumn once.

[@theflyingdutchman7127]

Hoi Guido Ben het helemaal eens met de inhoud van je verhaal. Mooie foto’s zeker de 2e helft. Ik vond de reiger foto erg fraai, met heel veel detail er in. 👍👏

[@GuidoVanDeWater]

Doe reiger was echt een bijzonder moment. Hij was tegelijk van voor als van achter verlicht. Dat gebeurd niet vaak in natuur fotografie haha. Er stond een villa aan de overkant van het water en de zon scheen in dat glas terug richting mij. Ik zat te eten en zag dat buiten gebeuren en dacht dit moet ik ff vastleggen 😅 bedankt voor het kijken en je comment. Grt guido

[@theflyingdutchman7127]

@@GuidoVanDeWater dat heet dan anticiperen 😂

[@richardfink7666]

Have you always photographed with "Olympus"? P.S.: the photos get better and better towards the end.

[@GuidoVanDeWater]

Yes, I never used a different brand than olympus cameras. Started with an analogue om30 in the 90s, then some super zooms sp510 and sp520, then dslr e520, e3, amd then the mirrorless cameras em1, em1x, om1 and now om1mk2 Loved every single one of them. All the images in this video were shot with the cameras from the e520 until now. Thanks for watching and your comment. I appreciate it. Grt guido

[@Elderester]

I think thats a Condor.. Well, my camera path is more Tarantino'd as I started with landscapes, then I saw a bug.. 6 years of macro and now i'm at bird on a stick haha! I still love macro, but it's evolved to bird macro.. Whats up with the eye?? try out Similasan eye drops - Aging eye relief are amazing

[@GuidoVanDeWater]

I had a bacterial infection on my eyes. I got some antibiotics from the doctor. Took a couple of weeks but now I'm finaly getting back on the road again. It funny to see that everyone's photography path runs differently. Wich image is a condor btw? Can't remember that I ever photographed one of those 😅 thanks for watchibg grt guido

[@tonvanbruchem142]

Hi Guido Ik ben het met je eens om de omgeving mee te nemen in je opname. 👍🏻 Meestal tracht ik in te zoomen met meerdere foto’s van omgeving stap dichterbij tot Ton

[@GuidoVanDeWater]

Het is het altijd waard om goed te kijken wat er in de omgeving te zien is. Vaak voegt het juist wat toe aan de foto. Bedankt voor het kijken weer. Grt guido

[@sandydt57]

cacti 😂🌵

[@GuidoVanDeWater]

Haha it's nice right? 😅

[@RogerZoul]

Well, the duck shot is not wildlife photography, that’s a landscape shot, as are many of the others you show. If you can’t tell what the animal is, if you can’t see any details, then you’re not really doing wildlife. You’re doing landscape photography. You said this over and over. I agree that those close zooms get old if that is all you ever do with wildlife, but it does take much effort to improve those kinds of shots. Just pull back. There is always a story to be told, no matter how simple. Also, when do photography in nature, it is very easy to tell if the shots are from a zoo or not. Zoos are do limiting in terms of composition and a certain hopelessness of the animals that i never would consider going to a zoo for photography. Nothing wrong with landscape photography, but there is a distinct difference between wildlife photography and landscape photography. If you can’t tell what duck is in the image, you’re doing landscape photography. I like to see my ducks, but a little more than just its head! Well, most of the time, but sometimes I want to see the amazing markings on a duck’s head, in front of a tasteful background. No blue sky background. A real in-nature background. Just because things got a little stale for you is no reason to abandon wildlife photography. Just look for better ways to feature said wildlife. A landscape image does not feature wildlife, it features the landscape that just happens to have some wildlife as an element alongside other elements. The story is different but there is still a story in both. Thanks for the video and the thoughts.

[@GuidoVanDeWater]

I guess that was what I was trying to explain. I don't see wildlife anymore. I only see landscapes and add the animals in it as extra touch. I, for myself, don't care that I can't recognise the animal species for me it's about the image these days. I do admire it when people like you have the patience to make these close ups with special animal behaviour in it. It's just not my thing anymore. But that's the beauty of photography. We all have different taste and produce different images. Thanks for watching and your comment! Grt guido