Ross Hoddinott is one of the UK’s leading natural history and landscape photographers. He is the author of five photography books and a multi award winner. Ross has been working as a full time professional since 1997, supplying imagery and undertaking commissions for a wide range of publications and clients. Based in the South West of England, Ross is best known for his intimate close-up images of nature, and for evocative landscape photographs. He is a member of the 2020VISION photo team and co-runs Dawn 2 Dusk Photography with Mark Bauer which specializes in landscape photography workshops. Ross has authored or co-authored many other books on photographic technique, including 52 Assignments: Landscape Photography, 52 Assignments: Nature Photography, The Art of Landscape Photography, From Dawn to Dusk, The Landscape Photography Workshop, The Wildlife Photography Workshop and Digital Macro & Close-Up Photography.Ben Hall's spectacular images have earned him numerous international awards including more than 20 prizes in the British Wildlife Photography Awards (including a double category win in 2009), Geographical Photographer of the Year, and a category win in Bird Photographer of the Year. Ben is a regular photographic and editorial contributor to photography and wildlife magazines around the world, and has appeared on TV and radio programs including BBC's Walk on the Wild Side, The One Show, and Countryfile. Ben also runs regular wildlife photography workshops.

The original iteration of this book, by two of the UK’s most highly respected wildlife photographers, was published in 2013. Yes, nowadays we have YouTube tutorials aplenty, but nothing actually beats being able to sit down, turn the pages at your own pace, refer back, and dip in and out. In this version, there’s been a design refresh, with numerous new images and an expanded section on processing raw files, among several other updates. The tone of the book is approachable and the content thorough. Everything you would expect from a book with this title is covered and, of course, sumptuously illustrated with stunning photography. Best of all, by the end of it, you feel as if you might, with time and effort, produce something of a similar quality – and that’s what we should expect from a book such as this.

• Introduction 6 Ethics 8  Chapter One: Equipment 10 Digital SLRs 12 Lenses 14  Lens Types for Nature Photography 16 Camera Supports 18 Useful Accessories 20 Storage 22  Chapter Two: Exposure 24 Exposure 26 Aperture 28 Shutter Speed 30 Histograms 32 White Balance 34 High-Key and Low-Key Photography 36  Chapter Three: Composition 38 The Rule of Thirds 40 The Rule of Odds 42 Negative Space 44 Motion 46 Perspective 48 Colour 50 Breaking the Rules 52  Chapter Four: Lighting 54 Direction of Light 56 Dawn and Dusk 68 Weather 60 Silhouettes 62 Seasons 64 Using a Reflector 66 Artificial Lighting 68  Chapter Five: Close-Up Photography 70 Technique 72 Focus Stacking 74 Butterflies 76 Dragonflies and Damselflies 78 Spiders 80 Amphibians 82  Reptiles 84 Chapter Six: Birds 86 Technique 88 Autofocus 90 Making and Using a Hide 92 Setting Up a Garden Feeding Station 96 Wetland and Coastal Birds 98 Birds of Prey 100 Flight Photography 102  Chapter Seven: Mammals 104 Technique 106 Research and Observe 108 Fieldcraft 110 Visualizing Black and White 112 Environmental Portraits 114 Deer Parks 116 The Decisive Moment 120  Chapter Eight: Plant Life 120 Technique 122 Maximizing Image Sharpness 124 Wildflowers 126 Plants Within the Landscape 128 Shape and Form 130 Fungi 132 Seasonal Changes 134  Chapter Nine: Post-Processing 136 File types 138 Processing a Raw file 140 Sharpening 144 Exposure Blending 146 Noise Reduction 148 Archiving 150  Chapter Ten: Creative Assignments 152 1: Break the Rules 154 2: Convey Motion 156 3: Build Your Own Feeding Station 158 4: Striking Silhouettes 160 5: The Decisive Moment 162 6: Study the Environment 164 7: Concentrate on One Species 166 8: Explore Urban Wildlife 168  Glossary 170 Useful Websites 172 About the Authors 173 Authors’ Acknowledgement/Index 174 Index 174