If you can't photograph in your own backyard, then how do you expect to photograph anywhere else? Some people believe that it is the subject or the camera that makes a great photograph. You can take a terrible photograph in Rocky Mountain National Park and you can take a terrific photograph in your own backyard. It is never the subject... it is always the photographer. The more you understand how a camera works and the more you become “as one” with the camera, the better the photographer you will become. When a great baseball player picks up their bat, it feels just right in his hands. When a great quarterback picks up a football, it feels just right in his hands. And when a great photographer picks up a camera, it feels right in his/her hands. The great photographer doesn’t think of all the controls on a camera. The camera becomes an extension of the photographer and all the controls become natural. A great photographer doesn’t think of what the controls do, the photographer just reacts…. the same way a great baseball player hits a baseball when the pitcher throws the ball to the catcher. You can never become a great photographer if you have to think about all the controls of your camera.
 
It is quite similar to the golfer who hits the ball poorly at the practice range. His answer is always the same. "This is only practice. Once I get on to the golf course, I will be MUCH better." How is that golfer going to be better when the controlled practice is so irregular? That golfer will continue to hit the same troubled shots on the golf course because of the poor practice procedures. It is the same in photography. Practice well, and when the opportunity comes, the photographs will be similar to the practice. You don’t have the time to think when a coyote passes by you in a matter of seconds. You have to learn how to react, set the camera and photograph the coyote if you only have one opportunity.
 
So, how do you get ready? First, read your camera instructional manual. We know…. boring and how many times do we really read our instructional manuals for any type of electronic gear that we buy? We always want to jump right in and use our newest purchase. Read a few pages each night before you go to bed and before long you will realize how much you didn’t know about your camera. Think of all the things you never knew about your television, your DVD, your computer, your music player, etc.
 
Start right now and go outside in your own backyard and practice. If you constantly take good photographs of the birds, squirrels and the flowers in your own backyard, then you will continuously become a better photographer. Stretch your ability and start with a plan. Be as creative as you can be. Be very critical of your results and plan each composition. Try to photograph sometime different each day in your own backyard. Learn how to carefully approach wildlife. There's obviously a tremendous advantage with digital cameras. It is similar to hitting practice golf balls in your backyard. You get instant feedback and you can change your style and method immediately. Remember how you set your camera to get the results that you preferred. Take a walk downtown and practice photographing all the wonderful flowers that have been planted in town, Take a ride to some of the great views in a 1 mile radius from the center of Estes Park. There are so many great overlooks and views of the mountains that you can practice your landscape photography forever. Practice using your tripod (if you currently own one) and photograph landscapes to practice your depth of field, your exposure and your composition of the subject. If you don’t like your results, now, you will not like your results later.
 
Be creative. Try taking different pictures of the same subject, just changing angles or positions. Take a picture of a flower from the side, from the top (bird’s eye view) and then do a macro of it. See the different results. Also, try taking pictures of the same subject using different exposures. They can all be very interesting. No picture is ever perfect; each person has his or own identity.
 
Also, don't forget to practice during early morning sunrise and late afternoon sunset. Not only will you see different lighting, but there will also be different wildlife available to photograph. Take photographs during the rain and snow. Once you are comfortable in all these situations, you will be comfortable and automatic when you travel elsewhere.
 
And lastly, join a photography forum on the Internet. You can post some of your photographs and have members give you constructive advice on how to improve your photography. Learn from other photographers and study some of the photographers that you admire.
 
As they say, "Practice Makes Perfect".
 
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