There is no wildlife or bird photography without a camera and lens, but I am here to tell you not to buy another piece of gear. It is not the camera or lens that will make you a better photographer; rather, the three things that will improve your wildlife photography are: to know your subject better, to know yourself better, and to know your gear better. I'll cover the first two today & the third in next week's blog. 

Subject -  Of these three, I think that the most important, or at least the first to address, is to know your subject better. And that means research—reading, tutorials, conversations—and time in the field, with or without your camera—walking and observing, making mental notes or even “IRL” notes on animal location, movements, and behavior. Do not overlook other aspects of your “subject,” such as the light, shadow, weather patterns, and landscape. There is no substitute for experience and for making the time and having the patience to observe the behavior of your subject in its environment. This, of course, could mean a lifetime of observing your backyard or just giving yourself that extra day to study a new location you may be photographing for a week.

There are also ways to streamline or expand an understanding of your subject and its behavior patterns and movements. Aside from reading and research, this includes speaking with other photographers, or even scientists. Also, if you have your property or other means, trail cameras can be very helpful in understanding animal behavior.

One thing I encourage: Tell the story of your encounter with the animal, incorporate the vision you have of your location into the photography. Don’t pretend that a city park is the Serengeti. Find ways to frame your image that illustrate your subject as part of the environment you are in; don’t frame out aspects to imply a different location or to isolate the animal out of context. Create the story you want to tell.

Self. Knowing your photographic self is a way to improve your wildlife photography. This area encompasses a broad swath of ideas and behaviors, but at the top of that list should be the self-assurance that this is the type of photography you want to be doing, because it takes time and dedication. I think many photographers fall into a trap that has us pursuing a kind of photography that we once told ourselves was the “real” photography, whether that be wildlife, news, or fashion, without asking ourselves how we like to spend our time when we photograph and what truly thrills us. If you have tried wildlife photography and know you enjoy the rigors and rewards, then pursue it with a confident and curious passion and you are well on your way to improving your work.

With that existential issue behind us, it is important to understand your strengths and weaknesses and find ways to be more patient, stealthy, persistent, or creative in your pursuit. Also, understand the role that exercise, nutrition, hydration, and proper attire will have on your ability to stay present and engaged in your photography. A part of this self-awareness is understanding what it takes to get the photograph you want ethically. As it is said, there are no shortcuts, and good wildlife photography takes effort and time, patience and stillness, and a willingness to be uncomfortable. Embrace that, find ways to make it enjoyable, even consider photographing with a partner if that might help. If you want to be a better photographer, push yourself to be.

Like life, kids are all over the place. It’s hard to get them to sit still, much less for a photo. Photographing active kids isn’t easy, but I’ve learned a few tricks along the way and thought I’d share some so you can learn how to photograph kids in motion and make your active toddler (and even athletic teen) moments to cherish forever.

Take a Lot of Photos. A huge perk of digital photography these days is the chance to keep snapping and delete the outtakes. Don’t feel like you need to take one perfect picture and be done with it.

Set your shooting mode to continuous and hold that shutter button down to take a burst. Later you can go back and delete the blinking and blurry pictures, but you’re more likely to capture a good one amongst many.

Use aperture priority mode (could also be portrait mode) If you aren’t comfortable shooting in manual yet, or find it difficult to have to continuously change your settings as your toddler runs from shade to sun and all over the place, try using aperture priority or Av mode.

This allows you to change your f-stop. The lower the number the more “blur” you’ll achieve around your subject. My lenses go as low as f/2.8 and f/1.4. Don’t go too low and too close or their whole face won’t be in focus. You can set your lens to the f-stop you want, focus on your child, then let your camera do the rest.

 Let Them Play! Don’t feel the need to stifle your child into a pose. Just let him do what he loves and be nearby to capture that. I like to have a great zoom lens on hand when capturing my active kids so I have the option of zooming with my feet, or my lens if I’m confined to the stands. Tk your shutter speed. This will help you freeze the scene as your child is in motion. I try to keep my shutter speed above 1/500 when I’m trying to photograph my active kids. This may mean raising my ISO to compromise and give myself more flexibility, especially when I’m shooting indoors.

Get Creative and Silly. What makes your child laugh? Your singing? Dancing? Pretending to tickle him? A natural laugh will come across much better than a forced smile. And there’s a good chance if you’re being silly, he may stand still to watch long enough for you to snap a picture.

Pay Attention to the Background. The environment can give context or be distracting. It’s so frustrating when I get a great picture of my kids but there’s a bunch of junk behind them. Try to get it out of focus or move to get a better angle. To make it out of focus in your shot, try lowering your f-stop number and/or zoom in more with your lens. This will cause your background to go out of focus or out of the frame.

Follow Them in Action. If you move your camera at their speed and snap the photo you can freeze them in motion while blurring what’s going on behind them, making for a fun action shot called panning. You’ll want your shutter speed to be around 1/50 to 1/80 to achieve this. It can be tricky to achieve this but practice makes perfect. I usually raise my f-stop over f4 to give myself some leeway if I miss the focus, and use Al-Servo Mode for continuous focus.

It keeps tracking the moving subject versus focusing using One-Shot mode when you hold the button halfway down. This will make catching a clear shot of your moving target a little easier.

Be Patient. It’s rare that the very first picture I take is the one I want to keep, print, and frame. If they did something cute, they’ll likely do it again with a little encouragement or patience.

Good luck and have fun making memories with your little active ones.

High school senior portraits: Specific to me. my senior shoots are usually divided into two or more sessions and are located in and around the greater Lexington area.  Each session is about 2 hours with one to three outfit changes per session. Please plan one formal and two casual changes.

What to wear: Don’t stress! Wear what makes you feel GREAT. What you’re the most comfortable in will make the best photos. Also consider bringing an outfit that represents your sports team, cheer or extracurricular activity.

Ladies, as you know accessories go along way to making an outfit and your photo. Plan on having extra jewelry, scarves, hats, and bags with you. If it speaks to who you are, bring it along.  

NOTE:  When it comes to makeup for these portraits, please remember “less is more”.  Bring your make up bag along for touch-ups 

Guys, you are not off the hook here!  Bring your uniforms, jackets, boots, and hats.  Love that vehicle? We can include that!

Props: Again, if it says who you are and what you love please bring it along.  Props can be large or small. From the size of a truck to a treasured leather book. If you love it, bring it.  Examples - chairs, suitcases, sports equipment, musical instruments and the like. This is your session and it should reflect your personality! Most importantly, be yourself, be comfortable.

Fun:  We strive to make these sessions relaxing and memorable.  Plan to have a bit of fun!

Want to see those photos? Approximately two weeks after your last session, your photos will be available for viewing and selection in your private online gallery on my website. This is where you will get to view a slideshow of all your beautiful images, make your selections for signature processing, and see samples of all the products you can have your photos printed on.

What to expect: To make the whole process a bit easier I’ve answered the questions I get asked all the time, what you can expect before, during, and after your sessions.  

Before your session:  

1. When do I need to have my Senior Portrait turned in to the yearbook staff at school?  Some schools take a cap and gown Senior Portrait at school, so you don’t have to worry about the yearbook. In that case, many Seniors choose to have their own creative Senior Portraits taken by a professional photographer.  Other schools require you to personally turn in a digital file by a deadline.  If that’s the case, let me know, so I can help you.

2. What about location? From fields, barns, fences, and animals to modern buildings and downtown locations (or a combination) we will find the perfect spot for your shoot. Consider what you love and who you are because that will determine where we do your photos.  

If you don’t have a specific place in mind…no worries, I’ve got plenty of ideas.

3. When should I schedule my senior session? As early as possible. When the weather warms the schedule fills up. To avoid disappointment, make sure you get your session scheduled for your most convenient time.

4. How much will my senior pictures cost? Contact me for a private. personalized quote. My senior packages run from $100 to $600 or more. Please note that the session payment fee is due on the first day of your first session unless we have made prior arrangements.

5. What about prints and albums I might want? Prints and other products are not included in the session fee but are available for purchase through my website. I also do printing for a reduced cost with equal or better quality than commercial printers. You can find examples on my website.  If needed, a high-resolution digital image will be sent directly to your school free of charge.

6. What about digital images for social media? I will provide you, at no cost, a limited number of digital images with my logo you can use on social media and share with friends. 

During your session:

1. How long is a session? You can plan for 90 minutes per session which will give you approximately 60 minutes in front of the camera.

2. What will we do?   When we meet on location, we’ll talk a bit about some ideas you may have, some I have, and a few photography specific details.  My wife Kathy will be with us to help with posing and helping you look your best. Kathy will be watching carefully for details.

You may have a few jitters, but you’ll quickly learn that we are easy to get along with and will help you get comfortable. I’ll take a few test shots to be sure my camera settings are correct and then we’ll get started. You don’t need to be worried about what to do, how to smile, how to stand or how to pose – Kathy and I have it all covered!

3. Should I change outfits? YES, you should! Feel free to bring different clothing changes!  Before we start, we’ll talk about what clothing you brought because different clothing looks best in different settings. Some ideas: https://www.pinterest.com/chase4555/

4.  May I bring a friend? Sure!  Sometimes it helps to have someone there for support or to laugh with. I will be concentrating on YOUR Senior session, but your friend is welcome to come.  If you want a photo or two with a friend or a group of friends that’s fine too.  It’s always nice to have someone along on a shoot, but just warn him/her that I will probably put them to work!

5. Do I sign a model release? Yes, that’s YOU! Your chance to model. After we’re finished with the session, I’ll need you or your parents (if you are under 18) to fill out a short Model Release which allows me to use the photos from your senior session to promote my business. 

After your session:

1. How long until I see my photos?   Your images will be ready to view within 2 weeks of your last session unless it falls in an extremely busy time for me. However, I will have low-resolution, unedited, watermarked photos available on a private gallery for your review shortly after our last session.  I will post some of my favorites on my website and social media, primarily Facebook and Instagram. You can use those as well free of charge.

2. Are images posted to Facebook and Instagram copyrighted? Yes.  All images posted online whether it be social media or to my website are copyrighted unless specifically released to the public domain by the photographer.   

3. How do I book a senior portrait session? To book your session, either call me at 859-473-2107, email me at [email protected], or contact me through Facebook, Instagram or my website.

Are you a photographer?” the woman seated next to me on the airplane asked. She had spied my camera bag with two bodies and three extra lenses.

The truth is that I would not claim to be a photographer. I would say I’m a guy who takes photos. I am reluctant to exaggerate, in part for fear of inadvertently insulting professionals who would scoff at the pretense of those who have acquired gear and believe they possess the skill. Nowadays everyone fancies himself a photographer, meaning perhaps none of us is — at least very few of us should be bestowing the title upon ourselves.

Assessed by high standards, I am an amateur, a hobbyist, a dilettante. I could hardly be offended by that status because photography has been an important avocation since the Kodak Brownie made the art accessible to ordinary consumers. It has been integral to family life. The “Kodak moment” is one of those advertising slogans that became a cultural touchstone.

Yet I do carry two cameras (three counting my smartphone). That is a sign of earnest obsession more than it is of any expertise I suppose in a sense I am a photographer though. I qualify by the measure of sustained interest despite intermittent breaks. We take for granted an ability to disseminate even a simple snapshot that could not have been imagined when I developed, enlarged, and printed the original frame of film.

Maybe we cannot be so sure about defining ourselves. A person also can be deemed a “photographer” without great exertion. A single viral selfie seems enough to turn a person into a celebrity, even an icon. Andy Warhol is remembered for declaring that each of us would have our fifteen minutes of fame He is not recalled for his subsequent quip that all of us would be famous in fifteen minutes. Warhol was always in on the joke. He would be amused by our narcissism.

There is a difference between what we do and who we are. If we do it enough, however, it becomes who we are. For me, it is enough to try my hand at art and science that continues to fascinate me. Although I have enough jobs and honors, I am aware of how much more I need to learn to be worthy of “photographer. 

Why hire Jon Chase over another photographer even the ones you’ve known for many years, who live in your community and have kids going to school with your kids?

It’s simple really!  You want something different and unique that speaks to you, to your family, to that special person on that special moment.  You want the best and you want it to be different. These are not just clichés. They are the heart of my photography. My work celebrates the uniqueness that is you, that is your family, your children. Your experiences, your joys, sorrows, and milestones are all part of what make you & your family different  My job is to capture those differences in the pictures I take. My purpose and my passion is to capture the unique in you, your family, your children and your events.

Each and every one of us has a story to tell. Maybe yours includes the laughter that runs through your family, the deep connection you share with your loved ones, or your pride after overcoming a life-threatening disease or the cherished moments of pride you have when your children succeed. .Whatever your life’s story, it is completely your own. And it is the uniqueness of that story that I love to capture with my camera. It is my goal to bring the best out of every person and show just how gorgeous that inner beauty really is.

Though I’m always after a quality result, I also love the process of connecting with my clients, making them feel not only comfortable but like themselves. You won’t find stiff poses, fake smiles or the same locations used over and over. I strive to bring out the heart of who you are with my camera. I move beyond the surface of “smile” and stiff poses to create an atmosphere during which you and your loved ones can feel comfortable, relaxed and at home.

Before we decide to work together to create beautiful images, we need to decide if I’m the right photographer for you and if you’re the right client for me. Here’s a little insight into what I’m all about.

I have ideas.  I love clients with a “vision” of what they want and then let me run with it. Give me an idea, a feeling, a mood that you’re trying to create and then let me go. A substantial part of what you’re paying for is my experience, my creativity, and my ability to read  and interpret a scene. Trust me to do it!

I talk a lot to my clients.  My best work come from clients who are relaxed in front of the camera, talk with me during the shoot and respond to my verbal cues. Some I’ve photographed so often, they know what I need to take that perfect shot.  If all you want is “traditional” photographs with staged poses in over used locations, I am not the right photographer for you. My style is overwhelmingly candid, catching you, your family, your children as you and they are in real life.

I don’t discount rates. I will never shoot for a client who tries to negotiate my rate. My rates are based on the effort and time I put into my work.  If you do not place the same value on my work, please look elsewhere.

I don’t “snap a few quick pics” for anyone. That isn’t what I do. It isn’t fair to those who hire me because they value the time, work and effort I put into creating a meaningful product.

So please take a chance and call me for more information at 859-473-2107 or references if you want.  And please take the opportunity as many others have and enjoy the experience. You won’t regret it.  I wish each and everyone of you happy Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas.

You may ask yourself, “Why hire Jon Chase over another photographer even the ones you’ve known for many years, who live in your community and have kids going to school with your kids?”

It’s simple really!  You want something different and unique that speaks to you, to your family, to that special person on that special moment.  You want the best and you want it to be different. These are not just clichés. They are the heart of my photography. My work celebrates the uniqueness that is you, that is your family, your children. Your experiences, your joys, sorrows, and milestones are all part of what make you & your family different  My job is to capture those differences in the pictures I take. My purpose and my passion is to capture the unique in you, your family, your children and your events. 

Each and every one of us has a story to tell. Maybe yours includes the laughter that runs through your family, the deep connection you share with your loved ones, or your pride after overcoming a life-threatening disease or the cherished moments of pride you have when your children succeed. .Whatever your life’s story, it is completely your own. And it is the uniqueness of that story that I love to capture with my camera. It is my goal to bring the best out of every person and show just how gorgeous that inner beauty really is.

Though I’m always after a quality result, I also love the process of connecting with my clients, making them feel not only comfortable but like themselves. You won’t find stiff poses, fake smiles or the same locations used over and over. I strive to bring out the heart of who you are with my camera. I move beyond the surface of “smile” and stiff poses to create an atmosphere during which you and your loved ones can feel comfortable, relaxed and at home.

Before we decide to work together to create beautiful images, we need to decide if I’m the right photographer for you and if you’re the right client for me. Here’s a little insight into what I’m all about:

I have ideas.  I love clients with a “vision” of what they want and then let me run with it. Give me an idea, a feeling, a mood that you’re trying to create and then let me go. A substantial part of what you’re paying for is my experience, my creativity, and my ability to read  and interpret a scene. Trust me to do it!

I talk a lot to my clients.  My best work come from clients who are relaxed in front of the camera, talk with me during the shoot and respond to my verbal cues. Some I’ve photographed so often, they know what I need to take that perfect shot.  If all you want is “traditional” photographs with staged poses in over used locations, I am not the right photographer for you. My style is overwhelmingly candid, catching you, your family, your children as you and they are in real life.

I don’t discount rates. I will never shoot for a client who tries to negotiate my rate. My rates are based on the effort and time I put into my work.  If you do not place the same value on my work, please look elsewhere.

I don’t “snap a few quick pics” for anyone. That isn’t what I do. It isn’t fair to those who hire me because they value the time, work and effort I put into creating a meaningful product.

So please be bold, take the opportunity as many others have and most importantly, enjoy the experience. You won’t regret it.