Utilize Lightroom to Add Mood to Your Wildlife Photographs

Learn how one photographer edits his wildlife photographs in Lightroom.

I've been following Isaac Spotts for some time now and think his work is pretty incredible. Beside having a solid grasp on composition and light, Spotts is able to consistently capture wildlife in candid and iconic moments. And I always enjoy his high-contrast editing. If this style is one you like, too, then this video is definitely for you. 

One aspect that I think is important to keep in mind, not only while looking through your lens but also while editing in the digital darkroom, is to always do your best to maintain a heavy focus on and attention to detail. Before doing any major initial edits in the video, Spotts rids of a distracting piece of hair in the moose's eye. This might seem like a small element in the photograph, but can definitely be distracting if or when the image is printed, especially in bigger sizes where nothing goes unnoticed. 

Another thing to always keep in mind before editing is having intention when editing a photograph. Sometimes experimenting works out in creating a stellar final image and experimenting definitely isn't a bad thing if you're just starting to learn. But the more you practice, the more you'll find it's helpful to have an idea of what you want your final image to look like before making any changes. Not only will this help you save time during your post-processing, but it will help create unity in your portfolio as a whole as you develop your style.

Watch the above video to find out some tricks that Spotts uses to edit his wildlife images. 

Tim Behuniak's picture

Timothy Behuniak is a Salt Lake City-based landscape and outdoor adventure photographer who's passionate about getting lost in the woods with his camera. Tim's hope is that his viewers, like him, will one day love and fight to protect the beautiful locations he is fortunate to photograph.

Log in or register to post comments
1 Comment

Interesting video and article, thank you. However, (and yes I'm being a grammar OCD here) shouldn't the title be 'Use Lightroom...' rather than 'Utilize Lightroom..."?