International award winning photographer and cinematographer, Kevin J Railsback takes you on an incredible journey through our natural world.From a gently flowing creek in the Iowa countryside to the top predators in the Yellowstone food chain, and everything in-between.Along the way you’ll get an opportunity to get inside the mind of filmmaker Kevin J Railsback. Learn how he captures some of his incredible footage with helpful tips as well as how he puts it all together in front of his camera lens.
About Kevin J RailsabckAward-winning filmmaker Kevin J Railsback has traveled as far as Africa to test HD cameras for Panasonic.
His stunning nature and wildlife footage has appeared in productions on National Geographic, Animal Planet, Discovery Channel as well as in commercials for such corporate giants as AT&T.
The Big Picture
On a recent trip to Yellowstone National Park, I was stopped by a park ranger who was directing traffic around a slew of vehicles pulled over on the side of the road. From my car window I could see still photographers lined up alongside the road with their 600f4’s and 800f5.6’s all trained in the direction of a nearby rock formation. Driving closer I saw that they were trying to photograph coyote pups whose mother had created a den unusually close to the road.
Orange traffic cones were placed to corral the photographers into a more manageable area. Cones were on the other side of the road to keep them from getting any closer than they already were to the den.
As I watched the photographers jockey for position, tripod legs intertwined, elbow to elbow, each trying to get just that one step closer to the den, it got me thinking about my own work.
For years I was cut from the same cloth as those still photographers. It was always “Have to fill the frame. Need to get in closer.” When I had a 300mm lens, I wished for that 600mm so I could fill the frame that much more. It was always about getting in as tight as I could to get that animal right in your face.
I still flip through still photography magazines to keep up with what’s going on in the still world. While there have been huge advances in camera technology, the song is still the same. How to get closer, how to fill the frame. I see it a lot in film and video too. Everyone’s trying to get just a little bit closer than the next guy.
But I discovered by doing that I was only getting part of the picture. I realized that day at the coyote den that I had been changing my shooting style without really being conscious of it. I had discovered the big picture.
I’m not even sure when it started to happen but I was starting to back up, to open up the frame, to let a little more in.
It became more important to me to get the animal in its environment than to get a frame filling shot.
An animal and its environment are so intertwined, it made no sense to me to include one and not the other.
Whenever I see imagery of a farmer, they’re always shown next to a barn or tractor. Businessmen are always shown in front of a fancy building or behind a big executive desk. Why isn’t it the same for wildlife? Why do most people chose to ignore the habitat that wildlife call home?
Is it because most people never get a chance to see wildlife up close and personal?
Whatever the reason, I continue to see people driving wildlife away by trying to get just one step closer. As for me, I’m content to step back away from the crowds in order to see the big picture.