Basic Things to Know about Your First SLR Camera!

You just bought your first SLR camera and can't wait to start taking some awesome pictures with it. But the manual for your camera is huge, and you're not quite ready to trudge through it.
So what are the basic things you need to know to be able to use your new SLR camera correctly? Here are some great pointers to help you take better pictures and possibly start a photography career down the road.
Shutter
The shutter speed refers to how fast your shutter is opening. The longer it's open, the more light you're letting in. If you have a slower shutter, you can capture motion blur; with a faster shutter, you'll freeze the motion.
Aperture
Aperture, or f-stop refers to how wide the opening of your lens is. The wider it's open, the more light you're letting in. With a wide aperture, you're lens blurs the background; with a small aperture, your background is more in focus.
ISO
ISO refers to how sensitive your sensor is to the light that's coming in. The higher your ISO, the brighter your image. With higher ISO, you'll see more grain or "noise" in an image than you do with lower ISOs.
So you've got to decide which settings you'll be using to make your picture brighter or darker. When you let in more light with one, you have to let in less light with the other to get the same exposure. 

Wildlife Nature Photography in Antarctica

Antarctica is one of the most mystical destinations on the planet and every year thousands of tourists now brave the elements and cruise to Antarctica to take in the stunning landscapes and amazing wildlife. For photographers it's a wildlife photography opportunity like no other. For the smartest shooters, the best destination of the lot is actually only half way there...

Every year, as the first warming rays of spring sunshine strike Macquarie Island in the Southern Ocean, life begins to stir on its rocky crags and amid its course tussock grass. Within weeks of the last snow melting, Australia's sub-Antarctic outposts teems with wildlife. Millions of sea birds noisily jostle for nesting space while, on the beach, elephant seals compete aggressively for mates.
But wildlife is not the only invader of this remote, 32km long and 4km wide island, midway between Tasmania and Antarctic. Scientists from the Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition arrive each spring to join personnel who have wintered on the base. During the next few months they record almost everything that moves on land and sea, taking a census of the island's wildlife and studying the island's plant life and geology.
Of recurring interest are the 4 species of Albatross that breed on Macquarie. These majestic birds, which soar effortlessly over thousands of kilometres on 3 metre plus wingspans are threatened in large part because they often become entangled in the fishing lines set by long-line tuna boats.