How to get better pictures of wildlife

Animals make rewarding subjects for photography but are uncooperative models. 【小题1】. Observation will tell you which flowers attract the most bees, which trees are most popular among birds, and which ponds are frequented by frogs, allowing you to set up your camera at a site you know has a good chance of success. Some animals occur at dusk or are active at night, so it is worth visiting the same spots at different times of day to discover what is about.

Rural animals are very likely to be frightened if approached by a person, spoiling not only the chance for a great photograph, but also the likelihood of them returning to the same spot again. 【小题2】. By contrast, urban animals are more habituated (习惯的) to humans than their rural counterparts, and will likely ignore you if you stay still for long enough. So you can free yourself to sip coffee from the sidelines while you wait.

Choosing one species to focus on is a great way to push yourself. Pick a species that is accessible in your local patch, even if it is not the most attractive of creatures. Remember, you’re looking to create great images, not bad images of great animals. Getting to know that species well will improve your fieldcraft skills, and telling its story will naturally suggest different images to try.

Shooting in the middle of the day while the light is bright is pleasant, but rarely produces the best images. Try getting up early, when there are fewer people around and the wildlife is bolder. 【小题4】. Many animals are more active at night, and newer cameras with high ISOs are making night photography more accessible than ever. 【小题5】. See puddles and rain as opportunities to get creative with reflection and texture, as well as documenting behaviours you wouldn’t see on a dry day.

They say procrastination (拖延) is the thief of time—actually deadlines are. New research from the University of Otago has found that if you want someone to help you out with something, it is best not to set a deadline at all. But if you do set a deadline, make it short.

Professor Stephen Knowles and his co-authors tested the effect of deadline length on task completion for their research published in Economic Inquiry. Participants were invited to complete an online survey concerning a charity donation. They were given either one week, one month, or no deadline to respond. Professor Knowles says although the topic of the survey was about charity, the results apply to any situation where someone asks another person for help.

The study found responses to the survey were lowest for the one-month deadline and highest when no deadline was specified. No deadline and the one-week deadline led to many early responses, while a long deadline appeared to give people permission to procrastinate, and then forget. Professor Knowles wasn’t surprised to find that specifying a shorter deadline increased the chances of receiving a response compared to a longer deadline. However, he did find it interesting that they received the most responses when no deadline was specified.

“We interpret this as evidence that specifying a longer deadline, as opposed to a short deadline or no deadline at all, removes the urgency to act,” he says. “People therefore put off undertaking the task, and since they are inattentive, postponing it results in lower response rates.”

He says it is possible that not specifying a deadline might still have led participants to assume that there is an unspoken deadline. Professor Knowles hopes his research can help reduce the amount of procrastinating people do. “Many people procrastinate. They have the best intentions of helping someone out, but just do not get around to doing it.”

After the destructive winter, the chances are that your lawn will be looking as messy as a lockdown hairstyle.【小题1】

At the time, weeds will have undoubtedly moved into your beloved lawn. 【小题2】 There are plenty of weeding tools on the market, but we find that one of the best is a standard table knife. Be careful to remove as much of the root as possible. Some weeds can grow back from the smallest of pieces.

Moss will also most likely be growing in the damp areas of your garden. So grab a lawn rake (耙子) and pull the rake hard across any moss-infected areas. It’s a job you should have done back in October really. 【小题3】

For your first cut of the year, make sure you raise the cutting head on your lawn mower to its highest setting. Cutting your grass too close at this stage will weaken its roots and may lead to weedy problems later the year. 【小题4】Little and often tends to be the best policy for healthy grass.

【小题5】 You can use the technique known as “overseeding”, where grass seed is sown directly onto a lawn in spring or autumn. First off, choose the grass seed to match your existing lawn. Then sow your chosen grass seed, using the back of your seed packet to guide you on the amount needed per square meter. After that water your lawn using a can with a fine rose and keep off the area for a couple of weeks.