Have you ever had a wildlife viewing experience that was so awe-inspiring that you wished you could capture it and share it with others? It’s not easy to photograph wild animals. They won’t pose for you may not even stay still for very long!
Luckily, the arrival of digital cameras made the wildlife photography learning curve a lot less expensive, if not less challenging. No more "wasted" boxes of film! You can shoot, shoot, shoot, and learn, learn, learn. You can take a lot of photos, choose the best, and delete the rest!
Wildlife enthusiasts often look for tips to capture their subjects in photos. Here are some suggestions garnered from a few of the best wildlife photographers.
Zoom In—Safety is always a factor when photographing in the wild. For your safety and the well being of the animals, always keep at least 100 yards distance from wildlife. You are more likely to see and photograph natural behavior. Pull in the action with a powerful zoom. Prepare yourself for a bit of sticker shock. Lenses with a long focal length are expensive. However, you don’t need to purchase a foot-long monster. A 300mm lens is a good choice for a starter lens. (Another nice feature of digital camera technology is the optical and digital zoom capabilities of many basic cameras, reducing the need for add-on lenses.)
Speed Up the Shutter and Crank Up the ISO—When animals are on the move you need to decide quickly on the type of shot you want to take. Do you want to stop or show the action? If you want to freeze the action, shoot at the fastest shutter speed your camera can muster for the light conditions. Turn up your ISO, which measures the camera's sensitivity to light, to give an additional boost in shutter speed. If you want to show the motion of your image, try shooting with a "slower" shutter speed of 1/4 to 1/8 and pan your camera with the animal. Practice panning shots of moving pets or people to learn how to take dramatic photographs with a sense of speed. Remember—you won't be wasting film!)
Use a Tripod—The combination of long lenses, camera shake, and erratic and quick-moving wildlife make for the perfect storm for blurry photos. (Digital-zoom increases the likelihood of blur, too.) Mounting your camera will reduce or eliminate shake.
Frame Your Shots—Composition is essential to a great picture. If the story is the animal, keep the background simple to focus attention on your subject.
The Eyes Have It—Miss the eyes and you've missed the shot. Getting the eyes in focus is key to connecting "emotionally" with the animal through the photograph. It's simply human nature to look at the eyes. Also, you need to use both your eyes to take pictures. Don’t close one eye! By keeping both eyes open you'll see the subject in the viewfinder and you'll also see what's going to happen next.
Use a Flash—You can use your flash to fill in shadows and provide detail on a bright, sunny day or to illuminate your subject in a dark setting. Be conscious of the animal, however, and how it might react—avoid using a flash if there is a chance it will scare your subject. Try to keep the sun at your back or side so that the light falls directly on your subject.
Be Prepared—The boy scouts had this one right! Always be ready for an animal encounter. Make sure your fully-charged camera is handy. Keep your essentials—like extra batteries, memory cards, and flash—in your pockets and easily accessible. You don’t want to lose a great opportunity pawing through your backpack.
Wherever you live, chances are there are animals nearby you can photograph. The best times of the day for viewing and photographing wildlife are early in the mornings and just before dark. This is when wildlife is usually most active and the light is the most dramatic.
Photographing wildlife requires the same skills as viewing wildlife does. Review the viewing tips (linked to the left on this page), then get out there are capture those "wildlife moments!