There is no doubt that taking photographs of wildlife is a terrific challenge. You better be well prepared before you head out to take pictures of animals and birds. It’s not as easy as it might look, no matter what anyone tells you. If you have your own animals, or if your friends have animals, there is no better way to practice what you will need to do when the ‘real’ thing comes along than with their dogs or cats or birds. Being able to study these domestic animals up close will give you somewhat of an idea of what you can expect when you venture out past the backyard. Keep in mind that animals make sudden moves – it can be very difficult to anticipate what they will do next. For that reason, your camera and the framing need to be at the ready faster than you can blink an eye. The more you know [about wildlife] and the faster you are, the better pictures you will take. Here are some tips for photographing both animals and birds in the wild:
Practice is also a key to capturing the best wildlife photographs. Practicing to pan the camera on moving targets will go a long way toward getting the best pictures possible.
Be prepared and ready for anything. Animals and birds can and will act unexpectedly. Before you begin shooting, make sure your camera is fully charged and has all the memory necessary. If your camera takes batteries, if and when it runs out of power, make sure to bring those along as well.
Knowledge is key when setting out to photograph wildlife. Wherever it is you decide to go to take pictures, make sure you research that particular area in advance of arrival so you know what to expect in terms of what kind of animals and birds you will see there. Knowing an animal’s habitat can go a long way to figuring out where to find them and what type of behavior you might encounter.
You need to learn to walk and move stealthily, like a cat, when out in the wild looking for animals and birds to photograph. One wrong move and you will scare the wildlife off.
All of your senses will become more important then ever when out photographing wildlife. You need to use your eyes to observe what’s going on around you, your ears so as to detect movement and sounds, and even your nose to try and smell an animal that could be right there [beside you] but is in hiding. A heightened awareness of where you are and what your intentions are will enhance the wildlife photography shoot.
If you truly want to capture the very best photographs of wildlife, you can’t go wrong with a telephoto lens. Given both animals and birds are easily spooked, a telephoto lens will give you the ability to be up close and personal without scaring off what you are trying to photograph. There are camera’s on the market with built-in vibration reduced technology thereby eliminating the need for both a tripod and telephoto lens, but they are relatively expensive. For that matter, the use of a tripod will likely only get in your way as you race to capture moments that can take place very quickly.
For the best shots, it is imperative to put the sharpest focus on the eyes of animals or birds.
When photographing small animals, the best photographs are taken from a lower angle.
If you have done your research, then you know there are certain times of the day that are better than others to both view and photograph wildlife; early morning and just before dark are when you will likely see the most animals.
Take full advantage of all the natural light when out photographing wildlife. Keep the sun at your back as much as possible, so it’s light will be the focus right on the subject you are photographing.
If you follow all of the above tips for photographing wildlife, you are certain to enhance the experience that much more. If you take all of these tips one step further and practice as much as possible before heading out, you will have every opportunity of not only enjoying yourself, but also ending up with fantastic wildlife pictures. Tags: Adorama, aperture, camera, Canon, digital camera photography tutorial, digital photography tutorial, digital photography tutorials, exposure, ISO, Mark, Nikon, photography, shutter, snapfactory, triangle, Wallace