Ever catch yourself wondering how to take better wildlife photos? I’m here to help! In this article, I list three must haves when looking to improve your wildlife photography, plus some photography tips and tricks to ensure your next wildlife photos are as good as they can be. Read on!
Preparation
It’s no use heading off into the wilderness without some idea of what you might encounter, and how best to react when you do come face to face with the ‘local inhabitants’. Whether it be native bird-life, timid herbivores, or carnivorous predators; you should plan to photograph the animals you encounter in a way that is safe for you, for them, and for their environment.
So this means doing a little bit of research before hand about the area, the animals you are likely to see there, and what their natural habits are.
Equipment
There are so many professional (and non-professional) photographers out there capturing amazing imagery on so many different cameras, don’t get sucked into the “I need this camera or that lens to be able to photograph wildlife”. Use the best equipment that you have access to, however more importantly, learn it well.
When shooting wildlife you often don’t have time to be fiddling with unfamiliar camera settings. To improve your wildlife photography, you should know your gear well enough so that you can focus on the creative process and make changes to your camera settings instantly and without thinking too much about it. Check your histogram to make sure your exposures are good, however then concentrate on shooting.
You are more likely to capture the action when looking through your camera than you will when looking at the back of it!!
Content
If you are shooting something exciting that you haven’t shot before, or an animal that is more likely to generate that “wow” factor simply because of what it is (maybe it is rare, exotic or dangerous), it is important to maintain your concentration and not get lost in the moment. It’s no use putting your camera on motor drive and shooting 100 frames of a pride of lions if the images are badly composed, poorly lit or without a specific focal point.
If you’ve done your preparation above, and are comfortable with your equipment, then you should be in a good position to retain your creative style as a photographer and plan your images more effectively. What angles can you use to emphasize important features about the animal – their size, the texture of their coat, their aggressive or passive nature?
How is the lighting, could you improve your image by moving slightly to allow side lighting or back lighting to enhance the mood of your shot? Are there any environmental features you could include in your shot to better frame or compose the image? And artistically, what should you be including – and what should you be leaving out – in order to tell the best story about the animal you are photographing?
If you can allow yourself time to be creative then it is better to capture fewer images of better quality than a whole lot of average “snapshots”.
More tips to improve your wildlife photography
And lastly, just a few general comments…
In most cases your focal point should be the animal’s eye. Even better if there is some catch light reflected.
A longer telephoto or zoom lens will allow you to shoot tighter shots of the wildlife without impacting on the animal or its environment as much.
Most animals are more active early in the morning or late afternoon / early evening. This is also the time when you are most likely to get the best light for photography as well – the warm colours of the sun from a low angle, as well as good shadow definition, and maybe even some fog or mist to add drama.
Look for graphical elements in your shots – groups of animals, or patterns and textures found in a single animal’s fur, coat or feathers.
Another method to improve your wildlife photography is not always freeze the action – you could also try slower shutter speeds for movement blur or to pan a running animal.
Patience!! As they say, “hurry up and wait”. Be prepared to wait for the perfect shot, don’t be tempted to try and startle the animal or force it to behave in a specific way for your image. Not only will the animal’s behaviour not look right in the final scene, however it could be dangerous.
Now go out there and practice – happy shooting!