Abi Coop
Melissa Richard
Kristen Ryan
I’m excited to be back to share more important wildlife photography tips! First, I encourage you to read my first blog about the settings you need to learn and achieve.
Also, if you’re a Hello Storyteller member, you’ve received as a perk an easy way of calculating the depth of field to ensure your image are always in focus, so don’t forget to use it!
When it comes to wildlife photography, here are the key questions to ask yourselves:
First, it helps if you know you subject. Research on internet or just talking to other photographers or people in the neighborhood. Learn where it lives, what he eats, etc, it will increase your chances to find it and get a good shot. The more you know them, the more you’ll be able to read their behavior. For instance, if a female northern cardinal comes to my feeder, I know her bright red male will not be far and will for sure show up in the next minutes, so I can be prepared!
Wildlife is nearer than you think, just take a walk outside and notice where our little friends are hiding! Your local park might be home to birds and squirrels. If you have place for a bird feeder outside your home, then great, you won’t have to go far! Also Wildlife parks in your area can provide a lot of opportunities, especially as they often state what animals live there, so you know what to look for.
Sometimes you’re lucky, and you’re exactly there when the magic happens and boom! you get the perfect photo. But most of the time, you need to be patient, and wait for a good timing. Often animals are more active in the early morning or the late afternoon. Hello early risers! A morning walk to see the sunset rising on your closest park could be a successful excursion.Animals often have their habits too. For instance, I’ve heard that the mythical snowy owl was back in our neighborhood, so I’ve asked around to know where she’s been spotted exactly, but also at what time. That’s how I discovered she was often seen around 4PM-5PM near a specific spot. I was there a few days after at 4:05PM and guess what? She was there too!
Sometimes yes, sometimes no, because you can go somewhere and finally never see the animal you were looking for, or sometimes your settings were not adequate the focus isn’t good, or the image is blurry. Don’t despair! That’s how we all learn. At the end of the day, you’ve learn more about the animal’s habits, environment, or its patterns. You can look at your image and note if the speed wasn’t quick enough, or if your depth of field needed to be increased. You’ll be better prepared for next time!
Don’t be afraid when the weather is not all sunny and dry. Some cool photos can be animals during a snow fall, or how the rain stays on their plumage!
If it’s winter time, or you know it might rain, it’s important for you to have the right clothes —if I go shooting at -31 Celsius degrees, I will bring the appropriate hat … Same goes if you’re shooting in the desert!
You need to protect yourself, but also your gear from elements, like rain or dirt, by using a rain cover, or even a shower cap/transparent wrap to protect your camera and your lens.
It’s important to keep a low profile, because animals scare easily! Don’t make sudden moves, stay calm, and don’t make any noise! If you have the option of silent shutter on your camera, use it! It helps if you’re not wearing a red jacket for instance, to blend into their environment.
The rule here is to keep shooting, because you never know when an animal is going to do something special! Try to photograph on the same level as the animal — and yes, you’ll often see me lying on the ground to take photos!
And just because you’re shooting tiny and fast animals doesn’t mean you have to be erase everything you know about how to do good photo! The composition and everything else still apply! Know your rule of thirds, your golden ratio, leaving space in the direction where the subject where is looking, cropped animal parts — maybe you can change your position so a certain branch or leaf isn’t in the way? Remember to capture close-ups, but don’t forget to zoom out to show their environment.
And sometimes you’ll need to use editing to achieve the perfect photo, and it’s OK! And how to edit wildlife could be a theme for another blog post ?
It is so important to respect the precious wildlife you’re trying to photograph.
Remember that you’re at the animal’s home, so bring your best behavior with you!
If you’re starting, a local zoo can be also a good place to practice and also take photos from dangerous animals you’d never approach otherwise. The more you learn about animals, the more you want to photograph them in nature and their real natural environment. You’ll never stop learning!
I hope these important wildlife photography tips were helpful! Watch out for my Hello Creative Takeover later this month, where I’ll show you how my bird watch station is set up, to easily attract birds.