Tips Of Photography

Wildlife Photography – Improving Your Animal Instincts!

We cover useful and practical easy to apply tips on improving your existing knowledge of outdoor, natural and wildlife photography skills in this special feature on click and shoot creatures for you – so stick around and enhance your sharp shooter skills right here, right now! After all, who knows when the travel bug may bite you next – and you find yourself in the middle of an adventure holiday destination with all the scope of putting together wildlife calendars, post-card materials and even the odd t-shirt print but for the want of matching photography techniques to capture the beauty of these wild beasts!

So, to avoid the disappointment of such a frustrating experience and to increase your scope for game-viewing and photography of a wild, untamed and thrilling outdoorsy moment made more memorable for the exciting natural backdrop it can be captured in, take a look at these exclusive wildlife photography tips – and you can bet your next camping trip won’t be the same again, what with so many types of photographs to click!!

There is no dearth of the type of outdoor photography you can aspire to choosing to do when out in the wilds: the range of natural, wildlife photography covers the varied purposes of professional photographers and even hobby photographers keen to commit to film and memory their tryst with the wild side of nature e.g. animals in their natural habitat. Some of the types of wildlife photography you can explore when out in the wilds, includes portraits (or head-shots) of animals, close-ups or zoom, focus of profiles, landscape and series photography (sort of like slow motion shots, very interesting, especially when you can capture one of the Big 5 moving in for the kill).

The greatest virtue that one needs to develop for perfecting the skills of outdoor, especially wildlife photography is patience; close on the heels of this is the need to work on using various kinds of photography equipment (e.g. light support, tripods, lens change etc.) while atop a tree/vantage point and also keep a cool head.

A very challenging and exciting vocation to choose, wildlife photography is fraught with dangers of being in the naked outdoors with little more than a camera to shoot great moments and also risk being exposed to tropical diseases or unfriendly weather conditions if traveling beyond known territories of one’s homeland.

You will need to learn how to use a telephoto lens as many a time, an animal will not walk near you and in the beginner stages, a wildlife photographer needs to learn to be comfortable in natural surroundings and not simply be fool-hardy in approaching an animal straight off as this gesture may be misinterpreted as a threat and the animal may attack you.

A good way to start on wildlife photography career is to begin with the more accessible animals like bears, fox, elk, wild rabbits etc. while keeping a safe distance as you don’t want to scare them away and yet capture them in their natural habitat.

Try using a high speed digital camera so you can assess and store the best shots including the agility of an animal in the wild as well as not miss out on any actions since digicams come equipped with various easy-use features like auto-focus, red-eye elimination and extra zoom etc. and their quick shutter speed helps one to take multiple shots as the animal in focus moves.

Learn techniques like panning (following the territory of the animal’s range of movement) outdoor lighting and placement of photography equipment so you can get close and take personal shots of the animals without drawing attention to yourself and always respect jungle laws to stay safe in the wilds.

Nature Photography: Five Tips for Great Wildlife Photos

Wildlife photography can be one of the most challenging and rewarding fields of nature photography. With digital cameras creating such widespread interest in all types of photography, new photographers all over the world are taking an interest in wildlife photography.

Most of the photography guides these days focus on the technical aspects of the camera: but really good photography relies more on composition, lighting, and sensitivity to your subject. This means you can improve your photography by thinking creatively, not technically.

Here are five of my top tips for taking better wildlife photographs.

Wildlife Photography Tip #1. Get to the subject’s eye level. Wildlife photos are most effective if they create an intimate connection between the subject and the viewer. The best way to do this is to take your photo at the subject’s eye level. This way, your wildlife photo can create the illusion of sharing a moment inside the world of the subject, rather than from the outside looking in.

If, for example, your subject is low to the ground (like a lizard, frog, or even a pet), crouch or lie flat, getting as low as possible so you can take your photo at the subject’s eye level.

Wildlife Photography Tip #2.It’s All In The Eyes. The personal connection mentioned in tip #1 is really about eye contact, so it is important to get the eyes right. If the eyes in your wildlife photo are sharp and clear, the photo will probably work. If they are out of focus, lost in shadow, or if the subject blinks or turns its eyes away, the connection will be lost, and the photo will almost certainly fail.

You don’t even need your whole subject to be in focus. Your animal could be mostly hidden by leaves, in shadow and out of focus. The picture could still work…as long as the eyes are open and captured sharply in the picture.

Wildlife Photography Tip #3. If The Background Doesn’t Help, Get Rid Of It. Many wildlife photos are spoiled because the background is cluttered, distracting, ugly, or just plain inappropriate. For example, seagulls on a beach can be quite beautiful, but seagulls at the local rubbish tip is a different matter. Also, wildlife photos look far less natural if you can tell they were taken in a zoo. Apply this principle: “Anything that does not make my photo better, makes it worse.”

This does not mean you can’t take a good wildlife photo at the zoo, at the tip, or anywhere else for that matter. You just need to manage it. If your background is spoiling your shot, zoom right in on the subject to eliminate as much of the background as possible. By zooming in, you will also reduce the depth of field to a minimum, so any background that does appear in your photo will be out of focus and less distracting.

Wildlife Photography Tip #4. If Your Background Is Working For You, Use It Well. A wildlife photograph that captures the subject in a beautiful natural setting can be even more effective than a simple close-up. My photos of a kangaroo on the beach, for example, show the subject in an unexpected context, making a more interesting image than a close-up portrait style photo.

If you take your wildlife subject as part of a wider landscape, you need to consider all the techniques of composition that apply to landscape photography. Remember the rule of thirds (which may or may not help) and be careful to position your animal so that the subject and the background work together to make a more effective composition. In particular, try to position your wildlife subject so that it looks toward the centre of the picture, not towards the edge of the frame.

Wildlife Photography Tip #5. Capture your subject in the best possible light. Even the most perfectly composed wildlife photo can fail because of bad lighting. Losing your subject in the shadows, glare reflecting off shiny feathers, and shadows across the face of the subject are all simple mistakes that can ruin a photo.

There is no single rule for lighting in a wildlife photograph, but here are some suggestions. I often find the best results when the sky is lightly overcast with thin cloud. This produces light that is bright, but soft and even compared to full sunlight. Your subject will be well illuminated, but you avoid harsh contrast and heavy shadows that rob the image of important detail.

If the weather is sunny, try to take your photos early and late in the day when the sun is low. At these times the light is soft and warmly coloured. It is also easier to catch the full face of your subject in sunlight, rather than half-obscured by shadow.

So there you have my five tips for wildlife photography. I could cheat and add tip #6: take lots of photos. Animals move, blink, flap their wings, and generally find ways to frustrate the wildlife photographer. Don’t forget, with digital photography it costs you nothing to keep snapping. So practice, persevere, and try out these tips…you could be taking better photos in no time.