Nature and Wildlife Photography Checklist 9 Secrets for Successful Wildlife Photos

NATURE AND WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY CHECKLIST 9 SECRETS FOR SUCCESSFUL WILDLIFE PHOTOS hen you venture out to take photos of wildlife, not only do you have to undertake the processes of getting to the location, you also Whave to set up your camera and other gear, compose an engaging photo, and above all else, actually find the animals you seek to photograph. It’s a laundry list of tasks that, if isn’t accomplished, will prevent you from getting the photos you seek. Whether you’re just starting out in wildlife photography or you’ve been doing it for a few years, these nine secrets to success will help you take your wildlife photos to the next level. Slow It Down Rushing around won’t do you any favors when you’re trying to photograph wildlife. And while it might seem obvious to make slow, purposeful movements to avoid scaring off wildlife, it’s much harder to do than one might think. The excitement of the day, being out in nature, thinking about the possibility of capturing awesome images of wildlife can lead even veteran photographers to forget themselves and move way too fast. If you’re to ever get in position to get a good shot, you’ll need to learn to slow things down. Approach in a Zigzag Line Walking directly toward wildlife is usually not going to get you good results. The animal will either feel threatened and flee, or it might take it as a threat and you could find yourself face-to-face with an angry animal. A better choice is to approach in a zigzag fashion, moving from left to right, and alternating your direction such that you are never moving toward your target directly. This kind of movement seems totally unnatural to us, but to a lot of wildlife, is a far more natural way to move about. Doing so slowly, as mentioned above, will further disarm the animal and make it feel more at ease. Balance Silence With raining. You might need to cross a stream. a great photography spot because you’re You might be walking on steep, slippery, sheltered from the elements and can, in Non-Threatening Noises or uneven terrain that requires you to have theory, get up close and personal with your hands free to catch a fall. But when at wildlife, without them necessarily knowing all possible, have your camera out, ready you’re there. to raise to your eye to take a photo. The advantage of using the sitting and Preset your aperture, shutter speed, and waiting camouflage method is that there is a ISO to the current conditions. Take a meter lot less work involved, at least from a walking reading off of a relatively bright area near around and carrying your gear standpoint. you. Have everything dialed in, that way if The drawback, of course, is that you’re stuck you happen upon a photo-worthy scene, in one spot, and there is no guarantee that you’re ready to fire off an image before the animals you seek to photograph will the wildlife flees. It might only save you a show up. Then again, if you stay put, you couple of seconds, but in that short span never know what might come along! Closely related to the notions of moving of time, the scene might change from slowly and in irregular lines is the idea of fantastic to terrible! The more prepared moving without making a lot of noise. It’s you are, the better off you will be. Encourage Animals to a fine balance, really. On the one hand, moving about silently might get you closer Come to You to your subject. On the other hand, the Pack Light chances are that the animal you seek to photograph will know you’re there long before you get into position. Lurking around silently might actually put it on edge more than if you make slight sounds as you move. This is something that will take a lot of time and practice to perfect. It will also depend on the animal you’re stalking. Vary the way you approach animals, staying silent in some cases, making non-threatening noises in others, to get a feel for what Putting food out for animals to draw seems to work best. them nearer to you is a bit of an ethical minefield. On the one hand, putting bird There will be many occasions when you feeders in your yard is totally acceptable have to hike a good distance to get to and will allow you to capture photos of Never Make Eye Contact the best location to photograph certain birds from the comfort of your home or animals. And while it’s important to be deck. Then again, throwing a hunk of beef prepared for various eventualities like bad out in the forest in the hopes of attracting a weather and for different photographic bear is a big no-no. Just practice common needs like having several lenses, there sense here–put out suet or bird seed to is also something to be said for trying attract birds to your property, but apart to travel as light as possible. Going light from that, avoid using such tactics in the means less stress on your body, and you wild. Wild animals need to remain wild, will be able to move with greater ease. and developing a reliance on food from There is the issue of size, as well. If you’re humans will only cause more problems for trying to move through an area without the animals, and for humans too. being noticed, having an enormous backpack on your back, a huge tripod One thing is for sure–whether you’re trying in one hand, and your camera with a Be Patient to photograph a bear or a squirrel–making telephoto lens in the other will make you eye contact is a surefire way to portray highly conspicuous. These items are yourself as a threat. The more you seem certainly necessary in many situations, but like a threat, the more likely the animal is to if you won’t be venturing too far from your flee, so keeping your eyes on the ground home base or your vehicle, leave the large or at an angle away from the animal will pack in favor of a small one and shoot at get you much, much closer. a higher ISO so you can handhold your One trick is to approach the animal by camera and leave the tripod behind as sidestepping towards it, your eyes gazing well. You might find that packing light will at an angle perpendicular to the animal. help you get more shots, and better shots Doing so might make it think that you don’t to boot. know it’s there, again, allowing you to get a bit closer. Another trick to try is to have Patience is something we can all use your camera pointed at the animal as you Try Camouflage in many aspects of our lives. But to be approach. Doing so will help it habituate an effective wildlife photographer, you to your lens, and it will be less likely to be absolutely must be prepared to sit around frightened of it. and wait for long periods of time. Whether you’re sitting in your car, in a blind, or actively moving around in the environment, the chances are that you will spend hours Always Be at the Ready and hours in pursuit of wildlife with only a few minutes (and perhaps only a few seconds) of total shooting time. It’s a bit of a bleak picture, but in the end, practicing patience might be your most powerful tool for taking better wildlife photos. The images you see online of Then again, there are ways for you to stay incredible wildlife scenes weren’t just in one location without having to drag your happened upon. In many cases, it takes gear to and fro. Many animals hang out in many, many hours of doing nothing but locations that aren’t too far off the beaten sitting and waiting to get “the shot.” In path. In those situations, you might be able other cases, it will take you years to take There will be times when it’s just not in the to sit in your vehicle and rest your camera your dream photo. But once you do, all the cards to have your camera out and in your on the windowsill to get fantastic pictures. patient waiting will be well worth it! hand as you’re moving around. It might be In other situations, a hunter’s blind makes .

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