Capturing a truly spectacular wildlife photos takes a lot of time and practice and required an incredible amount of patience. Wildlife photography is one of the most challenging and valuable topics in nature photography. Wildlife photography is gaining more attention today than ever before, perhaps because some wildlife species are in danger of extinction.
In wildlife photography, it is a matter of action and reaction, and mobility in wildlife photography is much greater than in other styles of photography, such as architecture, etc. Photography in this style requires high knowledge and extensive experience in the field of photography and familiarity with the behavior of various animals. Photographers must be able to prove that the images are natural.
Wildlife photographers use telephoto lenses so wildlife photographers need tripods. They also need camouflage equipment to get closer to wildlife. A large telephoto lens is affected by even the smallest vibrations. If you are using a long telephoto lens, extend your arm over it and control the lens body with your hands to reduce vibration. This prevents the lens from shaking and ultimately gives you more sharp images.
10 Important tips for wildlife photography
- Take control of your camera
Try all your best to learn the camera’s ISO features, position and light modes, focus modes, and more. When you are shooting wildlife photos, everything happens quickly and it is not like you are shooting scenes, so you do not have the opportunity to adjust your camera. If you are not familiar with the camera, its settings and the capabilities of your lenses, you will miss the opportunity to take great photos.
So you can easily learn enough about your equipment and practice before starting your dream vacation or adventure trip. Mirrorless cameras may be a better choice. It should be noted that the right camera and high-speed lens and high focus speed in the lens and camera cause better results. As a wildlife photographer, you should not forget about wide-angle lenses. Wide-angle lenses offer images with completely different viewing angles and very different views than closed lenses.
- Always be ready
In wildlife photography, there might be some sudden actions that you might need to be ready at any time, therefor adjust your camera base settings before you plan to take wildlife photos.
- Shoot during the golden hours
Light is one of the most important factors in any style of photography, especially when used in wildlife photography. Taking a photo in two timeframes of the day, known as the “golden hours” in photography, which is an hour after sunrise and one hour before sunset, make your photo more astonished.
- Focus carefully.
If your subject is moving or waiting to do something interesting, try following these two instructions:
- Focus on the eyes. Eyes are often the first thing that attracts our attention when we see pictures of animals. When the eyes are sharp, even if you work with a shallow depth of field, the image will feel more attractive.
- Make room for the animal to move in the frame. If you are seeing a moving animal, always leave space inside the photo frame for them to move. IUse negative space (empty space or open space around your subject) to increase the quality of your photos.
- Be prepared to wait
Patience in wildlife photography is playing an important role. Wild animals are very unpredictable,and technically you can’t ask them to stand on a certain place or to move where the light is better, so, be prepared to wait to take good wildlife photos.
- Use simple backgrounds.
The most dramatic wildlife photos typically include a simple background that does not stray too far from the subject. On the other hand, photos with crowded or distracting backgrounds can cause your subject to get lost in the scene. Ultimately, the goal is to highlight your subjects to highlight them. Sometimes you just have to move left or right a few inches to change position to get a better scene.
- Be creative
Your unique talent and creativity is the best thing you can bring to your photography. You have no problem getting inspired by the positives, but don’t be afraid to try and commit to trying new things – whether it means lying on the ground for a different angle or using longer lenses for close-ups. The more you want to get out of your comfort zone, the more likely you are to take a photo of a type that has dimensions and personality.
- Get to know your subject better
It is important to be able to predict your subject’s behavior. Do some research on the animals you are photographing before you start taking pictures.such as What do they eat? How do they react to the presence of humans? And etc.
Understanding your subject’s innate behaviors can make a difference in being prepared to use that magical short-lived moment of loss.
- Take pictures as many as possible
When it comes to wildlife photography, try shooting at different lights, apertures and shutter speeds to get an idea of the best performance. Take photos from different an
Fast shutter speed can keep a real sport or child moving fast.
- Respect animals and the environment
As a wildlife photographer, your top priority should be to capture the best possible images of animals in their natural habitat without harming or disturbing them in any way. Taking the photo you want should never affect the animal’s daily life, well-being, or the habitat in which they live.
- Use a tripod
Using a tripod is one of the best things you can do to improve your wildlife photography. By placing your camera on a tripod, it reduces camera shake and minimizes image blur due to camera shake. A good tripod will help a wildlife photographer more than anything else.
- Adjust your shutter speed
When you have enough light available, you should use high shutter speed to stabilize the subject especially for taking wildlife photos. For example, if you have a 400mm lens, your shutter speed should be at least 1/400 second to prevent blurring and spoiling the image. Animals often move fast, so you need to adjust the shutter speed as needed. A shutter speed of 1/1000 second or more is suitable for running creatures or shooting flying birds. What shutter speed you use depends on what animal you are shooting at and how fast you are moving.