Friday, April 27, 2012

Wildlife Photography Tips

By Amy Renfrey


There are many wildlife photography tips I can share with you, but here are the most vital. It really does rely heavily on, not only lighting, but your timing and knowledge of the animal you are photographing and a whole lot of endurance.

I can suggest taking a few memory cards with you and make certain you can store up an huge amount of information on them. And shoot in RAW. You will be able to get the most excellent quality that way and be able to keep those shots for a lifetime. And expect to take many pictures until you get the precise shot. It all comes down to homework.

Portraits can actually educate us about wildlife photography. How we order and structure our creature within the frame, concentrate on the eyes and body movement, and maintain sharp focus on the eyes...these are all methods we do in portrait photography all the time and wildlife photography is no different.

Even if you get nothing else in focus, and you have the eyes nice and clear, then you can get away with it. We always look at eyes, which is why this system works best and works perfectly. You will have noticed in the past that if the eyes are blurred in a head and shoulders photo, then we just don't respond emotionally with the image.

Your own individual wellbeing is a massive factor. In no way get very close to a wild animal if you can help it. This is why wildlife photographers use really lengthy lenses. They need to be able to get as close to what is going on as soon as possible without surprising the animal to their being there, or, put themselves in harms road. Many wild animals are extremely territorial and may act in response to you as a threat if they are frightened. So be wise. Take a telephoto lens and keep out of sight.

Not only do we use a telephoto lens for this purpose, but also for the idea of not wanting to intimidate the animal in any way. This is especially true for birds. Wild birds are nervous little things at best. When a bird is resting quietly on a tree branch waiting patiently for a mate, you don't want to make a sound from the undergrowth and risk it hurrying away.

Twilight and dawn are by far the greatest times to take pictures of wild animals. They search for their meal and can be seen stalking, fighting with other animals and searching attentively. They may also come out of their sleeping place, get ready for attracting a soul mate and begin singing or performing the ritual of courtship. This can offer you with a number of extraordinary photo opportunities.

What about composition? Wild life photography, like any portraiture, is ideally done with a balance of negative space and positive space around your animal. if an animal is searching into the distance for instance, make certain you give the animal breathing space in front of it to "look into". This works fine for most wildlife.

Apply these wildlife photography ideas by going to the zoo. Photograph on a variety of animals until you are confident to go to the next step- the wild. Good luck and happy shooting!




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