Researching and Preparing for Wildlife Photography
Before heading out with your camera, the first and most overlooked step is researching locations and learning about the species you want to photograph. Spending time to arm yourself with valuable knowledge about the animals in their natural environment is an essential first step.
Begin by watching videos of the wildlife in their habitats. From documentaries to random YouTube clips, this footage can provide invaluable insights into environmental and behavioral details. “I spend countless hours watching videos of wildlife in their natural environment. The amount of footage out there is almost endless.”
In addition to video research, read up on the specific species you plan to photograph. Even the smallest details can make a difference in the quality of your images. “I also read about the species that we are going to photograph. Even the smallest of details could make a difference in the quality of images you take with the subject in front of you.”
Interacting with experienced guides and local experts is another powerful way to gather important information. “If I am interested in birds, I interact with birders with in-depth knowledge of the species they follow. If I am headed to northern Canada, I talk to professional trackers about northern species like Caribou, wolves, bears, and Lynx that I might want to photograph.”
If you know there is wildlife in a local area, take a hike and look for tracks, feces, bedded areas, or other signs of activity. You can also set up a trail camera to observe the animals’ patterns and determine the best times to visit. “You can also set up a trail camera where you suspect activity. Let the camera sit for a week, then see if this looks like the right spot for a blind. If you capture wildlife, note the times of the day and plan to visit this area long before your trap camera captures the wildlife.”
All of this research and preparation will help you better understand where and when to find the wildlife, as well as how they live in the environments you plan to visit. This information is invaluable for ensuring successful wildlife photography outings.
Top Destinations for Wildlife Photography
As an experienced wildlife photographer, I have had the opportunity to travel to some of the most incredible locations around the world to capture stunning images of animals in their natural habitats. Here are my top 10 wildlife photography destinations, each offering unique opportunities and experiences:
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The Serengeti, Tanzania: Known for the Great Migration, where millions of wildebeest, zebras, and other animals migrate between Maasai Mara and Serengeti National Park, offering dramatic scenes of wildlife crossings, predator-prey interactions, and stunning landscapes.
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Yellowstone National Park, USA: Home to a wide variety of wildlife, including bison, elk, wolves, grizzly bears, and more. The park’s diverse ecosystems, geothermal features, and expansive landscapes provide endless opportunities to capture some of the best wildlife images in the continental US.
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Masai Mara, Kenya: Renowned for its vast open plains, where you can witness iconic African wildlife such as lions, elephants, giraffes, and cheetahs. It’s particularly renowned for its big cat populations and opportunities to witness predation, especially during the iconic wildebeest migration.
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Antarctica: Offering unparalleled opportunities for photographing wildlife in a pristine and remote environment. Antarctica provides unique subjects against a backdrop of stunning icy landscapes, from massive colonies of penguins to seals and whales.
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Tiger Reserves, India: India is home to the majority of the world’s wild tigers, and its tiger reserves offer some of the best opportunities to photograph these majestic big cats in their natural habitat. Reserves such as Ranthambore, Bandhavgarh, Kanha, and Corbett are famous for their tiger populations.
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Newfoundland, Canada: Located on the eastern coast of Canada, Newfoundland offers a diverse range of some of the most accessible bird photography opportunities due to its varied habitats, coastal landscapes, and position along migratory routes.
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Katmai National Park, Alaska: This park is renowned for its exceptional wildlife photography opportunities, particularly for capturing images of Alaska brown bears and other iconic Alaskan wildlife.
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Galápagos Islands, Ecuador: Famous for its unique and diverse wildlife, including giant tortoises, marine iguanas, and blue-footed boobies. The animals here have evolved without natural predators, making them more approachable for photography.
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Costa Rica: A biodiversity hotspot, Costa Rica boasts lush rainforests, diverse ecosystems, and abundant wildlife, including almost 1000 species of colorful birds like toucans and macaws, as well as monkeys, sloths, and reptiles.
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Churchill, Canada: Known as the “Polar Bear Capital of the World,” Churchill and the areas north of there offer unparalleled opportunities to photograph polar bears in their natural habitat as they wait for the sea ice to freeze.
These locations stand out for their rich biodiversity, unique wildlife species, and picturesque landscapes, allowing photographers to capture breathtaking images and unforgettable moments in nature.
Choosing the Right Photography Gear
When it comes to wildlife photography, the gear you choose can significantly impact the quality and consistency of your images. While photography gear might not be the most important factor, it is still an essential ingredient for successful wildlife photography.
“Consider your gear as mere tools, and to make the most of these tools, you have to know what they do, how they work, and how they can be best applied to create different types of wildlife images.”
Some critical factors to consider when selecting gear include cost, features, physical size, weight, and your own comfort level. Having gear that is too big, heavy, or complicated for your skill level can be just as debilitating as gear that might be considered inferior.
Effective wildlife photography equipment should be fast, reliable, and able to produce high-quality images in various lighting conditions. Capturing action and wildlife behavior is often at the heart of what I do as a wildlife photographer, so speed is always one of the most important considerations with my gear.
“Fast autofocus and shutter frame rate are camera features I rely on for the most consistent results and for capturing that decisive moment.”
A telephoto lens is the one piece of gear you should consistently rely upon for wildlife photography. To ensure a safe working distance between you and a potentially dangerous animal or to fill the image frame with your wildlife subject, a lens with a focal length of at least 400mm is typically necessary.
“To photograph small birds or very shy wild mammals, a focal length of 400mm minimum would be necessary, and 600mm or 800mm would be even better. For large mammals in national parks where your subjects are used to people, a range of focal lengths of 200mm to 400mm will usually be adequate.”
The maximum aperture of the lens, or its “speed,” is another critical factor. Faster lenses with a larger maximum aperture, such as f/2.8 or f/4, perform better in low light conditions and create a shallower depth of field, producing a smoother, out-of-focus background.
When it comes to lens choice, you can opt for either prime lenses with a fixed focal length or zoom lenses with a range of focal lengths. Primes are best for small, distant birds or shy animals, while zooms offer more flexibility in framing and composition.
“If you plan on doing photography from a fixed position where getting closer or farther away is not an option – like a vehicle, dock, or large cruise ship – a zoom lens will serve you much better for that reason.”
Other important camera features to consider include burst speed, autofocus points, in-body image stabilization, and weather sealing. Ultimately, the gear you choose should feel comfortable and intuitive in your hands, allowing you to focus on capturing the best possible images of wildlife.
Mastering Camera Settings and Techniques
Capturing the essence of wildlife through your photography requires not only the right gear but also a deep understanding of camera settings and techniques. Let’s dive into some key considerations to help you elevate your wildlife images.
Exposure and Metering
Achieving the correct exposure is critical, especially when photographing in snowy or bright environments. “Your camera sees a white scene. The computer in your camera is going to find 18% Grey and dull your image down. When it does this it gives your snow a grey or bluish tone that you don’t want to have.”
To overcome this, I recommend setting your camera to manual mode and intentionally overexposing the scene by 1-2 stops, using the camera’s histogram as a guide. “We usually just fill the frame with snow, and adjust the settings in Manual mode, until we see the peak on the camera’s meter indicate that the exposure is now at +2 stops for overcast snow or +1 stops for brightly lit snow.”
Panning for Motion
Panning is a powerful technique for conveying a sense of movement in your wildlife images. By moving the camera in perfect synergy with your subject, you can create dynamic shots with a blurred background and a sharp main subject.
“Panning works when you move the camera in perfect synergy with the subject. It’s not enough to just swing the camera from side to side. You have to move it in perfect synch with your subject.”
The key is to maintain a consistent shutter speed, typically between 1/8 and 1/60 of a second, and use a smooth, fluid motion to follow the animal’s movement. “As a starting point, let’s go back to the example of the sprinters running across the picture. Try anything between 1/8 of a second and 1/60 of a second.”
Motion Blur Technique
Another approach to conveying motion is the motion blur technique. Instead of moving the camera, you compose the scene and allow the wildlife to move through the frame, freezing the background while blurring the subject.
“This method will freeze your background while the subject is allowed to blur. You’ll need a tripod for this technique. You will select a background with some stationary objects and visual interest, but not so much that it’ll compete with your subject.”
Set your camera to shutter priority mode and experiment with slower shutter speeds, typically between 1/30 and 1/250 of a second, to achieve the desired amount of blur. Adjust your aperture and ISO as needed to maintain a proper exposure.
Dealing with Heat Distortion
One common challenge when using long telephoto lenses is the issue of heat distortion, which can result in soft, out-of-focus images. “Heat distortion is caused when light is refracted through air of differing densities. Hot air is less dense than cold air, so light waves are bent differently in hot versus cold air.”
To minimize the effects of heat distortion, consider moving closer to your subject, avoiding photographing over surfaces that heat up quickly, and shooting during the golden hours around sunrise and sunset when the air is cooler. “Reducing the distance that light travels through the refracted air will reduce the amount of heat distortion that you see in photographs.”
By mastering these camera settings and techniques, you’ll be well on your way to capturing captivating and dynamic wildlife images that convey the essence of your subjects.
Composition and Storytelling
Composition is arguably the most important creative element in wildlife photography. A well-composed image not only has visual appeal but also has the power to effectively tell a story about your subject.
Eye Level Perspective
Shooting at the eye level of your wildlife subject is a powerful compositional technique that can create a sense of connection between the viewer and the animal. “Shooting wildlife at eye level – Doing this makes the person looking at your image feel like they were right there with you while you took the photo.”
Rule of Thirds
The rule of thirds is a fundamental principle of composition that can help you create more visually appealing and balanced images. “The rule of thirds states that when an image frame is divided up into three equal segments, both horizontally and vertically, there is an aesthetic value in placing important visual elements on one of the horizontal or vertical lines, or when two of these lines intersect.”
This includes positioning the primary subject, the horizon, or the focal point along these lines or intersections. “If you’re working the wide environmental wildlife scene, try placing the subject on one of the intersecting points. it’s a wildlife headshot, place the eyes or prominent facial features 1/3 of the way from the edge of the frame.”
Negative Space
The negative space surrounding your main subject is just as important as the positive space occupied by the animal itself. “Negative space is the area that surrounds the main subject in an image. In this context, the main subject, or animal, can be referred to as positive space.”
Properly using negative space can help create a sense of balance and emphasis in your composition. “Negative space helps emphasize the primary subjects in the photo, which naturally draws the eye of the viewer. If there is not enough negative space around your animal, it may appear cramped and crowded by the image frame.”
Focus on the Eyes
The eyes of your wildlife subject are often the key to creating a connection with the viewer. “Biologically, we humans have a visual system that is hardwired to immediately train on an animal’s or fellow human eyes. Whether it’s a portrait of wildlife or a person, the eyes are the initial focal point in the image and where the viewer’s attention is first drawn too.”
Ensure that the eyes are in sharp focus, as a blurry or out-of-focus eye can significantly detract from the overall impact of the image. “The viewer of your image will immediately lose interest if the eyes are out of focus, or are blurry.”
By applying these compositional techniques and storytelling elements, you can elevate your wildlife photography and create images that captivate and engage your audience.
Respecting and Protecting Wildlife
As wildlife photographers, it is our responsibility to respect and protect the animals and environments we photograph. We must always be mindful of our actions and their potential impact on the natural world.
“The first bit of advice I would give you is to try not to go out on your own. Take a buddy. I know that is always not possible. But I highly recommend it. My second bit of advice is to have something like an inReach Mini.”
When it comes to interacting with wildlife, there are four key areas to consider:
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Baiting or Feeding: Providing animals with food that is not natural to their diet can be harmful and can habituate them to human presence, potentially putting them in danger.
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Destroying Habitat: We must practice a “leave no trace” approach, minimizing our impact on the environment and ensuring that there is little evidence of our presence when we leave.
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Crowding Wildlife: Approaching animals too closely can stress them and disrupt their natural behaviors, such as mating, raising young, and hunting.
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Provoking Animals: There is no excuse for intentionally putting wildlife under duress in order to capture a photograph. “This is one of the worst ways to capture a picture of an animal. There is no excuse for putting an animal under such duress in order to take a photo.”
“As photographers, it is important to respect all wildlife. The long and short of it is to just use common sense. If you think that you are putting wildlife, or its natural habitat in danger stop what you’re doing and look for an alternative method to acquire the photo.”
By being mindful of these considerations and prioritizing the wellbeing of the animals and their environments, we can enjoy wildlife photography while ensuring that our actions do not have a negative impact.
Harnessing the Power of Light
Light is a fundamental element in photography, and it can have a transformative impact on your wildlife images. Understanding how to use different types of light can help you create compelling and visually striking shots.
Backlighting
Backlighting occurs when the light source is behind your subject, such as during the golden hour. This can create a silhouetted effect with a hazy, dramatic feel. “Backlighting happens when the light source is behind the subject – for example, light during the golden hour when the sun is lower in the sky almost closer to the horizon.”
Rim Lighting
Rim lighting is a variation of backlighting, where the light falls at an angle, revealing details of the subject rather than creating a silhouette. “Rim Light occurs if backlight is slightly moved (or the photographer moves to an angle when it is natural light) to fall from an angle, then this will show details of the subject instead of a silhouette and will have a rim light.”
Front Lighting
Front lighting, where the light is directly in front of the subject, is the easiest to work with but can result in a flat, two-dimensional appearance. “Front Lighting occurs when the light is right in front of the subject, it is easier to photograph, but if the light is directly in front of the subject, it may result in a “flat” photo.”
Side Lighting
Side lighting, with the light coming from the left or right of the subject, is often considered the most effective for creating depth and dimension. “Side Lighting is arguably my favorite kind of light. Side light is light coming from the side – that is the left or right of the subject. It was used by the masters of painting—Rembrandt used side light in his paintings to give the picture a three-dimensional effect.”
Understanding how to work with these different lighting situations and their effects on your wildlife subjects is crucial for creating visually striking and impactful images.
The Art of Storytelling
Wildlife