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Wildlife Photography, Catching The Animals By Surprise

Posted On 2009-10-16 , 5:23 AM

Photography has been around for more than a century
and our topics will never cease. There is portrait,
landscape, wedding, and wildlife photography just to
name a few. One of the most rewarding styles of
photography centers on wildlife. It may takeyou several
hours before finding the perfect precious memory and
capturing it, but the reward is more than worth the wait.

Wildlife photography is perhaps the most difficult in the
profession. Most wildlife shots are captured using a
telephoto lens
because the

animal will not
walk near you. Every once in a while you will be able to capture the fox, elk, bear or other animal as it comes through the woods in your path, however most of the time they are yards away and elusive.

Wildlife photography doesn’t wait for you to happen a long and snap a photo. You need to immerse yourself in the site you choose your camera at the ready, and set for the light of the day. Most automatic cameras work great on the preset for those who are just learning to
take wildlife photographs. Photography has always been about the moment and the best photographers can catch the moment with a speed
and agility of the animal they are capturing.

Start with small subjects when you begin wildlife
photography. Practice on your pet. Let them
roam naturally and see if you can capture the wild
and crazy precious memories on film without the
photograph ending up blurry. All great
photographers have studied and practiced.
They also use more than one shot. Making sure
your camera has a quick shutter speed will help
you take more than one shot as your move with
the animal. When you have the subject in your site
you need to follow it while focusing and then quickly
snap as many pictures as you can before they
move out of site. This technique is known as
panning. Rather than the subject coming to you,
you follow the subject.

When you have mastered your pets you can
begin to explore the outdoor world of wildlife
photography. Some of your subjects will be
standing still and this is another practice
technique. Be aware of the lighting and
placement while trying not to disturb the animal.
It is most easy to get a squirrel when they
are intent on eating or foraging for food. If you
stay silent and walk carefully you can
often get pretty close.

If you are choosing a larger subject such as
a deer or bear you will want to stay far enough
away to get the shot, and not draw attention
to yourself. Bears are dangerous creatures,
but they can be photographed if you use
common sense and don’t tread upon their

territory. Wildlife photography and thus the photographers have a code of ethics when
attaining the perfect shots. You will want to
follow these ethics for your safety and the animals.

Wildlife photography is a waiting game for the perfect picture to sprint across your viewfinder. It takes patience and a lot of practice, but the reward of having a family member or friend go, “ where did you get that photograph? I have got to have one,” will sweeten the deal

Remember to capture your precious memories some times takes longer
than others.

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