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Getting Wild? Get Wild Right!

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This article will let you know all about wildlife photography and its tips for getting better photographs.

- by Udit Goyal



 

1. EYE LEVEL

Take eye to eye animal portraits: Make the effort to get down to an animal’s eye level as this will result in a more intimate portrait. Manually choose an autofocus point that corresponds with the animal’s eye, too.

If you leave it to the camera to select AF point it’s likely to focus on the part of the creature that’s closest to the camera and that’s likely to be a beak or claws (Depending upon how close you’re getting).

Getting on the floor and at the same level as your wildlife animal is a great way to capture some dramatic, yet natural shots.



 

2. LOOK FOR A WILDLIFE


If you are photographing wild animals, then you need a fast telephoto zoom lens (100mm-300mm) to zoom in close on the creatures.

Try to capture them in some sort of action to create interest. Choose a small aperture f/11-f/22 for a deep depth of field to capture details.

For the blurred background effect, choose a shallow depth of field from f/2.8-f/8. However, with shallow depth of field you’ll have to increase your shutter speed, so as not to underexpose the image and mute the colors.



 

3. CAPTURE THEIR BEHAVIOUR


Because birds are often most active early in the morning or late in the afternoon, you might need to get up before it gets light to capture special photographs. Get out there early and capture what they are eating, their mating habits, and to witness the care of their young ones.

It might take a couple of days of going out and not shooting anything, just observing and taking mental notes to build up your knowledge in order to capture those outstanding wildlife.



 

4. GET UP CLOSE TO YOUR SUBJECT


When visiting a bird sanctuary or zoo, you may get a chance for some stunning photographs of birds at close range. Wildlife photography is all about patience, with patience and you can really do wonders.

You may need to follow the bird around for a while before it remains still. Use a soft flash to add radiance to the animal’s feather and the widest possible aperture to blur the background so nothing else distracts from the bird.


 

5. CAPTURING THE MOVEMENT


Showing an object in motion is always an arresting image, and to do it most effectively when photographing a bird requires a slower shutter speed (around 1/60s).

The trick is to track the bird during its flight. Follow the bird’s flight path and then at the decisive moment snap the photo.

It's nearly impossible to use flash light in this case, so you have to position yourself in the best possible way to get natural sunlight as a source of light. Side light is the best, so early morning or late afternoon time frames work best to provide visual contrast, shadow detail and appropriate highlights.



CONCLUSION

Thus, wildlife photography is all about patience and waiting for the right time. You have to wait for a long couple of hours just to get one shot of an animal or bird. A good telephoto lens would help you take better close up photos of birds.



 

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