We’ve all seen a wildlife photo that is just amazing. Then wished we had that photo in our image portfolio. I remember being blown away by some of the photography and videography in the first Planet Earth series.
There’s something about a great photo of the magnificent animals God created, that can be quite inspiring.
While you won’t be able to go out and be a professional wildlife photography by just reading this article, these tips, if practiced, really can help you get that amazing shot you want.
If you don’t already have a telephoto lens or are wondering if you’re lens is going to work well for photography wildlife and birds read through our guide on how to select the right wildlife lens.
1.
Get a Telephoto Lens (Ideally at least over 135mm)
2.
Assess the area to find the angle and background you want (or if in the wild, to find the animal you want to photograph)
3.
Use a large aperture, you can do this within in the Aperture Priority Mode or if you are using manual settings. You don’t have to stick with a large aperture, but that’s a good place to start
4.
Change to Continuous Drive or Burst mode so you are more likely to capture the shot you want
5.
Use a fast shutter speed. If you’re just hand holding your camera, in order to help prevent camera shake when using a telephoto lens a good rule of thumb is to use a shutter speed that is faster than the length of your lens. So as an example if you have a 300mm focal length you would want to set your shutter speed to something like 1/400sec
And Don't Forget...
- Be patient!
You’re not in charge here, so give yourself more time than you think. That extra time will help you not be distracted by what you have to do next.
- Ideally you want to have your ISO close to 100
With your aperture and shutter speed settings you may not have the luxury of a really low ISO with the given lighting conditions. But the lower your ISO the better image quality you’ll have to work with in post production.
- If you decide to use a shallow depth of field make sure to be precise with your focal point
If there are a lot of elements surrounding the animal, such as branches, leaves, etc. you’ll probably need to switch to manual focus to zero in on the best focal plane.
- You may also want to switch to a silent shutter if you think the noise might distract the animal
In some cases the click may get the attention of the animal so you can get a shot of it looking at you, but make sure you put the safety of the animal and yourself first.
- Prepare by getting your camera settings the way you want them, as well as how to quickly change them if needed
Also prepare by being familiar with the area and the animals behavior. The more you are able to anticipate what the animal might do the better you’ll be able to get a shot you love.
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First and foremost, I’m a husband and father. Then professionally I’m photographer, designer, blogger, and Esty store owner. My homebase is near the stunning Wasatch mountains in Utah but I love traveling with my family as part of our homeschooling journey. I also love teaching and helping out others. My faith is one of the biggest aspects of my life and brings be a consistent joy that I haven’t found in anything else. My main blog is BestPhotographyGear.com and I strive to make photography simple for anyone looking to learn or find gear for their individual needs. By nature, I like to study, research, and analyze things and I use that help provide the best advice and reviews I can.