Ever since digital SLR technology has become more readily available,
more and more people have become photography enthusiasts, and more and
more photography enthusiasts have started venturing into a genre
previously reserved for only a select few…Wildlife
Photography. It seems
that this field, in conjunction with Landscape Photography, has really
seen a huge growth spurt in these last few years…at least as it pertains
to the amount of people practicing them as serious hobbyists or budding
professionals. This is especially true in my native country of South
Africa, where it’s long been many a family’s tradition to visit
legendary self-drive safari locations such as the Kruger National Park.
Having neighbouring countries like Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe also
doesn’t affect this trend negatively!
Yet, spend some time on your favourite online photography forum (at
least those that allow the posting of photos) or on other sites like
Facebook, Google+ or Flickr where photo-sharing is common…and you might
notice that not every photo taken of a wild animal really speaks to you.
I’m not sure whether many folks just snap away and hope the image comes
out half-decent, or whether many just think that they’re doing their
subjects justice when the truth cannot be further from it. Let me say
outright that no offence is intended and I also take photos that fall
into these categories – in fact I do it on every photographic trip that I
undertake. Yet, it’s stepping beyond that and getting that rare image
that ticks all the right boxes that we all need to strive for, and to be
prepared when the opportunity comes along to capture it.
In today’s article, I will attempt to provide you with some
easy-to-apply tips or advice for improving your
Wildlife Photography.
Some of them might seem like common sense, and you’ve probably read a
similar list of “how-to’s” elsewhere, but remember that common sense is
not so common at all these days and that everyone has their own take on
things, however similar they may be. I do think I will cover a few
points that are not just based on pure technical skill – photography is
after all an art-form, and sometimes we need to be freed up to put down
the vision we have in our mind’s eye rather than stick to conventions
and norms.
Here is a quick overview of the points I will cover in this post:
- Know your gear
- Know your subject
- Know the “rules” | Break the “rules”
- Work the light
- Shoot wider | Shoot Closer
- The More, the Merrier
- How low can you go???
- The Content-Technicals Dichotomy
- Patience isn’t a virtue…it’s a necessity
- BE THERE & ENJOY IT!
These are the points I try to cover when leading a photographic
safari or presenting a workshop as well. Take note that I include the
genre of Bird Photography in my definition of Wildlife Photography.
Let’s get cracking, shall we?
1. KNOW YOUR GEAR
This sounds like the biggest cliche?…but you know it’s true. The
really great action-packed moments in wildlife photography last on
average (based on my experience) between 5 and 20 seconds. If you are
not intrinsically familiar with the settings of your camera or the
abilities of your chosen lens, you
WILL either miss it or blow the images you do manage to capture.
- Know what the minimum shutter speed is at which you can obtain a sharp image with your camera/lens combo;
- Know the added margins that the in-camera or in-lens stabilisation gives you;
- Know how to quickly toggle between focus points or focus modes;
- Know how high you can push your camera’s ISO setting and still achieve acceptable results…
In general, I like to say you need to be able to make most, if not
all, of the necessary adjustments to your exposure/focus settings
without lifting your eye from the viewfinder. The action you see between
the cheetahs in the following image lasted all of 10 seconds, even
though we sat with them for more than an hour.
2. KNOW YOUR SUBJECT
Goes without saying, right? Since much of wildlife photography is
based upon capturing fleeting moments of natural history (read:
interesting poses or behaviour),
it pays to be able to somewhat predict your subject’s behaviour
beforehand. Given, not every species is as predictable as the next, but
there are patterns of behaviour ingrained into every animal species.
Knowing your subject can make the difference between being ready and
prepared for capturing that “
golden moment”
and watching it fly by you in agony. There is only one way to get to
know wildlife…spend time with them. Don’t just hang around for a few
minutes and seek out the next subject if the one you are observing or
photographing isn’t delivering the goods. Sit with them. Watch them.
Wait. This also ties into
patience, which I
will discuss in more detail later. The image below was captured by
knowing what the Lilac-Breasted Roller was going to do to its
grasshopper-lunch, and being ready for it.
3. KNOW THE “RULES” | BREAK THE “RULES”
There are certain unwritten rules that form the foundation of good
photography – regardless of genre. And of course then there are certain
“rules” that find their application mostly in the genre of Wildlife
Photography. Understanding proper exposure and the use of the histogram,
for example…and proper composition using a guideline like the “
rule of thirds”
are all important aspects to ingrain in your subconscious and to
incorporate in your ability to instantly capture that fleeting moment
properly.
In this genre, much is made about eye contact with the subject, as this gives “
life”
to the image. In the case of Avian Photography (Birds), this gets taken
a step further in the sense that the “head angle” in relation to the
camera’s imaging sensor needs to be at least perpendicular to it, but
ideally turned a few degrees towards the sensor (and obviously thus
turned towards the viewer who ultimately gets to view the image captured
by the sensor).
The image below, for example, follows strong “rule-of-thirds” compositional guidelines.
Once you know the “rules” and the guidelines, and once you know when
and how to apply them, it’s time to start breaking out from them. Test
the boundaries a bit, you know? You don’t want your photos to always
look like stock-standard images that every second photographer is
getting. Take a look at the image below. I mentioned the “
need”
for eye contact. Yet sometimes it can work to shoot an image in which
the subject is not giving the photographer eye contact, as this often
means the animal is busy with something else, too busy to turn its
attention to you.
4. WORK THE LIGHT
The first piece of advice I got from a professional wildlife
photographer when I started shooting, is to stick to the hours of golden
light. This means getting up early in the morning and being in the
field before sunrise, and going out in the afternoon to make the most of
the last hours of sunlight. The light over midday (mostly between 11h00
and 16h00, at least where I live) is generally harsh and robs images of
that spunk that it needs. The exception is an overcast day, when the
clouds act like a massive soft-box to filter out the light evenly. On
days like that I shoot all day as long as there are willing subjects!
Since photography is all about
painting with light,
you need to know how to use the light to your best advantage in
wildlife photography as well. Often we will find ourselves in a position
where the light isn’t ideal, or, heaven forbid, the light is sweet but
from the wrong direction…and we also aren’t always in a position to move
around to a better spot. The good news is that light from the wrong
direction can add lots of mood to an image. Shooting into the light is
tricky to pull off, but if you adhere to tip #1 (
Know your Gear) you can get some pretty interesting images from a less-than-ideal light position. The image below is one such a photo.
5. SHOOT WIDER | SHOOT CLOSER
Too many wildlife photographers get fixated on what I call the “
focal-length debacle”,
where it becomes an obsession to have the longest/biggest lens
possible. Now I know this is location-dependant as you might need more
than 600mm just to get any shot at all in certain wide-open spaces, but
the issue I want to tackle is more related to our obsession to get as
close as possible to the animals and isolate them totally from their
environment. The result is often an image that looks like it could be
taken of a captive subject in a controlled location, with a perfect
smooth background and no idea of the real environment in which it finds
itself.
Challenge yourself to shoot at a wider angle to give the viewer a
better idea of where you took the image and where your subject has to
carve out a living in the wild. This is applicable to any species you
photograph – from the squirrel to the deer to the elephant. The elephant
below was photographed with a wide-angle lens and a polarising filter
to give you a sense of the environment as well as to make the most of
the clouds and sky.
The flip side to shooting wider is – you guessed it – shooting closer…and I mean
REALLY CLOSER. Get
in-your-face
close (by moving your position or by changing effective focal length by
using a longer lens with optional teleconverter) to create different
and interesting studies of the animals/birds you photograph. This will
also help you think in terms of more abstract compositional
arrangements. Have a look at this photo of a Cape Buffalo for example.
6. THE MORE, THE MERRIER
No real intricate explanation needed on this one. In wildlife
photography – one is company, and two is often a crowd, especially when
there’s food or shelter involved. If you have a good view of more than
one member of a species – stay a while! Look at the images below. First
up – a solitary African Spoonbill, minding its own business on a perch,
happy as can be. Throw another Spoonbill into the mix, and you have a
recipe for good interaction.
7. HOW LOW CAN YOU GO???
This is not a trick question, nor is it a call to be “
Jack-be-nimble-Jack-be-quick”
and do the limbo. The point-of-view of a wildlife photograph is just
about everything. How you portray your subject can make all the
difference in the world. In short – try to get an eye-level perspective
(even lower if you can). This brings the viewer of your image right into
the scene and confronts them with the view of the world from your
subject’s perspective. Obviously “eye level” is relative (you will
pretty much always be at a lower perspective than for example a
giraffe), but you get the idea. Always bear in mind the constraints of
your environment. In most reserves in South Africa you are not allowed
to get out of your vehicle in the field. This restricts you to a certain
perspective.
Look at these images for illustration. The first African Painted Dog
was photographed from an open game viewer. The result is a somewhat
bland shot – nothing special in my eyes. The second one, however, was
taken lying flat on my stomach in a sandy riverbed not 20 meters from
the pack of canines, and the Alpha Male was checking me out…this
perspective makes the image come alive.
8. THE CONTENT-TECHNICALS DICHOTOMY
This is an interesting one. Does great content trump a technically
great image with average content every time? It may be different where
you live, but I am relating this one particularly to the African safari
experience. Every tourist wants to see the “
Big 5” or
at least a lion. If you’ve ever spent time around wild lions in the
daytime, you will know they are actually shoddy models for photography.
They sleep up to 20 hours per day. Conversely I have had great photo
opportunities from Impala, who are the most common ungulate you come
across down here in the bush. My advice to the discerning photographer
would be to look for great opportunities regardless of species when the
light is good!
Have a look at the contrast between these 2 images – an impala
jumping gracefully, and a “standard” portrait of a male lion, both in
good light. Which do you prefer?
Let’s use a second example, lest it look like I am becoming
blase?
about the subjects I am fortunate to be able to photograph in our
wonderful part of the world…squirrels. Everyone photographs squirrels,
right? The one on top – munching something, nice soft light, nice low
angle…while at the bottom a mommy is carrying her youngster at a
precarious height over a large branch at speed by biting down on his
stomach flap with him grasping for dear life. The light in the canopy of
the tree wasn’t the best – but clearly a case of content trumping a
technically good image.
The jury is still out on this one. The awesome sightings like lions
won’t always provide the awesome images. Learn to see the potential in
the mundane to create amazing photographic moments, and go out and make
good images. The obvious ideal is for an image with great content in
great light shot with just the right settings – the Utopia shot that
most of us will never get right.
9. PATIENCE ISN’T A VIRTUE…IT’S A NECESSITY
As a wildlife photographer, your images are predicated on the fact
that things in nature are unpredictable. Anything can happen at any
time…but most things happen only rarely, or at the very least, they
rarely coincide with the exact time that you are in that specific spot.
It is therefore imperative that you become patient…very patient. Now, I
catch myself out frequently enough being very impatient out in the
field. It’s something you constantly have to graft at. Essentially it’s
almost a culmination of many of the things we’ve discussed so far.
Observing your subjects, getting to know their behavioural patterns,
requires a great deal of patience. Often the implications are that you
need to return to the same spot for days before things start to
happen…and even then you run the risk of nothing happening and having
wasted your time. The image below was captured after staking out the
tree with the impala kill for more than 5 hours. I had also driven past
this tree many times earlier that day to see if there was any action. I
knew the leopard would return…but I had no guarantee that it would
return before nightfall.
10. BE THERE & ENJOY IT
I will conclude this lengthy article with the following advice (I do hope you haven’t been bored to tears reading this!)…”
be there” and enjoy it!!
By this I don’t just mean you need to physically show up and you need
to be at the right place at the right time – of course that applies –
but I actually mean you need to be in the
moment and don’t get caught up so much with the technical issues and your settings that you don’t
take in
the moments you are witnessing while out photographing birds and
wildlife. We need to be mindful of the privilege of spending time in
nature and being in places where the hand of man hasn’t quite exerted
its full force yet. Maybe for you it’s just the most isolated spot in
your local park where you can sit and observe and photograph squirrels
and birds, or maybe it’s facing a wild kodiak bear on the Alaskan
floodplains. Regardles, enjoy what you are doing! Have fun doing it!
What does it help us to spend so much time on this amazing
hobby-cum-artform if we are not enjoying the time spent?
I hope these tips will stand you in good stead out there in the
field. They have for me. Good light and good sightings to you all!
A Guest Post by Wildlife Photographer – Morkel Erasmus
