Wildlife photography is a fascinating and challenging field that requires technical skill, patience, and a deep understanding of wildlife. One of the most significant parts of this art form is to capture the behavior of animals in their natural habitat. By doing so, you can improve your photos and contribute to our understanding and appreciation of the natural world.
Table of Contents
Documenting Reality with Respect
When you photograph animals in their natural environment – engaged in activities like hunting, playing, and caring for young – you document an authentic view of their lives. However, photographers at any level of experience must capture these photos with respect. Strictly follow any conservation rule, and prioritize the animal’s welfare over everything else.
This is not just good for the animals but also good for your photos. The less that you disturb an animal, the more of its natural behaviors that you will see, and the better photos that will result.
Of course, photographing an animal’s natural behavior can be a challenge. It requires meticulous preparation, the ability to move discreetly in the animal’s habitat, and seemingly infinite patience. However, the reward of capturing a unique and specific moment in an animal’s life is unmatched.
Education and Awareness
A photograph can tell a story. It can transport observers to different places and times, allowing people to establish an emotional connection with a subject they’ve never seen in person. Photos can educate people about the importance of conservation and respect for nature by showing them the beauty of the natural world.
Photos of animal behavior are the perfect example. As humans, we immediately connect with photos of wildlife going through a struggle, caring for its young, striking a funny pose, eating, running away, or almost any other behavior. These pictures immediately tell a story and make us feel for the subject of the photo.
Furthermore, photography – especially a body of work with many photos – can tell grander stories about the animal’s environment, migration patters, threats from people or other environmental concerns, and so on. It can bring new awareness of environmental issues and threats to biodiversity.
Sadly, many people will not have a concern for wildlife unless they learn about it and see it. But this puts photographers in a unique and precious position. When conducted ethically, nature photography isn’t just an art form – it is also an invaluable tool for nature conservation.
Beyond the Exotic Animals
Portraying an animal’s behavior also helps to make interesting images with common subjects in ordinary environments. This is the case of Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria Interpres), which some friends and I found on a beach on the eastern coast of Italy, near the Po’ delta, on a late autumn morning.
The Ruddy Turnstone breeds in the northernmost latitudes in western Alaska, Ellesmere Island, Greenland, Denmark, Scandinavia, Estonia, and northern Russia. In the Americas, it winters along the coasts of Washington State and Massachusetts, and it’s even found at the southern tip of South America. In Europe, it winters in western regions from Iceland to Norway and Denmark in the south. A small number reach the Mediterranean coasts.
So, the Turnstone can survive in various climates, from the Arctic to the tropics.
While the typical breeding environment is the tundra near water, outside the breeding season, it can be seen along the coasts, especially rocky ones.
The turnstone feeds mainly on invertebrates but does not disdain carrion, eggs, and plants. Insects are a fundamental food during the breeding season. It also feeds on crustaceans, mollusks, and worms. It often turns over stones to look for insects and other invertebrates that it feeds on underneath them. This is where its common name comes from.
My friends and I encountered this turnstone while it was feeding on small mollusks covering a piece of driftwood on the beach. We approached it first by staying very low, then crawling for over 30 meters. Even so, it required a 600mm lens and a 1.4x teleconverter to photograph properly.
In other words, we were close, but not that much, precisely so that we did not stress it, allowing it to continue with its natural behavior. Often, this is why a long focal length is helpful: not just to make subjects bigger, but to let photographers stay far from them.
Once we had taken photographs, we moved away, still crawling. This is something that photographers sometimes forget to do, but this is an essential sign of respect. Overall, it was an exciting experience, and we took some photos that tell a story.
Conclusion
Capturing animal behavior in wildlife photography is important. It often improves the aesthetic value of the images, even when common subjects are portrayed. It also provides a window into the reality of wildlife, which educates viewers and helps tell powerful and engaging stories.
I hope you found this essay about the importance of capturing animal behavior in wildlife photography enjoyable. If you have any questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to leave them in the comments section below.
At first I thought the title suggested this was just about wildlife but you included birds as well. I mainly photograph birds but I have also photographed wildlife on safari.
I Agee entirely. I learned long ago that it is important to tell a story. By that I actually mean use your knowledge of the craft of photography to subtly imply more. If you can spark interest in the way the picture is framed or use angles to reveal some aspect of the subject all the better. Waiting for a critical moment in an action or behaviour is a vital skill. If you can combine that with a view that establishes a supportive context that is also helpful.
I was recently photographing an albatross in a place where you almost never see one. It was on a very windy day. The bird was on a small pond in a wetland area but quite some distance from the ocean where they usually are. Even then they are usually a couple of kilometres from shore. This one circled above the bird watching group. Its wingspan was about 8ft. I got quite a decent set of shots of it in flight but the background was just the sky. It could have been anywhere. I was aiming for more than that. Fortunately it dipped turned and glided towards us. The shot I like is with the wings almost but not quite vertical and the body only slightly tipped to one side. It is looking strait at me. The lake, grassland and trees behind it (rendered beautifully out of focus by the 180-600 wide open at 600) make the context very clear indeed. This is an albatross some distance from the ocean. There appear to be no recorded sightings of albatross at that well established birding site on any previous occasions. Luck has a lot to do with it but so does experience. Yes I have photographed albatross out at sea before and my memory of what I did and did not get right then helped me to continue following the bird in the viewfinder of the Z9 and recognise how to do more than record another image. I like to think of it as a special shot no editing required just minor colour balance and icc settings for the print paper type.
Thank you for your two posts, Martin.
The albatross was an outstanding seeing! I never saw one of them.
I’m a strong supporter of photos combining animals with their environment or landscape, and I am pleased you successfully took that photo. Well done!
The title is a little misleading. I thought it was going to be about wildlife but you included birds as well.
In my experience with wildlife in particular, the location, the guide and luck are a big part. I know I was ‘lucky’ to see so many amazing animals on a recent safari trip. It was however mostly a birding tour but extensive experience photographing birds seemed to make wildlife seem relatively easy.
I agree with your central point. I learnt long ago that capturing bird/animal behaviour and telling (or craftily implying) a story is central to good photography. It’s the same with portraits, landscapes, and sports action etc. I also like to find ways to let the photo establish the context as that often helps to provide a more interesting shot.
Birds move rapidly or perch. So watching for a decisive moment/action/behaviour is always worth watching for.
Animals like elephants are a lot easier to spot. Admittedly on a well planned safari, it is possible to be up close to wildlife and that can make finding good compositions or waiting for opportunities much easier. I don’t think I would ever opt to go on a wildlife only safari. Being on a private reserve close to Kruger was a treat I will not forget. That said I do find bird photography more fun. It does require a willingness to accept that there are lots more opportunities if you are patient and actively seek out good local knowledge.
Interesting that you make a distinction between “birds” and “wildlife”; I think many (most)of us consider birds to be wildlife. So I don’t think the title is “misleading” at all… ;-)
Yes, Philip. This was my intent!
Yes they are wildlife. I get that. I was very pleased they were included. I was not automatically expecting them to be.
I’m not an expert in wildlife photography, but I personally think that capturing the habit of the animals results in an higher quality photo. On some forum I see tons of pictures (mainly birds) where the goal is to achieve the maximum sharpness of body details on the most homogeneous background. Nice pictures, of course, and very far from my capabilities. But it seems more focused to show the performance of some gear (300 f/2.8 or 500 f/4) than anything else.
Birds and other animals do a lot of interesting things. Much more that their feather patterns.
In my area crows (cornacchie) learnt to eat walnuts grabbing them and dropping on asphalt/concrete from some height. Not much of feather there to photograph, but next fall I’d like to try tho picture this behaviour.
Hi Mauro, thank you for your comment.
Photographers often forget that tools are just tools. They emphasize what the tools can do, thinking this is their value as photographers, usually leading to overemphasizing sharpness.
This is a matter of fact until pictures with the only merit of being sharp are compared with images with meaning.
Crows are outstanding intelligent creatures; I’m sure you’ll take some beautiful pictures!
“We approached it first by staying very low, then crawling for over 30 meters.”
“Once we had taken photographs, we moved away, still crawling.”
Oh, to be young again!
This is a great article and shows true professionalism. Thank you, Massimo.
Thank you for your comment, Thomas. I’m glad you like the article.
Sadly, I’m not so young, either – my 57th birthday is approaching – but animal safety and comfort are at the top of my concerns.