The Ultimate Wildlife Photography Tutorial
Last Updated On By Robert Andersen 378 Comments
The Ultimate Wildlife Photography Tutorial
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What are your preferred lenses for these images? Can be frustrating for someone to go out with their spanking new kit lens and realize they cant get anything like these photos.
WFP, a kit lens would have a hard time capturing shots like this. If you want to get images that will be close in quality at a low budget, check out the photographylife.com/revie…-300mm-f4d
Anything longer/bigger will be at least 3 times the cost…
WFP, Nasim makes a great suggestion. You have to start somewhere and so you start with what you have. I had a Sigma 150-500 and while not a kit lens, it gave me a longer reach at an affordable price – about $1000 USD. Nasim actually used that in one of his lens reviews and found it to be fairly sharp up to about 400mm but IQ degrades between 400 and 500mm. I loved the lens until I upgraded and didn’t need it. It was a good bang for the buck and about 1/8th the cost of a Nikkor 500mm. The Nikkor 70-300 4.5-5.6 VR is under $600 and performs well for the price.
wfp, you got me thinking, so I went back to check the photos in the post and it turns out that the elk photo was taken with the Sigma 150-500 f/5-6.3 (an “affordable” 500mm zoom) shot at 300mm at f/6.3. The hummingbird shot was using the same lens at 450mm and again at f/6.3. Just for what it is worth.
Hi it’s me again. Before anyone clicks in my link and discovers I am a pro I thought I should come clean. I have ready access to both Nikon and Canons 200-400 zooms, 300 and 400 2.8s. I added the comment as I was thinking of amateurs reading this good post and wondering what lenses were used :) Just thought this info was needed to flesh out the article. Btw the Nikon AF tips that were given were spot on.
haha, now I had to definitely check your website! Very nice, by the way. We thank you for the clarification for our readers and your comment is understood. Now, can I borrow your 400/2.8? :)
Thanks again!
Hahah you would have to visit me in Malaysia. I focus predominantly on weddings but today we are shooting a local banks board of directors. Would need to prise it out of one of my team members hands as he usually uses it for golf and football. I borrow the 200-400 F4 from Nikon as an Nps loaner when needed. The canon 200-400 is currently the only one in the country so far and we will be using for a wedding this weekend – at least that’s the plan. What we have seen is that it is sharper than the Nikkor, but the price is 150% more. Heat, humidity,snakes, leeches and airconditioning are what keep me firmly in the city. Any way as mentioned thanks for posting and including details of the lenses used. I have found newbies to dslrs often leave disappointed due to the high cost of lenses or not knowing what to use. My 14yo daughter is using a 650d with canons 55-250 quite successfully for birds in the garden, thanks in part to the 1.6 magnification. So stratospherically priced glass is not essential. Btw my friend says the 400 is now for sale!
Malaysia sounds like a very fun trip! We would be interested in hearing about your canon 200-400 experience after you use it more.
Here you go: www.grantcorban.com/st-jo…0-400-f4l/
The first Canon 200-400 F4L in Malaysia used on its first outing at a wedding. My friend is a sports shooter but helps me out ocassionally. Gives a nice look.
The 200-400 from Canon looks nice, good thing for me I shoot the other brand, that makes it easier for me to not want one :) Thanks for sharing your thoughts and the pics.
I just stumbled over this more than a year old but very interesting article of yours. Really nice photos!
I hope you don’t mind my comments so late.
Beeing a Canon user I can’t use Nikon lenses but July 2013 I invested “heavily” in Canon EF 200-400 mm/4 with a built in 1.4X extender, and I just love it!
Due to a spinal disease I’m not so “mobile” any more, so framing with my feet is not always an option. Although most of the time using it as a prime lens (usually 400 mm) it’s good to have a fast way to change from 200-560 mm. I don’t have to zoom with my feet and the advantages for framing the object is very valuable.
Zoom lens = not as good optical compared to prime lens? NOT IN THIS CASE!
The optical performance of this lens equals Canons long tele lenses (400mm/2.8 or 4). Of course except for the one stop 2.8-4. I don’t think many people can see a difference between this zoom and the 400/2.8.
PROS: it’s not at all so heavy as the 400mm/2.8
CONS: the price!
For me it has taken me a big step further in my shooting. No wonder that a lot of the best wildlife photographer using Canon consider this lens being their favorite,
I have also started to use this lens for video on a EOS 1DC filming in 4K from which you can get surprisingly good stills ( 8.2 Mpx). Filming is completely silent so there is no sound scaring the animal away. BUT –
You should set the shutter speed as if you were shooting stills, which results in a very stuttering worthless video. But 24-25 frames/s isn’t bad!
Looking forward to more articles from you!
Thank you Rolf. Sorry to hear about the spine but I am glad that you still get out to shoot. Your 200-400 with 1.4x TC is a nice lens for sure! Happy trails!
Hello sir, Good Morning, superb photographs which will touch the heart by its own,I love photography and even I have got some photos to be reviewed by persons like you, the plus points and minus points to come out from you, i have put some of my photographs in the flickr.com, you can go through that, as we belong to a middle class family i have to buy some articles one after the other.
Thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful photographs.
With regards
Gururaj.S
Thank you Gururaj and happy shooting!
Dear sir, One small doubt which I hope you will clear for me, with a lot of branded SLR models in the present market like NIKON, CANON (DSLR) and SONY (DSLT) which is suitable for me to buy, any how what i am using right now is canon 600d which is owned by my uncle itself, I want to buy one for me please suggest me the right one because it will be huge investment of around 33k.
Waiting for your reply.
With regards
Gururaj.S
Gururaj, there are many good cameras out there and all three manufacturers that you mention, make fine products. There are many considerations in choosing a camera body so you might want to start with our DSLR camera buying guide at the following link:
photographylife.com/gear-…hase-guide
HI Tom, I have an Alaska visit planned for September and have been thinking about another lens for my D800 that has a 24-120 lens. Your images are stunning and I have for some time been considering the kit you used. What speed did you shoot at?
Michael, you will love Alaska! As for shutter speed, that is obviously variable based on the light, motion and the subject. If the subject is stationary, it can be slower. The hummingbird was shot at 1/2000 of a second to slow the motion of the wings.
Nasim makes a good reference for the 300mm f/4 lens in his comment above. Great lens for the price and light compared to some of the faster lenses making it easier for travel as well as on the pocketbook. If weight and money are less of an issue, then the 300/2.8 is a great lens as is the 200-400/4.
Have a great time in Alaska!
Thanks again and thanks to all the other response especially the ones about focussing.
Have booked the Alaska cruise excursions; Bears, Whales, Steam Trains and a photo safari of Sitka.
Michael
Michael, I am jealous! you will have a great trip and the D800 will serve you well.
So true about the birds and our movements. Great pictures, thanks. I shoot eagles and other birds from my rooftop terrace with the 500 and tripod in the Provence backcountry. Rare birds but its a very pleasant wait surrounded by a lovely garden that we created. In the winter I shoot passerines through the Windows, around the feeding stands . Great fun.
Thank you Peter, sounds like you have a special place there to enjoy.
Great article and fine pictures! Well done guys.
Thank you, Vladimir
Great advice. It’s easy to overlook the obvious opportunities right in our own backyard!
Thank you,
-gene
I am not sure what Tom does but my suggestions Is that the best value for money for a D800 birding lens is the 300 F4 plus TC14E II. It is good wide open but stopping it down one stop is nicer.
Recently I have been trying out an interesting set up for focus. I decouple the focus from the shutter so focus is only activated by the AF ON button (a4 AF activation> AF-ON only). I then configure the AF set up to AF-C 3d and the centre button of the multi-function switch (f2 to Shooting mode = reset > select centre focus point). All this combined with the firmware upgrade gives a good birding focus set up.
I make sure the focus point is on the centre spot, get the bird or subject in the centre spot, press and hold the AF-ON button, the 3d system setting will then track the colour of the subject more reliably. I gather the AF-ON button interacts with the focus module slightly differently this way. With the d800 this is one option you should experiment with. I think it works better than having the AF connected to the half press of the shutter. On the shutter button you get less snappy focus, so it is not as good until the second shot. Using this mode, the first image is much more likely to have accurate focus. Check it out.
Martin, good advice. I do use the AF ON button as you describe. As for the AF-C 3D setting, I find that is awesome for something like a bird flying straight at you – where AF is often weakest. However, if the subject is tracking left to right or otherwise, the 9-point or 21-point AF setting seems to lock on faster. Just my experience.
I’m still exploring this approach. I will try your suggestion and see how that works. Birds flying towards the camera is the shot I prefer. There is seldom time to make a setting change when birds are on the move, however.
I also find I get more keepers with the AF-C set to the d21 setting. I don’t know if it is just me, but I find when I try to use the 3d setting I get a lot of back focusing issues. I noticed this first with my D7000, when I recently purchased a D800 I thought I could use the 3d setting more often. Alas I still find quite a few images that the focusing lagged behind the subject and gave me a background in focus and not the bird or animal or even child :)
For what its worth, I’m not a professional or anything but I love my Nikon 300mm f/4 for wildlife. I find if focuses quickly and is very sharp even wide open.
Excellent Article… I’m reposting it on my Peters Valley Photography group on fb. Thanks
Thank you Andy!
This may be controversial, but I’ve met pros at zoos and wildlife parks practising their craft before they go out on assignment in Africa or the polar regions. And I personally don’t mind if I capture the aesthetic beauty of an animal in the wild or in captivity. You can still capture and promote the beauty of wildlife even if it happens to be captive. If it’s just about getting a striking image, then the camera won’t mind either way ;)
alphawhiskey.slickpic.com/photo…BrevardZoo
Failing that, another good place to find wildlife is a wetland area. They are abundant with all kinds of wild animals and fauna.
alphawhiskey.slickpic.com/photo…daWildlife
My 2 cents.
Alpha Whiskey, thank you and you are correct, they can be a place for practicing. In, fact, it can be a challenge to make the shot look like it wasn’t a zoo. By practicing there, it forces the photographer to be more aware of the background elements and ways to move to minimize distractions. You did a nice job of that in your photos at the Brevard Zoo. Good suggestions and thanks for sharing with our readers.
Short but great article & above all superb photographs.I simply loved the Humming Bird shot.
I completely agree with you. In fact, I am honing my skills at one such park.
Thank you VIkas!
A great article. If you would like to take pictures of free roaming lions, and tigers, and bears, (and wolves) consider visiting The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado. It is close to Denver. Here is the address, 1946 County Road 53, Keenesburg, CO 80643. This is a rescue facility for animals, and it is not a zoo. It is a great place to do a photography safari.
Don, I have thought about visiting the Sanctuary there, but have not done it. Thanks for the suggestion and it will motivate me to get over there and take a look! Thanks for sharing.
The best time to see the animals out and about is later in the day, probably after 5 pm this time of year. I was there yesterday, and the Sanctuary closed at 8:10 pm. It closes later as the summer progresses. Admission was $15. Yesterday was the first time that I had ever visited it.
It is a great place to practice with your telephoto lenses.
That is a great, informative article, like a breath a fresh air. Good work !
Tom thanks for the suggestion. Having been bitten by the wildlife photography bug I have been trying to find new areas to take photographs. Your article inspired me to instead visit the same great areas and look for new wildlife or different shots.
Around my area in northern California we have a few wildlife refuges. I find these areas to be great places to capture photographs. Your article reminded me that a lot of these areas have transient inhabitants and depending on the time of year you will find different creatures.
Thanks again!
Excellent article. Here’s a related tip: go to the zoo. Don’t laugh. I have noticed that a lot of wildlife – birds especially – seem to take on confidence from the caged residents living comfortably in the presence of humans. You will often find timid species that are difficult to approach out in the woods or marsh foraging beside pathways or in nearby trees where they can still be photographed in natural settings. A short tele or even a standard lens will often suffice.
Best wishes,
gk
Not laughing at all, Garth. Great suggestion, thank you.
What size of lense is recommended and what settings for these beautiful pictures?
Debbie, these photos were taken with different lenses generally between 300mm and 500mm focal length and were shot with the aperture between 3.2 and 6.3, depending on the photo. You may wish to refer to WF’s comment thread #1 above. I hope that helps.
Thank you, I just scanned right past the previous threads to ask my question. Thank you again.
no problem Debbie, feel free to ask more questions.
For me the US State Parks or NFS-Campgrounds are a great opportunity to take pic’s of wildlife! Sometimes I only take my camping chair, make my camera ready. After a few minutes there they are…birds! ;-)
Wonderful images and a great story. The most important factor for me is introducing youngsters to wildlife and learning to respect them and their habitats at an early age. So, well done for doing just that.
Richard
Thank you Richard.
First of all,let me congratulate your grandson for the beautiful shots.Great work by the youngster !
The early initiation of youngsters in such activities will definitely go a long way in making them aware of Mother Earth and it’s beautiful inhabitants.The bond thus developed will make them responsible citizens and will go a long way in conservation of nature.
Thank you Vikas for reading and your comment.
I found a way to get my daughter interested in photography a long time ago. Rather than trade-in my perfectly good camera so I could buy the “latest-and-greatest” new camera, I gave it to her rather than sell it. She still uses it (Nikkormat EL) and still shoots film!
Peter, great idea, thanks.
Hi Tom,
I think your grandson is very fortunate to have a talented grandfather, who is happen to be a wildlife photographer. He must often sees his grandfather’s great photos. He has learned what is a ‘good’ photo unconsciously. So, it’s no surprise he will try to get the same good photos as you do.
In forum, I’ve seen too many beginner photographer only see photography as a gear hoarding. They only concern about sharpness, canon vs nikon, this body vs that body, etc. They’ve seen other photographer have a certain lens and they want to have it to, but they don’t even know what to do with those lens. They often ask, “I want to buy a new lens, do you recommend 35mm or 50mm ?”. Yet, they don’t explain what kind of subject they want to take. When I see their photos, I often ask myself, “Have they ever seen a ‘good’ photo before ?”. That’s why, in forum when I see a photo, which has a potential, I always give a constructive comment. Maybe they need to get rid of that branches or move two step to the left, etc.
So, in my opinion, every beginner photographer needs to learn the basic technique as well as see a lot of ‘good’ photos.
Thank you Johny for your comments.
Your grandson took some fabulous shots!!! My objection to having children around is that they are never quiet. I can’t tell you how many times a shot has been ruined because someone brought their screaming, running child up and the animal flew away or once a joey ducked back down into his mother’s pouch. Maybe if it is your kid and you can tell them ahead of time to be quiet but people frown when you try to tell someone else’s kid.
Theresa, you are correct, children can be a challenge at times. However, I see adults that create challenges as well, including adult photographers. Photographers can be guilty of scaring off subjects by our behavior as well. The father and son that I referred to in the post, I was guilty of scaring their subject off as I drove up. I saw them out of their car, they had binoculars on something. I stopped the car to see what they were scoping, so as to not scare it. I couldn’t see anything and thought they were looking further off in the distance, so I drove up to them and as I did, I spooked a sharp-shinned hawk off out of some brush right next to the road. I felt bad, but they were kind and patient with me, I guess that, in and of itself, is a lesson for us all. Thanks for reading and for your comments.
My sweet daughter is an specialist on pulling my arm just when I’m going to press the shutter.
Great! Just took my 13 year old to the zoo 2 weeks ago (I had updated my camera and gave him my previous one). He then photographed a school sporting event and today we just returned from Ft. Collins to see family and walk along the Poudre river. Great to see him walk ahead and look for the birds and other nature. Tried to interest him a few years ago, but he did not gravitate to it at that time. I have more anticipation in seeing his photos than my own. It is all very gratifying. Thanks so much for your wonderful post.
John, thanks for sharing your experiences and here is to many more good times spent with your son. Cheers!
This is just brilliant-thank you Tom, it is what the world needs more- to disconnect with devices and reconnect with our humanity. I salute you…..
Dilshan, thank you for the kind words and for reading.
Great article and have found photography with my kids very rewarding to just let them do what they feel they should shoot.
At early ages, grow the love for the hobby first, then after they truly have their own passion, then they become teachable. I found that to be true with sports, reading, photography and anything else. “Don’t over teach” let them learn at their own pace. You will know when they are ready to learn more by the questions they ask. :)
Tom, thank you and great advice.
SERIOUS WARNING.
Let your children be children while photographing and give them freedom, or sooner or later they will not like anymore the hobby. Take in account their age, and don’t overwhelmed them with complicated instructions for their age. If you criticize their work too much they could feel that they are not good enough for their parents, and they could become unsecure of themselves. Give them simple instructions and let them get their own experiences. They have time ahead, not like us : )
Good advice Kafkiano, thanks.
One of the best posts on this site. Just perfect!
Tom,
Great post and as you say children experiencing a hobby at a young age can turn into a passion or even a job. One thing I will say though is having someone being critical (positive feedback) of your images is cruial if the artists eye and technical understanding of the exposure/equipment is to be really developed. I know the comment ‘Well that’s one good shot out of 36, think a bit longer before you press the button’, wise words. I still miss stuff in the frame but think twice before firing, even digital has a price and that is time wasted reviewing rubbish!
I first had an Agiflex put under my nose at the age of 8, dad had to set the stops and speeds off the weston light meter. Slow and boring. Even worse you couldn’t wind on before setting up the exposure. I felt a million dollars with my Kodak box brownie as all I had to do was aim and fire the shutter. Then wind on quickly for rapid fire. Buying cheap Boots film and then sending them away for processing as this was the cheapest way mean’t low quality prints but they were all records of my travels up to 12 when the Pentax K1000 arrived for Christmas. I loved every minute of using both those cameras and would be beside myself with excitment when the envelope arrived through the letterbox.
Yes the Nikon gear I have now makes the job easier but seeing your grandson with his D40 and zoom lens brought back memories of figuring out the best way to photograph something. Boy would I have loved to check out the result instantly, which is in many ways is why digital cameras are the perfect tool for todays children as they are so use to instant electronic results. I love the bird leaving the ear of corn.
Enjoy one of the best hobbies modern life has given us.
Eric
Eric, thank you for sharing your experiences and comments. I enjoyed the travel with you back in time to earlier days and agree with you that photography is a great hobby or if you are lucky, career.
Great article and awesome shots. Please share your exit data: focal length, aperture, shutter speed, iso….thanks!
Thank you Tanya, which shot are you interested in? Let me know and I will post the exif data.
Hi Tom,
The hummingbird, the mandarin duck, and the funky looking bird at the bottom (**smile** I don’t know the name).
Thanks for sharing the exif data? It will help me tremendously as I learn how to photograph birds.
Here you go Tanya –
Hummingbird- Sigma 150-500 at 450mm , 1/2000 sec, f6/3, O ev, ISO 500
Mandarin Duck – Nikkor 500mm, 1/800 sec, f/5, ISO 900, ).33 ev
Funky Looking Bird (Stellar’s Jay – :)) – Nikkor 300mm, 1/1000 sec, f/3.2, ISO 720, 0.33 ev
I hope that helps, if you haven’t already, you may wish to check out Nasim’s post on photographing birds here: photographylife.com/how-t…raph-birds
I enjoyed your Canyonlands photos – my family is from that area and I always love the scenery there.
good points. thanks for sharing
Thank you Fatima.
Must have drove you nutty stalking those cats! Glad you finally got them!
Peter, thank you. I never did find the bobcat, although I did find one later that year about 2 hours north when I wasn’t even looking for it. Wildlife is unpredictable.
WOW, I love the first photo of the black bird among the pink blossoms. Great tips and so happy you finally were able to photograph the cat family.
Joni, thank you.
Ahhhh … the ones that get away … so glad to read you had a happy ending .. well done!! And excellent advice, too!!
Great article and images.
Thank you Tom!
Excellent article and truly a great information available here, i found this day before yesterday and been through most the articles and still going on.
Can you please post something on “Still Life Photography” also.
Thanks for this valuable information again.
I am curious how you and others set a camera for a wild life such as cougar that may disappear at any second. I usually preset high ISO, fast shutter speed for the first shots and then change settings for better IQ, if they are still there.
Paul, I usually shoot in manual mode so that I can control the shutter speed and DOF. I set the ISO to “Auto” with a maximum ISO set to the highest that I am comfortable with depending on the situation. That is assuming your camera body will allow you to shoot in Auto ISO and also if it will allow you to set a Max ISO. Then, like you said, if the animal stays around long enough, I will adjust the settings as I see fit. For the 3rd shot – the cougar on the kill, the sun had already set, it was dark and I had to crank up the ISO. My older camera body didn’t handle the high ISO as well as the newer ones do and so it isn’t the best shot, for that matter the momma thru the window isn’t high IQ, either. However, I at least got to see a couple of the most elusive cats in North America.
Very useful article Tom. I too use the auto ISO with manual for wildlife which gives me control over both DOF and shutter speed. I have one question though. What is the best technique to focus a wildlife if you want to position it off center in the frame ? Since we use AF-C for wild life, it wont let focus recompose while still using the center focus points. One can try using off center focus points but since they are not usually cross type theoretically you don’t get that sharpness and fastness as with the center focus points especially working in relatively low light condition. Other option is cropping the image after shooting the subject in the center but that is wastage of megapixels.
Alok, you bring up a really good question for which there is no one right answer and the points you make are all valid. You have some choices: 1. if you use the rear button focus method (program a button on the back of the camera such as the AF-On button to focus) then you can focus with the center point in AF-C mode and recompose. This works best on stationary objects since once they move they are out of focus, obviously.
2. You can select a different focus point or area to focus but you are right, it is less accurate than the center button
3. You can use 3D tracking on your AF (if you have it) and recompose as the subject moves. Downside – 3D is slower to lock on but once it does, it tracks well. I usually only use 3D when the subject is or likely to be moving straight at me. Nikon’s 3D system although slower to acquire focus, once it locks on, it does a very nice job of tracking something coming straight at you – which is typically a big challenge for AF systems.
Personally, I don’t use only one method, but switch between them based on the situation at the time.
Thanks Tom.
I do this with my daughter who is 10 now. She may not stick with photography but when I go out with two camera’s she has one and I have the other. We switch depending on my needs and she easily adjusts to whichever one she has in her hand. She has in fact taken what is to date, my favorite shot of my nephew. We are checking off every beach and park on Long Island as we go. Far more exciting than filling in a cardboard holder with state quarters and as she notes, it always means great snacks :)
Thanks Christine, I know your daughter will always remember the time together and of course, the snacks! :)
hi tom I was looking at that photo of the cougar and was wondering how long a lense did you use? I think thisis a younger bull elk by looking at the horn in the photo not a deer. Love this site though thanks. Lee
Thanks, Lee. I used a Nikkor 300mm f/2.8 lens.
As for elk or deer, I didn’t uncover the kill and look closely, but if you look at deer antlers, they fork and then fork again – common for deer, whereas elk tend to come off the main antler beam. However, you could be right and it could be an elk. This area has a lot of deer but there are some elk so either is a possibility. I would still say it is buck.
For my benefit, what makes you think elk in this case? The homeowner did say it was a large buck, they could be wrong, however.
Thanks tom,,i believe its elk because deer antlers have a main beam that the tines come off and point up and forward of the ears. Elk antlers have a heavy beam that forks and go back away from ears,, the give away for me is the last fork that turns down. I would think about a four yr old,, anyway very cool to get that in a backyard since cougars are very hard to spot in the wild.
Nasim,
As much as the story about the mountain lion was amazing, i am memorized by the picture of the crow surround by those rose colored buds in a tree! The color contrast between the subjects is fantastic not to mention other aspect of that picture!
Great presentation, the explanations on the organization of elements the photos add more ease to understand.Keep writing like this .Thanks the tips & the style (of pointing out the facts) ! (y)
Hello Daham
Thanks for the positive comments, I appreciate it.
Rob
Robert, enjoyed the article. Keep them coming. You are providing a valuable service the the readers.
Hey Alan
Thanks – don’t know if you know but clicking on your name in the PL comments takes you to a non working link – might want to update that.
Regards
Rob
Thanks Rob. Typo, should have been a dash between first and second name instead of a dot.
The most useful tips article I’ve read in a year.
Thank you so very much.
The annotated crops are especially useful as a teaching tool, but, as a related question to actual photography, do you crop a lot in post or are you usually trying to do all the composition with the camera?
THANKS !!
I do a lot of composition in camera – ie, I at least try to put myself at the right distance to frame the subject the way I want, I also try to place the subject in the right part of the frame ie: moose walking to the left needs room to move to the left in front of it.
I don’t frame so tight I can’t crop, I always leave some room for final cropping and placement. I am only shooting with 16mp so I don’t generally have that much cropping room anyways.
Regards
Rob
Dear Robert
Thank you so much for this very interesting article! Your pictures are amazing and when we watched them (me and my wife), we wanted to jump in an airplane and start photografing immediately! But we are learning Spanish in Bolivia…so… ;-) I’m relly looking forward to your next article!
you are welcome, we do this because we love it and it makes us feel alive.
It’s what we do when we a re not working our normal day jobs and to de-stress. I hope the next article lives up to your expectations – I do try to make them a learning and visual tool.
Rob
Excellent article.
I think it may also be worth mentioning that it’s worth having the discipline and patience to wait a for an engaging shot, rather than simply capturing the subject because it happens to be there. This is true of shooting both animals in the wild or captivity. It is possible to capture something of their personality and frame them in a way that makes people appreciate them beyond the mere sight of them. Certainly one way of aiding with conservation efforts. My 2 cents.
h-t-t-p://alphawhiskey.slickpic.com/photoblog/post/WildlifeCalendar
h-t-t-p://alphawhiskey.slickpic.com/photoblog/post/FloridaWildlife
I agree totally, it’s a great point and it was planned to be mentioned in the upcoming parts. Nothing beats story, interaction and character. The beauty of photography is that it is a form of art and everybody will have their own style.
Regards
Rob
Thank you, Robert.
This was a very informative article.
All the Best,
Hank
you are welcome !
Thanks for a well written, helpful article. What are your thoughts on using a V1/V2 with a FT1? Many cannot afford to purchase (or carry) the monster telephotos. On paper, at least, the 2.7X multiplier of the V series looks rather attractive when coupled to, say, a 70-200mm f2.8. Your comments?
Thanks,
Bill
Hey Bill
1st – Thanks
2nd – I suppose you don’t have to carry monster telephotos – you can get focal length with TCs, it’s just that my wife and I are not happy with the results they produce
3rd – I don’t know enough about the V1/v2 system to answer this question in a qualified manner – maybe someone like Nasim could jump in here and offer an answer that would help you better
Great article with the kind of information nobody else gives you. Very useful. Thanks a lot!
You are welcome – hopefully I have some more articles in me :)
Rob
Great article – interesting, useful and full of impresive photos.
I found only one thing that went wrong – on first photo with 2 bears description doesn’t match with EXIF.
Hey Michael
Thanks – the data shown on the photo is correct – I used Photoshop to add the bottom text line and the exif info is from another photo – I realized for the others and made sure it didn’t happen – sorry about but thanks for noticing and letting me know
Rob
Great article…very helpful. I think some of these things one picks up with experience but often forgets it in the heat of the moment. (Any tips on how to keep your cool and get the settings and other fundamentals right while your heart is pounding as that grizzly, moose, elk, etc. crosses the road in front of your car?)
I really hadn’t realized how beneficial rain or just wetness can be in terms of texture and detail.
Thank you!
Hey Oscar
I will do some follow up articles, but these are things you pick up over time and after making many regrettable mistakes. This is why I thought they would be a great share.
Grizzly, heart pounding – LoL – been there – not much helps in this situation – BUT >>
You need to be ready, I travel with the camera ready to go – depending on light 200 ISO, F/4.5, Aperature Priority, Focus Spot in the middle, charged batteries, empty cards – I have auto ISO (Nikon Feature) set up if I need to switch quickly without having to think (set to MAX 2000 ISo, MIN 1200th Shutter) that ways I can switch quickly while shooting rather than fumble with settings.
I have literally jammed on the brakes, jumped out of the car and whirled around with the 600mm to grab a golden eagle crossing the road with prey in the talons. I have seen a coyote grab a rodent with just seconds to capture it, feet off the road – so you definitely need to be ready to pounce.
Know your animals – I carry bear spray (2 cans) – I have a large hunting knife (last resort) – I know the rules of bear behavior and safety – Elk, bears and moose can be dangerous, even dopey moose can suddenly charge you – you need to know the signs (tilting head, drooling, ears etc) – above all else don’t go running after bears – Two years in Yellowstone people got killed while trying to approach for a better shot.
I will touch much more on this in the follow up articles – In Summary – Be ready – Camera Ready – Use the car for a blind when possible – know your animals, it will help keep you calm – respect the animals – don’t rush towards any animal – slow calm movements required even if heart is pounding :)
Regards
Rob
I really appreciate your follow up comments, Rob. I look forward to subsequent articles in this series. I was already a regular visitor to this site and now, thanks to you, I’ll be coming back over and over again religiously looking for your new articles. Keep up the great work, you and the entire team at Photography Life. This is one of the best sites- if not the best- I know on photography.
Oscar
wow!
I might have to frame that reply – Thanks
Rob
Thanks a lot Robert for this very fine written piece.
you are most welcome
My hobby is to shoot nature, it’s just a pity i can not afford more time for it. But it is always interesting to read about pro photographers experience and learn. Great article, keep writing. Will be looking forward to next your posts :)
Hey Iksas
I hope you mean photograph nature :) – but any time spent doing that is quality time. We all started somewhere and for me it was one trip out on a lake to photograph bald eagles that truly got us going in a die hard way. So maybe one day too you will get more time to do that. Thanks and regards.
Rob
Yup, photograph nature :). It’s nice once in a while get out of the city and enjoy the nature and maybe take some pictures. Thanks again, and will be really looking forward for new articles!
Great Article! Thanks for all of the instructive tips. I found them very interesting and helpful with what to look for in a good wildlife shot.
you are most welcome – thanks
Robert,
Fantastic article and definitley looking forward to others. Since I use the same gear as you for the same reasons, but in the Great White North of Canada, the metedata you provide is really helpful as I am still on a steep learning curve, especially using the 600 VRII.
Stephen
Thanks – I am going to be writing part II shortly.
The 600mm is an amazing lens and the F4 versus F5.6 on the 800mm matters. I find myself constantly shooting in high ISO, low light situations. It just seems to be that a lot of the wildlife I shoot comes in at dusk or early am. I will be posting some beautiful black bear photos taken with the 600mm.
Regards
Rob
Thank you for the article, Robert. I was just musing the other day as we are having a lot of strong sun behind grey cloud in the UK, that colours can sometimes be more intense in this sort of light, so not a bad substitute for golden hour later in the day. Am I right?
Thanks again
Noel
HI
I interpret that as being like bright overcast, which is also one on my favorite shooting conditions as it eliminates a lot of shadows and a softer diffused light. The golden hour or lets say the 1st 30 minutes or last 30 minutes of light is kind of special, a different hue and temperature to it. It can be hard to shoot in but I think that, that kind of light mostly happens at those times. Photography is a very artistic venture and there are no rules, its all about being aware and capturing things the way you want them. So if you see light you really like, shot away and enjoy.
Regards
Rob
Robert Great article. Agree don’t get involved with equipment debates. I did a short study on the equipment used in the last 2 years by photographers who won the world wildlife photographer awards. I know it is for specific competition but he point is simple. People using old equipment such as Nikon D1x, D2x etc won major awards. the telephoto lenses that achieved the most rewards were the 300 f2.8 and 200-400 f4. The first prize this year was Greg Du Toit from South Africa using a D3s and 16-35 for a elephant image. THe D800 was also very prominent. Point I am making is that with the selected equipment and clear idea of what you want to achieve, It can be done, but composition is the key as you indicated. May I request that in future you also cover the different focus modes, if possible. I have recently learned an expensive lesson, using the wrong focus mode in the wrong conditions. We often blame equipment but most of the time I could be out photographic methods and settings. Looking forward to the next..
Thank you so much for great article. As an aside, you wrote Baxter NP, Maine when Baxter is actually a state park.
Hey Gladys
Thanks, and thanks for the correction on Baxter, I fixed it in the article. I have been there many times and know its a state park, but somehow I messed it up when writing.
Rob
A wonderfully entertaining and informative read Robert, lots to think about, if only I could get a Moose in my backyard here in the UK, but I did manage to get some Mule Deer (I think) on our recent ski road trip around Colorado (on Rte 13) using the car as a blind.
A very helpful article especially as I have started to branch out into bird photography here in my countryside back garden, all I need now is a decent zoom and some patience.
Thank You Mike
You wouldn’t believe it, but I usually cant sit still for more than 5 minutes, but when it come to photography I can sit and wait for hours. My wife and I started with basic gear to begin with and just kept upgrading over the years, it takes time and is part of the process.
Enjoy your photography, that’s what its about.
Rob
That’s my plan, will have to work on the patience.
What a coincidence that we have also the review of the Tamron 150-600mm zoom along with your article, happy days.
Mike B
I’m sorry for the super late reply – I just found this place. :)
I just bought the Tamron 150-600mm lens for my Sony. Can you give me a link to the review you mentioned please? I’m having trouble getting good sharpness at 600mm but I can’t tell if it’s me or the lens (probably me though).
Thanks for highlighting all the points. Great reading! Well done!
You are welcome
Rob
Robert, this is a stunning article with great insight and advice. I’m not a wildlife photographer…more of a stealth street photographer in the manor of Bresson. Unlike many street photographers who will walk up on a subject and ask permission, I like the urban blind situation as I feel for what I’m trying to do gives me more of a natural feel to my photographs when people are unaware they are being photographed. But that is just me. I’m not shy, and if I think asking permission will get me what I am looking for, I will.
My professional work is medical and criminal forensic photography so when not working I consider my other passions as my hobby. Although I do make money from my street and flora photography and have been for years I don’t consider them to be my pro work at all.
I understand your definition of professional photographer as well as your need to keep the family business going in order to provide for your family, however, I have never agreed with that definition. In my, not so humble opinion, professionalism comes from consistency and acumen of craft. We know there are many great photographers out there among the “amateur” population; the people who don’t make any money from photography and who consistently make great photographs. To me, they are as professional as any who make their living through photography. Furthermore, in the past, some of the greatest photographers never made a great deal of money from this art while they were alive.
You sir are a true professional. You are persistent in your quest to obtain the very best of your art whether or not you earn all your money from your pictures.
Thank you for sharing with us here at Photography Life.
Wow
THANKS !!! – appreciate it and you are welcome
I completely agree with you Mike and you save me the trouble of making a similar post.
I’d also like to point out that according to the latin root of the word, an amateur photographer is a lover of photography. There is no reason why an amateur photographer can’t aspire to be better than most commercial photographers.
Murray
Here, we have a perfect agreement.
I have friends who fit this definition and I am envious of their landscape and wildlife photographs and their skill in post processing. Here in Richmond, Virginia, we have a wonderful wild aviary. Eagles, hawks, gulls, osprey, heron, egret, and of course the garden variety of ducks and geese that are everywhere. I’ve literally spend tens of thousands of dollars on very expensive lenses but would not venture to put one of my BIF or still life bird photos against any of the afore mentioned friends work. Of course they have all said at one time or another they could never photograph an autopsy or surgery so we all have our place in this world we call photography.
Thank you so much for such an informative article. I enjoy nature and wildlife and keep trying to get that “one” shot of a lifetime. Your tips will inspire me to keep trying. I have only myself to impress!
That’s it ! – you got it and when you do, you will feel oh so good and no one will be able to take it away from you.
Rob
Thank you so much for your article! I am a wildlife enthusiast photographer who is still new to the craft, and your article is so inspiring! I get so excited when I take a photograph and it’s just right. Even when it’s NOT just right, I get excited because I got that bird in flight and I can see it’s feathers! WOW. How exhilarating! I love it. But I was getting a little disheartened when some of my photos weren’t as great as I thought once I took them home and looked at them. (I have however, this week learned to not be bummed, and even have some laughs over a photo I took that looks like a “zombie duck” lol )
But your encouraging words have made it all great again. I love how photography just takes me away!
Thanks for taking the time to write this article, it was just what we all (budding and enthusiast photographers) needed to hear. :)
Hey Deb
Don’t get bummed, I know its hard, I have wanted to get bummed out several times, but then magic happens and you get the photo you have already seen in your mind. When you get that, and feel better than ever you will set new standards and new highs, occasionally you’ll hit a bump in the road, but no sweat, you can handle it and will only get better.
Rob
Thank you for the lovely inspiring article and beautiful wildlife photos. I am recovering from my 2nd knee replacement and am so hopeful that I will be able to hike into the woods and photograph wildlife. I have had to be content with taking pictures from my car as I could not walk very far from it. I am so excited and reading your article has given me the strength and motivation to try and get back into photographing wildlife and nature as soon as I can! I grew up hunting in India, so I have a natural eye and respect for wildlife. Loved your reference on “blinds”! Yes! I am looking forward to sneaking through the woods!
Thanks and I hope your recovery goes well, if you get the chance to get out there and into it, that would be awesome, if not there is also wildlife photography that can be done without so much walking. Have Fun!!
Rob
great advice – great article!!!!!!!!!
Another great article, Rob. Frankly, much of what you outlined are things that I knew, but it is quite helpful to see it documented as you have and especially framed with such amazing photographs. I kept on changing my favorite of the set each time I saw the next one…so they’re all my favorites. However, that is definitely a monster black bear. Congratulations on having your persistence and patience pay off.
Thanks again for sharing your insight…and for the candor you expressed in your article.
G’Day Oscar
Glad I could re-affirm the basics, but they are such important points, follow them and they will lead to good photo opportunities. I only know how to express things as honestly as I can, the hope is always the honesty doesn’t offend. I am glad I was able to attach true stories to the images that enhance the information in the article, there are also some of my favorite photos in there. Hopefully the next article will go into more detail.
Regards
Rob
Great article and wonder tips. And the photos were a treat to look at. Thanks a ton!
Thanks for another excellent photographylife article.
As a hobbyist wildlife photographer your advice is extremely helpful. I would like to make the best of the many “misses” I get, particularly when shooting birds in flight but sometimes it is not clear to me what the cause of unsharpness was in retrospect. Sometimes it is clearly camera motion or subject motion if shutter speed isn’t fast enough but other times I don’t know.
How does one determine if unsharpness arises from poor focus (particularly with a bird against sky where there is nothing else to show the true plane of focus), atmospheric conditions (heat shimmer), or limitations of the lens or camera?
I shoot with a D600, usually with the Nikkor 300 f4 + 1.4 TC, BTW.
An article on how to analyze photos and how to learn from them would be great!
Thanks,
PAS
Thanks
I’ll see what I can do about your suggestions, I have a few misses where I kept the raw files, so I might be able to do something there.
Regards
Rob
Great article, but I would absolutely edit what you said about the Katami National Park.
These are wild animals. You can walk among them, but you should absolutely not treat it as a “no danger” situation as you have written it. Wild animals are unpredictable, and humans are not good at recognizing how our behavior can cause them to panic or attack.
Hello Ian
I don’t know if you have been to Hallow Bay or Kukak Bay, but it is a very special place where bears acted as they did hundreds of years ago before they were hunted and chased by humans.
Of course all wild animals are wild and can be dangerous and you cannot be at the above places without a personal guide. But you can walk amongst the bears there, in fact the sow’s brought their 6month old cubs to us and then proceeded to graze in front of us. This is because in general humans are not a food source for the bears, so unless there is a history of threat from us, they have no reason to treat us as a threat.
Regards
Rob
Rob –
I have not been there and I do believe you in what you say, but, sadly, your advice seems to indicate that there is not danger in the article. Timothy Treadwell famously was a bit of an idiot with the bears, but he was killed by a Kukak Bay grizzly.
The lesson is preach that these are not field trips to the zoo in the wild and people will take proper care (which is what your comment does). The article, however, does not, hence my suggestion.
That said, I love the photos and hope to travel to Alaska to enjoy its natural splendor at some time.
Ian
I will consider your advice, Timothy Treadwell got killed because he didn’t think he had to follow any kind of bear protocol and put his campsite in a bear travel path and was even aware himself of the risk of his campsite. Towards the end of his trips to Alaska Tim didn’t even bother to carry any kind of defensive tool like bear spray.
I think if you get to go there and walk amongst the grizzlies, you will see things differently. It really is a life changing event, it was for us and we have great respect for wildlife and their capabilities and dangers. In Yellowstone we behave totally differently and understand all too well that a close encounter with a grizzly and cubs may result in injury or death.
Regards
Rob
Finally part II. Good article. Everything that written is so 100% true. And wild animals are wild animals, respect their private space and do photos not disturbing them and enjoy being in nature .
Will wait for part III :)
Thanks :)
I Live in South Africa so have access to an abundance of wildlife. I sometime photograph birds but my Budget does not allow for a 600mm lens. I have a D800 and D3s that I bought used but I love both for their own abilities. I have a 300f2.8 that I use with a TC 1.4 and this is my “longest” lens. The IQ with the TC is still very good. I am considering buying a 200-400 for the zoom flexibility and I see you use this lens. However, I have heard so many negative talk on this lens that I am not sure if I should get it or not. Talk is that it is not a great lens for longer distances?? I can get a used lens checked and confirmed by Nikon to be in great condition. it is the Vr1 model? I would value your opinion.
Hey
Lens selection can be a subjective matter depending on who you talk to – but the 200-400mm is an outstanding lens, its not a prime but it sure does give quality results. I think for wildlife a zoom like the 200-400mm is essential.
Hope this helps :)
Rob
Hi James,
This is an incredible lens and probably my favorite all time wildlife lens. It is remarkably sharp for a zoom ( similar to a prime) and it handles fairly well given its size. I had a 500mm prime and thought this was very close in sharpness, is obviously more flexible and lighter.
I have been going lighter and purchased the new 80-400G (it is reviewed on Photography Life) and I love it also, but it is slower. Note that this lens provides better detail / contrast than the 200-400 thanks to its nano-crystal lens coating. This lens is much lighter than the 200-400 and much less rugged. It also needs a 3rd party (Kirk) tripod collar.
I would definitely consider it.
Regardless, you can’t go wrong.
Thank you Andersen, for the valuable and very useful tips in wildlife photography. It will help a lot to beginners.
What a very informative artical ,you have put a lot of great thoughts into my head.thank you
you are most welcome – Rob
I consider most, if not all, of your photos to be “cry” shots. I cry because I’m not nearly as good at wildlife photography as you; I cry because, in my neck of the woods, wildlife is squirrels, fox I never see, raccoons I only see at night, etc…; and I cry because I’d be happier than a pig in slop to get even one of your “cry” shots!
Great articles and photography. Get your arm fixed and simplify your life so you can take more photos, write more articles, and make me cry. :-)
That comment is precious – thanks for your support and go find some places to shoot the kind of subjects you prefer
regards
Rob
I fell your pain Robert – I have a SLAP tear in my left shoulder labrum that makes handholding big glass tough. I’m digging the Tamron 150-600 as an alternative. Way easier to handhold, but it does mess a tad with my pixelitis ;) In the end though, I feel the emotional impact of a photo far outweighs sharpness, dynamic range, high ISO noise, blown highlights and the such. Now if you can just get that fuzzy bear chasing the moose through the fog…. (We’re kinda short on moose here in Arizona – oh and send some loons our way too.) Personally I dig the calf and the tree in the moose photo – it frames the subject and lends context. If you want to toss that one out, let me know and I’ll send you a link to my dropbox.
You are just too funny – it must run in the blood , thanks mate, you can always come visit me for the moose and loons :)
Rob
The environment, not the wildlife…the environment is why I will never do wildlife photography. If I’m not in an RV, if I have no place with hot and cold running water, and if I have to hike…we’re’ done!
(Nice photos, though!)
Thanks – Wildlife in an RV, now that could be interesting !!!
Rob
Terrific narrative Robert. I would give anything to accomplish shots of your quality on a more regular basis.
Richard
Thanks Mate – you keep working on it and you will – it takes time, I started at the beginning too :)
Rob
Hello Rob,
Thank you for posting this article. By far, this is one of the most comprehensive, detailed, and competent articles that I have ever read on any topic in photography, and I’ve read quite a few already. You article deserves to be a dedicated chapter in a book for wild life photography. Absolutely brilliant! Good onya!
Rob, the work that you kindly share with us here is astonishing. You have amazing talent and skill as a photographer. I congratulate and salute you. Some day, I would love to invite you to have a beer to talk more about your photography exploits and passions. :-)
I, and most certainly your other readers here, appreciate your skilled description of your approach and technique to getting the perfect shot. As you appear to be, I am a strong proponent of nailing the shot (in all aspects) in-camera and behind the lens. As you eloquently and succinctly stated, if you fail to nail the shot to your liking, just keep going out until you get the job done! :-)
With regards to your exposure technique , and in the interest of proving additional teaching to the beginners out there, I am interested in knowing more about your metering technique. In particular, did you use *spot*, *center-weighted*, or a mix of these two modes? I presume that you did not use matrix metering. And how much exposure compensation did you dial in for your various subjects?
The reason I ask is that your subjects are either very dark colored (the black bears, moose) or very light colored (the owl), and these extremes of illumination values can severely throw off an exposure if the photographer neither properly assesses the illumination of the scene/subject nor employs the correct metering mode and the correct exposure compensation. For example, in your exposures of the bears and moose, I would presume that you used either spot or center-weighted metering with -2 stop negative exposure compensation dialed in (placement of the dark fur within Zone 3) to avoid an overexposed image (Exposure wise, I am “old school” and use a simplified Zone System, hence my invoking of “Zones”). Those exposures look near perfect! On the other hand, in your last photograph of the owl (which is a stunning shot), judging from the illumination values, the image appears to have been underexposed by about 2/3 to a full stop. I say this because the snow, even under a dull sky, should generally render as a higher value on a photograph (Zone 7), unless of course, the photographer deliberately seeks underexposure. I would surmise that your camera’s exposure compensation was likely not set high enough (i.e., by about +2) to override the meter’s quest to bring down the exposure to middle gray, which is what the image looks like. Rob, in my humble and respectful opinion, I think more exposure here would make for a more striking final product. Otherwise, all of your exposures look awesome! So, the lesson here for the photographer, whether he/she is photographing wildlife, portraits, or landscapes, and whether he/she is metering dark fur, light feathers, light/dark skin, volcanic rocks, desert sand, foliage, etc, properly assessing the illumination values (especially extreme values) that are paramount to the subject of interest and skillfully overriding the meter (if needed) are instrumental to ensuring a perfect exposure. :-)
Rob, I am very sorry to hear about your injured rotator cuff. I can surely sympathize with your plight. Two years ago, my own hiking and photography exploits were seriously derailed by plantar fasciitis. It was so bad that I was unable to walk, much less jog or hike long distances. It was painful and frustrating to have my passion for photography shelved for months while I was in rehab and getting the problem treated to resolution. I feel for you. I am physician by training, and I am familiar with rotator cuff injuries. Based on what you share with us, it sounds like you are in need of arthroscopic repair. I hope you do attend to it and are not sidelined for too long. We would love to see more of your brilliant work again soon. :-)
Best wishes, and Cheers!
Rick
Hello Rick
That’s an amazing comment and I appreciate your generous compliments. Thank You
I do use matrix metering most of the time, the D4 and D4s has not let me down much in this area and does a pretty good job, I do use center weighted at times, but I usually do a few sample shots and check the histogram to verify the exposure. I have found with my Nikon cameras the -0.3ev is a standard exposure compensation setting for me, I never hardly see Nikon cameras under expose, they almost always tend to over expose. Of course I shoot raw so I have the adjustment I need if the exposure is a little off. I pretty much always use AF-C Single focus point and manually move the focus point to be on the subjects eye. You seem to be well educated on proper exposure techniques and technically minded in that area. I hope this answers your Q, I hope I didn’t disappoint with mostly matrix metering mode, but for me it has worked awesome (most of the time)
Again, thanks for your kind compliments.
Rob
“it was a valiant attempt, but I need to come back and try on a better light day – LoL, – the story of my life”
Great! The story of our life ;-)
Too True though, isn’t it ?
Regards
Rob
What an incredible and peculiar attitude! I am stonished to see such a professional attitude: my sincere appreciation.
Just a lot to learn! One (silly?…I am a beginner…) question: do you shoot in Continuous/AF-C mode and use Dynamic AF-Area or 3D-Tracking modes? I have tried, unsuccesfully. I still get better results on moving subjects by using the AF-S mode. What do I miss?
Thanks a lot from Italy!
Thanks !!!
I mainly shoot AF-C, and single focus af – I will use 9 point area at times but mainly for small fast birds – I am hesitant to use dynamic AF-area because I want to control where the camera chooses to focus. I have learnt to be pretty nimble at moving the focus point around.
Regards
Rob
Very helpful. Hope your shoulder heals quickly.
Thanks
Robert………….thank you for sharing your knowledge so freely. That is how us ‘newbies’ learn………..from generous people liek you. I wish more invisuals would share in the manner you have. Again a million thank yous.
You are most welcome and I appreciate the support – thanks
Rob
I was completely absorbed in every word, in every picture!! Thank you thank you!! Yes, please do get that shoulder fixed. I had the same thing a while back … operation and physical therapy now over and done and now I’m just fine. You will be too!! I can’t help agreeing with Patrick O’Connor above … even your “cry” shots are glorious!!! My “cry shots” are the ones where all you see are feet and elbows as the critter skips or flaps happily away from me!!! Thank you again!!!!!
Thanks, I am glad I was helpful to you
Rob
Well thanks for totally ruining it for me, because for now I was just happy to even get an animal on my photos. Like a blurred deer or rabbit in the distance and then heavily cropped:-) One time I stumbled upon a family of wild boar. Dangerous to approach, but I did anyway to get the shot, which made me so nervous, the photos were all shaken:-) People even liked them because they looked so artistic:-) No, it isn’t easy, to shoot nature…..:-)
Thanks for the tips, this is a wonderful educational blog!
hehe – and you are welcome
Robert, thank you for sharing this highly informative article. I have had surgery to repair both rotator cuffs, so I know first-hand the pain! Wishing you a speedy recovery (unfortunately, it takes quite a bit of rehab and time).
Thanks – the rotator cuff thing is killing me, its my favorite moose time coming up in the next few weeks and I cant hold a camera, enough to make a grown man cry !!
Rob
Love the article! Keep them coming…..a learning adventure! I agree with Patrick about the “cry” shots…we can just practice and hope we learn! Thanks!
Practice and trying are key – you do that and you will succeed :)
Trust me and PS – Learn to think like a hunter :)
Rob
Very good and fantastic images. You set very high standards. I was amazed to see that you “limit” D4s ISO below 3000, ? I was also interested to read about your experience with exposure issues related to shooting in A mode and prefer S mode? I never use S mode but mostly Manual with Auto ISO with limit set to 3800 on my D4. I would rather get a slightly noise shot without motion blur than miss it.?
Thanks again. Last question if I may. I don’t do a lot of bird photography mostly wildlife here is South Africa where I live so my longest lens is the 300f2.8 vr2 that I use 90% of the time with the 1.4 Converter. Sometimes the 2.0 series iii but find IQ drop a lot. I am considering buying a 200-400 f4 and sell the 300 f2.8 to fund part of the purchase. What is your view on the 200-400 lens.
My view on the newer version of the 200-400 is that its an amazing lens that’s able to produce almost prime lens level detail, but what makes it a precious wildlife lens is the ability to have that focal range (200-400) in one lens and its a great hand holding and back country lens, awesome size for travel. Most of the photos on my website are taken with the 200-400, but in the last 4-5 years I have tended to use prime lenses more. They just have a different look to the photos and I love they way the photos from prime lenses look. It is a pain to carry large primes when travelling – a huge pain in the butt. I would have some concern with you wanting to get rid of the 300mm prime – that’s a stunning lens and FAST !!! If it was me – I would want both LoL – If funds are a reason then its a tough decision and only one you can make. But photos from the 200-400 are amazing, they really are – its a good lens in my opinion.
Rob
Just returned from 3 week safari to Tanzania with rented 600mm Nikon f/4 lens and Gimbal, jerry rigged to wooden cross bar of the Range Rover with Manfrotto clamp for supporting the Gimbal and the lens. Despite all of this, grabbing quick shots afar first spotting the bird/animal, finding it int he view finder, and composing it, and then hoping the bird/animal has not fled, looked away, etc. I shot with continuous high, shutter preferred, f/8 on my Nikon D7100 U2 pre-set with high ISO of 800 or 1000. With all of this going for me it is still difficult to get shots with all of the necessities of exposure, catch light in the eyes, shape images, not shooting the rear end of the bird/animal, etc. For all of these reasons, and my experience of 8 African safaris under my belt, I applaud your amazing success in getting these dark coated animals so perfect most of the time. No ability to insert images here.
Would love to see some of your photos, that trip is on mine and my wifes bucket list – and thanks for the compliment, we are serious perfection freaks when it comes to selecting keepers – a lot of images go to the trash can so to speak – but we try really hard
Regards
Rob
Dear Rob: I’d certainly be happy to send a few photos of our recent Tanzania trip. This site does not seem to have the ability to send images, so please inform me how and where to send images and format e.g.: size of file limitations, JPG, etc. I have rented the 600 mm lens and Wemberly Gimbal three times now and get better with it each time. This recent trip featured amazing birds (scarlet breasted roller, African Bee Eater), and close ups of the classic lion, hippo, elephant, and best of all, wonderful chimpanzees in the forests of Western Tanzania near Jane Goodall’s Gombe Stream (Mahale-Greystoke). The chimp pictures were a real challenge, since they were constantly moving, black and furry against bright skies in the tree limbs, or scurrying through the forest floor. Nevertheless, patience won out and I captured some great eye contact shots with hand held Nikon 80-400 f/4.5-5.6 (old model).
Another bonus- I was seated right next to Jane Goodall on British Air for 8 1/2 hours!!! She was traveling from London to Nairobi as were we and we found her to be charming, friendly, and warm. I even have photos of that!
If you want further input on Africa, my experience of 8 safaris over many years might help. Africa is probably the most expensive travel destination in the world at this time, but it is worth every single penny to my wife and me.
I have no problem with you sending them to my email address – [email protected] – would really love to see them and any trip info you might like to provide – appreciate it a lot
Rob
Rob:
I have sent two sets of images by e-mail. Please feel free to comment freely.
Dale
give me until tomorrow – just got back from a day out – but thanks for sending :)
Thank you very much for taking the time to create this fabulous article and for sharing it with us. I’ve been “:taken to school” and have learned a great deal from you. I can’t imagine the amount of time you must have taken to put it all together with the illustrative photographs.
The only thing I might add is to stay safe out there. You’re photographing dangerous wild animals. I once got within 50 feet of a huge bull elk in rut and even as I was shooting I was telling myself I was crazy to be so close. Also living in Arizona we have to keep an eye out for rattlesnakes. Thank you again for a magnificent article.
It makes me happy when I am to help someone like you – that is what makes it worth the time and effort to put these articles together.
And yes, people need to be aware of every animals character they photograph and be educated and prepared.
Rob
Thanks for this extremely helpful article and hope your healing goes well. It was very precise about what worked and what didn’t, and as a result very educational.
you are welcome
An outstanding article. I am working on a paper for my Nature photography course at Austin Community College and have reviewed a ton of material (much of which provides little substance for aspiring photographers) and I must say that this is one of the best “composition” articles I have encountered. Great job.
Thank You – Kind Sir – I love it when I am able to help :)
Hi Robert
What a splendid article! Thank you very much for sharing the details of why you find some shots better than others and how that relates back to the environment and conditions. Anyone like myself, who wants to move beyond the getting the animal in frame and in focus can learn from articles like this. For that you have my sincere thanks!
I hope your injury continues to improve too.
I am glad you enjoyed the article, most importantly learned some of the things it has taken me years to learn.
Rob
Thanks for the article . if I could have more more constructive critism to make it would be that I rarely find a photo of a bird on water interesting if its not takien at eye level /water level or almost( meaning yhat you can see the background/landscape and not only water in the background). Dont get me wrong the shot of loon is good but people with heavy glass tend to forget how much more striking their shots of birds on water would be if they throw away their tripod or get closer with a smaller lens and bend over their boat kayak or canoe with a right angle finder to take a picture…. Or lay flat on the ground from the shore. I think that really makes the difference on a good vs great shot. I know this makes things much more difficult but I think thats a part of photography.Thanks for the article .
Super article Rob, thank you! I read your part 3 wildlife photography article this morning, which was superb and came back for this one! Your advice and shared experience makes such sense! Some comments confirm what I have learnt the hard way too, and many others are things I will definitely incorporate myself! Thank you so much for sharing!
I loved every word of your blog. I think I’ve learnt more here than a ton of books could have taught me. Get well soon. And keep writing .
This is honestly one of if not the most informative wildlife photography articles I’ve ever read. Breaking down the “cry” shots is very valuable to develop a critical eye, which is key to elevating one’s own photography. Bravo! Look forward to reading more of your posts in the future.
Thank you very much
This article is very well explained about all the elements in wildlife photography. I am sure it will help all the new wildlife photographer like me to get good photographs.
This was a very informative article. Wildlife photography is something I don’t do enough of and this article inspired me to do it more often. Your detailed analysis of what’s right or wrong with a photo is what’s makes this article special. I shoot only in manual (RAW), but I understand why shutter priority is useful when shooting a moving target. Thank you for a very informative article.
Rob,
Fantastic article. The side by side comparisons are extremely helpful as is the analysis of each image. I actually forwarded the link of the article to my son as he is just getting into wildlife photography. Your articles have all been exceptional, but this may be the most practical.
I greatly appreciate your candor…it is really refreshing. Reading about your own challenges makes it easier to understand that there is no magic wand for wildlife photography. It takes trial and error mixed with plenty of effort, patience and persistence to have some success.
Let me also thank you about the information concerning the shape of the loon’s head. I found it fascinating.
Keep up the great work.
Thanks and hopefully I can come up with more useful info for the next article
Regards
Rob
Rob
Thank you so much for this article. I have a LOT of “cry” shot and it makes me feel good to know that even a pro like you, have these too.
A few days ago, I forgot to change my shutter speed… well let’s say that 1/400s is not enough when a dog is running.
But I always say: we don’t make mistake, we learn.
The owl is just magical!
Hey Alis
Sooner or later those cry shots turn into awesome shots – keep at it, they will come
Rob
Wow! This is one of the best articles I have ever read on this subject. Its great to get in the head of an experienced, excellent wildlife photographer, and that is what this article feels like.
Thanks Sceptical1 :) – Rob
GREAT article! But Robert you are much too hard on yourself. By the way, I checked out your website and see that you or your wife also does artwork. Cry photos can make fantastic art inspiration as then you have the chance to make the changes you want to see — like opening the eyes more and put in the catch light are removing branches, or making the water just the way you want it. I have also found that some cry images can make great photo-art images!
Hoping you heal up good and fast!
Thanks
Rotator cuff is improving, but now I cracked a rib chasing moose in the woods – LoL
But thank you !!
Rob
I never heard back from you after sending the two photos, but here is my Smug Mug web site selection of images taken on recent trip to Tanzania (July,2014)
daledavisphotography.smugmug.com/Tanzania-2014/
Any tips would always be appreciated by Robert or anyone on this panel.
Hello Dale
The photos you sent me require more than a brief response and I have been extremely busy, sorry for that. My mum and sister who I have not seen in 15 years came to visit and I dedicated all my time to them and then the moose rut season happened, requiring me a non morning person to get up at 4am every day for the last three weeks. I will get back to you shortly – life is getting back to slow mode after this weekend – sorry mate !
Rob
I too read your part 3 article and then looked for the other parts — great job on these articles! GREAT photos and info!
Again wonderful article and STUNNING photos!
I read many years ago about a wildlife photographer that would only eat a plant base diet saying that the animals feared him less since he didn’t smell the same as most humans. Have you ever tried that? He also would not use any commercial body products when shooting because of the smell.
No worries. Whenever you get to it is just fine.
Pictures are gr8 indeed and much to learn from your comments. With out the YES and NOs of the skill it would have been hard to learn.
I would like to upload few of my pictures for your kind comments and for my grooming in photography.
Kindly let me know if I could do so.
Thanks
Dear Rob
I just wanted to congratulate you, this trilogy is stunning! Many thanks for sharing your thoughts and experience with us. I have never read such in-depth articles about Wildlife Photography. I have printed and read all 3 articles, you had quite some work, wow, but it was worth the effort. You did not only describe but showed us all the details why a photo was better that way and a bit less the other. Moreover, I appreciate very much for being so brutally honest and candid, that “some photos just take a long time to come your way and you have to be willing to try and try and try again”. I am an amateur photographer and enthusiast and I was always wondering how the professionals got those absolute stunning shots. Now, I know a bit more: a lot has to do with persistency, patience, passion, perfection and constantly learning. Thank-you.
Many thanks also to Nasim Mansurov for making this extremely valuable photography site happen. For me this site is one of the best in that field.
Thomas
Hello Thomas
Glad you like the articles, hopefully I have a couple more in me. Always nice to hear when I was able to positively help or influence someone. You keep getting out there and getting better just comes your way, all of a sudden, it happens, and you get one of those wonder shots. Just be careful, because that’s the beginning of an addiction that’s hard to cure :)
Regards
Rob
Hi Bob, again, wonderful article!
But my question is still, when do You apply VR and when not?
Thanks,
Achim
I like the self-analytical approach you take to your results. It is hard to get objective views from friends and family, especially those who like the photgraphs, but are not photographers, or photographically inclined.
As such, they are limited in their responses and often cannot quite put their finger on why one shot, out of three or four similar wildlife shots, is ‘better’ – because you have to be behind the camera, and put in the hard work to get the shots in order to comprehend not only the level of difficulty, but the coming together of technology and artistry of composition. The one demands perfect exposure (for a given subject within a range of tonality in the entire shot) plus the requisite skills of choice of aperture or shutter speed, choice of lens, and focus point. The other demands a knowledge of the subject, sometimes in depth, sometimes more superficially, in that we, as a race, have a percieved idea of the behaviour of a given subject, such as the bears in your images.
Putting those two halves of the equation together and getting satisfying results at the end of it, and then asking opinons of non-photographers will tell you which of the images is ‘best’ to be sure, but, it will not reveal why the other images are not quite as revered, and to discover what is wrong, or to put that better, what is not quite ‘right’ with them, your chosen tool of self-analysis is probably the only reliable method.
Your main theme, which is to do with the particular pose of the subject, within a range of poses which present themselves to you as you are busy composing the shot, is quite true, and quite amusing too. Animals are nororiously unpredictable and once you have one in a good shooting position, never quit shooting and composing unless it is putting your safety in danger. Sometimes I take 10, 15, even 20 shots to find that the first shot was the best anyway. Somtimes it is one from the middle of the batch, and sometimes the very last shot is the ‘golden’ moment.
Four or five weeks ago I replaced my tele zoom with the Tamron 70-300 f/2.8 VC and a week or so later decided to road test it at a nearby bird sanctuary / wildlife centre. Your post could not have been more relevant as my knowledge of photograpy, and a previous owner of a similar lens, did not stop me making errors due to the excitement of the new optic, lack of familiarity of it, and to a greater extent, lack of subject knowledge. I relied on the VC to freeze the subject, which of course it cannot do – it is designed for camera shake and cannot deal with a moving subject combined with low shutter speeds.
Revisiting the sanctuary a few days later, I changed my approach, set an auto ISO setting to keep the shutter speed >125th and most of my images were fine, though some birds do move their wings too fast even for that, and 1/500th or faster is the only solution.
Having got that sorted out, I dropped into your own way of thinking on composition, finding that birds go through a gamet of different looks, positions and actions all in seconds. I can honestly say I have never fired off so many shots on a camera before. In most if not all cases, there was only one image out of a burst of 7 – 20 which really pleased me, but without the constant observation and concentration upon the subject, and capturing each nuance and change of position, I would have missed most -if not all – of them.
You make a good point, and make it with good illustrations showing us clearly how important it is to stay with a subject. Of couse you can plan, but wild animals being wild, it is nigh on impossible to ever be certain of what they will do at any particular moment. Flexibility, perseverance and a good eye plus good camera skills and the right camera / lens combination will get you on the right track.
Thanks for raising a subject that is probably one that we overlook when viewing the work of others. To get that one shot we so admire in a magazine, the photographer may have been out at 5am to set up, endured a long walk there and back, got wet, cold, tired and hungry, and spent a lot on travel, just to nail the opportunity to be there, at the right time, with the right gear to nail it.
Easy to forget that when you view one of those special shots. Thanks for the post.
Thank you for the long and comprehensive reply – photo selection is a tough process, deleting ones that really should be deleted is a tough choice – and to make it worse is all subjective – lol
I am glad I wrote something you found useful, makes worth writing the article :)
Rob
I wonder how many people have the patience to read your comments to the end.
“It is my ambition to say in ten sentences what others say in a whole book.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche
Yes, point taken :-)
Usually, my comments are too terse. ;-)
Excellent information. As I review my wildlife sequences, I look for those shots that reveal more about the animal or bird, too.
Thank you!
Thanks for the positive comment, glad you liked it :)
I really, really like this article! It brings out questions I should be asking myself rather than “is this photo tack sharp or does it have a decent composition”. I’m by no means a professional or even an accomplished photographer, but I strive to become a better photographer every time I go out on a shoot. Articles us ch as this, is incredibly helpful.
Thank you very much the positive feedback and nice reply – thanks a lot mate
Rob
Outstanding article, Robert. I appreciate you sharing your evaluation process with us. I believe this is something where you only really get better with practice. It’s also important to be aware of the different factors you’ve listed. Of course, it is true that there is some subjectivity to all of this. What is a great image to one person, may not really do it for another.
I love the photographs you posted. All of your bear shots are amazing. That last owl image is superb…which brings me to a request. At some point, would you mind addressing how to properly use flash when photographing wildlife? I’d like to read about your thoughts on the matter both in terms of technique and recommended equipment.
Thanks again.
Thanks, on the flash thing I will try, but I hardly use flash – LoL – and have to remind myself how to do it every time, I am one of those people who prefers natural light – mostly !!!!
Rob
Many things I would write here are written above. Having said that let me say thank you for that well written article. Selection is a process which I have struggled with. Your article has helped me understand the process better.
Awesome – I struggle with it every time :(
– Rob
Nice article, thanks for sharing.
Love the pictures. Even that i shoot mostly birds by myself, my favorite is the last bear photo. Amazing one!
I am actually a Raptor geek, my favorite wildlife is Moose and Eagles, just very hard to get close to raptors here in New Hampshire
thanks for the compliment
Rob
Good for you to have raptors. Heh, in my country there almost no raptors. But I am happy to be able to shoot other birds and if get lucky some raptors birds too. I am pretty sure that everywhere to get close is very hard, unless you are going in Africa safary. One thing that I understand from the article that I need to delete much more pictures :D.
Checked out your website, some pictures are just incredible!
Love loons. I have been doing lots of efforts to get the loon shots, but without any real success for now, just a couple of shots. Beautiful picture of loons family: www.fireflightphoto.com/ffpsb…LL018.html
Do not tell me its a real bear: www.fireflightphoto.com/ffpsb…BB089.html – come on, its a teddy bear, right?
what a moment: www.fireflightphoto.com/ffpsb…UT003.html
briliant: www.fireflightphoto.com/ffpsb…MT003.html
ok, i need to stop, because otherwise I will post all photos from your website. Impressive shots!
Hello iksas
Sincere thanks for your appreciation of my photos :) – thanks a lot, and yes it was a real bear, unbelievable, you should have seen me trying to scramble to get the shot, He was initially sleeping, woke up played with the wood for a bit, then did this – I mean just incredible comic action from a wild bear. Its moments like that, that suck me in whole heartedly into wildlife photography. Observing the proud loon parents feeding their baby an oversized fish, I mean LoL – this fish is nearly as big as the baby :)
thanks Again – its taking many years to build a nice collection and many attempts – I just keep getting out there :)
Rob
Dark of night for the owl shot? Weird. With iso 200 and f5 it doesnt look night at all. I guess editing makes the difference
Pocket wizards – two flash setup through white diffusers handheld – was very dark, the camera setting are set manually
Rob
I agree with your article darn near 100%. “own worst critic”, I am going to guess that many of us fit this bill. The hardest thing for me is to divorce the “what I like/am emotionally attached to” from the “what would be interesting to others”. The one place I don’t completely agree is on your owl. The first thing I notice, a result of your 2 flash system, is the double-catchlight, which for me is a big distraction. Perhaps cloning out the one that doesn’t match the other eye would be a good thing to do. For a non-writer you have done a great job of describing something that plagues many of us, and I really like the way that you continually make the point that this works for your, not necessarily for all. Thanks! I will have to visit this site more often.
I really enjoyed this article on two fronts. First the images. I really like all of them but one (and that is purely subjective, as they are all keepers) Great job!
Now for the best part. I like how ruthless you are in winnowing down the best images – the ones that have the highest technical quality and more importantly, tell the story you are trying to portray. Your comment about the 2nd moose picture being “better” than the first because it shows the more of the majesty of the moose is perfect, because that is what you are trying to portray. The same can be said of the foraging bear picture. It tells a great story. Congrats on becoming that choosy, because I am positive that is a key ingredient to becoming a successful wildlife photographer.
Trust your wife’s preference. I agree with her….;-)!
Thanks – I did, in the end :)
Rob
Hi Rob, what fantastic reading. I have just purchased my first long lens and looking forward to trying it out, Reading your articles has helped me a lot, I now feel a bit forarmed. But as you say…. practice …practice…practice.
Simon.
Thank you for your insights and clear articulation. I very much enjoyed the first article as well as this one and look forward to reading #’s 3 & 4 and your other offerings. I have been photographing for quite a while and am hoping to finally take it to another level, there just seems like so much to wrap my little mind around. I never plan to become professional but do hope to get some wow photographs along the way. Thanks again for taking the time to share.
The snowy owl is a phenomenal capture. I saved it. Have you sold it.?
Hello Aitch
Thanks, I love this photo. Not sure what you mean by having sold it, we have sold some matted prints of it, it has been featured in the NH wildlife calendar. We have also sold a stretched canvas print of it. We do our own printing and preparation in house, so we pretty much print and sell on demand.
Regards
Rob
Outstanding Article Robert. Few things touched my heart. Many a times, you have used subjective – absolutely agree with you. What i learned is that grading photos, it’s an herculean task to select images after a 10 full days trip to places like Mara or Serengeti. Secondly, the composition and guideline on selecting good images. Superb.
Hello Subrat
Thanks very much, makes writing the articles a pleasure. Maybe you can take me to Serengeti with you one day, that’s one of our dream places to go :)
Rob
Excellent article! Appreciate the tips and the time and effort you put into writing the piece.
Thanks Mate
I appreciate the support :)
A great article and lovely photos. Very inspiring.
Hello Hazem
Thanks, wildlife can be so precious and beautiful, so I appreciate the positive feedback
Rob
Very nice article and useful tips! I really liked your point about equipment. I currently own a Nikon D610, a D3 and a Tamron 150-600mm, and find shooting very late at dusk or early in the morning a bit challenging. The lens aperture goes from f5 to f6.3, but in order to achieve sharper shots I need to stop down to f8. This has me debating if I want to use the D610 for lower noise at high ISO, or the D3 for better autofocus/and fps capabilities. That being said, this doesn’t stop me from going out and shooting every time I can. I try to make the most out of the equipment that I own and enjoy it… and, well, sometimes I even achieve decent results.
Hello Pablo
Thanks – for me the most important part is getting out there and trying, then of course trying to get “the Shot”, I once read somewhere “the right equipment, is the equipment you have in hand when the action is happening” – my D3x could be a bitch for wildlife, temperamental, but when it got the shots, it got them. Lol, it never stopped me from trying, I just had to accept I didn’t get as many keepers. I am sure you are getting decent results, good on you :)
Rob
Great images Mr. Robert, good for you. I’m sure you must be very competent and comfortable in your adventures, I never thought bear + cubs + camera was a good combination, and I can’t run very fast these days either. But for sure your work is amazing. Thanks so much for posting a very informative article. Good luck and best wishes…
Hello Philip
Thanks, I am glad you like the images, I try hard to get some good ones here and there, so I appreciate the compliment – have a great day :)
Rob
Robert, that first image of the bear cub is absolutely stunning. Congratulations and I am looking forward to seeing more :)
Thanks Nasim
I think it was a gift from the bear gods – oh so tiny – I couldn’t believe it – that photo makes me smile – thanks for the compliment
Rob
Great photos and excellent write up. Thanks for sharing!
Best,
Vaibhav
You are most welcome !
Rob
Robert, superb photography . . . One of these days, I’m going to have to buy you and John Sherman a beer. : )
Thanks Rick
Nice comment coming from someone of your caliber – Us Aussies are always open to a beer. I’ll even shout! (that’s Australian slang for I’ll pay the bill )
Regards
Rob
Hi… Great article! Thanks for sharing.
thanks :)
Thank you so much for all your articles, and for sharing these fantastic images.
The lead image with the bear cub in the rain, and the ones with the cub coming down the tree are absolutely wonderful.
I also appreciate your direct sharing of what’s important to you and how it works for your photography.
It’s amazing to me that you are able to find that combination of animals acting naturally in great conditions for the images.
I very much relate to pursuing one’s passions with such energy and integrity.
Much appreciated!!!!
Dave T.
Hello Dave
I think this is my nicest comment from anyone yet, that’s mate I appreciate it. If you take the time to let the animals accept your presence, then they start to behave naturally as if you are not there. If you can get past the first few seconds of fight or flight, then you have a chance to have longer more normal time with the animals you photograph.
Thanks Again
Rob
Gives me hope that my photography can improve — Great article — Thanks!
Hello Pam
Persistence and determination will get you there – if you keep trying you just get better and better – you really do :)
Thanks
Rob
One of the best and most instructive articles on photography I have ever read. And stunning images to illustrate your points. We read so much about what the equipment can do but here you show the skills and know-how required to use the equipment to get the images. Thank you – an inspiring read: it not only helped me decide on getting the D500 but what I want to do, or at least try to do, with it.
Hello Pravin
I must thank you for such a nice compliment and you are lucky, because the D500 has specs that beat most of all my previous cameras (before the D4) and at a spectacular price – its a wonderful time to have an interest in photography – prices are dropping and equipment is getting better. All it takes is getting into it and getting out there :)
Thanks again
Rob
Great article Robert with excellent images…The 1st pic of the cub is simply outstanding. Thanks for sharing.
Hello Nirav
I think the picture of the cub, is one of those rare moments in your life that may only happen once like that, so small, so cute, so wet – I think the bears gods sent me that photo – thanks
Rob
What a great article – written from the heart; thanks for sharing your thoughts (& pics)
Hello Pete
Thanks Mate :)
Robert, nice job and wonderful pics! I need to get out your way and shoot with you! Keep up the great work.
Hello Tom
I think you got it all wrong – hehe – I need to come with you, I have a lifelong dream of photographing those polar bears :) – but thanks mate, appreciate the compliment!
Rob
Thanks for the tips! I am enamored with eagles and your photos are fantastic. I wish I could have been there!
Hello Gary
I came to America from Australia 17 years ago, it was my first sight of the great American Bald Eagle that first got me inspired to get into wildlife photography. I love that majestic bird so much – it inspired me
Rob
Robert
Great with many unbelievable shots.
1- Aren’t you putting your life at risk, taking shots with heavy equipment at 90 feet from such dangerous wild animal ?
2- Can you tell us , what are the security measures you take, if any ?
Congratulations
Luc
Hello Luc
Thanks
Ans 1: Its a difficult question to answer in a way. I often put my life in danger so to speak (knowingly or indirectly) – not something I plan to do, but even a photographing a moose can be dangerous when you have nothing to hide behind. I try to understand the animals I photograph, I try to read their body language and danger signs and react accordingly. I would put my camera down if I had to and come back and get it later – but you can’t really run, that triggers the prey instinct in animals – I don’t carry a gun (not for me) – I always carry bear spray (2 cans) and sometimes a flare – but my best defense is understanding the animals intentions.
Ans 2: I suppose this answer was also covered above – my defense mechs are – knowing danger signs – knowing how to react to different animals – pepper spray – flare – knife as last resort (really just to make me feel good) lol – having an escape route – location of trees etc. Sometimes using tress and other objects to obscure a direct visual on me (eg stalking / hiding ).
Thanks
Rob
Thanks Rob
for answering my questions.
I was afraid a few people would go that close to a wild animal after reading your article, without any preparation. May I ask you what was the worst reactions you experienced from a wild animal and do they always show you signs they are preparing to attack or are there times when you have no way of knowing ?
regards
Hey Luc
We have been charged by a big bull moose, that was pretty scary and we have been false charged by a bear – both events at the time got the heart pumping and are events I would prefer to avoid. For most part you get a feeling of the mood, occasionally the mood or situation changes so fast you don’t have time. I think one of the worst (scariest) events was in Yellowstone photographing an Elk with his harem – quite a large group, everything was peaceful and quiet, picking my times to photograph, some other photographer made an approach from quite a distance away, the herd freaked out and stampeded – at one point they ran right towards me head on – I had nowhere to hide, I was out in the open plains – I got freaked out. The funny thing was I instinctively picked up the camera an photographed them running towards me – I don’t think it was a conscious decision to take photos. The herd turned at the last moment and ran off – I went back to the car and settled down.
Rob
Wow…..!! when you say ‘”We” do you mean you normally have somebody with you trying to assure your security with pepper spray or otherwise ?
I read in your article that noise is a very big concern with you. I am wondering can the use of a flash with a flash xtender such as the “Better Beamer” could be a solution or do you think the use of a flash +fresnel lens can frightens the animals, with the results that it could reduce your own security. My own experience with birds, show me that they are not afraid of the burst of light from the better beamer & flash.
regards
Hi Rob
I forgot to mention that I follow Moose Peterson when shooting birds using a better beamer. He showed in one of his video that he uses a better beamer at -1 1/3 Ev (starting trial) just to saturate wing colors on the birds. The colors of the feathers are outstanding using this technique in any lighting.
Have a nice day
Great article Robert. I found the integrated Subject, Photographer and Equipment perspectives to shooting wildlife very refreshing and informative. It is tiring to hear other experts say that equipment doesn’t matter and yet they use the latest and greatest D5’s and 600 mm long-reach glass themselves.
You an Aussie living in North America, by any chance? I saw you used the word “Mate” in one of your replies?
Venki from Melbourne
Hello Venki
Thanks on the positive feedback, and yeah I am an Aussie – came from Brisbane in QLD to Portsmouth 17 years ago – Got into wildlife photography and getting out in the field, learned to call moose and bear talk so to speak – hehe not bad for an Aussie, beats crocs / red-backs or snakes back home :)
Ave a good one mate :)
Rob
Wonderful photos and enjoyed the article!
Thanks Mate :)
Very excellent article and tips! I appreciate your journey and I would like to thank you for sharing your tips and Ideas with us. I am an armature photographer and I am very encouraged by this article.
G’Day Karl
Thanks a lot – Appreciate the positive feedback, I hope you get some great shots, its all about getting out there and getting into it – shots will come your way !!
Regards
Rob
Terrific article and gorgeous photographs! I would love to purchase a print of the tiny bear cub in the rain but wasn’t able to find it on your website.
Hello David
Thanks for the compliment, sorry for the slow response, we have been (are) on vacation – the photographic type – hehe
I haven’t uploaded it yet, I will try and do it tonight (7/3/16) or tomorrow – but you are most welcome to call or email me and let me know what you want.
Its a beautiful photo, it really is, thanks for liking it.
Rob
Thanks for uploading! Just ordered a print…can’t wait to see it! Keep up the great work, it’s much appreciated!
Great story about excellent stories ;-) – thanks
Hello Hugh
You are most welcome mate !!
Rob
Hi Robert,
Great stories, great pictures, love that !
i see that you’ve used 200-400 vrii, 600 FL and 800 on the pictures. In a very subjective way, wich on you prefer to handle ?
Keep up the great work !
Cheers.
HI Jibi
I prefer the look of the 600mm in the images it makes and that prime lens look, I prefer the handling and weight of the 200-400mm in the field and the flexibility of the zoom. Now, if only they could make a zoom lens with prime lens quality, it would be a perfect marriage for me. Its hard to not acknowledge the flexibility of the 200-400, I have often thought of switching to the 400mm F2.8 prime, but have a hard time letting go of the zoom (framing) ability of the 200-400.
Also, thanks for the positive feedback.
Regards
Rob
“Now, if only they could make a zoom lens with prime lens quality”
I’m a Canon guy and I think the EF 200-400mm/4L with built in extender is as close to the best prime lenses you can come.
For me it’s definitely a perfect marriage!
Regards/Rolf
Really a wonderfully informative article. Never happy with my nature shots, maybe that will change now that I have some direction. Thanks.
Hello Karen
Thanks, you know we all started somewhere and then the passion takes hold and then the shots start coming, then the passion and desire grows even stronger and before you know it, you are hooked. Photography has (is) a journey for me, always looking to get better, always learning. I am sure you have some great shots :)
Regards
Rob
Wonderful images, and, with your skill combined with the equipment, the subjects in the photos look like they could come to life right off the computer screen. Very enjoyable, thanks so much for taking the time to share the images and your commentary, very much appreciated.
Hello Ron
Thanks Mate !!
Rob
Great article I must say and will assist many to capture that “story telling” moment in a single frame, rather than a series. Similarly to humans, eyes are the window to a soul and we must never forget that fact, whether they are engaging with the shooter or with another animal, as they alone can portray what is going that animals mind, as your stunning pictures display in every instance.
Being a wildlife photographer in Africa is no different, although the subject matter, more often than not, provides a great deal more brutal and violent photographic situations that are almost distasteful to any potential buyer/admirer. This does not detract from the picture quality, its content or the story that unwinds before our eyes, but sadly, rarely becomes a popular sales item.
Keep up the great work and articles, as whilst many might feel the content is obvious, its often forgotten by as to how important is it to actually engage with your subject matter at the time shooting.
G’Day John Stewart
Thanks on the compliment – I appreciate it, I think for some of us more serious photographers things could be obvious, but for those starting out there is some good stuff there. Also, I really do see many photographers out there shooting with no real purpose. Almost like they are cataloging, rather than being inspired by the beauty in front of them.
I would love to come photograph your way, its a serious item on our bucket list, I am always a little nervous about coming that way, maybe false fear of what is sometimes advertised as a dangerous region of the world to some. But man, I would love the opportunity :)
There are no truer words than the eyes are the soul to the world, thanks for reminding us
Regards
Rob
Great article as always! By mostly using mammals to illustrate your ‘Telling a story’ tip, you’ve chickened out and I don’t blame you. The worst offenders of the ‘no story’ are the ‘bird in flight’ genre, perhaps next time you could explain to them why their common bare sky images fall short of good photography. Maybe next time?
G’Day Peter
1st – Thanks – 2nd – Maybe I did chicken out, I have some of those eagles with blue sky photos and I agree they don’t necessarily present a powerful story. But, I also did hint at, does every photo really tell a story ?.
I think what’s important here, photos with powerful stories reach out to people more and thus sell more: For example I will sell many more eagle photos with a huge fish in its talons, inches from the water with a big splash of water all around from the action of grabbing a fish, than I will ever sell soaring eagles with blue sky. So the photos with stories to them, get a greater reaction. My friend has a photo of a bald eagle sitting on a dead piece of tree looking at a grizzly walking by with a huge freshly caught salmon, now there a story – much more so than the blue sky one. Same goes for owls, I have a beautiful snowy owl photo, with wonderful two tone background, huge snow flakes, old collapsed birdhouse and the owl landing on it with a mole in its talon. That photo grabs a lot of people (women and men alike).
There is a market for just plain wow, cute, animal of choice photos – I don’t deny that
Rob
Pete Menear
Very few single images ‘tell a story’ and if there is one, it’s more often than not in the eye of the beholder as much as in the actual image content.
To truly tell a story there usually needs to be more than one image, often a sequence, and often accompanied by a written narrative. Think NatGeo or photojournalism.
Anyway, why does an image have to tell a story?
Is it not enough to take or make a beautiful image and admire it for its own sake? The problem is not whether there is a story or not but with the ocean of unadulterated crap that is daily passed off as ‘art’ or ‘self expression’.
If the worst offenders are bare sky BIF images, then that’s because they are not done well enough not because the genre is inherently uninteresting. That actually applies equally well to pointless street photography, boring architectural photography and snaps of the wife eating pizza.
Whereas snaps of the wife-eating pizza would make front-page news :-)
Depends on the wife, the pizza, the light, the number of ED elements in the lens and of course, one’s perspective/angle of view.
There must be a formula describing this interaction??
I think it best to photograph the wife-eating pizza with a lens that has aspherical elements, which produce onion-ring bokeh.
Robert,
I thought the picture of the loon was wonderful even before I noticed the little scene stealer. Thank you for sharing a truly magical photograph.
kind regards
Colin Scott
Thanks Colin
Yah it was a surprise for me too – hehe
Rob
Excellent article accompanied with beautiful pictures. Thank you.
I notice that you used a D4s for one terrific picture, and that everything else is a D5. As a D4s user, I would love to hear if you have now switched exclusively to a D5, and your reasons for doing so. I am contemplating such a switch, but remain unconvinced of its merits.
I did visit your website (excellent, of course), but your equipment section appears to stop at your endorsement of the D4.
Hey Martin
Thanks Mate – yeah slow on the update on the website for equipment – sorry. I love my D4s, I just love it, never lets me down, always gets things right even in difficult situations.
In previous articles I have mentioned my low tolerance for noise, hence low max ISO limits I set for myself. On the D4s it was mostly 3200, on the D5 I have gone 4000, 5000 and even 6400, but I thought 6400 was a bit too noisy for me.
I have an issue with auto ISO on the D5 I have never had with the D4 or D4s – so now I manually set the ISO on the D5 – I miss the auto ISO working properly, because it really was one less thing to think about.
The extra pixels and cropping factor on the D5 is real nice, it does help. I am not sure how to answer the upgrade Q because maybe I wouldn’t upgrade, the D4s is a killer camera. It just depends – its a tough one. I still have the D4s with me, its my backup to the D5 – still use it when I have two different lenses attached for quick switching.
Rob
Thank you for your prompt reply, Robert. I do agree that the D4s is something special, and your detailed response is further evidence that I should stick with what I have.
I’m usually fairly comfortable up to ISO 4000. The D5 would seem to offer a BIT more, as well as the extra pixels. Conversely, there has been much comment that it offers a bit LESS than the D4s at lower ISO, hence my dilemma.
My compliments again on a great article with great pictures.
Best regards,
Martin.
Your photos are stunning, I can only strive to be able to take some of this type of quality.
I wonder though is it easier to get a story shot with wildlife than other forms of photography simply because the actors in the shots have no inhibitions about their actions nor care that they are being photographed(within limitations, not disturbing them). Some also mentioned bird in flight pics, I have always felt that they simply told the story of freedom of not been shackled to the earth like the rest of us and for me that is enough with most, even though I don’t really take pictures of birds myself. Finally should the picture first and foremost give a sense of something to the photographer(wonder, horror ,love, sense of technical achievement, whatever) and if the audience also feel that, well in good and if not their loss else you end up shooting for someone else.
Should also have said that it would make sense to post a few you took that you felt that didnt tell a story that you wouldn’t normally show to prove the point.
Thanks Dave
I think first and foremost you should photograph for yourself, for your personal achievement and satisfaction, the images should make you happy, not someone else. If you are purely a selling machine and don’t give a crap, just want to sell no matter what, then throw that suggestion out the window.
I need to like the images I show, be ok with displaying and selling them – that’s a personal preference.
There are lots of different ways of seeing stories in pics, landscape or wildlife. There are no rules in photography, so stories don’t have to exist either – its all a personal choice. Photos with powerful stories get great responses for me.
Rob
Top shelf, Robert. One of these days, I’ll have to buy you a beer. : )
G’Day Rick
Thanks a lot Mate !!
Rob
Sounds great mate – would love a beer over a BBQ ;)
Thanks Mate
Beautiful photos in every way.
Hello MC
It took me a long time to start getting them the way I wanted, so thanks I appreciate the compliment
Rob
Robert: you are a true artist and it shows in the wonderful photographs you have shared with us. I recently acquired a second hand Nikon 600mm and I am at awe when you say you handheld this lens with a bulky D4. Also, I am quite surprised to see that you don’t consistently apply the rule of 1/focal length for the minimum speed required to take a picture. I have learned a lot reading this article and I hope one day perhaps I’ll be able to come close to take a picture like yours.
G’Day Gustavo
Thanks Mate, appreciate the compliments – I don’t specifically set out to hand hold, I am just way more comfortable doing it, I am a big guy, and I get way more shots hand holding. Both 600mm are awesome, but the new 600mm is a dream to handle and gets amazing detail and clarity. I can’t always get 600 plus sec shutter speed, sometimes the light don’t allow it, I just try to hold the lens even steadier and wait until the animal seems to pause for a sec :)
Have fun mate – keep trying and one day you’ll be the next Mangelsen :)
Rob
Hi Robert,
thanks for sharing your thoughts and wonderful photos (especially that 70 Inch Bull Moose is magnificent)! I’ve been thinking about the story telling you wrote about and whether it is present during the shooting of a picture itself. I can completely relate to what yout wrote that you don’t specifically see a story when you take a photo. On the other hand, I think that the story telling aspect comes forward when a photographer is picking the pictures to keep/show. The way I see it is that only pictures which convey a story I like (which I usually did not intend to capture in the first place) are the ones I pick. Whether someone else sees it or not isn’t particularly relevant, since photographers have no way to make a viewer to see what they do. And therefore no matter how hard we try to put stories in our pictures, it mostly affects which pictures we select for our presentation but not so much the overall success of the picture itself.
Best regards
Michal
Hello Michael
I actually think you hit the nail on the head – when I photograph I see opportunities, I see photos I should try for. But when I get home and view on the big screen, that when I get serious and try to pick the best moments and frames that really grab me.
But thanks again
Rob
Hello Rob,
Hoping to travel to Kenya in November. Your wildlife articles have given me so much inspiration. Will be taking plenty of photos with my D750 – 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR and 24-120mm f/4G ED VR
Keep up the good work……
Logan (another Aussie from Melbourne!)
G’Day Logan
Man I am jealous – sounds like its going to be awesome – and thanks for the nice comment mate!!
Have Fun – Show me the pics when you get back please
Rob
Thanks for the great stories! :)
Robert, Nasim and all the Gurus here – i am always amazed at the pics that are displayed in photography life. I am more amazed by the selection of values for the aperture and shutter (and the ISO as well). I’m not talking about the theory of these parameters – but what goes on within your head to conclude the shot with a mixture of these parameters.
Would love to hear about this.
Mine:
Most of the pics i shoot on the Nikon D40 (yes – i’m ancient) and the nice 50mm 1.8 AFS lens is to have the largest aperture to compensate for the shutter speed. It was a heaven and earth difference when i moved from the kit lens to the 50mm – but i know there is a lot to learn, explore and understand than just the bokeh at largest aperture.
Hope my ask is genuine enough for you all the take notice and help an amateur like myself.
Hello Sai
Not 100% sure I understand the question fully. But lets say you are talking about for example, a shot with:
600mm FL F4 lens @ 4000 ISO, F4, 300th/sec, -0.3
I would ideally love more speed than 300th, probably more like 600th plus, so this kind of stats probably came about because I was in low light and the animal in question came in a low light time, I have set the ISO at the MAX I prefer, I am already fully open, I am aware 300th is a bit too slow, but I can still shoot at that speed if I time my shots to when the action temporarily stops or pauses. Say the animal looks at me or up for a sec. So sometimes my settings are dictated by the environment and max limits I have set for myself.
Not sure that answers your question. I prefer a bokeh background when I can, for separation purposes, I think it looks nicer. F4, 4.5, 5, and 5.6 are kindof my go to f-stops for single subject, but it all depends on the situation. However, there are many, many times I find myself in low light and my settings and limits are affected by that available light
Rob
Maybe I can help with this a little. My husband is still using my old D70 and is quite content with auto settings. At auto settings, the camera is going to choose by algorithms the best setting equation based on conditions. If you want greater control of your settings, you can choose aperture priority or shutter speed priority. AP would be for things like shooting flowers or landscapes. SP would be for shooting things in motion, like birds. This gives you control over one setting, and the camera is going to choose the other two. But if you want total control of your settings, you must go to manual, which is a bit difficult in these old cameras but not impossible. One technique you could try is to start with one thing. Say if you get to your location, assess your light. If it is bright, then an ISO if 100 might work just fine. If it is cloudy or the sky is less than bright, then you can raise your ISO to possibly 400. If you are indoors, you will want to choose something much higher, like 800. After you have chosen your ISO, then I suggest looking at your aperture. Do you want blurry bokeh? Then choose larger aperture like your lens’s biggest one, say 3.5. Do want to try shooting something in motion? Then try an aperture much smaller, but not so small that you restrict your light. Try f/6.3 or 9 at first, which are great go-to apertures for pictures with sharp detail to the horizon, such as when you shoot landscapes, and can stop motion fairly well. The last choice you have will be your shutter speed. You could start by keeping the little line in the viewfinder at 0, which will give you a correct exposure. Then you could try experimenting. If you set your speed to the left of the zero, the pictures will come out on the dark side, that is, you are leaning towards underexposing them. If you want your pictures to come out on the light side, then you would set your speed to the right of the zero, which leans you towards overexposing. Don’t fear the words under- and over- because both of those settings can be correct based on your preference for darker or lighter pictures. If you go too far to the left or right, the camera will teach you by giving you either a totally black picture or a totally white picture. It is in your mistakes that you will learn, so never fear experimenting. Always remember that you have to let in a certain amount of light. If you choose a small apreture like f/19, you will need to let in light someplace, which is when you might raise your ISO or slow down your shutter speed, that is, go to the right of the zero. You will get the hang of making these choices until they become second nature to you. Good luck, and if by chance I spoke too simplistically for you, I apologize. I made an assumption that you are an amateur who is unfamiliar with these things based on your camera and your letter. I hope I have helped.
I am an amateur in photography and I have found Photography Life most simple and helpful blog for enthusiasts like me. Thank to all the Photography Life team.
The article on wildlife photography by Robert Andersen is a great one. It gives a lot of knowledge and inspiration. Thanks to Robert.
And the reply of Elaine Lansdown is yet another most welcome guide to help an amateur photographer. It helped me much more to understand the use of – 0 + of shutter speed. Thanks to Elaine, too.
Expecting more from you masters.
Good evening Rob,
Beautiful images and a great story.
If you wind up with the time and motivation, I’d love to see an article that goes into the set-up for shots like these. Are you calling them in the same way a hunter would, what kind of dress and kit are you bringing that is non-photo related. Are you tracking the animals or bringing them in to you?
Take care,
Tyler
Hello Tyler
Thanks Mate – I agree it would make for a good article, I will see if I can make it happen for you, give me a little time though, I am slow in article writing department :)
Rob
Thank you for the inspiration to take my wildlife photos to the next level more consistently. And the photos are wonderful examples of what to shoot for, pun intended!
I donated 3 large photos to my local credit union which had remodeled and a year later still had a large blank wall behind the tellers. One photo is of a bald eagle sitting on a branch with bright blue sky, looking quite regal. Not the most exciting shot, I admit, but the CU customers love it because the bird is one of the pair that lives near the local dam, that many have seen. They ask the tellers if that’s one of “The Eagles”. You’re so right that the backstory is so important….
Thanks Linda (PS: I love eagles, even regal sitting ones :) )
Really thanks..nice article ..nice stories…and very nice photos
But I wonder if possible to shot wildlife on close method, using wide angle lens
Did you try it, or you think it’s very risky
I tried it.
Bunny wabbit pretty safe.
Man eating carnivore, bit risky.
Carnivore eating previous photographer who was using a wide-angle lens, perhaps not pretty, but safe.
I really enjoyed the photos and the article.
Thanks for sharing your concepts and wonderful photos.
Hello Don
Thanks and you are most welcome
Rob
Thanks for the beautiful and “story telling” photos and one of the best articles I’ve read for a long time.
As a physically disabled wildlife photographer I very much envy your location and possibility to shoot in such environment (I live in Sweden).
I fully agree on the importance of a story-telling in the photos and I’ve always tried to achieve that too.
The exception could be, when you find yourself in a situation where the wild animal in an extremely beautiful natural environment gives you a tremendous “kick” from just looking at it. In these rare moments you probably don’t see the story yourself, but if another person can feel just a bit of the joy you felt when shooting it, there might be some value to that image.
Please don’t wait 5 month for your next article!
Best regards//Rolf
Hello Rolf
Sweden is not far from my country of birth (Denmark) – beautiful part of the world with lots to photograph. Thanks for the positive feedback.
I kind of hinted at it in the article, that story telling isn’t necessarily a strong part of every image or one at the time of taking, however I do feel that strong story telling photos mate for a great connection with people, that doesn’t mean that people who love bald eagles for example, won’t love a beautiful photo of a bald eagle in flight or sitting. In this case the beauty of the eagle or the meaning of that animal is all it needs for people, I started my photographic journey wanting to photograph eagles, so for me, they will always have a strong presence in my portfolio regardless of story, I am naturally drawn to them.
Have a great day, I hope your disability does not impede your passion for photography and you continue to try as best as you can to get involved and get some shots :)
Regards
Rob
Absolutely stunning photography sir, thank you for awesome tips!
G’Day Corey
Thanks Mate – Wonderful Compliment – I appreciate it.
Rob
i am new to your blog and i enjoy it so much. thank you for sharing.
This is awesome article.. I have learnt today to make story thru pics….Thank you so much…keep posting and keep inspiring ….
Wow. These shots are truly fantastic! I would like to say a huge thanks for wild life photographers and their passion. I would also like to share these amazing wildlife shots that I have found here ecophiles.com/2016/…er-forget/.
Hello Lexa
Sorry for the slow reply, been up in Canada chasing owls. Thanks so much for the compliment – Us wildlife Photographers appreciate it :)
Rob
Robert, thanks for sharing these magnificent photos.
Hello Paul
Sorry for the slow reply, been up in Canada chasing owls. You are welcome :)
Rob
Hi Robert, Gr8 article, thanks
Vijay
Thanks Vijay!!!
Rob
Feels like a semester in college all the info, great info on camera, lenses, times and blinds! Tried to read all the comments and do not know if this has been covered. Know your animal eye vision with colors for proper camo wear. Deer ( moose, caribou etc.) see in yellow hue but can see blue and green real well but can not see red or orange. That being said also they can detect DARK object movement a 100+ yards away. Also just wash clothing in simple green to get brighteners out. The past two years I have observed while hunting deer, squirrel and rabbit that desert camo works best (marine corps). You may ask why, well it is light and not bright AND BLENDS in with falling leaves. In thick woods you can walk like an invisible man. Full moon to new moon best time for activity, they lay low during full moon and come out more during the day! A hunter orange camo clothing gear is seen just like desert camo to you!
Hello Edwin
Thanks for that info, great to know, I just learned something, thanks a lot
Rob
Robert, thank you for putting together this tremendous article. I will be studying it in detail, but I can already see how much effort went into it. This is the best article on wildlife photography I have seen to date. Congratulations!!!
Hello John
Hope you find some useful information in it – that’s what its about, sharing knowledge and experiences. Thanks for the nice compliment!!
Rob
I come back to this article often just to view the beautiful images and re-read the information so I can apply it in my own photography.
I just wanted to commend you on your view about keeping your distance from breeding and nesting birds, I often see many images from professional photographers that are obviously baited and set-up in such a way to provide them with the best possible images that would to be honest not achievable very often naturally. A tell tale sign for me is when I see a shot of a bird heading straight at the camera in a motion where it is about to hit it’s prey. In the wild this would never happen and as you know birds tend to fly away from you and not directly at the camera.
I have witnessed one of the top bird photographers in the country within a few feet of Loons with their young following them around as they tried to find food. If you view their websites you will see incredible images as they sell their photo tours for huge fees. Very unethical in my opinion as someone who has spend days and days trying to get the perfect image naturally without ever entering the birds comfort zones.
Thanks again for this inspiring article
Robert:
Thanks for sharing your experiences. Your narrative and the photographs are both so crisp and beautiful. I particularly like the BIF photographs – since i know how difficult they can be to take. The right light, angle, frame, moment do not come by luck – though i always pray for luck when i am out in the woods!
Many of your experiences are familiar: That rapid beating of the heart ( and in my case, heavy breathing too), that moment of panic, that feeling of frustration, that “wanting to kick yourself for that silly mistake” feeling during PP.
Could i add just one advise that you have not covered? You are not getting any younger and age would slow down your responses and ability ( to carry all that gear). So the bottom line is: Do not wait to engage in this pursuit when you would have the time, when you have ‘retired’ – Go out and shoot while the sun is shining!
Hello Murli
No, I am not getting any younger, but my determination still has me carrying all that gear. Normally two backpacks worth of gear. ! day it will not be possible, but for now, while willing and able I always bring my 70-200mm, 200-400mm, 600mm, 24-70mm and two pro bodies. I do it because I want the best camera\lens selection for each opportunity. Its tough, but I am not scared of hard yakka (Australian for hard work)
Thanks mate
Robert,
Beautiful photographs. I was reading this article and at almost every photo I got up and showed my wife your incredible work. It’s inspirational to see what you have done. Thanks for penning this excellent article and for sharing your wonderful photos.
Thanks Rich
very nice compliment, I try hard and one day when I get rid of the day job, I can spend more time on photography :)
Rob
Thanks so very much for sharing your enthusiasm and expertise. An important message is the accrual of Experience cannot be fast tracked :-) Beautiful images and you exhibit impressive proficiency with the Nikkor 600 on FX cameras. I use the 300 f2.8 with TC’s on either a Nikon Df and D500 , where the DX format confers narrower fields of view.
I work mainly in central and southern Africa, where all these principles apply, albeit it pays to be extra aware when privileged to walk in habitats still populated by large mammals. I have found working regular beats, so returning to “focal nodes” reaps dividends. So one can revisit organisms that use a patch of habit, where their occurrences are timed to particular seasons.
Awesome blog! Thanks for posting and keep sharing such helpful blogs.
I am so much enlightened and encouraged by going through this article and almost all the articles in Photography Life.
I find articles by Nasim Mansurov, Spensor Cox so lucid and easy to understand and follow.
I have Nikon D3300 with AF-P 18-55mm, AF-P 70-300mm and AF-S 35mm f/2.8 lenses. I am an amateur photographer. I wonder how Robert was able to shoot such magnificent photographs of birds and wild animals !!
Wish all the PL teams all the best.
Please keep writing for the beginners and amateurs….
Good night !!