Photoshop

To get good shots of animals and birds, you will have to learn to be quick in setting up and framing your shots. Waiting until you get out in the wilderness to learn these tricks is not a good idea. What I found to be very helpful was practicing on my cats and on birds in my yard or local parks. You learn to anticipate their behavior and react fast to get the good shots. Here are some tips on how to get the best shots of animals and birds in the wild.

Practice taking shots of moving targets. Learning how to pan moving targets will allow you to take dramatic photographs with a sense of speed.

Keep your camera handy and set up for unexpected encounters. Make sure you have fully charged camera batteries and plenty of film or memory.

Knowledge is key when setting out to photograph wildlife. Wherever it is you decide to go to take pictures, make sure you research that particular area in advance of arrival so you know what to expect in terms of what kind of animals and birds you will see there. Knowing an animal’s habitat can go a long way to figuring out where to find them and what type of behavior you might encounter.

Learn to walk and move quietly and practice freezing your position so that your presence is not startling or threatening to the animal.

Use all your senses and be as observant as possible to everything happening around you. Through ongoing practice, you can learn to detect movement, unusual colors and sounds and even certain smells that can help you detect an animal or bird that has carefully camouflaged itself. Without these skills, you may find yourself walking right by the wildlife you intend to photograph without even noticing it was there. Having a heightened awareness of your surroundings when hiking to photograph wildlife, can go a long way to enhancing your experience.

The use of telephoto lenses is a must when shooting wildlife. A telephoto lense is the best thing to have to bring you in as close as possible to the intended target without scaring it away. By the same token, a tripod is not always a necessity. If you’re lucky enough to have an abundance of light and have practised enough in advance, you will be able to take pictures at a fast shutter speed thereby eliminating shaking of the camera. You can also invest in a camera equipped with a telephoto lense that has vibration reduced technology, but keep in mind these are considerably more expensive to buy.

When you photograph animals and birds, make sure the focus is sharpest on their eyes.

Shoot small animals from a lower angle.

If you have done your research, then you know there are certain times of the day that are better than others to both view and photograph wildlife; early morning and just before dark are when you will likely see the most animals.

Take full advantage of all the natural light when out photographing wildlife. Keep the sun at your back as much as possible, so it’s light will be the focus right on the subject you are photographing.

Using all these tips will help you improve your nature photography. The very most important thing is practice, practice, practice and don’t forget to enjoy yourself!

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