Tips on wildlife photography
Wildlife photography is a passion for many professional photographers, it takes courage and patience to get used to a hobby like this. I say courage because photographers dare to venture in to the wilderness of the jungles to find their subjects. Patience is important mainly because the photographers wait for hours in their hideout until the subject appears in front of them. Here are some tricks that you should know in order to master wildlife photography that will enable you to capture intuitive images of birds and animal species.
Use a digital SLR camera
While many newbie have the habit of using a point-and-shoot camera, the truth is that point-and-shoot is not very effective for photographing wildlife. Most point-and-shoot models lack the features you will require to carefully photograph wild animals and never produce any decent photograph. The most important feature lacking in this type of cameras is the capability to zoom in to the subject. This is important because most often you are far from what you are trying to capture and you will need a powerful lens to zoom. Digital SLR cameras may cost more but they also have more functionality which is ideal for capturing exotic wildlife and instantaneous action scenes.
Keep steady
Animals have the tendency to sensitize human beings more than they are to vehicles that you use in your jungle safari. The appearance and shape of a standing human being can easily alarm an animal. If you see an animal or a bird stay still and hidden if possible, do not attempt to get close to it. Rather, let the animal approach towards you while you take precautions not to scare it away. Some watchful wildlife species have the tendency to flee after sighting vehicles. But, there are ones who feel perfect to gather around them especially in national parks where vehicles are quite common. If you are getting off from the vehicle to a better spot, use a blind if available or try to camouflage yourself with leaves and branches of trees.
Use a tripod
Always avoid shaking the camera when clicking the picture; otherwise it will ruin the shot. Whether you are in the vehicle or outside it, using a tripod can stabilize the camera. Tripod will assist you in reducing the shutter speed and give you a stabilize image. It is fine to increase the ISO to obtain the desired shutter speed. If you are inside the vehicle, then you can use the window to support the camera. Raise or lower the window to adjust the height and, if possible, use a bean bag underneath the lens to prevent it from breaking.
Study the subject
Get acquainted with your subject. Read books on wildlife species and spend some time out in the forest to study their behavior. Learn their feeding and hunting habits even if it requires you to remain awake all night long. Try to capture the animals when they are in their natural habitat. The most undeniable images of wildlife are when they are in action.
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