How To Photograph Wildlife Like a Pro

by Nadine VerStandig

Taking good photographs requires knowing a few secrets as of which equipment to use, which approach is best, and where to find top subjects. So if you are not a professional, you′ll need some recommendations from an expert. Here I provide some tips in this adventurous task:

If you are setting out to take pictures of wildlife, the most important tool is a good 35 mm SLR camera and a very good telephoto or zoom lens. The lens should be at least a 300 mm lens, as animals in the wild are not going to be close to you. If you are using a film camera, then a good 35 mm SLR body with multiple settings is fine. If you are using a digital SLR, then your camera should be at least 8 mega pixels so that the picture does not lose clarity when you blow it up and print it.

Once you have your camera and lens chosen, make sure that you have plenty of film or memory cards. You do not want to find yourself in the wild and out of film, or having to scan through images on your digital camera to see what you can delete to get the next shot. When you think you have enough film or memory cards, get more. If you are going on an adventure to take photographs of wildlife, you never know what you are going to see and the worst possible thing is to find that you did not bring enough of your medium and the shot of your life is happening in front of you.

Do your research. Decide what type of wildlife you would like to photograph, and find out where it lives. If you are interested in taking pictures of tigers and you go to Africa, you will be disappointed, as Bengal tigers only live in India. If it is Baboons you are after and you go to the jungles of South America, you will only find tamarin monkeys, capuchins or owl monkeys. If you set out for Alaska to take pictures of polar bears on the icebergs, there aren’t any. Polar bears are only found by the Arctic Circle and Finland.

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Now that you have decided where it is you want to go and you have your equipment chosen, plan your trip and make sure you have a good guide. The reason that a good guide is important is because they will know the locations and habits of the species that you are interested in and can take you to those areas at the appropriate time of day. If you are going on a tour, try to get one where the groups are small. You will need to be relatively quiet when you are around wild animals and if you are in a vehicle with a large group, it is difficult to control the noise level.

Once you have arrived in your chosen region, always be ready to shoot. Any shot that you get is a once in a lifetime opportunity. You will never see the same type of animal doing the same thing in the same place a second time. Animals are unpredictable, so you must be very patient. In all likelihood, you will be shooting during the day, so flash is not an option. If, however, you are in a position for a night shoot, be prepared to do so without a flash, as the flash will most likely scare the animal.

Remember, wild animals are wild. You will be taking your pictures from the safety of a vehicle with an open top or large open windows. Photo safaris are usually not expeditions on foot.

Ten tips for your shots:

1.     The most important tool is a good 35 mm SLR camera and a very good telephoto or zoom lens.
2.     Make sure that you have plenty of film or memory cards.
3.     Do your research.
4.     Plan your trip and make sure you have a good guide.
5.     You must be quiet.
6.     Always be ready to shoot.
7.     Take your pictures from the safety of a vehicle with an open top or large open windows.
8.     Turn off your flash.
9.     Look for the unusual, exciting, and intimate moments.
10.   Perseverance and steady breathing are always essential.