Guest Post: ‘Wildlife Photography Q&A’ by Gerry van der Walt

Wildlife photography is one of the more difficult types of photography out there.  But it doesn’t have to be.

It is all too common for someone to have a passion for both wildlife and photography which ultimately leads to wildlife photography.  The combination is beautiful and it’s almost like it was designed for each other.  Grabbing your gear and heading out into wild areas is a fantastic feeling and what makes it even more exciting is that you never know what you are going to get.  You can never count on your subjects actually playing along.

Now whatever you plan to photograph there will always be a number of basics that you need to be aware of whether technical or artistic.  If you can make sure you are on top of all the variables that you can control you will be in a much better position to create amazing wildlife & nature images.

Standing in as today’s ‘guest blogger’, in this post I will look at and explore a few of the more common questions that I have been asked in the past and sometimes still ask myself.  When I originally looked at the list of questions there were more than 40 so I thought I would start with some of the basics and, if there is a demand for more, I will keep on digging into the more advanced questions like ‘How should I expose my image when shooting elephants?’

For now, here goes with my thoughts on some of the more common questions in Wildlife Photography Q&A.

What equipment should I use for wildlife photography?

Realistically you can get away taking decent images with any modern digital camera but if you plan on taking thins a little more seriously then you need to look at getting a DSLR with interchangeable lenses.  Forget the whole Nikon vs Canon debate.  A better idea is to go to a camera store and find your own answers to the following questions:

• How much are you willing to spend?
• Does the camera comfortable in your  hands?
• Do you find the camera easy to work and operate?
  
• Are you planning to do a lot of hiking with your camera?
• Are you planning to shoot a lot of fast moving subjects like birds?  I.e. do you need a fast and responsive auto focus?
• Do you need your camera to be weather proof?

Once you have answers to these questions you are a step closer to choosing the correct DSLR for you.  Then there is the whole question of which lenses to buy.  The short version is the best you can afford but that doesn’t really help does it?  My ideal combination of lenses, some of which I am currently using, would look something like this.

• 10-20mm – A great wide angle to capture sweeping landscape shot or to get creative with larger subjects
• 50mm f/1.8 – Great for low light shooting and a lens that makes you think about what you shoot and how you shoot it.
  
• 24-70mm f/2.8 – This is a great mid length zoom lens for capturing wild animals in their natural environment.
  
• 70-200mm f/2.8 – If I could choose just one lens this would be it.  Great range, low light ability and by slapping on a tele-converter you get close to 400mm.
• 200-400mm f/4 – This is a beast and even though it is no the expensive side a fantastic lens for subjects that don’t allow you to approach too close.
• 600mm f/4 – This is the big daddy.  Takes a bit of getting used to but if you have more money than God made sheep, a definite must have.

For most of us money is an object so the above is not a real possibility.  If you had to choose one lens you could do much worse than going for a Sigma 50-500mm, Nikon 80-400mm or Canon 100-400mm.  All these lenses will give you a decent focal length and enough reach to shoot a wide variety of wild subjects.

When shooting wildlife, what should I focus on?

In general our gaze is automatically drawn to faces and, on a smaller scale, eyes.  When you are shooting animals or birds it is therefore imperative that you get the eyes sharp and in focus.  If at all possible take an extra second before clicking the shutter to make sure that your focus is locked on your subjects eyes.  If you are shooting an image which does not include an animals face or eyes you should try and focus on the area of the frame which will best convey your visual story.  Other than the eyes, our gaze gets drawn to large objects before smaller ones, diagonal lines before horizontal or vertical lines and lighter images in a dark scene or vice versa.  Think about the story you want to tell and what images will stand out which will give you the answer as to what you should focus on.

When shooting wildlife, what shutter speed should I use?

As a rule for hand held shots, in order to get crisp images, you always want to try and use a shutter speed of at least 1/focal length.  I.e. if you are using a 200mm lens you don’t want use a shutter speed of slower than 1/200.  If you want to creatively blur images to convey a sense of movement you can start going slower and pan along with your subject and if you want to capture fast moving subjects you will have to increase you shutter speed quite a bit.

When shooting wildlife, which aperture should I use?

This again depends on what visual story you want to tell.  Using a setting of f/8 as a basic, easy to use all the time setting, you can decide to:

• isolate your subject by using a larger aperture such as f/4 or f/2.8
• have the entire frame sharp by using a smaller aperture such as f/22

Aperture is probably one of the most important tools in wildlife photography and by understanding how to use it will afford you a whole new world of creative possibilities.

Does changing white balance really make a difference?

White balance must be one of the most misunderstood settings on  a digital camera.  If you shoot in RAW format you don’t have to worry about changing your white balance on the go as you can change it, quite easily, during post production.  If you are shooting in JPEG format choosing the correct white balance setting can make a world of difference.  The short version is that the white balance setting on digital cameras is designed to help the camera define pure white.  White, as we know it,  does not look the same under different lighting conditions and in order to get correct color rendition in your images you need to keep white balance in mind.  The Auto WB setting on modern cameras are quite good but can sometimes lead to disappointing results or, if you use the settings creatively, some fantastically moody shots.

If anything, the one setting you want to try out for your wildlife images is Cloudy.  If you are shooting overcast conditions this setting helps to warm up the image.  You can also set your white balance to Cloudy just as the sun drops below the horizon to punch the warmth in your images just that little bit.  Another great use for Cloudy white balance is that it warms up sunset and sunrise image beautifully!

What is the best kind of light for creating wildlife images?

How long is a piece of string.  it purely depends on what you are are shooting and how you want to portray that subject.  The main forms of light you will be faced with out in the field are:

• Front Lighting – This is your standard sun over your shoulder type of light.  It is the easiest to type of light to shoot in but can sometimes lead to slightly ‘flat’ images.  Front lighting is particularly nice when shooting birds as it makes the sky behind the bird pop very nicely.
• Back Lighting - This is probably the most difficult light to work with but the one that can create the most amazing images.  If you are faced with a subject that is backlit, you should generally try and underexpose by half a stop or so to make the edges of your subject come alive.
• Side Lighting - This type of lighting normally works best when you include some of the landscape / environment in your image.  It is great for bringing the texture of fur and feathers alive but can sometime be quite difficult to expose correctly.
• Soft Light – The easiest and most effective type of light you can hope for.  You get this kind of light on overcast days and it is perfect for general wildlife photography and macro images.

Should I shoot my wildlife images as landscapes or portraits?

It depends on what you are shooting. If you want to emphasize the height of a subject, like a giraffe or bird sitting on a branch, you could use portrait mode.  If you are shooting moving subjects running across a grassy plain you should use landscape as this will not only make it easier for you to keep up the subjects in the frame but it will also make it easier for you to leave some space in the frame into which the animals can move.  Another thought is that a lot of magazines and other publications prefer portrait images as it fits into their layout easier.  Bottom line, shoot  both and see which you like best.

How can I improve my wildlife photography?

Take more pictures, read books, learn more about your subjects, shoot with other photographers, look at other photographers work, take more pictures!  If you are worried about the technical side of your image take the time to learn more about the tech side of images, processing and printing.  If you are worried about the creative aspect of your photography – don’t!

This is the fun part of it and no one can tell you that you are right or wrong.   This takes us back to the first part of the answer – take more pictures, read books, learn more about your subjects, shoot with other photographers, look at other photographers work, take more pictures!  Look, learn and keep on shooting!

I have no doubt that if you were to ask this questions to ten different people you will get ten different answers, and you have to be careful who tell you how things should work rather than share ideas, but the info in this post has worked very well for me in the past.  As I said in the beginning, wildlife photography should, above everything else, be fun.  It is a special privilege to head out into the wild and create images of nature in action.  The moment you start taking it too seriously it starts to feel like work which can very quickly lead to frustration.  Frustration then leads to despondency which, as you can imagine, is not the most creative mindset.

By paying attention to the basics, learning from other people, shooting as much as possible and enjoying the process you will be well on your to creating good, even great, wildlife images.  Luck has most definitely got something to do with it but when you find yourself in one of those lucky positions you want to be sure that you know what to do to get the shot.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to comment or send me an email.  If there is enough interest I will add all these images together and do a post like this every now and then so we can keep on digging into the questions that can lead us all to creating better wildlife images.

If you have any questions please fire away.  If you need more inspiration and ideas go and check out the Links page where you will find links to many fantastic wildlife photographers.  Look at other people’s work, look for ideas, use the inspiration and go out and shoot your own images!

With that I am signing off as today’s ‘guest blogger’.

See ya tomorrow!

Gerry