Wildlife photography can take place in many locations. To find wildlife plan a trip to the African Serengeti Plain, National Parks, Game Reserves, Local woods, your backyard, a zoo, or even just a bird feeder. With so many animal species and locations, there is the capability of the perfect picture is endless.
Observing and photographing wildlife in its natural habitat offers the ultimate experience to the person who loves the outdoors. Capturing excellent wildlife pictures requires some preparing before the trip and lots of knowledge after arriving at the destination of the photo shoot. Knowledge of the equipment that will be needed as well as knowledge of the wildlife that will be shot is very important. Without this knowledge, the perfect shot could actually get away.
Of course, the most important piece of equipment used is the camera. A good 35mm camera, along with a normal 50 mm lens and an interchangeable telephoto of at least 200-400mm are needed to capture the perfect shot. Along with the camera and lens, a tripod is necessary, as the camera can get heavy after awhile and the perfect shot maybe hours away. A polarizing filter is also important when gathering up the necessary equipment for taking wildlife pictures. This filter will remove most glare while protecting the lens from dust and moisture. A tripod will also be necessary accessory, as the camera can get heavy after hours have passed. A 35mm camera is a better choice for taking wildlife pictures than a digital camera because the telephoto capabilities may be limited, the disks and flash cards have limited space and the battery life is very short. Another camera to consider taking on this wildlife photography adventure is a video camera. Whichever camera is decided on, another thing to be sure of is the ability to operate it. Be sure to keep the lens clean, doing this is easy with a Q-tip and fog from breath. Q-tips allow cleaning all the way to the edge of the lens while not scratching the lens.
Wearing camouflage clothing is very important. The closer the photographer gets to the wildlife, the better the pictures will be. The best scenario for the clothing would be camouflage that is UV block treated and washed in UV Block in Sport Wash prior to wearing it. Wildlife have a hard time seeing a person wearing treated camouflage. Do not forget to wear camouflage gloves and face masks, as the biggest giveaway is hands and face. Using scent cover is also a good idea, the least amount of strange odors the animal smells the better.
There are a few hunting techniques that will come in handy when photographing wildlife. These would be stalking, calling and tracking. There are calls for all sorts of wildlife from deer to coyote to various birds. Learning to correctly use these can be important when hunting for the perfect picture. Stalking and tracking animals can be important also, if the hunter can perform these skills, the odds of getting that perfect shot are extremely good.
Several things are important after getting out in the wilderness to capture the moment with photography. These things are if spotted by the animal, stay very still. If the animal does not sense any danger, they will continue with their activities. Viewing animals is best done early in the morning, as soon as the sun rises. Animals will be active when the day is still and quiet. Light will increase during the morning that affords better photographs than shooting in the late evening when daylight is disappearing. Late evening is also good for wildlife viewing. The main thing to remember is to have lots of patience. The perfect shot may not happen until many hours after the hunt has begun.
