9 Great Wildlife Photography Tips
Award-winning wildlife photographer Dale Morris shares nine great tips to help you capture stunning images of animals in their natural environment.
Iam a firm believer that wildlife photography is not just about capturing great images. It’s equally about taking time to observe, and more importantly, really enjoy the experience of being in the company of wild animals.
Wildlife photography awakens a primal hunting instinct in us. We get to stalk our quarry, preferably unnoticed, and then as a substitute to making a killing shot, we take a killer photo instead.
Land-based wild animal photography, by its very nature, begs the photographer to be patient; a virtue which will not only reward you with satisfying images, but also with wonderful experiences too.
But how do you observe, and of course, photograph wild animals behaving naturally without disturbing them? Well, first of all, it helps to understand that every animal is at the centre of its own set of invisible concentric circles.
If something unusual (say a photographer, for example) steps across the outermost boundary, the animal will react (usually by becoming more alert to your presence). Move across the next circle in the set too soon and an imaginary alarm is triggered.
You are now running the risk of eliciting a flight or fight response. An animal’s rear end vanishing post haste over the horizon rarely makes for a good photo, nor does a trampled and smashed camera. So how then, can a photographer infiltratethis circle and take photos of relaxed animals without evoking a negative response?
This story was first published in the Australian Photography + Digital February 2013 issue.
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