Wildlife Photography Tips

[Scottes]

I'll start with some birding tips...


As for spotting birds, I do 2 things: Listen, and relax my eyes. Listening will help you hear the leaves rustling, the birds calling, the wings flapping. It's amazing what you'll hear once you start listening. And if you spend the whole time looking for birds you probably won't see many. Instead, relax your eyes, don't look for things, let the things find you. You'll start to notice movement in the corners of your eyes, and then you have a spot to look in.

Whenever you hear a bird/animal, or see movememnt from the corner of your eye, then stop moving. The bird will eventually move or call again, allowing you to pinpoint it better. NOW you can start scouring the trees looking for it.

But don't stare, just relax again. Concentrating on looking at something focuses the brain to use only the high-resolution centers of our eyes. By relaxing, the brain can will allow the whole eye - the peripheral vision - to work correctly. Movement from the sides will become more apparent, the eye will see more shapes rather than a specific object.

Eventually the shape that doesn't belong will appear. Rather than looking for a bird, pay attention to the thing that is out of place. A line that strangely angles opposite the way the branches angle will be back of a bird. A horizontal line in a field of tall vertical grass will become a deer's back. That sort of thing.

And movement gives them away every time.

[Scottes]

In my brief time chasing shorebirds it seems that the best time is right after high tide. The water receeds, and suddenly things that were once in shallow water are suddenly on dry land, making easy pickings for waders.

High tide is a time for roosting, and the birds may fly or float out to sea. Low tide also makes for good pickings, but exposes so much shore that the birds can be spread out significantly.

Check your tide charts before going out, and time things to arrive right after high tide. If you get lucky and pinpoint a high tide right before (or close to) sunrise that is a perfect time to head out! The birds have been sleeping all night, and want breakfast. A high tide an hour or two before sunset is also perfect, as they'll be wanting to eat before going to sleep for the night.


At either sunrise or sunset the low sun helps light up the small birds at a nice angle. Kneel down to get at their level - shooting eye-to-eye with any animal looks better. But also the low sun allows for great contrast of the feather lines, and lights up the belly as well as the head.

[Scottes]

I hate seeing Egrets & Swans on a bright sunny day, because I know that I still shoot them even though I know the whites will get blown out.

Shoot white birds on a cloudy day. The brighter the sun the more you'll have to change exposure to keep the whites from blowing out. On suny days you'll end with dark background in order to keep the details on the bird. The softer darker diffuse light of a cloudy or overcast day will make even exposures much easier.

[robertwgross]

Scottes has developed his own technique for some waterfowl types.

I've been after some different types... the hunting birds. Green herons, black-crowned night herons, and that sort. Snowy egrets and an occasional gray heron or cormorant. One grebe family.

Rule Number One for a Wildlife Photographer: Go where the wildlife is.

I had been going to the wrong areas and coming up empty. Then I got smart and asked around. I was directed to a county park for waterfowl. When I first went there, I saw the Canada geese, and they are easy to shoot since they are so large. As I kept returning to the same park, I started seeing more and more waterfowl as I got more familiar with their habitat. However, they were always on the opposite side of the stream from the walking path. So, I rolled out the firepower. One Canon 100-400mmL lens with one or two 1.4 teleconverters. After hours of study, I now know which limbs they perch on, and I know which hours of the day they show up on each limb. These non-white birds are easier to get a proper exposure on, so they're easier for me.

---Bob Gross---

[CyberDyneSystems]

Here's two tips.

One sort of reiterates part of Robert's post...

1. Get familiar with your "quarry" I have found that many of the birds I photograph are often as regular as clockwork in there habits. They have favorite roosts, favorite hunting grounds etc. I have found this to be particular true of predators, Herons, Hawks etc.

If you witness a Hawk spending an afternoon in a particular tree waiting for prey, or a heron in a specific tidal pool,.. chances are very good the they will return to that spot,.. maybe not tomorrow.. but eventually.

2. Here's a slightly more esoteric tip for chasers of Accipiters.

Listen to the Crows!

Not many people want to spend a lot of time trying to get a good shot of a crow,. however.. that does not mean one should ignore them. Listen for them.. as a murder of Crows raising a racket is very often the result of the presence of a bird of prey. Crows love to harass Hawks. So next time you hear a conflagration of crows.. get your long lens out see what has caused it. (this trick also works with Mockingbirds who are also very territorial and will "scold" any birds of prey in there vicinity.)

[Scottes]

Several things will give you away when sneaking up on a bird: Movement, noise, and the outline of the human shape, which most birds will consider as a predator. (And rightly so.)


Movement: CDS said it best: "Move slow. Like 15 minutes to cross the kitchen floor slow."


Noise: See movement. Also, walk differently. Humans have a normal way of walking where the heel hits and then the ball of the foot slaps down. Sloppy and noisy.

Move slow, and roll your feet into position. Lift your foot slightly, move it forward, then touch down with all your weight on the back foot. Touch with the outside of your foot near the ball. Slowly. If you feel something under your foot - a twig maybe - lift it again and place it somewhere else. When the outside edge of the ball is down, lower the heel. Only the outside of your foot should be touching the ground. Now roll your foot to the inside - the last thing to touch should be inside near the ball, then the big toe. Pivot your weight to this foot and continue.


Outline: Don't let animals see it. Don't pop up from behind something so your outline is clear against the sky. Sneak low, using trees and shrubs and anything available for cover. Hunch down or even squat, and move like that. When you're half the height you're twice as hard to see. Don't be afraid to crawl - that's why washing machines were invented.

Put the sun directly at your back so an animal looking at you is blinded. Put a tree/bush between you and the animal and approach the tree directly so the animal can't see you. When you reach the tree, crouch and come out from behind as low as possible. Be ready to take a picture at this moment, because this is most likely when it will bolt.

[Scottes]

Books: How do you think I learned all this stuff in 7 months? Books.

I own 11 books on photographing wildlife. I own 7 more on hunting, even though I have never hunted and most likely never will. I own 3 books on tracking. I've read about 10 more from the library.

Also, visit your local national and state wildlife office. I spent an extremely informative hour chatting with a guy at the local Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. They know the wildlife, they know the area. I talk with any wildlife officer around, and have gotten many tips. A chat will make your life easier, and could easily make your next shot.


Books...

The Art of Bird Photography - Arthur Morris
If you're into birds, just get it. Simply outstanding.

Photographing Animals in the Wild - Andy Rouse
Very good though light in information. Easy and enjoyable to read. Has a lot specific to UK animals, but almost everything is pertinent to any animal. A very good first book.

Wildlife Photography Workshops - Steve & Ann Toon
The tips and stuff to watch for makes this very nice. Light on fieldcraft, heavier on photographic techniques. A pleasure to read, and beautiful photographs. Good, but not a first book.

Tracking and the Art of Seeing - Paul Rezendes
All about tracking and finding animals, from trails to habitats to dens and even scat. Highly recommended, even though it has nothing (?) to do with photography. It has everything to do with animals. (His book "The Wild Within" is kind of an autobiography and a very enjoyable read. Also recommended though it has nothing to do with photography.)

Moose Peterson's Guide to Wildlife Photography - Moose Peterson
Even though he's a Nikon user this is an excellent book. Covers a multitude of things like fieldcraft, technique, equipment, etc. He's a character so it's fun to read. An excellent, broad first book, and definitely recommended.

The Master Guide to Wildlife Photographers - Bill Silliker
Though light and quick to read, this book packs a lot of punch. Though it touches on a broad range of subjects this book really gives you a whole new way to think about wildlife photography. Make this book your 3rd or 4th wildlife book and I'm pretty sure you'll say "Wow" like I did.

Capturing Drama in Nature Photography - Jim Zuckerman
This was a very interesting book. It kind of teaches you to slow down and watch and wait. It's a mind set on how to get a better photograph, and does it well. Highly recommended when you get tired of taking "portrait" shots of an animal just sitting there.

Photographing Wild Birds - Chris Gommersall
Very good, and one of the few books I've found that is dedicated to bird photography. Good coverage of many subjects - getting close, other fieldcraft, hides, etc. It's very interesting because it's interspersed with photos from different photographers along with some text by them explaining the shot. Also has a number of case studies going into great detail of getting a shot. For birders, get this after Morris's book, but get it.


Your local library should not be forgotten. Books on tracking & hunting are extremely useful. And it's free. Try it.

[robertwgross]

... I talk with any wildlife officer around, and have gotten many tips. A chat will make your life easier, and could easily make your next shot.


What you do, when you identify this person, is to introduce yourself and tell him what you want to do. Tell him that if he can give you good enough information about where to get the super shot, that you will send him a print to hang on his own wall at home.

Then you will get cooperation.

Hell, he will probably lead you out into the forest to show you the spot.

---Bob Gross---

[Scottes]

Sunrise, Sunset, Tides, Weather, Maps....

So you're going to visit a new place for the first time....

Be prepared.


Research
OK, so being prepared isn't always necessary, but it can certainly be helpful. A lot of information can be found about noted public places like come National Wildlife Refuges and popular birding spots and such. Birding sites are an excellent resource for information. The Internet in general is quite useful for researching locations. Learning how to Google is priceless in today's world.

But there can be problems with some research. Birders have scopes many times more powerful than our 400mm or even 600mm lenses. Being 100 yards from a bird is nothing to them - we need more like 10 yards. NWRs can encompass several square miles and the available info isn't exact enough to get us 10 or 20 yards from an animal.

If you go to a new place for the first time and you come up empty-handed will you be very willing to go back? I doubt it. My current hot-spot, Parker River NWR, was a place I hated for some time, and I wouldn't go back. Some more preparation, insight, and research showed me when and where to go. Now I love the place, and it's been producing excellent shots on a regular basis.

Sunrise and sunset are very important to all wildlife - they become active and feed just in the pre-dawn hours, and you want to know when to be there for the light. Weather is of course important, particularly coud cover, but also wind direction. Tides are crucial to shorebirds and such.


Sunrise & Sunset
For sunrise, sunset, and weather http://www.weatherunderground.com is my favorite. They list specifics for almost anywhere, and also list civil and nautical sunrise and sunset. Their daily weather can also be shown in detail the day before, showing predicted weather for every 3-hour block. OK, it's a guess, but it can help.

This site is my first check every day that I go out. I often check days in advance to get a weekend plan. I *always* check the night before - why get up at 4:00 AM if cloud cover is expected to be 100% at dawn??


Weather
As stated above, http://www.weatherunderground.com. But don't forget http://www.weather.com and http://www.intellicast.com. It can pay to check all three - who the heck knows what the weather's really going to be until you get there?? (Well, I live in New England, where the motto is: "Don't like the weather? Wait 5 minutes.")

Don't forget to check for wind direction. Animals can't smell you if you're downwind, and birds like to take off into the wind, north-west winds are days for migrating birds (in New England at least). It could be just another point in your favor.


Tides
For tides (as well as sunrise and sunset) http://www.tides.info/ is my favorite, though many tide charts exist. I've found that the best way to find tide charts is just to google for "high tide low tide <city_name>"


Sun position throughout the day
Want to know when and WHERE the sun will rise or set, or where it will be throughout the day? Get a little Windows program called Ephemeris - http://www.dl-c.com/ephemeris.zip. This little program will tell you exactly where the sun will rise, not just when. It can be a little complicated since you'll need longitude and latitude and magnetic declination for your specific location, but the help file is excellent and will walk you through this. But with this info you'll know the exact angle (from true north) of the sun's position - perfect for planning a good sunrise shot, or checking to make sure that the sun will be at your back for a particular location.


Maps
Maps are priceless for planning and scouting for new location, and they're pretty darned handy for getting sompleace, and for not getting lost. For planning on the PC I have a couple - Microsoft's Streets &amp; Trips and DeLorme's Topo! USA. MS Streets &amp; Trips is good (but I wouldn't mind getting a better one) and any program like this is excellent for printing route maps and even just scouting for new areas.

The DeLorme Topo program shows satellite pictures of the US, with information and street names and such printed on it. Since the satellite picture shows reality this can be excellent for finding a marshy area or the width of a river. It also has those altitude lines, and will build an altitude profile for a route you just draw on the map. It sucks to get to pack 30 pounds of photo gear, walk out and find a 400-foot-tall hill that Streets &amp; Trips didn't show. (At least for me - you thin healthy young'uns might not mind!)

For the car I highly recommend a DeLorme Atlas and Gazetteer for your state. It's priceless. Highly detailed maps taken from satellite photos, lists numerous points of interest, trails for state and national parks, etc, etc. You should not be without one of these. Period. Go out now and buy one.


Final Word...
OK, all of the above can be a lot to do and think about. But anything done is a point in your favor, and you'll be another step closer to getting the shot.

[Jon]

Also, move up only when they're looking away - slowly, and keeping your eyes on them so you're ready to freeze when they start to look 'round.

Look and listen are important but you also need to know what you're seeing/hearing or what to be looking for - I'm always telling my wife to "look at that Cardinal/sparrow/heron/whatever" which she can't see because she's just not tuned into birds, even after I've localized it to a specific bush/tree. We were up in the Hoh Rain Forest last week, and I saw a woman ahead of me on the trail looking at something intently. Stopped, and there on a stump between us was a Douglas Squirrel. The three ladies behind me (wife included) still took quite a while to spot him and would have gone blundering by if I hadn't called their attention to him.

[Tiger1]

Scottes;CDS,

I have read this entire thread now three times because alothough new with the digital camera, I've been film photographing mostly coastal birds for reference material for my watercolor art. You guys are right on it. Although I've done things like; find out where they roost, eat and frolic around, I never realized why I did it until I read all of your comments, I did it because I could follow them in my boat. :D

CDS, as you mentioned, birds are very habitual and once you learn their patterns, you really can be there waiting for them.

Thanks again :lol: for all the good info.

[robertwgross]

CDS, as you mentioned, birds are very habitual and once you learn their patterns, you really can be there waiting for them.


I still have trouble getting them to sign a model release.

---Bob Gross---

[robertwgross]

Although I like to get out to the wilderness for true wildlife photography as much as possible, sometimes it just isn't practical. In order to hone some of my skills, I went to the San Francisco Zoo today, and I ran back into the old problem of shooting through a chain link fence. The zoo has opened up some new areas where there are no chain link fences between the visitors and the animals, but there are still a few animal inmates behind standard chain link.

First of all, I was lucky in that the camera to fence distance was about seven feet, and then the animal was behind the dark fence another seven feet. The whole cage was dimly lit, so my lens aperture was fairly wide open, which means the depth of field was very limited. If I carefully manually focused on the animal (I did not want the lens to focus or see the fence), then the fence was far enough out of focus that it was virtually invisible. Long lens near its minimum focus distance. If it had been brightly lit, then I would have had to do all sorts of stuff to try to force it.

The snowy owl had penetrating eyes!

---Bob Gross---

[jack lumber]

Some good tips posted, keep em coming people, some of my observations,
If your driving and see a bird ahead, stop the motor about 50 yards before it and coast up to it, more often than not they will not move.
Be aware of the food chain, I go to a park where people feed the birds, the scattered seeds attract the mice, the mice attract the owls. Dont make direct eye contact, wildlife see that as a threat.

[CountryBoy]

Great thread ! Thanks for all who posted !!