How to Photograph Wildlife

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Thanks for sharing, this is very interesting.

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Thanks for posting this, John.

He has so many valuable insights to share; especially about the necessity of shooting from a low position. . I love how he is frequently lying on his belly while photographing, or setting his camera on the ground, to trigger it remotely.

I especially love the way he used Polar Bears as an example of having to shoot from low down:

"If a Polar Bear comes up to a boat, and you photograph it from the deck, looking down at the Polar Bear looking up at you ..... that's just pulp! There's nothing interesting in that photograph, other than to show your kids when you get home."

I know exactly what he means. . I feel the same way about photos of Whales taken from whale watching tours, which invariably seem to be taken from up higher than the Whale, and aimed down at the Whale. . He has many words of wisdom that would behoove most wildlife photographers to follow.


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Saw this a while ago... and Tom, yes, that whole being lower than the subjects eye is a key element I try to achieve, though as I get older, its becoming more of a challenge. I am wondering what the magic perspective / angle is for birding though, as being an in inferior position there kinda goes with genre.

Good video though... enjoy it every time I see it, and know more certainly that I don't have what it takes to be a "pro" wildlife photographer... I'll just need to enjoy those that do have what it takes.

I've told all my neighbors, "If you see me laying flat out in the yard, and I don't have a camera in my hand, then please all 911."

He does some dangerous work. I'd love to know how he did the hippos. Hippos kill more people than any of the other African animals.

Croasdail wrote in post #19083435
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I am wondering what the magic perspective / angle is for birding though, as being an in inferior position there kinda goes with genre.

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Birds are not unlike other wild animals when it comes to finding level to shoot from that will result in the most pleasing images ..... "eye level" is a good general rule of thumb to go by.

But of course every situation the photographer finds himself in will vary slightly, so that in some cases shooting from slightly above the bird may yield the nicest images, and at other times shooting from slightly below the bird may give the best look. . And of course it depends on what you are trying to do with the particular image you are taking at the time; what aspect of the bird you are trying to showcase, how you want to show the surrounding habitat, etc.

One main key is to be versatile, and equipped to do what one must do in order to get to eye level. . That may mean erecting blinds or shooting platforms up in trees, or using a tall orchard ladder, or using the ambient topography to one's advantage ...... or even digging a depression in the ground so that one can lie as low as possible, in order to put the sky behind a bird that dwells on the ground. . Or it may mean constructing a floating blind or wearing waders, so that one can shoot from the water, with one's lens just an inch or three above the water's surface.

Or it may be as easy as finding a nice looking branch for the bird to land on, setting a speaker on the ground below the branch, and calling the bird down from the canopy to your pre-set perch. . In the past month, I have done all of these things, except for the floating blind (I took the easy-but-not-as-good way out and used my canoe instead).

The other key is not to just accept what the situation gives you, but rather to put the work in so that you can manipulate the situation to suit your objectives. . That way, you come closer to getting the images that you really want, instead of settling for images that fall far below what you have envisioned in your mind's eye.


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I found Yarrow's tube video inspirational. It reinforced my interest in Black & White, and made me want to learn how to take pictures that show the scope of a large landscape, such as we have here in Montana.

Does anyone here remember a wildlife photographer, Leonard Lee Rue III? There was a time he had a large market share of the wildlife photo market. His pictures were distinctive because they were mostly portraits, taken at eye level.

I remember a photo of a Cape Buffalo that Leonard Lee Rue III, captioned “A Cape Buffalo looks at you like you owe him money.” His photo definitely gave you that feeling.

Teton wrote in post #19085780
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Does anyone here remember a wildlife photographer, Leonard Lee Rue III? There was a time he had a large market share of the wildlife photo market. His pictures were distinctive because they were mostly portraits, taken at eye level.
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Oh, yes! . I remember Leonard well. . When I was a boy I would read every hunting magazine and book in hunting that I could get my hands on, and those magazines and books were always filled with photos that Leonard took. . I swear that between the ages of 8 and 22, at least 50% of all the photo credits I ever saw said, "Photo by Leonard Lee Rue III".

Leonard was kind enough to help me 10 years ago when I needed information about photographing deer in Tennessee. . He was familiar with the area that I was going to be photographing in, and he responded to me with a couple of long, detailed emails telling me about the area and the deer, from a photographer's perspective. . I felt like I was getting personal instruction and guidance from a big-time celebrity! . To me, that is what he was. . He was also very helpful and gracious with his time, and I will always be grateful for that.


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