NZPhotographer Issue 56, June 2022

Juvenile Kea
Canon R5, RF100-500 lens @ F6.3, 1/500s, ISO640, 200mm
CAN YOU SHARE SOME WILDLIFE
PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS WITH US?
I’m always happy to share techniques. Although
I’ve learned a lot from my own experience, I’ve also
learned a lot from other photographers openly sharing.
Learn as much as you can about all the species you
hope to photograph. Know your subject - when are
they active? What do they eat? Where are they likely
to be, and when?
Be patient. Wildlife photography can involve waiting for
hours on end for something to happen. I have learned
that giving up too early should be avoided.
Set your shutter speed high enough. There is no point
even taking a shot if your shutter speed is so slow the
image will be blurry unless you are purposely trying to
get a motion blur shot.
Have your gear ready - As I mentioned before, I have
my camera set up in the car now as I have often
missed a great shot while trying to get my gear set up.
Consider what’s in the background. If possible
position yourself so the environment isn’t too busy and
distracting. Sometimes moving just a couple of inches is
all you need to do to get a clean background so that
you avoid things like a branch looking like it is coming
out of the animal or a small part of another animal in
the shot.
If you are taking full body shots, make sure you have
the entire animal or bird in the frame; it can be easy to
cut off the tip of a wing or tail, so check framing first.
If there are shadows, move around until yours points
towards the subject, this will help avoid having half the
animal’s face in darkness. Big solid dark lines down an
animal’s face or body from shadow will never look as
beautiful as a clear, well-lit image.
NZPhotographer
June 2022
29