Featured Article

Accessible Wildlife

Capture the nature on your doorstep with this month’s guide to wildlife photography

For this month’s feature, DCE visited a wildlife park in the New Forest, to show you how to capture the best accessible wildlife images using essential photography skills. By the end of this eight-page technical guide, you too will be capturing stunning animal images and improving your photography skills. From understanding shutter speed and Burst mode settings to thinking about composition and being in the right spot at the right time, you’ll soon be taking your best ever shots.

Accessible wildlife comes in many shapes and forms and can be found in a variety of locations. The home, zoo, farm and garden are all ideal places to go and capture a wide range of species. You’ll find the internet comes in handy when researching locations, although planning a shoot around your local area should be easy to do. The trick is to know what is available on your doorstep and in which season. The time of day will also make a difference to which creatures are active and what light will be available to shoot in.

So whether you have a compact camera or a DSLR, follow this simple guide and you too will be shooting like a pro in no time. For this type of photography, some sort of zoom lens is recommended and manual controls on your camera will make the job easier.

Checklist - What you’ll need

Camera
DSLR, superzoom or compact, manual settings are best

Zoom lens
For animals at a distance and of a shy nature, this will help

Tripod
Some stability will aid close-up shots, keeping the camera still in low light

Skills you’ll learn

Basic camera settings

Learn to work with the camera settings and light

Burst mode settings

Capture the precise moment of moving matter

Garden photography 

Find interesting wildlife in your back garden

Camera settings

Get the most from your shots with the right settings 

The light and location will determine what settings to use on your wildlife shoot. However, there are some basic rules to follow which should make it easier to predict what to set your camera to.

A fast shutter speed for photographing any moving subject matter is a must. Animals are unpredictable, so keeping the camera steady and positioned appropriately is rule number one. If you have a long zoom lens, using a monopod or tripod can be useful or leaning the lens on a support can also do the trick. If you don’t want the restrictions of using a tripod, use your body as support by crouching on one knee and resting your elbow on your knee.

The lack of light in many locations can be a problem and the only way to get around this is to increase the ISO and open the aperture. Selecting the right subject matter is also important. For example, in the zoo amphibious animals such as snakes and lizards generally stay still for longer, so it can be easier to photograph these than a more sprightly creature.

Fast shutter speed

If using a 70-200mm zoom lens and you will want to use a fast shutter speed. The camera should be set around 1/200sec, which is ideal for the size of the lens. The aperture is open at f4 and the ISO is low at 320.

Slow shutter speed 

If you have the shutter set at 1/30sec, this will be too slow. With a standard lens this may be fast enough to hold the camera in the hand, but in these circumstances it is too long for the lens and subject. Opening the aperture and increasing the ISO might have saved the shot.

Pick the right subject matter

Animals that are not shy and are slow movers will provide better results. Once landed, the perfect shot can be achieved. The butterfly house can be the perfect environment– be sure to take a cloth into environments like these, as the lens will steam up due to the humidity.

Capture the moment

Make sure you capture that once-only shot with our top tips 

In wildlife photography even accessible subject matter can be hard to capture at an exact moment, so to increase your chances there are some rules to follow.

The Burst mode or continuous shutter speed is a great feature to employ, as it means the camera is rapidly firing. Make sure you have the camera at full resolution, as often in wildlife photography cropping into the image is necessary due to the distance from the subject matter. Shooting at a continuous speed will make an interesting sequence of images that can be displayed together. Try capturing an animal moving or eating, as this will give the sequence of images a more diverse nature. 

It is easiest to photograph wildlife using a fast lens – a lens with a wide aperture (ie, f1.2). Having a wide aperture means more light is reaching the sensor, so the ISO can stay lower and the shutter speed faster. The right lens will make it easier to achieve a good wildlife image. A zoom lens around 70-200mm with a wide aperture can be pricey, so really should be considered only by those who are enthusiastic about photography.

Jargonbuster Auto focus

Is this a feature worth having?

Auto focus and tracking features for fast-moving subjects can be highly beneficial. In pro cameras, tracking features are advanced and keep focus on the subject. Some AF cameras are able to detect whether the subject is moving towards or away from the camera. This includes processing the speed and acceleration of the subject. AF tracking is used mainly in sports, wildlife and other action photography. In mid-range amateur DSLR models, AF features can still be impressive and help produce sharper results.

Capture fast movement

A step-by-step guide to capturing the perfect shot of a fast-moving creature

Set the speed

To set the Burst mode every camera is different, but look out for the icon above. Remember to look for the ratio between speed and resolution, as you don’t want to compromise image quality.

Shot 1

This doesn’t show much, as the mouse was positioned too far back and out of the focus zone. From watching its movements and getting into position, it was predictable that the mouse would come forward into the shot.

Shot 2

As the mouse begins to move forward, the camera is fired again. This is to ensure the precise moment will be captured as it comes into the foreground. On this shot, the mouse is still too far back. 

Shot 3

Still not perfect in shot three in the sequence, as the mouse is not sharp enough. This shot indicates that the next one will be better, as parts of the mouse’s face are beginning to look sharper.

Shot 4

The last shot of the sequence captures the perfect moment. Details such as the whiskers, nose and eyes are sharp in focus. The soft focus surrounding the mouse makes it stand out even more. 

Get the shot

The right spot is key to a successful shot

Top tip

Take plenty of memory cards with you, as shooting on a continuous shutter speed will greatly increase your storage consumption.

It may sound obvious, but being in the right spot at the right time is what is going to get you that prime shot.

If you are in a zoo, it’s essential that you make sure you know the feeding times. This can get you closer to the animal, as it’s more likely to be in a more visible position. It is good to get there early, so you are not stood at the back of a crowd.

Do not take an image for the sake of it.
It is common to see many people coming away with many shots of animals from behind, which do not make for the most attractive shots! 

Avoid bars

Animal cages and bars in zoos and wildlife parks are unavoidable in some circumstances, however there are a few things to be aware of. Avoid signs and wait until the creature is in a different place, or change your position.

Avoid reflections

Glass can be a hindrance or a help, depending upon your angle. It can sometimes be hard to avoid a glaring reflection, though it can be avoided. Placing the lens close to the glass and cupping your hand around the end of it will help. A lens hood is a useful accessory to have, as it will protect the lens from bumping the glass.

The right position 

Another technique to avoid reflections includes getting an assistant to hold a dark piece of material behind the camera so the light is blocked out. It will also help switching the AF onto Manual mode, as often the glass can be dirty so the lens will try and focus on the pieces of dirt. In Manual focus mode, you will have full control over creative choices.

What’s on your doorstep?

Bird watching

Setting up a bird feed in the garden will ensure a variety of birds come to you. Think about positioning the bird feed in relation to the garden, background, time of day and what light will be available.

Visiting creatures

The back garden is filled with many visiting creatures. At dusk, nocturnal animals begin to stir and the change in light can produce some atmospheric images.

Pond life

If you have a pond in the back garden, take advantage of the variety of animals that live in it. For example, the development of a tadpole to a frog is an interesting journey to document.    

Domestic pets

Beloved pets make ideal subject matter. They’re particularly good for using as practise for taking images before going into a tougher shooting environment, such as the zoo.

Creepy crawlies

During the summer months the garden will be full of insects. Flowers and bees produce excellent macro images – bees can be easier to capture than other insects due to their flight pattern. 

Top tip

A macro lens is ideal for
garden photography, but these can be pricey. An extension tube with a standard lens is a good second choice.

Pro tips: Bjørn Anders Nymoen

Norwegian photograper Bjørn Anders Nymoen shares his top wildlife tips 

Born in the city of Oslo, Bjørn Anders Nymoen moved north to Svalbard (the northern most community on Earth) at the age of 18. There he studied for 13 years, mainly concentrating on wildlife photography alongside Biology. Now working in the film industry as a full-time nature photographer, Bjørn also works as a freelance photographer and has his images shown worldwide in stocks and bureaus.

Website: www.nymoenphotography.com

Tip 1: Find your own style. Remember that it’s your vision you want to capture. Play with your camera and learn how it responds. Pick up influences from photographers you like and then adapt it.

Tip 2: Even with digital photography there is a certain amount of skill required to achieve a pro-looking shot. In wildlife photography you can get closer to the animals by learning their habits – where do they eat, drink and sleep?

Tip 3: Don’t be afraid to show your images to the rest of the world, as receiving critique is the fundamental way to go further. There are many internet sites out there that let you publish your images
(such as www.dphotographer.co.uk). Take part in forums and contests. Don’t aim for the top straightaway, but participate in smaller contests like ‘picture of the day’, etc on the DP site. Photography is all about practice – keep the best, throw the rest.

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