Photos tips for Wildlife Shooting (contd..)

Tip 1 (Make yourself invisible): A lot of animals react very quickly to human presence, not something that helps you when you are trying to shoot photos of wildlife in actual wild conditions. You need to have some way of concealing your presence and not making quick movements after that; one way is to use blinds, something that makes it seem to the animal that you are not there. One way to do that is by hiding yourself in some natural hiding place (such as on a tree, behind some thick bushes; even vehicles can be effective blinds). Blinds are also available commercialy.

Tip 2 (Get closer): Good zoom lenses are an invaluable part of a wildlife photographer's equipment. However, zoom lenses are not the only thing. You need to learn the art of how to get closer to the animal (keeping aspects such as safety in mind). Some of the greatest photos that you can see in wildlife books are taken from close range; there is a lot of literature available on how to get inside the trust zone of a wild animal.

Tip 3 (Need to decide about whether you want to use aperture control or shutter speed): Ideally, shutter speed and aperture control are both different ways of looking at exposure, except for the depth of field argument. As you should be knowing, aperture controls the depth of field, and hence the tricky choice of whether you want to use aperture control for getting that sharp depth of field (say capturing the animal in an out-of-focus surrounding) or using shutter speed to freeze capture the bear getting a fish out of the water.

Tip 4 (Look for behavior): Study the probable behavior of the animal before you go in for the shot. If it turns out that the animal likes to doze in the daytime and you go for a day shot, then you may not get anything much. Study the time zones, watering habits, mating habits, hunting habits, all of them enable you to learn about the animal even before setting out for the shoot.

Tip 5 (Try and capture different moods): Animals are known for differnet moods, and good photos come when you try to capture the mood. A tiger or lion watching a herd of deer makes for a nice hungry mood shot. These make the good shots that get fame and attention.