20 Jun Wildlife Photography: 10 Tips To Get The Best Shots
It’s Botswana week for us, and what better way to celebrate this beautiful country than with a post about wildlife photography!?
Botswana not only has a reputation for being the largest diamond producer in Africa (hence its nickname, “The Gem Of Africa”), and is not only known for having more elephants than any other country in the world, it is also one of Africa’s most popular and exclusive safari destinations, so whether you’re an esteemed wildlife photographer or not, Botswana will offer many opportunities for you to practice these wildlife photography tips (and, of course, they can be applied to any safari trip, be it in South Africa, Zambia, Kenya or Tanzania). We’ve also teamed up with KelbyOne to bring you these great tips to capture these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat, so grab a tea and notebook, and let’s get into it!
…
…
Wildlife Photography – 10 Tips To Get The Best Shots
…
Tip # 1 – Strive For Creativity
…
Whether we’re talking about wildlife photography, portraiture, landscape photography, or even good ol’ iPhoneography, we always believe that creativity is the one thing that will allow you to not only stand out from the crowd, but also bring out the best in you. Anyone can replicate a photo they’ve seen, or simply point and shoot, but if you just spend a little extra time asking yourself, “what can I do differently?” your shot will already stand a better chance of being iconic and different.
…
Tip # 2 – Browse For Inspiration
…
This actually goes hand-in-hand with the previous tip. How are you supposed to know what a “different shot” looks like, if you don’t know what shots already exist? Open up your Instagram, Pinterest, 500px (or wherever you normally go for image and photo inspiration), and search popular hashtags and locations to see what images have been taken already. During our Botswana Week research, we found some incredible wildlife photography, which not only allowed us to dream of our trip to Botswana (hopefully one day), it also showed us what types of shots have already been taken.
…
…
Tip # 3 – Rely On Professional Local Knowledge
…
Half the challenge with wildlife photography, is actually finding the animals first, and nobody knows the bush quite like the local guides who frequent the watering holes and hideouts. Supporting local communities will also assist in eco-tourism, so use a local guide or tracker to help you find the subject you’re after (all whilst doing your bit for the greater good of the country’s tourism).
…
Tip # 4 – Use A Variety Of Focal Lengths
…
You will more than likely have a telephoto lens in your repertoire if you’re serious about wildlife photography (both prime and zoom lenses apply here), and we’re here to remind you to keep it varied! It’s amazing how different a scene can appear, if you simply change it up every now and then. Sometimes you’ll want to get right into the detail and shoot the texture of the elephant’s hide, or the fur of a leopard, but zooming out to show the animal in its entirety in the landscape offers a whole new perspective, so all we’re saying is, don’t always use the maximum focal length on your lens.
…
Tip # 5 – Play To The Animal’s Characteristics
…
Every single species has different characteristics, and wildlife photography allows you to portray those characteristics. Leopards (if you’re lucky enough to spot them) tend to stretch a lot in their sleepy branches. Elephants are highly empathetic and show love by caressing with their trunks. Baboons and hyenas have long fur that can be caught blowing in the wind. Learning a little bit more about the animals and their particular characteristics will allow you showcase them in a creative light when it comes to photographing them.
…
…
Tip # 6 – Have Fun With Silhouettes
…
Each animal has such a distinct body shape that capturing it, either in its entirety in a daytime landscape photo, or during sunrise, sunset or blue hour (with only the silhouette of the animal seen against a pink, red, or purple sky) can be utter magic. Don’t feel like you always need to capture the details – sometimes only the shape of a giraffe, elephant, or kudu can make for a gorgeous image.
…
…
Tip # 7 – Don’t Be Afraid Of Auto Settings
…
As professional photographers we like to be in control of our scenes, and have our cameras always set to Manual. However, with wildlife photography, this can sometimes cause you to miss the moment. We like to either shoot with our ISO in Auto (especially during low-light times like sunrise or sunset), or swop our Manual setting to Shutterspeed-priority, to ensure we capture the small moments of the super fast animals. Wouldn’t it be the worst thing if a cheetah ran past, and you were too busy trying to get your settings right to capture the speeding feline? Like we said, don’t be afraid to use that auto function sometimes.
…
Tip # 8 – Shoot In Burst Mode
…
Another setting that’s important ahead of your wildlife photography expedition, is burst mode. Other than a male lion with a full belly during the heat of the day, most of the animals you’ll encounter on safari will be wary of you, and probably on the move, so selecting a high burst mode allows you to have a better chance at getting that perfect shot.
…
Tip # 9 – Use A Sandbag Or Beanbag As A Tripod
…
You will more than likely be shooting from the inside of a vehicle, so setting up a tripod might prove to be rather difficult. A little trick we’ve used for wildlife photography, is placing a sandbag or beanbag on the ledge of an open window (to rest the telephoto lens on it) turning it into a “makeshift tripod”. It works like a dream, and is super easy to assemble 😉
…
Tip # 10 – Patience, Patience, Patience
…
You’ve all seen those incredible images of birds of paradise strutting their stuff, but what you don’t hear about, is the photographer’s struggle to get the shot – sitting in an, um, improvised hide, in unbearable temperatures for up to three weeks, going through a lot of effort, just to capture one or two amazing shots. Some days you will get lucky, getting a few great captures without too much effort (we’ve probably had one or two days like this), but most days, your patience will be tested, so make sure you have the right mind set ahead of your trip, and don’t ever think of giving up.
…
…
We hope these tips have been helpful! For an even more in-depth lesson into wildlife photography, and some additional tips from other pro photographers, you can check out any of the amazing Wildlife Photography courses on KelbyOne – we particularly enjoyed “The Science of Wildlife Photography” with Moose Peterson (with a name like that, who wouldn’t want to learn from him, right?!)
Side note: If you sign up for the KelbyOne Pro Annual Plan (anytime between now and 30 June 2021) directly through this link, and use the code “FARFROMHOME20” at checkout, you’ll automatically save 20% (to take Moose’s course, as well as any others listed on KelbyOne). We’re super grateful for the opportunity from KelbyOne for our readers, so hope you guys enjoy the perks!
…
Make sure to also check out our Botswana feature on Instagram this week, as we share some of the best wildlife photography (and fun travel tips) fro this magical country, while we all dream to see it one day soon.
…
If you enjoyed this blog post, you may want to follow our journey on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, browse our online photography shop, or get yourself a copy of our TRAVEL AROUND THE WORLD eBook.
This post may contain affiliate links. We receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using our links. Thank you for supporting How Far From Home. You can read our full Online Privacy Policy here.
No Comments