School tip The sound of silence

Kill the shutter noise when you’re tracking animals

the silent continuous shooting option available as a drive mode on EOS DSLRS from the 80D upwards is a useful option for wildlife photography. It stifles the mechanical noise of the shutter operation when shooting through the viewfinder, which is an advantage when you’re looking to get close to skittish wildlife. But there are two significant drawbacks: it reduces top shooting speed, and increases the time lag between pressing the shutter button and the picture being taken. That being said, it really does effectively take the edge off the noise on my Canon EOS 5D Mark III and Mark IV bodies – and that can make a difference between birds and animals staying put or legging it. It also attracts less attention!