10 tips for fieldcraft

Find and approach your wild subjects without scaring them off

01 Wear quiet clothes

Anything that rustles as you move will alert animals to your presence. Avoid velcro, too!

02 Avoid strong scents

As an animal’s sense of smell is so much stronger than ours, your best perfume or aftershave has no place on a wildlife shoot.

03 Consider the wind

Approach subjects into the wind. This way, your scent will be carried away from you and won’t be detected by the animal.

04 Arrive early

If you know that wildlife is going to arrive at a particular time, get there beforehand to set up the camera and find a vantage point.

05 Try camouflage

While you don’t have to head out for a shoot in full camo gear, it’s a good idea to wear muted colours such as green and grey.

06 Do a recce

Visit your shooting location as often as possible to get used to the habits of wildlife.

07 Zig-zag approach

Don’t approach a subject head-on. Instead, keep low and crawl closer in a zig-zag path.

08 look for footprints

Learn to recognize and spot different animal tracks that are left behind in the snow.

09 Give them a call

You might feel foolish doing it... but learning and imitating bird calls can actually work

10 keep a low profile

On open land, crouch down and make sure your body doesn’t break the skyline, or any birds around will disappear very quickly.