Zooming into wildlife – essential tips
The best way to become a better wildlife photographer is to do lots of research. The more information you know about your subject the better images you can shoot. Find out about their habitat, diet, is the animal dangerous, timid, aggressive, do they live in packs or alone? Not only will this ensure you are fully prepared when out in the field, it also means you can anticipate their movements.
It’s also a good idea to research other wildlife photographers so you can learn from the best. Thomas Kettner, Ian Plant and Takeshi Ohura are great sources of inspiration. Check out the previous winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest too. The Tamron lenses featured here have excellent Vibration Compensation, enabling you to get great results handheld – even at slower shutter speeds or in low light. So you won’t miss a great shot as you are fumbling with a tripod or monopod.
Make full use of the advanced AF features on your camera, be it continuous tracking or eye-detection AF. Keeping the eyes sharp in wildlife photography can make the difference between a good shot and a great one.
Try to ensure a clean, uncluttered background – blurring it with a wider aperture or zooming right in can make this easier. Don’t crop too tight on your subject either – give it space to ‘breathe’ in the frame.
When it comes to editing, try a range of approaches including black & white. This can be a great way to really bring out tone, texture and contrast. Be careful not to oversharpen any of your images, however, or make them look too overprocessed.