# Wildlife & Nature FAQ



## lostprophet

If you want to ask any questions about Wildlife or Nature photography just post your questions here and members will try to help out.

Or if you know a few hints and tips and want to share your knowledge please post here.


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## BoblyBill

I have found pointing my camera towards the wildlife usually gets my best shots...

OK, seriously though, for most of you that shoot macro of bugs, specifically TB2 and woodsac, are they handheld shots and if they are how do you get such sharp shots? Do you use a flash mount that goes on the end of the lens?

LP, do you use a tripod at all or are all of yours handheld? All of you get tack sharp shots and I'm jealous. Does it help to have your own site to upload shots to that doesn't compress them farther?


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## N'Kolor

Wildlife photographers...how do they make a living?  Calendars?  I know this may sound like a strange question, but I am serious.  Are most wildlife photographers, hobbyist?


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## Alex_B

N'Kolor said:


> Wildlife photographers...how do they make a living?  Calendars?  I know this may sound like a strange question, but I am serious.  Are most wildlife photographers, hobbyist?



There are not many pro wildlife photographers, since it is a very tough business. the market is much smaller than say events and weddings, fashion, product and so on.

Wildlife (just as landscape) photography is more often about the single image as an piece of artwork. And the market for that is fairly small in comparison. Hence it is mostly the established and well known wildlife photographers who really make big money.

Some wildlife photography also goes in illustration of textbooks or documentations, and then there is some in advertising, calendars, postcards. But the latter two are not really money machines and usually served by the stock photography.


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## Chris of Arabia

BoblyBill said:


> OK, seriously though, for most of you that shoot macro of bugs, specifically TB2 and woodsac, are they handheld shots and if they are how do you get such sharp shots? Do you use a flash mount that goes on the end of the lens?



Not sure about TB2 or woodsac, but I know that TCimages, Doenoe and I are using the Lumiquest Softbox on a flash gun to light our compact & bijou subjects. Mine in combination with a Canon 430EX, 350D & 60mm f2.8 macro lens. Not done a lot yet, but the combination appears to work well.


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## lostprophet

BoblyBill said:


> LP, do you use a tripod at all or are all of yours handheld? All of you get tack sharp shots and I'm jealous. Does it help to have your own site to upload shots to that doesn't compress them farther?



I use a Gitzo series 3 tripod with Wimberley II head for shots taken from a portable hide, if I'm in the big hide by the lake I just rest the lens on the ledge, out in the wild or a wildlife centre I go from either handheld or monopod. The setup wasn't cheap but its worth it in my mind, another good thing about the Gitzo range is that they are very quiet to setup unlike the Manfrotto tripods, which always makes me laugh as they come from the same company.







The lens covers are my old ones that were good for about a year but started to get loose so now I have some of the Wildlife Watching Supplies ones which are a million times better than the old Lens Coat ones.

The Canon IS lenses are just something else, and so are the Nikon VR lenses. 600mm plus the 1.3x crop from my camera and you still get sharp images at 90th of a second.

One thing I never do if I can help it is to go beyond ISO 500 as my old camera really can't hack it. Down side is that shutter speeds can be slow but I'd rather get 1 in 20 shots sharp than have loads of sharp shots that are noisy. 

As for my site, well the ones on the site are uncompressed but if I embed them here they loose a bit of quality, one reason I always add the _'click image for high res'_ option on my posts


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## matt-l

who camps out to make the best of the morning light and evening light?

i have  maybe 5-6 times at different lakes near my cabin, i love it. lol


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## Alex_B

i camp out in a tent from time to time, for several days .... but most of the time those sports are so lonely that there ain't any animals nearby


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## Battou

I can't say I am a Wildlife Photographer but I do want to say that inner city shooting of wildlife is not out of the question. As long as you have a wildlife pressence in town many of the same principals apply, only you have houses to hide behind and/or in. Also in some occations the subjects are not as skiddish so to speak possibly allowing you to get a little bit closer pending the situation. This was shot right outside my house in the middle of town with a car as a blind with a 400mm lens on 200 speed film.


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## Anubis

Battou said:


> I do want to say that inner city shooting of wildlife is not out of the question. As long as you have a wildlife pressence in town many of the same principals apply, only you have houses to hide behind and/or in.



Definitely! We have had foxes, hedgehogs, numerous birds (including birds of prey), and field mice visit our garden in the suburbs. The local park has squirrels, heron, ducks, and swallows to name but a few. I have also frequently seen deer feeding at the side of the motorway exit at sunset.


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## Anubis

This link may be interesting for anyone into weather photography. The BBC are looking for submission to use on their site and perhaps on TV

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/multimedia/gallery/submission_help.shtml


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## Overread

Ok here it comes - the big question to all those pro wildlife photographers. 
How do you go about finding a subject - and from there setting up and watching without disturbing. Is it all wlidlife centres and luck or is there some skills and tips you can give over?


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## lostprophet

Overread said:


> Ok here it comes - the big question to all those pro wildlife photographers.
> How do you go about finding a subject - and from there setting up and watching without disturbing. Is it all wlidlife centres and luck or is there some skills and tips you can give over?



I think the chances of a Pro wildlife photographer being on this forum is pretty low, chances are they are sat in a hide as I type, or they are writing reviews for whorehouse express ;-) oh and yes Andy Rouse does take photos at wildlife centre and sells them.


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## Overread

hmm uplander just mentioned tail cameras and as its liked to wildlife I thought it better to ask in here rather than spark off a new thread - so what are peoples experiences with them, what are good models and all that other stuff...


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## uplander

Overread said:


> hmm uplander just mentioned tail cameras and as its liked to wildlife I thought it better to ask in here rather than spark off a new thread - so what are peoples experiences with them, what are good models and all that other stuff...


 
Trail cameras are self contained camera/ flash / motion detector units which were designed for hunters to scout for trophy game  or establish patterns and times game moved in a specific area. I find them useful to watch a suspected den or burrough and let me know usful info before I take the time to set up and wait.

Most units attach to a tree or can be easily mounted various ways. Some are quite simple and others are more sophisticated. The basic unit is a camera with a motion dtection swith to trigger the shutter. Some have flash units and others have infared illuminators and infared sensors for capture. Some have it all. Most have clocks and timers and programmable logic to set when you want the camera active and for what modes.

For quick look at what is available go to www.cabelas.com and search trail cameras.

They aren't meant to produce high quality photos but are more for survailence and to give you a record of what and when something is passing through.

I hope that helps.


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## Miaow

I'm hoping someone can help with this question I have - Its horrible and overcast at pres - I was attempting to get a GOOD pic of a rosella (bird) that was out in a tree - At 300mm (handheld) it still wasnt overly close but I found that all I was getting was a dark shape rather than the colours (bright red) that was at ISO 400 - anyway I bumped up the EV which mainly succeeded in blowing out the sky/branches but still the dark shape of the bird.  
So I upped the ISO to 1600 and still it was too dark? I then bumped up the EV to 2 which helped actually bring out a bit more of the colour but overall the birdwas still too dark and had blown out sky again
Apart from using a tripod (moving subject as it was eating so couldnt i think really use too long an exposure) are there any ways to get a nicely exposed pic of a bird up in a tree on an overcast day.


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## Overread

sounds like the light is behind the subject and facing you - so you need to really open up the apature and boost the ISO to get the details on the dark bird - and then as you found out the sky ends up way to bright.
You could try using your flash to fill in the light - flash can travel a good distance though at a risk of spooking the subject you have to get it right first time


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## Overread

decided that a link to this site is worth adding to the thread:

Wildwood Survival - Wilderness Survival

contains wilderness surival skills, but also sections on wild animal tracking. Defintly the other side of the skill set that a good wildlife photographer needs to have in order to capture images.


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## woodsac

BoblyBill said:


> I have found pointing my camera towards the wildlife usually gets my best shots...
> 
> OK, seriously though, for most of you that shoot macro of bugs, specifically TB2 and woodsac, are they handheld shots and if they are how do you get such sharp shots? Do you use a flash mount that goes on the end of the lens?
> 
> LP, do you use a tripod at all or are all of yours handheld? All of you get tack sharp shots and I'm jealous. Does it help to have your own site to upload shots to that doesn't compress them farther?


Hey Buddy...long time 

I haven't done in any macro work in quite a while. But...all of my macro work is hand held. I use a Manfrotto flash bracket *manfrotto macro | B&H Photo Video *and Lumiquest Softbox *LumiQuest | Mini SoftBox - for Shoe-Mount Flashes | LQ-108 | B&H*.

Just takes a lot of patience. Also, I always try to get low or support my hands/arms. I rest my elbows and forearms on my knee a lot.

Sometimes I shoot wide open for the effect. And of course, it adds a little speed. Not the sharpest, but a cool little critter


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## Tsanand

Wildlife especially in the wild mostly give you very short time to get your act together and you have to get it right the first time around else the opportunity's gone. Take this Tiger for instance, it gave me just 9 seconds.

Thomas
http://walkthewilderness.net


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## Slo_Mo_Dove

Is it just my camera, or is there a setting I'm forgetting that will help me take clearer animal photos at a (short) distance? I can get quite close to say, a squirrel, and the photo's still not very sharp at full size. It's in focus, just ... smudgy. Very close shots, like insects and flowers, turn out fine.
It's a fairly cheap little digital camera, but there must be *something* I can do.


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## Big

Slo_Mo_Dove said:


> Is it just my camera, or is there a setting I'm forgetting that will help me take clearer animal photos at a (short) distance? I can get quite close to say, a squirrel, and the photo's still not very sharp at full size. It's in focus, just ... smudgy. Very close shots, like insects and flowers, turn out fine.
> It's a fairly cheap little digital camera, but there must be *something* I can do.


Maybe use a faster shutter speed? That's usually my first go at someone's complaint about blurry photos. 

I have a question... What or who determines who a "pro" is as far as wild life photography? Is it a matter of doing it for a living and selling photos? Why can't a "pro" be a pro at wild life photography without doing it for a living? I'm not calling myself a pro but I was just wondering.


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## Slo_Mo_Dove

Big said:


> Maybe use a faster shutter speed? That's usually my first go at someone's complaint about blurry photos.



It doesn't seem like motion blur - but I'll experiment and see if the Auto option is just doing a bad job with the settings. It may have been focusing a bit too close.

Example:


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## Big

Slo_Mo_Dove said:


> but I'll experiment and see if the *Auto* option is just doing a bad job with the settings.


Geeeeeezzz!!!! careful saying that word around here!


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## Slo_Mo_Dove

Big said:


> Slo_Mo_Dove said:
> 
> 
> 
> but I'll experiment and see if the *Auto* option is just doing a bad job with the settings.
> 
> 
> 
> Geeeeeezzz!!!! careful saying that word around here!
Click to expand...


Yeah, I know.  But there's a lot of stuff this camera just won't let you do on your own. And I'm still not experienced enough with shots of live things that aren't tiny (bugs, flowers) that I think it's wisest to use Auto outside of my "experimenting," until I've learned.


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## Big

I don't think it looks too terrible. If you think it may be focusing too close, your camera might have a "macro" mode or close up mode that tells the camera to focus at a closer than normal distance. As far as auto goes, I was just messin with ya. Many people shoot manual or other creative functions but if your camera is limited to those than I guess you gotta start somewhere right!
btw: I assume you're using a basic point and shoot right? What camera is it?


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## Slo_Mo_Dove

Big said:


> I don't think it looks too terrible. If you think it may be focusing too close, your camera might have a "macro" mode or close up mode that tells the camera to focus at a closer than normal distance. As far as auto goes, I was just messin with ya. Many people shoot manual or other creative functions but if your camera is limited to those than I guess you gotta start somewhere right!
> btw: I assume you're using a basic point and shoot right? What camera is it?


It has two different "close-up" modes, but I do at least know not to use those.  There are a bunch of different "Scene" modes of dubious usefulness, but clicking all the buttons required to get to them generally takes too long when I run into a critter unexpectedly. Landscape and Auto settings both seem to get me fairly similar results at distance.

It's a Kodak EasyShare C913, if that helps.  You can certainly alter some settings (like I said, I'm a lot better at doing this with closer shots), but it's auto-focus.


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## Overread

mark carwardine - zoologist : writer : wildlife photographer : tv & radio presenter

Well worth a look for anyone into wildlife photography! Good articles and resources in there


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## HikinMike

I'm new to the forum, so I figured I'd post my backyard blind and my recipe. I've moved a few thing since I photographed this last year, but it's pretty much the same thing...

An old Christmas Tree inside of a clay pot for mobility. Drilled a few holes in the tree and filled it with 'suet'. Clay pot for water, but I'm going to change it to a waterfall when I get some motivation!





Photography Blind

Peanut Butter Suet for Birds


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## Hardrock

HikinMike said:


> I'm new to the forum, so I figured I'd post my backyard blind and my recipe. I've moved a few thing since I photographed this last year, but it's pretty much the same thing...
> 
> An old Christmas Tree inside of a clay pot for mobility. Drilled a few holes in the tree and filled it with 'suet'. Clay pot for water, but I'm going to change it to a waterfall when I get some motivation!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Photography Blind
> 
> Peanut Butter Suet for Birds


 

That is awesome!!!


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## brazilnutjr

lostprophet said:


> If you want to ask any questions about Wildlife or Nature photography just post your questions here and members will try to help out.
> 
> Or if you know a few hints and tips and want to share your knowledge please post here.



I don't really know the best place to post this question, but in August I will be taking a trip to the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest and I would like to learn about the proper care of my equipment while in the rainforest.  I have a Nikon D70s with a AF-S Nikkor 18-70mm DX lense and a AF Nikkor 70-300mm G lense.  I know the weather there is very humid and some of our travel will be done by canoe (we are going back into the jungle to some remote indian villages).  Does anyone have experience with photography in that sort of environment?  Is is safe to take my DSLR because of all the humidity, or do I need to find a small weatherproof point and shoot?  Is there a way to weatherproof my gear?  Any other tips or information I need to know about? 
Thanks in advance to anyone who might be able to help me with this!

BrazilNutJr


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## Overread

Going to put a plug here for 

"The Wildlife Photographers Field Manual" by Joe McDonald - I'm not sure if a new edition of this is out as it is a slightly older publication (1992) so some of the gear discussions are a little dated when it comes to model specifics; but this is one of the most detailed books I've come across for wildlife photographers. This is not a picture book with a few words its some good solid info with some pics to help it come along.

It also contains more than just gear lists with in the field details as well as working setups - a good place to make a start and get ideas


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## Saorsa

N'Kolor said:


> Wildlife photographers...how do they make a living? Calendars? I know this may sound like a strange question, but I am serious. Are most wildlife photographers, hobbyist?


 
Most of the ones I know of make their living running tours and workshops.


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## Redfish

I'm new here. Looks like I've got a lot to learn


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## jack58

matt-l said:


> who camps out to make the best of the morning light and evening light?
> 
> i have  maybe 5-6 times at different lakes near my cabin, i love it. lol



Well... many times I've gotten up at 3am to get up to Mt Rainier and places like that at dawn. Especially if it is cold. In the summer, I'll camp out.


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## keene

taken with a film camera while driving 

hope everyone likes i have lots of nature photos that i cab add and some black and white


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## dxqcanada

Frequently Asked Questions to take good wildlife images ?

Do you need an 800mm f/2.8 stabilized lens ?
- in most cases you do not need such a long focal length. It is common to have 400/500mm for wildlife.
- wide max aperture helps when shooting animals in forests ... but you will probably not be taking many images blocked by branches/leaves.

Do you need a camera that can do 20 frames per second ?
- no. 

Do you always need a tripod ?
- tripods help with stability with long lenses ... a monopod is a good substitute
- if lighting is good then you can handhold many shots

Do you need camouflage clothing (and lenswrap) ?
- some photographers do ... most don't

Do you need to travel to Africa or the Amazon ?
- no. The zoo is a nice urban area ... and there are many wildlife areas around you ... you just have to know what animals are in your area.

Do you need to be EricD ?
- yes ... OK, just kidding.


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## Josefsteyn

I am new to the Forum and I am obviously missing something when I post a photo. I am a bit "technologically challenged" and would appreciate a referral to a place on the Forum where the uploading is explained in detail. Any other help will be greatly appreciated.


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## bc_steve

Overread said:


> Ok here it comes - the big question to all those pro wildlife photographers.
> How do you go about finding a subject - and from there setting up and watching without disturbing. Is it all wlidlife centres and luck or is there some skills and tips you can give over?



I'm not a pro, but I have some ideas.  The animals can be reliably found as long as you're in the right place at the right time.  It's possible to do that with enough knowledge of the area and the animals.  If you know someone that hunts, maybe they would be willing to take you out to shoot photos.  Otherwise, it is possible to hire a local guide.  Here it would be a guide outfitter that normally takes clients hunting, but if you explained what you needed (ie light etc) from a photography standpoint, they could most likely provide some great opportunities.  When I was in Nepal I visited a national park with a few other people and a local guide.  We saw animal after animal, but when we got to the rhinos the lighting was all wrong.  What I should have done was stuck around for another day and hired the guy to take just me out and with the goal of finding wildlife in the best photographic conditions.


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## bc_steve

Ps:  I do realize that post was 5 years ago


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