Skills of shooting wild animals

Shooting wild animals is exciting, but unlike natural scenery, the opportunity to shoot wild animals is fleeting. The following are some skills that need special attention when shooting wild animals, which can make your photos have better results.

First, do some research on animals.

What kind of animals are you going to photograph? Why shoot these animals? What environment do these animals like to inhabit? What are the characteristics of their habits? Is it aggressive? The more you know, the more likely you are to take wonderful photos. Usually, wild animals are not very friendly to humans. They won't pose in front of your camera. Unless you run into each other, if you want to shoot what you want, you must know where to find them and when they are most active. And if what you want to shoot is particularly timid or dangerous, you should also prepare special equipment to prevent animals from discovering your existence.

Second, fully understand the environment.

Like all planned trips, the more you know about the local situation, the fewer accidents there will be. You should know as much as possible about the culture, geography, environment and climate of the destination, which can come from materials, books, travel magazines and the Internet, or you can call or write directly to the local authorities for help. Photography is the art of light, so it is of special significance to understand the local climate. At least you should know when the light is the best, when special equipment is needed to complete the shooting, and when it is impossible to take satisfactory photos.

Third, photographic equipment.

Scaling is very important.

We may be familiar with traditional wildlife photographers, because these photographers often serve some magazines, such as National Geographic. For these photographers, the lens of their cameras is quite long. But to be sure, the lens length is very beneficial, because we can't get too close when shooting many wild animals. After all, we don't know what they are thinking, and it may be dangerous. Even if the beast allows you to get close, you won't do it At this time, if we want to shoot wild animals, the only way is to stay away from them and then capture their every move with a long lens.

At the same time, when shooting, we should also consider the authenticity and effect of the picture. In order to make the picture look more original, we must capture the image more widely to fill the whole image.

If you don't buy a SLR camera, you should buy a camera with zoom level and use it in your camera. Even if you only have one camera, you can make do with it, but be sure to turn off the digital zoom mode on the camera, because this mode is not particularly useful on the camera. In fact, digital zoom can enlarge pixels, especially in the middle of the picture; In addition, digital zoom can simulate more zooming. In other words, what digital zoom can do is equivalent to an image editing.

Shutter speed is crucial.

In fact, the longer the focal length, the greater the impact on the photo, because it will cause camera shake, which will lead to unclear images. In addition, the movement speed of wild animals is quite fast and unpredictable, so the shutter speed of the camera is quite high, because only a fast shutter speed can capture the instantaneous action. So the shutter speed greatly affects the clarity of the photo. If the camera lens is long enough and the shutter speed is fast enough, you can capture the image of the lion running.

As for shooting wild animals, my suggestion is simple: at any time, set the shutter speed to the fastest and get ready for shooting, because wild animals will not wait for you to shoot. Usually, I will set the camera to aperture priority mode and set the aperture to the best setting available, which can promote the camera to use the fastest shutter speed.

ISO (sensitivity)

ISO measures the camera's sensitivity to light. When shooting wild animals, you can also add a little shutter speed, so that you can better capture their movements. For many people, they just added ISO when shooting at night. But after long-term shooting, I found it necessary to increase ISO during the day, and I sometimes do the same when shooting wild animals at noon. For example, when I photographed wolves on a cloudy day last winter, it was about 3 pm. I set the camera to ISO 3200, and the exposure time is 1/60 seconds. Of course, this also has a drawback, that is, the higher the ISO, the greater the digital noise generated in the picture. But it's totally worth it. The best proof is the perfect photo.

Fourth, choose the right time:

Choosing time has two meanings: first, we must fully consider the habits of wild animals, when to move, when to eat and when to rest; Second, the influence of light factors must be taken into account. Sufficient and infectious light is an important factor in taking good photos. Considering these two factors comprehensively, we can capture interesting works.

Fifth, choose different angles:

Although it is difficult for you to choose from many angles when shooting wild animals, sometimes you can find many interesting angles. If possible, you can use the lens to be flat with the horizon, flat with the animal's eyes, and look down from a height. Observing the photos taken by animals from the height of human eyes may seem rigid. Sometimes, photographing the back of animals can also produce strange and interesting effects.

Six, as an animal director:

Wild animals will not provide any convenience for you to shoot. However, if you can come up with a good way, it is likely to make wild animals pose according to your wishes to a great extent. For example, you can suddenly make a sound to remind animals to pay attention to you, so that their eyes can be aimed at your camera. However, this posture won't last long, and soon it will run away quickly. So you have to finish the other shots first, and then you are ready to capture an interesting surprised expression instantly.