How to shoot wild animals and pets

Lead: The difficulty of pet and animal photography lies in the rapid movement of the subject. In fact, it is difficult for people to find or approach, because they may be afraid of human beings, and it is almost impossible to make them pose or predict their behavior. So how do we photograph wild animals and pets? Come and have a look with me!

How to shoot wild animals and pets 1 Use a high-speed telephoto lens.

This photo of the sunbird was taken with a 200mm lens at a distance of about 15m. Because these birds have instinctive vigilance against humans, it is impossible to get too close without scaring them away. (Left)

Judging from this photo taken with a telephoto lens, this mongoose is quite docile. This is because telephoto reduces the depth of field and can take more satisfactory pictures of animals. (right)

Many wild animals are very timid and easily frightened by people. Birds are especially difficult to photograph because they often fly away in the blink of an eye. So it's best to shoot them from a distance with a lens with as long a focal length as possible.

Second, shoot regularly.

Knowing that tigers are nocturnal animals, the photographer entered the Singapore Zoo in the evening to photograph this newly awakened white tiger.

This monarch butterfly was filmed in new york in September, which is the time of year when all kinds of butterflies complete their incredible long-distance migration to Mexico through new york.

Many animals are most active after dawn or dusk, when the sunshine is not dazzling, which is just very suitable for shooting. You must know the activity cycle of the animal to be photographed and the best shooting time. From a broader perspective, we can also arrange shooting according to the possible seasons of some migratory animals.

Third, camping replaces diving and hiding replaces chasing.

Some honey-sucking parrots (such as this one) are very alert to humans, so they must be photographed from the distance where they may appear. In order to take this photo, the photographer waited in the tent next to the bird feeder placed in the forest. (Left)

The North American gray squirrel in new york Central Park is naturally afraid of people. So this photo must be taken with wireless shutter and Nikon D300. The photographer pointed the lens at the place where the squirrel seemed to like to feed, focused it, waited for about a minute to get it back there, then confirmed the correct angle of view through the live-view LCD of his camera, and pressed the shutter to take pictures. (right)

Trying to sneak up on or track wild animals may not be a good way, especially for those animals that are instinctively afraid of humans. Some animals can even detect the appearance of human beings and run away before they are found by humans.

1. Try to set up tents near places where some birds or animals often appear, or even in the backyard of your home.

2. The key is to be able to hide for long enough to make animals feel safe and close.

This practice is very common for professional documentary photographers. They left the tents in the preset shooting location for a few days to let the subjects get used to seeing them, and then they lived in the tents and started shooting.

Some senior photographers even advocate taking pictures of animals in cars, because animals are unfamiliar with vehicles. Compared with humans, they think it will be safer to be close to cars.

Fourth, use macro mode or macro lens.

This newborn oriole is very small, so it can be photographed with a macro lens, and beautiful oriole photos can be taken with extremely shallow depth of field. (Left)

Australian parrots are very docile and usually approach humans out of curiosity or foraging; So you can shoot them in macro mode. (right)

Some small wild animals are extremely docile and curious, and will boldly approach humans. For these animals, you can try to shoot with a macro lens, or you can shoot some interesting pictures with the macro setting of the camera.

5. Explore interesting new framework methods.

You can tell that this animal is a giraffe without seeing other parts of it. But through framing, the photographer artistically highlights the texture and curve of the animal's back.

The toucan was shot from a novel and cutting perspective, forcing the audience to look at its radiant eyes.

Animals have strange shapes, skin textures or interesting body parts. If you shoot at close range, you may take more charming or thought-provoking photos, as shown in the legend.

Six, use children portrait skills to shoot pets.

In these photos of cats, the side light adds depth of field and dramatic effect to them.

Bending down to shoot at the same height as the horizon of small animals is almost the only way to take beautiful and natural pictures of animals. The photographer had to bend down to the position where his chin almost touched the ground to take pictures of these kittens and white parrots.

Different from wild animals, you can have more freedom when taking pictures of pets. Therefore, when photographing pets, you can also use the methods used by children. These technologies include:

1. Bend to the same height as their apparent horizon.

2. Use light creatively.

3. In the photo? Highlights? Their personalities.