Wildlife
photography is often assumed to be an exciting and high adventure
genre of photography. In reality it is extremely challenging and
wildlife photographers find themselves at the mercy of inclement
weather and sometimes even face danger. Here are some suggestions
for this specialized form of photography.
Understand the life form that you plan to photograph in terms
of living habits, habitat and behavior. In other words you need
a perspective on ‘a day in the life of’ your wildlife subject.
Books and online research will throw light on your subject.
The importance of getting acquainted with the behavior of the
animal is a lot more important when you have to shoot dangerous
jungle animals that can attack like lions or tigers or even bears.
Animals will become aware of you when you enter close to their
habitat but will usually not attack if you keep your distance.
But you have to be clear on the distance at which an animal will
begin to feel threatened by your presence and decide to attack
you.
It goes without saying that you can’t expect any kind cooperation
from your subject! You have to fit yourself in, place yourself
in a vantage point and have your camera set and ready and then
wait for the ’right moment’ to take the shot that you are looking
for.
You may have to wait many days before you can capture the right
shot. Your subject could not care less if the light is diminishing
or the light is at its best. You may have perfect light conditions
on a particular day but your subject may not be in the right spot
for you to take the shot.
You need telephoto lenses to shoot from a distance and other
camera features like Center-weighted metering. The Center-weighted
meter allows you to meter the wildlife subject at the center of
the frame and vary the size of the sensing area based on the dimensions
of the subject and its distance from you.