Wildlife & Nature FAQ

[brazilnutjr]

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

[TPF Sponsor]

[Ritchie Michael]

Hi friend,
Professionally I am a wildlife photographer. I love to take photos of wild animals and to gain more knowledge about their activities and life style. If any one has any queries regarding the wildlife photography then can share with me. I am always interested to take part in such discussion.

Thanks
Wildlife Photographer

[Ritchie Michael]

These are some tips I like to provide to all wildlife photographer.
Apart from all this, one needs learning, research and practice to become a good wildlife photographer. It hardly matters what type of camera you use. But there are few tips and techniques which would help you to enhance your wildlife photography skills.
Select between shutter speed and aperture
First you need to decide what kind of shot you are going for, so accordingly you can decide between it. But you should be comfortable using both shutter speed and aperture.
Represent the white subject in sunlight
If you capture the bright subject, like swan or goat then you can "cut" the exposure at one stop. Also do not try to operate the camera's meter, as it would also mislead. It is really important to understand the techniques which are required to shoot in bright light.
Decide your subject
Many people like different types of wildlife photography. So you also choose your subject which you would like to photograph. For example: birds, mammals, reptiles, insects etc.
Techniques for working with wildlife
You need to spend some time working with animal behavior so that you would be aware of certain things so that you would get to know the signs in which you can play with them and you can show the mood of the animal. And then you need to be patient and wait for the right time to get the good images.

Practice at wildlife and at zoos
The best way in which one can improve the wildlife photography is to practice at zoo. Obviously we cannot go always on a tour, but you would definitely get a good exposure if you would practice at wildlife parks and at zoo. So here you would explore good natural settings for your practice.


Thanks.

[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

[Saorsa]

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.

[Redfish]

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

[jack58]

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.

[keene]

008.JPGtaken with a film camera while driving

059.jpghope everyone likes i have lots of nature photos that i cab add and some black and white