ARTICLE 1: THE BEGINNING - HOW TO BECOME A WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER
Many people naively regard wildlife photography as having the best equipment and then simply going out into the countryside and taking a couple of snap shots. Although good equipment is a necessity it is only half the story. Wildlife photography requires certain other features, but even if you do these things and know your subject you are still not guaranteed to get the shot -luck is always a factor.
With wildlife photography patience is of the essence. The number of times I have seen photographers leave after a couple of hours and then missing the shot of the day is almost too surprising. I am not suggesting that you should just sit in a location for hours on end waiting. You have to use your common sense and learn where best to spend your time. This comes about by knowing the subject and looking for the action you are trying to capture. The best way to do this is to get out there and actually practice your technique on the subject. Although you learn facts about the subject from books nothing beats going out there and practicing. Perseverance is always a joint necessity with patience. Sure you may be completely patient and the action may still not occur, but keep trying don’t give up on the first day; you never know what you could miss!
Even with patience, perseverance and the understanding of your subject you have to have an interest for what you do. People stereotype photography as sitting in the outdoors in perfect weather with a camera just clicking away. Sure these days happen but the weather is temperamental and if you’re not keen to get out and get the shots you want then you won’t be able to make a success of photography – after all it is a business you are trying to run as well. Only recently was I sitting in a hide with temperatures of -15C, photographing the great spotted woodpecker. My hands and feet were numb and when it was time to leave the hide I literally was struggling to move. Yet the next day I was back in the hide, in the same pain, trying to capture the image I wanted. You have to love spending time with the subject and be willing to return again and again to get the shots you want, not because you want to make money from it (although that would be nice) but because you want to experience a moment which few other people in the world can.
Lastly, to make a living from photography you need that ounce of luck. Due to the number of photographers out there today it is hard to break into the ‘circle’ and make a living out of it. That one special shot is all you need to break in and the only way you can do that is perseverance, interest and patience. However, always remember to respect your subject and never put your need to get a shot over the well being of the subject, however tempting it may be. So what are you waiting for? Good luck!
An in depth look at specific pictures of different wildlife situations. Find out how the final picture was produced and the problems that occurred throughout the process. Subjects include amongst others the native red squirrel and the great spotted woodpecker.
Read about different animals history, distribution, habitat, behaviour, identification and food, amongst other things in this detailed case study of Britain's wildlife. Illustrated with pictures around the text from Pictures of Nature's own stock library.
Browse from our selection of Fine Art Prints. As this page is only a selection of my work, if you can't find the image for you visit my stock site and then email me with your choice and i will immediately act on you order.
Keep up to date with the advancements in
the Pictures of Nature Stock library. This page is updated
everytime a new image which makes me go WOW! is taken.
All the gossip from the photography world can be found here such as major picture buyer events, competitions and any information on wildlife around the world.
Do you know of something that is going on and would be relevant to this page. Send me an email and i will place it on this page.
