WildShots

Learning wildlife photography – Equipment considerations

Posted on 22. Dec, 2008 by Paul Burwell in Equipment, Everything, Instructional, Wildlife, Wildlife photography

Equipment – Photographing wildlife is often characterized by long periods of inaction, followed by a short period of action and then a return to inaction. If you need to fumble with your equipment to get your subject in focus, or to dial in the correct exposure, you’re going to miss opportunities and those unique shots. Practice and more practice is the prescription for improving and maintaining your skills.

Plan your equipment collection for what you want to photograph. If you’re interested in photographing small birds, there is practically no lens that is too long. You’ll want to practice using your long lens with various extenders and teleconverters to make sure you can still make sharp images. If your passion is large mammals, you can use a shorter lens, but you still need to give consideration to how close you might actually be from these animals. When you can get really close, a wide angle lens creates a unique image. You’ll also want to develop techniques for making quick lens and equipment changes.

A sturdy, light-weight tripod is a virtual necessity when working with large telephoto lenses while a gimbal tripod head makes working with those lenses a fingertip operation. A large beanbag is a great means of supporting a lens in a vehicle.

One of my favourite times of year for wildlife photography is the winter. In addition to wearing proper winter clothing, look for gloves that allow you to operate your camera while keeping your hands warm and nimble. Hand and feet warmers are great for their intended purposes and provide an excellent means of keeping spare batteries warm and functional.

Plains Bison running through the snow

Male Common Redpoll standing on a snow bank

Porcupine sitting in the snow

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Tags: considerations, Equipment, learn, learning, Photography, suggestions, tips tricks & techniques, Wildlife