WildShots

Learning wildlife photography – Behaviour is compelling

Posted on 08. Jan, 2009 by Paul Burwell in Everything, Techniques, Wildlife photography

Tundra Swan stretching

Behaviour is compelling – Having a portfolio of wonderful animal portraits is great, but the images that stand out are the images where the animals are displaying some sort of behaviour. By studying a species and researching its characteristics you give yourself a greater chance of capturing some unique behaviour in an image.

I am fortunate to critique a lot of photos each year.  Whether its photos my photography students bring to class or images workshop participants bring along and make during a workshop.  I’m also a regular visitor to a number of nature forums of the Internet and get to see a lot of wildlife photos.

Clay-colored Sparrow singing from a pair of branches

The vast majority of wildlife images I see during critiques are portraits.  Don’t get me wrong,  I love a great wildlife portrait.  There are a lot of great portraits that I find moving and tell a great story.

But for me, the photos I love are images of animals exhibiting some sort of a natural behaviour are the images that really tell a story.  And for me, a great image, no matter the genre, tells a great story.

When I’m out making images, I’m always watching for opportunities to capture some bit of behaviour.  I also spend time studying animals so that I know the sort of behaviours I can expect.  One of my favourite places for checking out animal behaviour is on a

high definition television network called Oasis HD.  It is a channel devoted to nature and wildlife shows and it is all presented in glorious high definition detail.  I can’t get it at my condo, but my friends get it off of satellite and I’ll frequently force them to sit through small wildlife programming when I’m asked over for dinner.  Other great resources for watching animal behaviour are National Geographic HD and Animal Planet.

Pair of Red Fox kits play fighting in some tall grass

Am I always going to have an opportunity to capture some compelling behaviour?  Absolutely not.  But if I’m ready for it and know what to expect, I’ll be in the best position to capture it if I get the chance.

The next time you’ve got an opportunity to make some wildlife images, remember to watch for the opportunity to capture some behaviour to help tell a compelling story.

Have some input on portrait versus behaviour shots?  Jump in and give me your thoughts.

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Tags: behavior, behaviour, compelling, learn, learning, Photography, tips tricks & techniques, Wildlife