WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY

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Wildlife photography is extremely popular in this country not only with South Africans, but the thousands of tourists that flock to our shores.

To take quality wildlife photographs does not require that you own the most expensive photographic equipment. If anything, your lens must be of the highest quality to produce excellent results. Knowing your equipment, will enable you to get that awesome shot and will most definitely be an asset. Standardise on your choice of film   and digital settings so that you understand the characteristics and how far you can push your camera when the lighting plays havoc. To further fine tune your skills as a wildlife photographer, get to know the habits of the animals and birds to obtain the best images.

Most wildlife photographers use a variety of lenses ranging from a 17mm wide angle to a 600mm lens with a 1.4 converter. For macro work a 100mm macro lens with a flash linked to the TTL system of your camera. This enables you to shoot at a 1:1 ratio. Film is FujiFilm Velvia 100 for landscapes and Sensia 100 or Provia 100F and 400F for wildlife. Digital requires that you understand the settings of the cameras white balance. Auto white balance is good but individual settings will improve the picture for instance like an elephant standing under a small tree on a bright sunny day. The “house with shade” setting will give the correct colour under these conditions.

Fill-in flash is also incorporated into wildlife pictures especially when the light is not flattering and you require a catch light in the eye and some shadow area to be suppressed. The flash lighting must appear subtle. All photographers prefer to use the “golden light” to capture the best images. What is golden light you ask? Well is means getting up very early and being one of the last back in camp. The very early morning and late afternoon sunlight produces a soft and golden light. This is magic for all types pf photography. Now, this soft and gentle lighting can come from various angles. Back and side lighting always produce dramatic images under these circumstances.

Action and composition go hand in hand for a wildlife photographer. Animal behaviour pictures show case nature at it’s best. High shutter speeds of 250 or 500 or1000th of a second will stop the action – slower speeds will show “movement” in your pictures, especially if you pan with the action. I generally pan with a shutter speed of1/15 or 30th of a second but keep sharp focus on the head and body with the legs being blurred adding to the feeling of movement in my photograph. Composition always adds that something special to an image. The rule of “thirds” or “golden mean” rules have been with us for years. One rule for me is to leave space for the animal or bird to move into. If it is looking to the right in your image, give that side a bit of space. Do not waste
space at the top or bottom of your picture. Compose the picture to have a pleasing balance. Look at your subject and decide if a horizontal or vertical format is best for the picture – this will all add impact to your picture. There is no problem if you wish to include a bit of the environment in your picture, but above all keep your eye on your cameras viewfinder and capture the action when it happens.

Remember to print your memories to last a lifetime.

DEREK PEARMAN HON FPSSA, FPSSA