Double Exposure Challenge: Photographing Wildlife

From Photoworkshop.com

Double Exposure Challenge
Double Exposure Challenge: Photographing Wildlife
By DE Staff
Jan 1, 2008

CLICK HERE TO SEE A GALLERY OF IMAGES BY THE RUNNERS-UP

Enjoy the many beautiful wildlife images that our readers submitted this month—we received several hundred great entries and the selection was difficult to narrow down. Congratulations to Rhonda Spencer, who won 1st Place for her image, "Harris Hawk." She has won a Hoodman Pro Loupe. To learn more about this loupe and other Hoodman products, visit www.hoodmanusa.com. We also congratulate Robyn Raggio and Chris Anderson, who have won extended Photoworkshop.com memberships. We also honor 15 runners-up, whose photos appear in the accompanying gallery.

First Place: Harris Hawk © Rhonda Spencer

You don’t have to travel to exotic locations to photograph wildlife. Parks, zoos, and preserves are located in close proximities to most communities. Sometimes you can find raccoons, squirrels, birds and rabbits in your own backyard, and elusive deer can be spotted roaming around the borders of outlying suburbs. However, if you’re fortunate enough to go on a photo excursion to the Serengeti or another wildlife area, this may be one of the most satisfying opportunities an animal photographer can encounter.

At the Zoo
There are a couple of different ways to approach animal photography in zoos—you can shoot a tight portrait with a long lens, or take an environmental image that reveal the animal’s enclosure. If it’s a portrait you’re after, use a telephoto lens (300mm or longer) to eliminate as much of the background as possible. Keep watching through the lens until the animal’s face can be clearly seen and snap your photo. On the other hand, if you want to make a statement about the zoo, find a composition that shows the environment in which the animal resides. You can even show the people looking at the animals. The reptile and aviary subjects might be in cages, while elephants and other African animals may exist in large mock habitats. Figure out what you want to communicate about the zoo you’re visiting.

Whenever possible, scout the area first. Visit the zoo before shooting to find the animals you’d like to photograph. Come back with your camera early in the morning or late in the afternoon when these animals are more likely to be active. Most zoos don’t have any restrictions on photography, so you’ll be able to use a tripod when using a long lens, or better yet, a monopod (which works well in a crowd of people, some of whom could trip over tripod legs).

Second Place: Downdraft © Robyn Raggio

Parks and Wildlife Refuges
These areas offer a wide variety of wildlife photography, and will sometimes allow visitors to get in fairly close proximity to animals. If you’re willing to invest a little time and effort, you may be rewarded with wonderful images.

Many parks have displays and brochures about wildlife that offer good photo tips. Additionally, the park rangers often know about different animals’ habits, where you’re likely to find them, and how approachable they are. Just remember that no matter how well you get to know any animal’s habitat or lifestyle, most wild animals will allow you to approach only to a certain distance. If you get too close, they may flee or even become aggressive. Animals will more likely to stay in one spot longer and behave more naturally if you stay at a distance that they consider to be safe. For this reason, you’ll want to use a very long telephoto lens and possibly a teleconverter. To photograph most animals from a great distance, you’ll want to use a lens with a focal length of at least 300–500mm to provide a good image size. Remember, you must be as unobtrusive as possible.

Photo Safaris
Going on a photo excursion to places like East Africa or the Galapagos Islands provides one of the greatest adventure vacations for nature photographers. The variety and numbers of wild animals and the expanse of the Serengeti are wondrous. In the Galapagos, you can get close to many birds and animals that are indigenous to this region, making photography easy.

Before going on a trip like this, read as much as possible about the animals in the region. This will help you understand where to find them, as well as what kinds of behavior to look for and photograph. Take plenty of large-capacity memory cards or film. You’ll no doubt shoot more than you think you will, and there’s nothing worse than being in a once-in-a-lifetime photo situation and running out of space on your memory cards or out of film. Take several lenses with varying focal lengths. Animals in some parks are accustomed to cars, and you’ll be surprised at how close you can approach without disturbing them. But when shooting much of this wildlife that is naturally more wary of humans, you’ll want to use a longer telephoto lens and/or a teleconverter. Take a wide-angle lens for shooting scenics.

Once you’re at your destination, get up before sunrise. Early morning and late afternoon provides the best light and it’s also the time when animals are most active. There’s considerably less activity in the middle of the day, when many animals are sleeping. In the late afternoon, you’ll find more activity and you’ll want to shoot until after sunset.

Be prepared to wait. Capturing great images of wildlife takes much time and patience, knowledge of the animals’ behavior, and a little luck. Whatever you do, be sensitive to the animal’s needs. Always keep in mind that any animal is more important than your picture of it. The joy of wildlife photography is in getting a great shot without disturbing the animals.

Take our next Double Exposure Challenge! Look for our Call for Entries for “Black and White” in this issue.

CLICK HERE TO SEE A GALLERY OF IMAGES BY THE RUNNERS-UP