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Reading the light:
Photographing wildlife is a challenging aspect of photography. The photographer is up against numerous nuances that include
the subjects behaviour and the available light. Light is probably the single greatest consideration. Studying and analysing the
light around you is a good start to getting a good image. This exercise can be done anywhere and at any time, wherever you are
in the world. Natural light is constantly moving as is often the case with your subject. So second to the study of light is knowing
and understanding your subject. Knowing your subjects behaviour patterns allows you to anticipate movement and behaviour
giving you a much greater chance of getting a good shot. When it comes to being on safari, your guide is critical as often they
are the ones reading the light and the animals behaviour.
Photographing wildlife is a challenging aspect of photography. The photographer is up against numerous nuances that include
the subjects behaviour and the available light. Light is probably the single greatest consideration. Studying and analysing the
light around you is a good start to getting a good image. This exercise can be done anywhere and at any time, wherever you are
in the world. Natural light is constantly moving as is often the case with your subject. So second to the study of light is knowing
and understanding your subject. Knowing your subjects behaviour patterns allows you to anticipate movement and behaviour
giving you a much greater chance of getting a good shot. When it comes to being on safari, your guide is critical as often they
are the ones reading the light and the animals behaviour.
Choosing equipment:
The body:
Choosing photographic equipment today brings its own challenges. There is simply so much to choice. Of course it can be
narrowed down to the larger well known brands. I think it is important to consider just how much use you would like to get out of
your equipment. Photography is a wonderful hobby that can be used to make extra money with. If you are keen then by all means
consider equipment that will not out date to rapidly and where the technology will allow for upgrading your camera body and
where the lenses will remain compatible.
The body: The first consideration is the number of mega pixels. Currently, one can buy an excellent body that offers over 10
million pixels. This is a good entry level number of pixels for enlarging and helps when cropping after the image has been taken.
The other important factor is the material used for the camera casing. If you envisage using the camera frequently in tough
conditions for example on safari, you may want to look at sturdier bodies. The number of focus points, the number of frames per
second and the ability to shoot in RAW is equally important. A RAW file can be described as a negative and can never be
minipulated - one can open them and save them as a TIFF or a JPEG. On these new files, one can make adjustments like
cropping and sharpening. Using the RAW setting on the camera will mean shooting in the largest file available to your camera
body.
The lens:
In the first paragraph, I spoke of the importance of light. The lens is critical for sharp, crisp images and when choosing a lens,
please consider the glass. The professional series lenses from the various companies allow for much greater clarity and this by
comparison to normal lenses can be the difference between a mediocre shot and a great shot. Wildlife photography starts at first
light and ends just after the sun goes down (provided you don't have a flash.) It is therefore important to consider the aperture of
the lens that you are a buying. A 2.8 lens is ideal as it will allow for the most amount of light coming into the lens especially at
sunrise and sunset. When the sun is up, the same lens will allow for faster shutter speeds. Having said that, I use a 4 - 5.6, 100
to 400mm L series lens from Canon and it has been a valuable and versatile lens for what I need. Strong magnification is
important and I believe that a minimum of 400mm is required. Many lens and bodies come with image stabilisers and this helps
hugely when it comes to getting a fast result when there is little time. To sum up - the faster the lens, the more light it lets in, the
better your chances are of freezing the action and diminishing camera shake.
The body:
Choosing photographic equipment today brings its own challenges. There is simply so much to choice. Of course it can be
narrowed down to the larger well known brands. I think it is important to consider just how much use you would like to get out of
your equipment. Photography is a wonderful hobby that can be used to make extra money with. If you are keen then by all means
consider equipment that will not out date to rapidly and where the technology will allow for upgrading your camera body and
where the lenses will remain compatible.
The body: The first consideration is the number of mega pixels. Currently, one can buy an excellent body that offers over 10
million pixels. This is a good entry level number of pixels for enlarging and helps when cropping after the image has been taken.
The other important factor is the material used for the camera casing. If you envisage using the camera frequently in tough
conditions for example on safari, you may want to look at sturdier bodies. The number of focus points, the number of frames per
second and the ability to shoot in RAW is equally important. A RAW file can be described as a negative and can never be
minipulated - one can open them and save them as a TIFF or a JPEG. On these new files, one can make adjustments like
cropping and sharpening. Using the RAW setting on the camera will mean shooting in the largest file available to your camera
body.
The lens:
In the first paragraph, I spoke of the importance of light. The lens is critical for sharp, crisp images and when choosing a lens,
please consider the glass. The professional series lenses from the various companies allow for much greater clarity and this by
comparison to normal lenses can be the difference between a mediocre shot and a great shot. Wildlife photography starts at first
light and ends just after the sun goes down (provided you don't have a flash.) It is therefore important to consider the aperture of
the lens that you are a buying. A 2.8 lens is ideal as it will allow for the most amount of light coming into the lens especially at
sunrise and sunset. When the sun is up, the same lens will allow for faster shutter speeds. Having said that, I use a 4 - 5.6, 100
to 400mm L series lens from Canon and it has been a valuable and versatile lens for what I need. Strong magnification is
important and I believe that a minimum of 400mm is required. Many lens and bodies come with image stabilisers and this helps
hugely when it comes to getting a fast result when there is little time. To sum up - the faster the lens, the more light it lets in, the
better your chances are of freezing the action and diminishing camera shake.
Stabilising equipment:
Keeping your equipment still is crucial. This can be achieved by using a tripod, monopod or beanbag. Tripods are not always
useful as the majority of images are taken from a game viewing vehicle. They can be clumsy in the small amount of space
available to you on the car and also add to your luggage weight when travelling abroad. Monopods not only take up little space
but are practical on the vehicle. Beanbags are excellent but one has to make sure that there will be somewhere to set it up. Not
all cars have a convenient bar in front of you to rest on. The monopod with an image stabilizing lens or body will do the trick.
Keeping your equipment still is crucial. This can be achieved by using a tripod, monopod or beanbag. Tripods are not always
useful as the majority of images are taken from a game viewing vehicle. They can be clumsy in the small amount of space
available to you on the car and also add to your luggage weight when travelling abroad. Monopods not only take up little space
but are practical on the vehicle. Beanbags are excellent but one has to make sure that there will be somewhere to set it up. Not
all cars have a convenient bar in front of you to rest on. The monopod with an image stabilizing lens or body will do the trick.
