Call of the Wild

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Edition 31: Summer 2005 How do you go about taking the kind of wildlife shots that jump straight off the page? Chris Coe is on hand with some solid advice. The natural world never ceases to amaze and inspire me, and you can’t beat getting close to Africa’s incredible wildlife. Looking through a long lens, there’s something very special about the moment when an animal engages with you and you press the shutter release. I’m often asked what camera equipment to take on safari to get good wildlife shots but of course there’s a lot more to it than just choosing the right gear. I have tremendous admiration for the great wildlife photographers. Their success is down to a combination of careful research, extreme patience, perseverance, anticipation and an eye for a great photograph. Preparation counts Wildlife photography comes with no guarantees. Professionals plan and time a wildlife shoot to maximise the chances of getting the shots they’re after, but most of us don’t have this luxury. On safari, time is often at a premium. Anyone who’s been knows that you may see everything ‐ or nothing. If you want guarantees, go to the zoo! However, by being prepared, thinking about composition and understanding both your subject and the light you can still get great wildlife images. First you must decide  what you want to photograph, be it birds, small game, big game or sea life ‐ and choose a destination. The basic principles of framing and composition are the same wherever you go, but different destinations offer different viewing conditions so you’ll need to choose your lenses accordingly. In Kenya’s Masai Mara you can get much closer to many of the animals than in, say, the Kruger National Park in South Africa where safari vehicles have to stick to the roads. In remote areas, the wildlife may be less familiar with people or vehicles and therefore more timid. Walking and riding safaris offer a very different experience again ‐ you may want to keep your distance from the larger game! Think long, get close A common mistake in wildlife photography is to use lenses which are too wide angle, making the subject small in the frame against a big, uninteresting background. As a general rule, plan to use longer focal length lenses (at least 200mm) for many of your shots. These will make the wildlife appear much closer.  You can either go extreme telephoto, so your shots become portraits composed in much the same way that you’d photograph a person, or you can pull back just enough to include some of the environment, changing the dynamic of the shot from a portrait of a single creature to a creature-in-habitat image. Whilst wider angle shots of groups of animals can work, they tend to say more about the landscape than the wildlife and often don’t have the impact of tightly framed images. Once you start using longer lenses you will quickly realise how important preparation is. The longer the lens, the more likely you’ll encounter camera shake. If you’re hand-holding your gear you’ll need to use fast shutter speeds. The focal length of your lens serves as a rule-of-thumb indicator for shutter speed.  For example, with a 500mm lens you’ll need 1/500 second or faster and with a 100mm lens you’ll need 1/125 or faster. Of course fast shutter speeds restrict the aperture settings you can use (particularly problematic in low light) so a better solution is to find a way of supporting camera and lens. Use a tripod if your subject is still or slow moving, or a monopod if it’s moving quicker as this will allow you to follow the action more easily. The next best support is a beanbag. Many safari vehicles carry them for just this purpose; if you don’t have one, try a bag of rice or lentils. Time on your hands Wildlife photography is not about ticking animals off a list ‐ if you’re the sort of person who wants to do this, the only good shots you’re likely to get will be lucky ones. Shooting from a safari vehicle full of people intent on viewing as many animals as possible is unlikely to produce great results either. Your travel companions’ movements will make the view through your telephoto look like you’re jumping up and down on a trampoline. You’re better off with just an experienced tracker for company. If you’re happy to sit and observe, sometimes for ages, to get the shot, a wealth of great photo opportunities will open up before you. You don’t have to be a wildlife expert but a little understanding of how different animals behave will help you work out where the best shots will be or allow you to anticipate and react quickly to any action. Patience and the light again As with landscape photography the most sympathetic light is in the early morning and the hour or so before sunset. These are also the times of day when much of the wildlife is most active, especially in the hotter seasons. The soft, subtle light gives wonderful depth and warmth to your images but its lower intensity restricts the use of fast shutter speeds. Towards the middle of the day the light is harsher, with high contrast between highlight and shadow  but the animals tend to rest in the shade. While some photography may still be possible, it’s hard to get striking results. Animal portraiture When you’re photographing wildlife try to get some close up shots which exclude some or all of the surrounding environment for maximum impact. Imagine you were taking a human portrait ‐ eye contact is important in making an animal photograph both engaging and surprisingly intimate. Extreme close ups require the longest lenses and you may need a lens with a 500mm focal length or longer to isolate the head or face of an animal. Finally, when you’re in the field it’s very easy to get totally wrapped up in what you’re doing. Remember that the wild creatures that you’re photographing are just that: wild. It’s important to respect them and their environment and to listen to your guide’s advice for your own safety and that of the wildlife. Captions: Sandpipers near Gunn’s Camp, Okavango Delta, Botswana: this shot was pure luck but illustrates the benefits of being prepared. I was sitting in a mokoro facing the opposite direction with a manual focus 500mm lens on my camera. I heard a noise in the reeds behind me. As I turned the boat rocked and I focused and shot. I would have missed the shot had I not been ready. This is the full frame as I took it. Leopard, Kalahari, Botswana: a 500mm lens becomes an 800mm lens when shooting on a digital camera without a full-frame CCD. This extra magnification allowed me to crop in tight on the leopard’s face. Dolphins in the Straits of Gibraltar: photographing dolphins is incredibly difficult, especially from a moving boat, and a fast shutter speed is essential. This particular photograph would have been stronger had I pressed the shutter just before their eyes became hidden by water splashes. Hippos at King’s Pools, Linyanti, Botswana: soft late afternoon light diffused by the dust gives a sense of warmth, movement and drama to this shot.

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