Nifty Tips from Experts: Getting Started with Wildlife Photography for Beginners in 2023

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There is just something about the natural world that tends to strike us, humans, right down to the very core of our being, especially when it involves any type of wildlife in whatever capacity it may take. 

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When we hear the term “wildlife photography,” images of broad plains in Africa populated by herds of zebras, wildebeests, and antelope immediately come to mind.

However, this is only a single slice of the natural world’s pie! 

Even though traveling to Africa and going on safari is really high on many of our bucket lists of places to visit and things to photograph, many of my friends get just as excited when they are hiking in a national park that is frequented by animals such as bears, bison, eagles, and pronghorn deer. 

 There are a number of exceptionally talented wildlife photographers out there, and each shot that they create causes the majority of their admirers and followers to exclaim “wow” in response. 

You will see that there is a constant strategy to the way that they approach their work if you spend some time and really examine it. 

Those who are just starting out in wildlife photography can create their very own Click moments by adhering to a few fundamental recommendations that are both simple and straightforward.

The following are a few things to bear in mind if you want your trip to shoot wildlife to be interesting, productive, and safe.

Getting started with Wildlife photography for beginners i

Wildlife Photography Gears & tools

Best cameras for Wildlife Photography:

• Nikon D780
• Canon EOS Rebel SL3
• Canon 90D

Best lens for Wildlife Photography:

• Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G – the best Budget Lens for Wild life Photography
• Nikkor 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED
• Sony SEL2470GM FE 24-70 mm F2.8 G – the best High-pend Lens for Wildlife Photography
• Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN – the Best value lens for Wildlife Photography
• Canon 24-70mm f/2.8
• Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8– The best lens for Mirrorless Nikon cameras

Check out our latest Blog Best Photography basics lessons for beginners 

Prerequisites for Pro Wildlife Photography

•  A Good Quality  DSLR camera 
• Flash and Quality tripod
• Good internet connection
• Photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop
• Some level of Familiarity with lenses
• Various lens options (optional).
• Fully charged battery.
• Empty memory card. 
• Notepad and pen.

Enroll in a Good Online wildlife photography course

Instructor: Moe Z, Udemy | Best Suitable for: For  Intermediates & Pros, View Course| Price: From $21.99. |2 hours of on-demand video | Certificate of completion

Whether you are an amateur or want to start a wildlife photography business If you are new to Photography check out our blog 7+ Best Online Photography Courses for beginners in 2023 [ be the best].

If you want to know more about Wildlife Photography in specific here is the list of the best Courses in the market

• Wildlife Photography for Beginners and Amateurs.  -UDEMY
• Digital Wildlife Photography – The Essential Course. [Udemy]

Selecting the right gear is crucial

This is a very significant aspect of any photography adventure, and it may very well be the subject of its own post. It is essential, when going on wildlife trips, to have the appropriate equipment. 

The lenses and cameras you need to bring with you will be determined by a variety of different factors.

Are you going to be doing most of your trip in a car? If this is the case, you might want to bring more than one camera along with a telephoto lens. 

Are you intending to go hiking or camping, and if so, do you plan to remain in a continual state of motion while searching for wildlife? If this is the case, you might want to consider carrying only one camera and a lens with a focal length somewhere in the middle of the telephoto range. 

Is it possible for you to get very close to the animals and interact with them in a personal manner? Then you should bring a lens with a shorter focal length, such as a 50mm or 85mm lens.

Do you intend to take some pictures of the scenery as well? In that case, you might choose to invest in a wide-angle lens. 

How often do you anticipate needing access to your computer? In that case, you might want to consider purchasing a portable external hard drive so that you can back up your photographs. How many batteries are required for your device?

As you can see, it is incredibly important to have a plan for where you want to take pictures and what you want to photograph before deciding what equipment to bring with you.

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Invest in High-Quality Wildlife Photography Gear

As a matter of fact,  In order to photograph animals in pretty much any place, you’ll need some excellent equipment.

Leonardo Papèra, a Traveler and a wildlife Photographer believes

Saying that “it’s not about the equipment and it’s all about the photographer” is just not true and is not fair to the equipment. 

Wildlife photography is one area where the quality of your equipment can make a significant difference, even if this is not always the case.
Considerations like high ISO and frame rate per second (FPS) are especially important when shopping for a camera specifically for wildlife photography. 

The reason for this is that photography in low-light settings is almost inevitable. You’ll need to increase the ISO without introducing too much noise if you want to get good shots in low light.

The greatest focal length and a maximum brightness of a lens should be your top priorities when shopping for a wildlife photography lens. 

Papera says 

“In all my years of shooting animals (in the wild), I have never needed a lens with a focal length of less than 300 millimetres. Never. Having a 500mm or 600mm lens with you will be helpful because most animals won’t let you get near to them”

There are a plethora of telephoto zoom lenses available today, allowing you to cover a broad variety of focusing distances (150-600mm, 200-500mm, 100-400mm, etc.). 

They cost less than prime lenses but can’t produce the same level of light. Despite this, they nevertheless provide excellent visual quality despite being lighter in weight.

Know your Camera & lens very well

It might appear to be common sense, but it’s not: I’ve seen a lot of people miss out on taking stunning pictures of wildlife because they don’t know how to use their camera while there’s action going on.

“In wildlife photography, the camera is not simply a tool that is used to take images; rather, the camera is an extension of your arm and should be something that you are able to operate even if you are completely blind”says Papera

Because the subject you are shooting can run, halt, fly, or jump, you will need to adjust the settings on your camera quite a few times in a very short amount of time when you are photographing wildlife. 

Nobody can predict what your wild subject will do in the next moment! The important thing to remember is that if you are unable to quickly adjust the settings on your camera, you will miss the shot. 

There is no room for debate in this regard. 

Before attempting to become an expert wildlife photographer, you should first become proficient with your camera. This will require a lot of practise on your part.

Get started in a place you know well.

Ryon Dale, a Wildlife Photographer, and Pro traveler in Melbourne claim that

“if a photographer gets to know the insects and butterflies in their own garden, they can take some of the most fulfilling shots of their career just in their own backyard.
“Anyone can get on a plane to a far-flung country, but a good place to begin is your own home country,” he advises. “If you pay great attention to the natural world around you, you will discover facts about wildlife that few others know.”

Wild animals in urban areas can be tougher to spot than in remote rainforests or vast deserts, but the search is well worth the effort.

Experiment with different depths of field.

When photographing animals, one of the most effective ways to create photographs that are more intriguing and captivating is to use the bokeh effect.

Melina Donald, a blogger, and Wildlife Photographer says

“To speak for myself, I always make an effort (of course, if it’s possible), to play with the depth of field by adhering to two simple rules:
If you position something in the foreground between you and the subject of your photograph, maybe rather near to the lens, the resulting photograph will have a higher depth of focus and a pleasingly fuzzy foreground“

To the greatest extent possible, differentiate the subject from the surroundings. This can be accomplished by getting down to the same level as your subject and moving in close to them, Donald Continues…

The end outcome will be that the subject will be sharp while the background will be entirely blurry and unsharp.

Look for the Golden Light

Daile Ushakov, a Travel and Wildlife blogger & Photographer says

There is a lot of emphasis placed on the “Golden hours” or “golden moment” – the hour immediately after sunrise and the hour just before sunset – because of how important light is to wildlife photography. This light is cool but not vital 

“If you miss the golden light, It’s not time to pack up your camera and call it a day just yet. 
There are still opportunities to take photographs and use techniques, such as dramatically over- or underexposing your images to get low- or high-key effects, even in more challenging lighting conditions”

A lot of people avoid traveling on safari in Africa during the rainy seasons because they believe it will be too uncomfortable and too dark- Daile  admits

We think that cloudy skies make for more intriguing backdrops to landscapes than just bright blue and that overcast circumstances diffuse the fierce African sun, allowing you to photograph for more hours in the day before heavy shadows wreak havoc on your light metering.

Know the importance of white balance in wildlife photography

There is still work to be done on a significant subject, and that is autofocus.

June Miller, a leading pet & wildlife Photographer( we love this combo)based in Melbourne says

“To begin, let’s address the reality that shooting wildlife with manual focus is not something you will do very often. Now, the only issue that has to be answered is this one: which focus mode should you choose when taking pictures of wild animals?

The answer is to make sure that the continuous mode is selected.
When the continuous autofocus mode is selected (AI Servo on Canon cameras, and AF-C on Nikon cameras), the camera will keep the focus on the subject using all of the focus points from the moment that you slightly press the shutter button until the moment that you actually take the picture“

This occurs from the moment that you press the shutter button until the moment that you actually take the picture.

Learn to Capture movement in your photos

The wildlife Photography for Beginners course on UDEMY is one of courses online that teaches you how to capture movement.

• How to capture birds in flight…finally!
• Capture movement in your photos, including those highly sought-after panning shots!

Utilize the autofocus that is continuous (AF-C or AI Servo)

There is still work to be done on a significant subject, and that is autofocus.

To begin, let’s address the reality that shooting wildlife with manual focus is not something you will do very often. Now, the only issue that has to be answered is this one: which focus mode should you choose when taking pictures of wild animals?

The answer is to make sure that the continuous mode is selected.

When the continuous autofocus mode is selected (AI Servo on Canon cameras, and AF-C on Nikon cameras), the camera will keep the focus on the subject using all of the focus points from the moment that you slightly press the shutter button until the moment that you actually take the picture. 

This occurs from the moment that you press the shutter button until the moment that you actually take the picture.

Learn Post Processing of Photos

The Ultimate Photography course in Post-processing & Editing is the course that’ll help you process your Digital Images of wildlife.