Lets talk Wild

This weeks winner of The Photographers Challenge is Ted Riley. His impressive macro stole the show and he was kind enough to share these words with us.

"This was a real fun shot, as I worried the hell out of my brother for such a long time to get the shot. I used a Nikon D90 with 18-105mm lens, one macro tube @ 30mm with setting at 1/60 sec @ F 5.6 ISO 800 with an external flash attached, aimed toward the ceiling so that it would bounce off the white softly."

Amazing job Ted and thank you for sharing!

Now like myself, Ted is an outdoorsman and every outdoorsman has a fascination for animals and wildlife in particular. That means that this weeks subject for the challenge would have to be about animals.
Photographing animals can be a real challenge depending on what your trying to shoot. Much like kids, you can generally get your pet to pose for a few shots before it gets bored and wants to do other things. This is generally referred to as animal portraiture.

Wildlife photography can be very rewarding... and very stressful at times. Knowing your animals habits is a key element to getting good photos. That being said you can know an animal track it for weeks and never get that "perfect" shot. Other days you you cant even get out of your vehicle and that shot is happening right before your eyes.

I am not going to say that shooting still wildlife is easy by any means, BUT the best photos are generally of the animal in action. And to top it off that action in most (but not all) instances should be tack sharp or show movement only in specific areas like a hummingbirds wings in motion.

So as I mentioned knowing about the animals habits can be a great way to know what they "might do next" Knowing that many birds will defecate right before they take flight is a key factor in knowing when to get that camera up to your eye and shooting. Knowing that most water fowl stop flapping their wings before they land, making a prime time to shoot, can be the difference between a good image and a great image. 

Some of the best places to get great wildlife images are parks such as Yellowstone or the Great Smokey Mountains simply because the animals have adapted to people and are less skittish.

So what is a typical wildlife shoot for me? Armed with my camera and a 70-200mm 2.8, a 2x teleconverter, and my 18-105 kit lens, a steady tripod and ball head I will go to a place known to have the specific types of animals I am looking to photograph. Blinds, Tree stands, and rain protection are all required when I go.
I am a very big fan of being as close to eye level as possible to the animal. right down to being belly down on the beach photographing birds or in a tree stand photographing Osprey.
I am a fan of tack sharp images so that means high shutter speeds for an animal on the move. I generally go by the rule of focal length = shutter speed. that means for a subject that is completely static (not moving) I will use a shutter speed equal to the focal length of the lens even with image stabilization. that means that with my lens and 2x teleconverter I will be shooting with no less than a 1/400 shutter speed. once the animal begins to move that shutter speed can climb very fast to 1/1000, 1/2000 or even more. with shutter speed that high it is some times difficult to get the right exposure dialed in but once you do that's when the magic happens
I shoot raw and try to meter off of trees or any object that comes close to a neutral gray color. I am also attempting o learn and use the Zone System that has been modified for Digital Photography.

When photographing dangerous animals keep a safe distance and NEVER try to coax them closer by feeding them and that goes for any animal. In many states it is not only frowned upon but actually illegal. Once an animal looses it's fear of people, that is when the animal stands a good chance of becoming a nuisance and may possibly be put down because of carelessness.

There are a lot of different views of how wildlife photographers should conduct themselves in the outdoors and I think one of the most widely accepted views is that a wildlife photographer should have respect for the wildlife and do as little to disturb them as possible.

Wildlife photography is not just about getting the picture. It is about conservation, awareness, and the experience itself. As an avid outdoorsman I believe in leaving an area better than when I got there. I believe in the responsible management of our wildlife and our wild places, as well as supporting the hunters heritage. I often joke that I get to hunt year round with one tool or the other, and feel blessed that I can pass on my knowledge to my daughter Sierra as she grows. As a photographer, it is my goal to get people outdoors and exploring the world around them and maybe they will come to love & respect the outdoors as much as I.