How to photograph animals? This is often one of the first questions novice photographers want to know. Most people have pets or birds in their backyard, so you don’t have to venture away from home to find a suitable animal to photograph.
This makes animals one of the best themes for a novice photographer, after all, you can learn how to use your DSLR camera and get amazing animal photos. Here are our top tips for photographing animals.
- Whether it’s the family animal.
- The zoo animals or in nature.
- The technique for photographing them is basically the same.
You’ll definitely need a telephoto zoom for your animal photos. Zooming in and out according to the animal’s movement is essential for this photographic style, something not to be missed in a wildlife photographer’s backpack, no doubt.
The main lenses that adjust the focal length can be used to obtain images of pets, however, you will have to physically move, making it difficult to photograph them.
If you are photographing a family pet, birds in your backyard or zoo animals that are near you, a lens that extends from a focal length of 70-300 mm is enough.
One of the non-professional favorite lenses for this task is the Canon EF 70-300 mm f/ 4-5. 6 IS USM lens, with which you will get super sharp animal photographs, as well as being ideal for traveling, because it is neither too big nor too heavy compared to other L model options.
An alternative to Nikon may be the Nikkor Nikon 70-300 mm f / 4. 5-5. 6G ED IF AF-S VR zoom lens. Sigma and Tamron have also built lenses in the lens length range of 70 to 300 mm.
It is important for beginners to understand that many photos of animals that appear online taken at a focal length of 300 mm are usually cropped in post-processing. Some beginners are disappointed when their new zoomed-in telephoto lens doesn’t have as much range as they thought and end up giving up their animal images even before they start.
While a 300mm focal length lens makes you feel comfortable for a long time, upgrading your lens to a focal length of 400mm will be more appropriate for photographing zoo birds or animals, usually when the animal is at a longer distance. You need to crop the image even if it is larger than the images of animals captured with a 300 mm, you will also get better details.
Remember that the most important points when deciding which lens to choose to take pictures of animals are image quality, zoom, size and weight, but, depending on your needs, these factors may change a little.
When the photographer already has a shorter lens, with a focal length of 200 mm, it is definitely recommended to use lens extensions, however, it is important to understand that photos taken with extension cables are never as sharp as those taken without them.
Therefore, if you are considering using lens extensions, I recommend that you buy professional lenses in combination with extension cables of the same brand. This way, you can be sure that the extender was created specifically for high quality lenses.
When you purchase extension cables to capture photos of your animals, you should also make sure they are compatible with your lens’s autofocus system.
Do not automatically assume that if you have a Canon lens, an extender from the same manufacturer will be fully compatible. Some photographers find out the hard way when they capture their animal photographs. Of course, the last thing you want is to have to manually focus your camera on a moving animal.
Personally, I use two different camera settings for animal photos, in short, if the animal is stopped, choose Priority to open, but if it is in motion, the most suitable will be Priority to speed.
For photos of immobile animals, such as when you sleep soundly or a bird perched on a tree, set your digital camera to Opening Priority, a setting that is also valid for photos of animals in the zoo. Zoo animals rarely move quickly, most of the time space does not allow it. In these cases, the opening priority allows you to choose the proportion of the animal and its environment that will appear with a sharp focus on animal photos.
Setting the aperture to f/8 when using a focal length of 400 mm ensures that animal photos show focus across the face, from nose or beak to eyes. If you set a smaller f-number, it won’t have the same effect, which is especially surprising for animal images.
When using a 300mm focal lens, set the aperture to f / 5. 6. This setting has the same effect as f / 8 at a focal length of 400mm that we saw in the previous paragraph.
However, to get images of moving animals, such as a running pet dog or flying bird, set your camera to Focus on shutter. Some novice models may have a different name mode, but it will work the same way as a shutter priority.
Shutter Priority allows you to choose the speed of your camera to capture images of animals for each shot. For pets, start with 1/60 for shutter speed, take some test photos, if your pet looks blurry, try a faster speed until you find the right fit. For flying birds and other fast-moving animals, start with a shutter speed of 1/1000.
When capturing animal photos, keep the camera’s ISO setting at 400 for beginner or 800 models for everyone else. This will ensure that the eyes of the animals remain pleasant and clear in their animal photos. Sometimes, if you set an ISO higher than these parameters, the animal’s eye may appear cloudy.
That said, if you shoot in low light conditions, increase the camera’s ISO setting above 800. Sometimes it’s better to capture photos of grainy animals than to lose an image in search of perfection.
You should also pay attention to the rule of thirds, so that the eyeball is closer to the upper or lower quadrant of the frame to give it a beautiful composition.
In addition to concentration and composition, you should be concerned about your exposure; If the exposure is too dark or too bright, adjust the exposure compensation. If you have a good focus and exposure, you are very close to the goal of getting images of very large animals.
In animal images, always look at the background in front of the animal.
As soon as you pay attention to the camera viewfinder, first look at the background, the background seen in any image can be decisive for its success or failure and also change the way the viewer perceives photos of animals.
In my experience, any photo has the potential to be great if the photographer takes more into account the background elements. Background problems are trees, branches, wires, or objects that can be the animal’s head or body.
You want to avoid these types of objects in your background and this can be as simple as simply changing your physical position. Instead of photographing the animal’s head, capture your animal photos from the side, for example.
I think the neutral image style is the best definition for images of brown or terrestrial animals. If you are taking photos in RAW image format, you can always change these settings during post-processing. This is usually the best way to know which image style you use, for each situation.
Changing the measurement mode of your camera can result in a more detailed view of the skin or feathers of animals. I recommend reading your camera manual for more details.
We couldn’t talk about animal pictures without mentioning the photo of your best friend. Families love photos of their children and pets, preferably together. One of the best tips a professional wildlife photographer gave me was to learn how to bark!
Yes, it will sound ridiculous, but there is a good chance that the child will laugh naturally and the dog will look at you interrogatively, with his head down and his ear in the air. This is a perfect situation to draw attention to you and your goal, especially if you do it during filming. You must capture this precise moment of the dog’s reaction when watching you bark.
For maximum impact, descend to the animal’s eyes, without the part of the blows to the head, this perspective is impressive in your animal photos, however, get ready to be hit quite often by an excited animal.
My best advice for photographing animals at the zoo is to take pictures of the animals that feed in this environment. You’ll see that this is the time when zoo animals are most active. Captive animals are trained animals, they know the time of day. where they will feed and this time it is fantastic for them.
The zoo’s animal photos are also very similar to those of humans; once they have eaten, they like to snuggle up and sleep; this is not the best time to photograph zoo animals. 9 of the 10 best photos of the zoo were taken in the morning, when the animals are most active.
The best photos of animals in the zoo are those in which the animal looks directly at the camera. I know photographers who sit for several days in front of a captivity waiting for the perfect look of each animal.
Photographing newborn animals in the zoo is a spectacle in itself, this is the best time to take pictures of embarrassing and strange animals, photograph them surrounded by family, baby animals observed by their parents, etc. , are always images of champion animals. in this regard.
If you’re planning your first trip to the woods to take pictures of animals, it’s a good idea to start by training.
The zoo is a great place, as you will usually find the same type of creatures. Study their behavior and you’ll have an idea of what to expect when you face them in a natural environment.
No zoo nearby? Visit a farm or ranch and take pictures of the animals there. This may sound silly, but for someone who has absolutely no experience with large animals, the farm is a good place to start with your first photos of wild or less domesticated animals.
The library and the Internet are also good places. Discover the specific animals you can find, so you’ll be armed with knowledge and, of course, read our animal photography tips in this article.
Animal photography is a challenge due to the sudden movements of the subjects, but with a little patience and the correct camera settings, it can capture fleeting moments of expression almost similar to human emotion.
You can get great animal photographs by applying the tips we talked about in this article, probably as good or better than the ones you’ll find here. The rest is time, practice and a little luck.
You can even have advice or suggestion on animal photos that we don’t include here, and we’ll be happy to receive it so it can be shared with others, so leave your comment in the field below.