Wide Angle Wildlife Photography

While you say “wildlife photographer,” most individuals most likely image somebody in camouflage clothes standing within the distance with a heavy telephoto lens on a tripod. There’s some reality to that stereotype, nevertheless it’s not the one kind of wildlife pictures. For years, I’ve loved the wide-angle and even ultra-wide views to make some extra uncommon wildlife photographs.

Most wildlife photographers begin out glorifying the longest doable telephoto lenses. And whereas these have their makes use of, it’s not lengthy earlier than photographers understand that super-telephotos are too tight for bigger topics, like elephants or giraffes. To not point out the lack of sharpness from atmospheric distortion at 600mm or 800mm, and the “feeling of distance” that leads to your images.

That’s when 300mm or 400mm lenses begin to look extra enticing. And people lenses are very helpful too, however regularly, you begin to understand that they’re nonetheless on the lengthy facet if you wish to have some context in your photograph. In any case, you need to present that the photograph wasn’t taken in a zoo, proper? Assuming that your topic means that you can get a bit nearer, it’s time to go a bit wider.

Now we’re on the basic 70-200mm zoom. However this, too, will not be large sufficient! I already hear your objections, however give it some thought – in case your topic is near you, don’t you need it to really feel near the viewer, too? A 70-200mm nonetheless compresses perspective far more than our eyes, and there are occasions if you’ll need one thing wider as a substitute.

Whoops, now we’re at 24mm.

Possibly that offers you an thought of why wide-angle lenses will be good selections for wildlife pictures of enormous animals just like the one above. However let’s go away the massive animals apart for now and focus as a substitute on the small ones, akin to amphibians, reptiles and, after all, birds.

By utilizing telephoto lenses with these topics, we wildlife photographers make our lives and work simpler. We don’t have to fret a lot concerning the background, as a result of telephoto lenses inherently have much less depth of area. And we don’t want to fret about scaring away our topic or studying the proper strategies to method them rigorously.

However with this method, there’s often one thing lacking: the context of the animal’s habitat. In case you take the hassle to get nearer relatively than zoom in additional, you’ll be rewarded with images that present each the animal and a bit of its habitat.

I believe that’s not twice nearly as good, however 100 occasions higher. It’s a mixture of panorama and wildlife pictures. I’d even say that the objective is to get a photograph that appears good with out the animal in it, at which level the animal will elevate the photograph to a different stage.

After all, few animals can tolerate such intimate proximity to people. Many of the planet has had too unhealthy an expertise with us people for that. Amphibians, reptiles, and plenty of arthropods, nonetheless, are affected person to the purpose the place, hopefully, they’ll allow you to get very shut certainly.

Typically, that’s too shut. It’s like that warning on a automotive’s facet mirror: “Objects in mirror are nearer than they seem.” The identical factor is true of your viewfinder when you’re capturing at 15mm!

I as soon as received carried away when photographing the Nile crocodile in Chobe Nationwide Park in Namibia, Africa. In my fingers was a Nikon D300 with a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens mounted and set to its widest finish. The plan was to get as shut as doable within the boat in order that the crocodile would fill your complete body with the encompassing savannah within the background. Nonetheless, the practically four-meter crocodile didn’t settle for its position as a photograph mannequin and darted into the water in the direction of the camera. At a distance of about one meter, I felt it fly previous me and dive below the water. It hit me too late how shut that was!

Different animals that typically enable photographers to method carefully are among the crocodile’s closest dwelling family members: birds!

Despite the fact that most birds are scared of individuals, there are exceptions that don’t admit that man is the best predator on the planet. A few of them even think about us their best meals supply, like pigeons and seagulls – so that you undoubtedly have alternatives for city wildlife pictures with a wide-angle.

Past that, there are some locations the place birds aren’t afraid of individuals. This consists of some islands within the North Atlantic or the Galapagos archipelago. In these locations, you’ll nonetheless discover birds that ignore your presence and can help you take fascinating photographs.

Only a reminder, don’t get so carried away that the animals you’re photographing endure. Concentrate on whether or not you’re disturbing them or not. If doubtful, you’d higher mount an extended lens once more and take 5 or ten steps again.

What gear do you want when you’d wish to attempt photographing animals with a wide-angle lens? Right here’s some excellent news. It’s most likely already in your camera bag. Any lens from about 15mm to 35mm will serve you nicely, relying on the topic at hand.

The largest consideration is the quick focusing distance of the lens, when you plan to {photograph} notably small topics like lizards. Totally different large angle lenses have higher and worse close-focusing efficiency. So, search for the specs of your lenses beforehand, and it is best to get an excellent sense of which one to make use of.

I want you a beautiful expertise in your wildlife pictures, with good gentle and cooperating animals. If you wish to share your wide-angle outcomes, I might be very completely satisfied when you ship me a hyperlink to your gallery within the feedback beneath the article, and inform us the story behind the shot!