Happy New Year and best wishes for 2011 from the team at MrShutterbug Wildlife Photography.
My new years resolution is to try an blog more about photography so here goes!
WHAT IS WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY MRSHUTTERBUG?
When I am out in the great outdoors -weather it be a forest, savannah, wetlands or mountains or just the local nature reserve - and especially if I am alone, I very often experience a sense of awe at the beauty of the natural world around me, and the life that is so active yet is not always appreciated and that to me is what wildlife photography is about and is one of the reasons I became a shutterbug, to combine my passion of photography with that of my passion for wildlife. To me it is more than the dictionary defines it as “Wildlife photography is the act of taking photographs of wildlife”.
Wildlife photography is regarded as being one of the more challenging forms of photography and indeed one of the hardest forms of photography to make a professional living in.
Whether you’re out hiking in the Cotswold’s or sightseeing from your car, having a chance encounter with wildlife is often a magnificent and treasured moment. Watching red Kites soar on the Thermals over head or glimpsing a Lion munching on a captured wilder beast on the African Savannah are sights that captivate and inspire us all.
For many however, this experience is often overpowering and many lose sight of the fact that the subject of their admiration is in-fact a wild creature.
To capture any of it photographically is a special treat. And once you have done this once you will want to do it again and again, hence a shutterbug is born. So remember to pack along your camera the next time you’re out exploring and get shutterbugging.
Some people say there are a number of requirements to succeed as a wildlife photographer, such as being
• A technically sound photographer, being able to expose correctly and making sure your shutter speed matches that of the situation.
• The need for advanced photographic equipment like long lenses. While wildlife photography can be taken using basic equipment it is made easier with advanced equipment. A 600mm lens in conjunction with the latest auto focus camera bodies is generally required for bird photography of wildlife photography.
• As an alternative, less expensive super-zoom bridge cameras (with focal lengths exceeding 500mm, 800mm+ with a tele-converter) can produce excellent results, despite being far less expensive and more portable than a SLR body with a super-telephoto lens.
• Wildlife is usually difficult to approach thus knowledge of the animals behaviour is needed in order to be able to predict actions. An ability to stalk is often also required, put yourself in animal mode and pretend to stalk your prey .A hide may be required when photographing more timid subjects as these conceal the photographer and make the job a lot more easier.
I personally think anyone can be a wildlife photographer; it just helps get better shots if you have the right equipment or more advanced lenses. In My kit bag I have A Sony Alpha 900. A Sigma 50-500 mm telephoto lens affectionately known as the Bigma, a Sony 70-300mm telephoto G lens which is great for shutterbugging big cats, a 24-70mm Sonar Vario Carl Ziess lens and a 105 mm Macro Lens.
Exploring the great outdoors and viewing wildlife in all its varied forms is a thrilling experience to shutterbugs. You have the opportunity to witness the intricacies of our natural environment and the interplay of species and habitats.
If you carry your camera with you at all times then you too can share in these special intricacies and class yourself as a wildlife photographer no matter how great your equipment is. Wildlife photography is all about capturing those special moments and shooting the wildlife in their every day surroundings.
Happy Shutterbugging from MrShutterbug Wildlife Photography
