Blog Post

Considering Wildlife Photography?

David Williams • Feb 06, 2022

A Few Things to Think About

An adult male African elephant with large tusks feeding, Masai Mara, Kenya

We've all seen captivating images of wildlife that stir our soul and ask "should I be considering entering this genre of photography?" Let's start by defining it. Wikipedia defines as: Wildlife photography is a genre of photography concerned with documenting various forms of wildlife in their natural habitat. Sounds easy, right? Here are 4 things to consider:


1, Interest: What are you interested in photographing, and is this type of wildlife available close to where you live or does it require travel? 

2, Equipment: Telephotos and/or super telephotos are required as getting close to certain wildlife is difficult and in many cases crazy dangerous.

3, Story: What story do you intend to convey through imagery? 

4, Purpose: Selling images as fine art, or for use in hunting magazines, textbooks, advertising, etc., or personal collection?


I started out as a landscape photographer which entails finding a scene, capturing a strong composition in captivating light, and being able to bring the image to life in post production. Wildlife photography adds several dimensions to this already complicated process. You don't get to choose your background, or have the ability to wait for the light to improve, and in most cases you only have a fleeting moment to capture the image. Oh, but the joy and the majesty of these wonderful animals. It is certainly addicting.


The image below taken at 300mm F20, IS0 3200, Masai Mara, Kenya, 2021. See more at https://davidwilliams.photoshelter.com/index


4 African Cheetahs walking toward camera in single file, Masai Mara, Kenya

Being a Nikon shooter, you can purchase a Nikon 200-500mm F5.6 lens for $1400 which goes on sell for $1200 twice a year. Buy a season pass to your local zoo and practice hand holding your camera and lens combo. Learn to get sharp images that are bang on. On my last trip to Africa I never even pulled out the tripod, everything was handheld. I had wonderful shots that were soft and hence throw-aways. Hand holding a large lens is still a skill I am trying to perfect. Practice!


Learn how to work your camera, you will be switching focusing modes, and all settings constantly. Some animals are stationary, where you can use single point focus, others like birds, require shutter speeds around 1600 and continuous focus.


You will most likely be shooting wide open to get enough light into the scene. This is also helpful in blurring the background of the image. Here is a blogpost I wrote on Bokeh I believe will help: https://www.davidwilliamsphotography.com/creating-bokeh-and-why-it-s-important


Learn as much as possible about the wildlife you intend to photograph. This will enable you to understand the animal and allow you to get closer. Try to get eye contact in your images, but understand eye contact is a threat in the animal world and the dangers are real. For example, hippos kill more people than any other animal in Africa, yet they are vegetarians. They are simply being protective. 


There are tricks to getting closer to the animals, like shooting from blinds, or getting a remote trigger and triggering the camera from afar. I even know people who get in shark cages and lure animals in with raw meat. Others have the money to purchase a 600m F4 and use with a teleconverter. 


For me, I want to show the heart of the animal, the emotions, the battle-scars, the loneliness, and through this effort I intend to drench myself in conservation efforts. What ever you choose I hope you find success. Good luck and good light to you.


About David Williams: I specialize in LDS Temples, Landscape, Wildlife and Indigenous Cultural Photography. See my work at https://www.davidwilliamsphotography.com https://davidwilliams.photoshelter.com/index or Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/david_williams_photography_


Share by: