Mastering the difficult genre of wildlife photography

Learning to take wildlife photographs is a great way to perfect camera skills.
Picture by Harry Robinson.Picture by Harry Robinson.
Picture by Harry Robinson.

It is one of the most technically-difficult genres to master.

Most creatures move quickly so a fast shutter value is usual.

Picture by Alison Morton.Picture by Alison Morton.
Picture by Alison Morton.
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Then you are often attempting to get the entire creature in focus while separating it from the background so the correct choice of focal length, aperture and distance from the subject also needs consideration.

Animals may be on the move so the correct focusing mode needs to be selected.

Then there is the composition. Do you photograph the entire creature, or just a small part of it? Do you include its surroundings to add context?

It’s usually best to get at eye-level with the subject, as it is with portraits.

Picture by Dub Devlin.Picture by Dub Devlin.
Picture by Dub Devlin.
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Go out and give it a try, then share the results on the club’s Facebook page. Everyone is welcome, no matter your level of experience.

Here are some of the club members’ pictures of creatures great and small. It will be great to see some of yours.

I’ve included Keith Cochrane’s shots of an osprey catching fish before so you will need to visit Northumberland Camera Club at http://bit.ly/PicNland to see his latest image. It’s outstanding. It is worth mentioning so come and see it.

This week’s challenge words are Fetching and Fresh.