WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY
Aidan Finn, LIPF
http://www.aidanfinnphoto.com

Agenda
•Why wildlife?
•Equipment
•My normal setup
•Zoos
•Garden birds
•Mammals
•Birds in flight
•Try something different
•Camera/lens configurations throughout

Why Wildlife
•Got into photography in 2005
•Canadian Black Bears
•“Big Cat Diary” and “Wild Trials”
•Safari in early 2006
•The thrill of seeing something special
•A challenge like no other

My Equipment
•SLR with fast focus and great frame rate
•Canon 50D, Nikon 300D or higher
•At least 2 * 4GB Extreme III or faster cards
•Image tank of some kind
•Camouflage
•Hide
•Solid flexible tripod and suitable head
•BIG lenses: 400mm or more
•I use Canon 40D, 100-400 L IS, 2 CF
cards, Epson image tank

My Normal Setup
My normal setup is:
•RAW only ... Never JPEG
•Centre weighted metering
•Full manual with 1 stop over exposure
•High speed frame rate
•Centre point and AI auto focus
•IS enabled on the lens
I sometimes turn on:
•Evaluative metering
•Aperture priority

Camouflage
•Old army uniform
(Internet)
•Dome hide
Recommend:
•Army surplus or USA
hunting stores
•As big a hide as you
can get

Composition
•Rule of thirds still applies
•Subject entering the frame
•Just like humans, the eyes are everything
•Some sort of interest, beware Swans
•Isolate the subject
•Get down to the subjects level
Rules are made to be broken

Composition

Zoos
•Great place to
practice
•Very accessible
•Still a challenge
•Avoid hot days
•Early morning or late
afternoon

Fences
•Better than glass
•Get as close as
possible
•Long lens
•Open the aperture
for small DOF
•Subject back a few
meters from fence

Shot Speed
•Subject isn’t standing still
•Faster shutter speed for sharp photos
•Learn how far you can push ISO
•Use a noise cleaner in Photoshop
•Fast memory cards recommended

Garden Birds
•Need a bird friendly garden
•Trees or shrubs, bird edible berries
•Identify where light is
•Place suitable feeders and food for your local
birds
•Watch birds to identify flight paths
•Place prop branches or twigs with clean
background
•Photograph birds on prop branches

•Use a hide or garden shed
•Use slow movements
•Try to pre-meter and pre-focus

•Patience necessary
•Bring water and snacks
•Put your phone on silent

Mammals
•Much harder to see/photograph
•Identify locations ... Use contacts
•Camouflage or a hide necessary in Ireland
•Learn to track ... e.g. Dog VS Fox tracks

•Did I mention patience before?
•Many shoots, few photos
•Watch the wind and wear soft clothes

•Safari is an expensive option
•Beware of budget trips with non-photographers
•Try to stay in one place for several days

•Irish mammals are
hard to even see
•Can practice with
ornamental deer

Birds in Flight
•Went on trip to Norway with Mike Brown
•Used his technique
•Identify direction you will shoot
•Meter from a middle reflective surface behind
where the subject will be, e.g. Cliff or bright
tree
•Over expose by one stop
•F5.6 aperture for speed
•Centre point autofocus to avoid focus on wing
tip

•You will get lots of missed shots
•I found telescopic lens to be very flexible

•Be balanced
•Be ready for quickest of moments

•You can get great shapes

Big Lenses
•500+ mm lenses
•Recently used an EF 800 F5.6 lens
•Get a rock solid tripod with leg locking
•Tiny viewing angle
•Don’t go cheap on the Wimberly head
•Takes lots of practice

Big lenses are a big load to carry!

•You can get really close

Space
•I’ve learned this from recent critique and
judging
•Leave lots of space around the subject
•Don’t fill the frame

Try Something Different
•Posing subjects get boring
•I’m tired of swans or deer doing nothing
•Play with light and colour
•Look for interactions between subjects
•Search for a new viewpoint
•Capture or blur motion

Playing With Light

Subject Interaction

Wildlife In Landscapes

Pro’s look for
something different
than amateurs

Be Responsible
•Take only pictures, leave only footprints
•Do not approach wildlife without knowledge
•Be aware of other people
•Plenty of laws regarding wildlife, e.g. birds of
prey

Thank You!