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FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS
Eye contact
can really
make or
breaka shot
LOOKING FOR A CAMERA UPGRADE?
CHANGE GEAR AT MPB.COM
2
EYE CONTACT
IS KEY
This is a common
mistake that beginners
make a lot. The main thing I
always preach to people is get
down to the animal’s eye level. It
can really make or break a shot.
This might seem like a weird thing
to say, but often if you’re above or
below a subject, it makes it look
more like a photo. If you’re at eye
level and get eye contact, it makes
the shot much more intimate
and natural, and when you look
at it you can almost imagine
being there. For example, if you’re
shooting ducks on water, you can
capture the ripples in the surface,
or if it’s a squirrel on a branch, you
can capture the moment so much
better by shooting along the
branch rather than up the tree.3
BE PATIENT
I’ve spent all day with
a subject before. There
was a particular bird I
went to see – the Black-throated
Thrush – which you don’t see
very often. It usually spends its
winters in northern India, but
there it was feeding in a berry
tree in Bedfordshire. I spent 6-7
hours waiting to get the perfect
shot that I had in my head. That’s
something that comes with
experience. It’s about waiting
for that pose, or interaction with
another bird. I’ve also sat outside
badger dens for hours and hours
waiting for them to come out.
That’s part of the fun of it! A lot
of mammals are real creaturesof habit, and understanding
their habits is crucial, so you can
position yourself in the right place.4
LOOK ON YOUR
DOORSTEP
Especially if you’re a
beginner, local green
spaces offer so much and are
so underrated in the world of
wildlife photography. Parks and
even more urban areas are great
because the wildlife is usually
much tamer and will tolerate
you a little bit more. I’ve spent
so much time at local duck
ponds – practice and experiment
with things such as composition
to get the right shot. A lot of
photographers get their kit and
go to nature reserves, but they’re
designed to protect animals, so
you often can’t get very close.5
HEAD OFF THE
BEATEN TRACK
The great thing about
wildlife photography is
that it’s not restricted. You can
do it in your back garden or up
a mountain, but sometimes it’s
great to go somewhere where
everything comes to you. Once a
year, I go to the Farne Islands off
the coast of Northumberland.
There are around 25,000 seabirds
on these small islands. There
are boardwalks where they
swoop around as they defend
their territory, but I love it.
Everywhere you look, there’s a
photo to take. I always come
away with hundreds of shots
that look completely different to
each other. From a photography
point of view, it’s such an
intense, amazing experience.YOURSTARTUPKIT
Herearethreecamera+ lenscombinationoptionstoconsider
fromMarctostartoffyourwildlifephotographyjourney:- CanonEOS7DII + CanonEF100-400mm
L ISUSMII:£699+ £669= £1,368 - NikonD7500+ Sigma150-600mmf/5-6.3
DGOSHSMC:£629+ £654= £1,283 - PanasonicLumixDC-G9+ PanasonicLeicaDG100-
400mmf/4-6.3ASPHPOWERO.I.S.:£764+ £854= £1,618
Prices correct at MPB.com at time of going to print