34 12 October 2019I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukI subscribe 0330 333 1113
TechniqueWildlifeWhetheryouhaveapenchantfor
puffinsorpike,photographing
wildliferequiresunderstanding,
planning and quick reactions
4 1Getdownlow
Unlessyou’reworkingfroma
considerabledistanceawayandtheangle
is in yourfavour,allwildlifeimagesarebest
takenat thesameheightasyoursubject:
nothingis moreeffectivethanbeingat
eyelevel,andconverselynothinglooks
lesssothananimagetakenfroma steep
downwardsangle.Forbirdsonthewater,a
lowerlevelmakesthewatermoremirror-like
in termsof reflections,andonlandit creates
theopportunityforsome‘mush’at the
bottomof theshot(out-of-focusforeground)
whichis creative,too.MarkSisson,
http://www.marksissonphoto.co.uk4 2Createapool
Gardenbirdslike
todrinkandbathe,sotryto
createa natural-lookingpool.
A shallowtrayfroma garden
centresunkin thegroundclose
tocoveranddecoratedwith
mossandstoneswillmakea
photogenicset-up.Butbeware
ofattractinglocalcatsthatmay
trytomakea kill.DavidTipling,
http://www.davidtipling.com4 3Readthesigns
Learninggoodfield
skills,suchasstalking,andbeing
abletoreadananimal’sbody
languageshouldbeyourstarting
point,andalways,if you’renot
sure,stayfurtherawayanduse
a longerlens.PaulHobson,
http://www.paulhobson.co.uk4 4Findyourfavourite
combination
Formostwildlifephotography,I use
aperturepriority,myfastestframerate
andsinglespotautofocus.I havefound
thiscombinationworksbestforme,
butotherswillhavetheirown
preferences.OscarDewhurst,
http://www.oscardewhurst.com4 5Checkwind
direction
Dependingonitsdirection,a strong
windcangiverisetosomegreatbird
pictures.In summer,seabirdcolonies
bustlewithlife,buttryingtocapturea
puffin comingtowardsyouat 30mph
ona tailwindcanbefrustrating.Onthe
otherhand,givethatsamepuffin a
decentheadwindtofly intoand,if the
lightis right,flightphotographycan
becomea breeze.DavidTipling,
http://www.davidtipling.com© PAUL HOBSON© DAVID TIPLING© MARK SISSON