Photographing Animals: Wildlife and Pets

One thing that many people enjoy is seeing pictures of animals, be they their pets, someone else's pets or wild animals. I have here a few basic tips that will help you take better animal photos in no time.

Know your subject. This is very important. Having a knowledge of the animal will give you better results. Knowing a dog and the things dogs do, will let you be in position to take good photographs. Knowing and understanding a bear will likewise, give you results. Knowing that a dog is not like a bear, or a rabbit, or a cat will give you good results. Understanding how, when or even why the animal does some things will put you in a position to be in a place where an animal might be, or to see something natural that an animal might do.

Be patient. If you are photographing wildlife, you might go to a place where the animal frequents. A bear for instance, will be near berry patches and streams with fish in them during the summer. A moose will be in an area where there are lots of low and small trees in winter. A bird will be where they can find seeds or near a bird feeder. Knowing a pets habits will get you better results. If you dog is sleeping, it might not be up for a game of catch to get a photograph. Like wise, if a cat is hiding, it probably wont come out so you can take its picture. With wildlife this is particularly important. You can sit all day, waiting for an animal but they may not show up. Don't let this discourage you. Understand that animals can be unpredictable. However if you know that an animal will always be there, you will be able to get into position for excellent shots.

Know where to go. This is more then knowing that certain animals frequent certain areas. Knowing that most wild animals sleep during the hot times of the day will aide you. Know your local zoos and wild life centers. Our zoo might be nothing to look at, but there are a pair of snow leopards there that i would never see otherwise. They have an amazing enclosure where you can see them so well. I have the opportunity to see the animals in a simulated environment which looks very much like their natural habitat. I can see them clearly, and by the way, their paws are bigger then my head. And with some clever angles, you cant tell there is a clear barrier between the leopard and myself. There is also an amazing wildlife preserve some 100 miles to the south from my home. Animals that are natural to my area are living in massive enclosures. The land is entirely natural, the animals are wild. However they are living there because they could not live in the wild. Some were found as young animals, others, such as an eagle are injured can cannot fly. There are herds of bison and deer. Its a beautiful place where you can capture amazing shots of animals. If you know their habits.

Composition. Like any photograph, how you compose your shot will make for an interesting or boring photograph. Using a zoom lens, or the zoom feature on your camera will get you in close. Sometimes the detail on the animals hide or skin is more interesting then the whole animal. Or maybe just its face. Or tail. Look for the habitat around the animal, what are they doing, what are they interacting with. Those are things that can make an image much more pleasing to the eye. Try taking many close ups and shots which include some background to get a feel for what you like.

Interaction. Animals interact with everything around them. Sticks, rocks, dirt, leaves, food, toys and people. And much more I'm sure. Throw a toy for your animal to chase, or take pictures of them in the tub. If you see a wild animal rubbing on a tree, jump on it. Sometimes you can find porcupines in trees, or small ground animals gathering food or eating. If you see an animal interacting with a human, or something in its environment, don't hesitate to jump on it and take a picture. You might get a wonderful shot.

Remember, you can never take too many shots. Set your camera to take as many as it can. Burst mode is wonderful for animal photography. They can do something unexpected at any moment and you don't want to miss it. Taking pictures of animals so rewarding and fun. If just just hold on to a few basic ideas about the animal you will be just fine.