how do i get close to wildlife

[paul corr]

thanks to all for all the good advice. jane your photos are excellent - exactly what i am looking for.

[Stute]

Paul

With 300mm on a full frame camera you have 6x magnification so you will be at a disadvantage in comparison to Jane. If you are using a digital body with a smaller sensor you will have an equivalent of about 450mm i.e. 9x.

In most (almost every case) good pictures of wildlife are taken as a result of:

Planning: What do you want to take photographs of (See later point)

Preparation: Researching locations, Visiting them to assess light direction, Putting in hides (these can be as simple as a piece of hessian or other cloth), Putting out bait, Understanding how the species will behave and act. There are all manner of tricks that are used

Patience: The sitting and waiting part (Tips posted earlier about birds not being able to count are true but it will take a while for them to settle)

Persistence: Often you get the light but not the animal and vice versa, in many cases you may go for hours (days) without taking a good shot

Luck: Being in the right place at the right time

Legal and Ethical: Some species are protected and you will need a licence to photograph them Kingfisher nest sites spring to mind a Google search will give you all sorts of information. Irrespective of the need for licences the well being of the subject must be the first principle. I have seen all sorts of behaviour from photographers that is not acceptable:

1) Staying too close to Puffin burrows for too long parent birds becoming distressed and eventually eating food destined for youngsters

2) Arctic Tern chicks being moved to a more photogenic spot

3) Branches being cut from around a nest to allow a clear view of the chicks

4) Catapult used to make a zoo animal turn!

Sit for long enough and animals will come to you, though often you will not be able to photograph them

Prepare and you will get the shots SWWA (Shoot When Walking Around) seldom works.

Good luck

J

[tigger]

OK, I admit if I wanted to take a photo of a particular species (ie a badger) I'd be happy to sit for hours, make sure I was hidden, wind in right direction etc (in fact I have done this in the summer) - but I guess that 95% of the time I just want to be "looking around" - and find it hard to sit still in freezing temperatures. I'd rather be hunting for a badger sett or looking for signs of dormice than sitting still.

Although SWWA (never heard it called that before - so I'm a SWWA eh!) might not get you the perfect shots, it does teach you about your patch. I walk the same 5 mile route a couple of time a week. Walking quietly (on my own - always!) I can manage quite a few shots that would have taken me months and months of waiting (plus it teaches you the places that will be good to sit and wait - when it gets a bit warmer...).

Take the Red Kite I photographed the other day. Walking along and there it was hunting in a field by the side of my footpath, or the sparrows arguing in a hedge, reed buntings overwintering on my local heath, or robin singing it's heart out in a tree...

OK I'm coming out - I'm a SWWA and proud of it!

Jane

[Tringa]

A couple of other suggestions

Try local wildlife/bird reserves. Sometime you can get quite close to birds/animals fairly easily.

If you have a garden, set up some feeders.

Dave

[andrewinpompey]

I'm definitely no expert, but I found the book "Photographing animals in the wild" by Andy Rouse (1999) really good. It is out of print but you might be able to get a copy through a library. It covers things like hides, clothing, stalking, photography equipment, getting to know where your local wildlife is - and gives examples of how to photograph several particular animals, including foxes, deer and badgers.

Right now there is are two foxes in our garden, which I have never seen before. Presumably the snow has disturbed their usual patterns of behaviour. It just goes to show there is probably great wildlife even closer than you think!

[paul corr]

going to parks was a great idea its the best place to start. you def get a lot closer to wildlife in parks. thanks

[DogHeadGod]

I know you said you weren't interested in a hide when you're out on walk, but I saw this and thought I'd share it... diy photography blind Search Results Atwater CA, Nature Photography - Images in the Backcountry's Blog

The gent built it in his back garden and seems to have got a few good shots with it.

[Jane Smart]

Patience and using all your senses, especially peripheral eyesight, seems to help me with magical wildlife encounters.

I went to a favourite spot to see if I could catch Fox or Deer in the snow. They were elsewhere that day, but I did get some lovely views of a small Wood Mouse scurrying around oblivious and also a sweet Wren.

But one Christmas, I walked quietly along a track where I had seen Fox the day before, and was rewarded with him actually walking towards me along the track. I stood so still, hardly daring to breath, and managed to snap a couple of shots before I was spotted. It's hard to relay the excitement of such moments to others. Be as one with Nature and be patient.