Wildlife Photography - a Maverick's eye!!!

“A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed”, remarked Ansel Adams, the renowned American photographer famous for his landscape frames. I do believe in it and when my good buddy asked me to write an informal article about my view about photography, especially bordering on wildlife photography , I thought of it as a medium to reach out to each one of you who appreciate photography as an art. Before beginning, let me tell you that I am not a photographer but to put it in simple terms, I am addicted to life and the world around me and I tend to copy the best among the whole lot into my camera.

Having worked in Stock Photography firms both international and Indian, I have had the oppurtunity of interacting via email or in person, with more than a thousand photographers. It was my job but it paved the way for me to understand the mindset of some of the best in the business. People generally make two big misinterpretations when it comes to photography. First of all, a lot of people give too much emphasis on the technical aspect of photography. Now, please do understand the fact that it is not photography which has the technical side to it but the camera. So, when photographers say about the technical aspect of photography, they are more or less referring to the technical understanding of the equipment. The second more common misinterpretation is that a professional photographer automatically classifies as an individual who clicks perfect pictures. For your understanding, the word professional is more of a tag which emphasizes the fact that the individual who gathers monetary benefit out of photography. It does not mean that he is the final word in photography. So, don’t be intimidated or disappointed by the works of so-called professional photographers. On a given day on a subject of your choice, you might very well be able to take a better photograph than an established photographer. I have experienced that first hand.

For any type of photography, a few points can be noted which would fall under the “To know and do” list. From this point on, when I speak about camera, it is essentially about the SLR cameras only.

To know and do list

· Study your camera and the technical details associated with it well. A photographer without a sound knowledge of his equipment is like a guitarist, who doesn’t know how to tune his guitar. No matter how skilled he is in playing, the sound will still be awful!

· Choose the right lenses for each shoot and clean them and test them regularly to avoid any confusions during the moment of the shoot.

· Choose a shooting posture wherein you are comfortable and most stable. Practice that posture regularly as a drill if possible so that for a quick click, your body automatically takes up that posture without delay. Ideally, I would advise the hand holding the camera to be in full contact with the chest on shooting posture, to avoid any vibration or movement.

· Learn to change lenses effectively and quickly, alone. Make sure that the lens removal process is efficient with no dust entering the sensors.

· Carry weather resistant bags or covers. You never know what kind of weather you might run into and should not essentially risk your equipment. Plastic covers are also good, as it could provide protection from rain.

· Check the settings of the camera before the shoot. The format for shooting, the in-camera sharpening, the metering etc has to be checked and confirmed before the shoot. Preparation is always nice as it keeps you disciplined and in a better position to shoot effectively without hiccups.

· Ensure that the batteries are charged, well in advance. You do not want to go on a shoot with batteries that are not fully charged. The chances are likely that you will end up missing important frames due to a camera without power.

· The camera straps are to be ideally put round the neck while shooting. In my case, it restricts my movement with the camera and so, strap is hooked onto my forearm and wound twice to avoid loosing its grip. Again, it depends on your convenience.

· A sound knowledge of an editing software, preferably Adobe Photoshop is a bonus. It is not always that you get what you strived for and if some minor corrections can conver the frame to your liking, it is always best to go for it. As a rule, I believe that a photographer has to like the subject he shoots, then like the output from it before he can expect others to probably like it too.

These are few of the basic things that can be kept in mind and these are in no way the final or the absolute list of things to do. As I said, this article is my perspective and should not be interpreted on a factual manner. I never had a guru in photography and the passion towards the art of photography combined with an addictive enthusiasm for learning from whatever source available, made me a photographer.

Let’s ponder a bit about Wildlife photography now, as I tend to favour that area of photography as my niche. Even though the term "Wildlife photography" is used, it is in a more broader sense and tend to refer to shooting any life forms other than human beings and plants. In short, there might be references to domestic animals also in the same context as a tiger or eagle.

Wildlife photography is tricky in many ways. It will be given the second rank when it comes to the difficulty level in getting a perfect image. Of course, the first rank would go to landscape photography. As Ansel Adams himself put it, “Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer - and often the supreme disappointment.” With photography involving human subjects inside a studio or even outdoors, the photographer does enjoy some liberties, with the subjects being in their control. If it is inside a studio, it is all the more comfortable because then the lighting is also controllable. However, with wildlife photography, practically nothing is in your control and most of the times, your intuition as a person and your affinity towards mother nature is what would help you most of the time. Along the course of this article, I would show you some sample images too to help you understand this aspect better.

It is indeed ironical that during numerous treks to almost all forests in my state ,as a nature conservationist, I never had a camera with me. When it comes to wildlife photography, I do feel that it is essential to have a good zoom lens with VR (Vibration Reduction). I use a base zoom lens (75-300mm), which does not really serve the purpose with respect to quality of the image or efficiency in operation during wildlife shoots. So, if you are ready to burn your pockets, get yourself a very good zoom lens where the price range could be above 25000Rs for sure.

For this article, I am using pictures taken from the local zoo here to introduce you to some basic points concerned with wildlife photography. Throughout this article, the emphasis is not on technical details but on a simple hands-on view to the whole art of wildlife photography. The technical details are always available anywhere but some of the tricks that you learn with experience counts a lot.

1) Learn to observe

Observation is a key element while shooting wildlife. You need to observe your surroundings and need to be alert like a hawk. In the image that follows, the frame has been visualised differently. For a normal person, it would be ideal to wait for the pigeons to fly off or probably settle down before getting the giraffe, mostly right in the center of the frame. That is indeed a very normal way of shooting. Of course, you have come to the zoo to get a picture of the giraffe and that is what is important. But, look at the frame below and you will notice that even with the pigeons flying around, the focus is still on the giraffe. The addition of the pigeons add a life to the image and does not make it a simple giraffe in a rectangle. Observe for such minor modifications that you can naturally bring into the frame and it could work wonders in the final output.

2) Choose a good frame

Framing has always been considered as an important element of photography. On simple terms, it essentially refers to your judgement on the placement of the subject in your camera’s grid. For me, framing is again not a science based on squares in a rectangular space but more to do with your eye and sense of order. For a normal person, the important aspect would be to capture the subject in focus and generally, that would mean to capture the subject right on the dead center of the frame. It is good to do it but most of the times, such a frame would actually look lifeless. In the image below, the first point mentioned above came into play where the observation happened that the owls were sitting in a quite unique formation. Then, for framing, if the owls were right on the center of the frame, it would not actually show the color blending of the background wall with the owl’s colour. When the owls are shifted to one side of the frame, the colour of the background wall is seen clearly and in turn it projects the owls more in the frame. Also, in the bottom part of the frame, part of the log on which they were sitting is also included. An addition of that log actually gives the image a more realistic and natural look. If the log was not there and just the owls and the background, it would have looked more like a composite image with the owls just pasted on the background.

3) Anticipation and Prediction

It is always nice to study a bit about the animals and birds that you plan to shoot, so that you can know their behavioral patterns and can generally anticipate a reaction and predict a frame. It essentially gets you ready and in 8 times out of 10, you can walk away with a perfect frame. In the image below, as I stood near that open enclosure, the bear was opening its mouth slightly and looking bored overall. Judging by the hot climate, the anticipation came in that an unavoidable rest routine was to follow and a yawn was expected promptly. 10 minutes of waiting got rewarded with the huge yawn seen below. Patience is a virtue my friend and combine it with a love for nature and its inhabitants, you will mostly be gifted with wonderful frames.

4) Thinking out of the box

A good frame is always great but then again inorder to get to that frame, it helps to think out of the box with respect to certain subjects. With animals, you essentially think about capturing their whole form. But, the key element is the animal or bird and how you perceive their character and their impact on this planet. It could be deciding factor on that frame sometimes. In the image below, I could have gone for a complete body shot of the crocodile. But, looking at the light and the proximity to the crocodile, I felt I should tighten the frame and bring out a different angle. In short, with the frame below, it hints at one of the first footsteps to grace this planet and more of a tribute to one of the most ancient and long standing species. It could work in the same way for different other animals like the feathers for a peacock, the eye for an eagle, the claws of a vulture etc. Each of the above mentioned frames uniquely identify that particular animal and could give a totally fresh perspective to your image.

5) Panning and capturing movement

Panning is a very crucial element of wildlife photography. Technically, it is a method to capture fast motion with only the main subject in focus in the foreground. A good knowledge of an animal’s movement pattern can help you anticipate a specific move and help you capture it. It is always useful particularly with hyperactive animals like monkeys and also, birds in flight. The trick is to keep a constant focus on the subject and move the camera along with it without losing the focus. It might appear difficult at first but with constant practice, it would become rather easy. In the image below, the monkey was hunching up as if to jump and all I had to do was ascertain the possible trajectory and have the camera ready to click at the exact moment. With practice, it would become natural to click at the precise moment. Panning works with any moving subjects and can be return extremely wonderful frames especially with birds in flight.

6) Look for good lighting and shadows

Lighting is a very important factor of any type of photography and wildlife photography is not different. You can even use it to your advantage with certain subjects and can actually use shadows also to create a more dynamic effect. Make sure that you observe the light and look around to ensure that no shadows are coming over excessively over the subject you are shooting. The best time generally for shooting is early morning or in the evening after 4. It would be really tough to shoot in the afternoons as the sun might be mercilessly bright and giving you results which you might not expect. In the image given below, the light was wonderful in the way it fell on that crocodiles front portion and the shadows that fell on the posterior part of its body gave the whole image a more dynamic and mysterious look. It could make the subject more aggressive or even make it project out more in the frame.

7) Color combinations

It is always nice to observe the color combination in the frame and a careful consideration of such frames can give amazing results. You can see the result of observing color combination in the image of the two owls, given above. Sometimes, minor adjustments in where you stand or maybe even kneeling on the ground can change the background to an extent that the whole frame might look different and appealing. Don’t be hesitant to kneel or even lie on the floor to get a better frame with good colors. I have seen people being embarrassed to do that but remember that you are shooting for yourself and the final output depends on how much effort you put in, to get that good shot. In the image below, a 20 minutes wait by the tiger enclosure got me this frame but I am glad I did since it returned the best photograph ever captured on my camera, to date. The yellow and orange colours of the tiger’s body, blends in perfectly with the green algae infested water. A lot of people had asked me whether compositing was done on the image by placing the tiger later, in the image with just the water in it. Well, that is what a good frame can do to the viewers.

8) Extraordinary in the ordinary

This is again a totally different element to photography and has got to do more with your eye and its perception powers than any technical aspect. You need to train your eye to find excitement in anything that you see around. To put it in simple terms, you should be able to see life in a centipede as much as you see life in a lion. People tend to forget this aspect and look at only certain beings in awe. For me, anything and everything around me surprises me and excites me. This helps because it keeps my senses alert and helps me find beautiful frames in normal scenarios. In the image given below, bats are flying around in a disturbed state. For a normal guy, it might not be special because they are just bats and you get to see them in bunches on the trees. But, to see such a huge flock of bats in flight during broad daylight is indeed special. That makes this frame special and kinda puts it in the extra ordinary category. So, is all in the manner in which you see the world around you. Focus on the world around you in detail and it can get you interesting and surprising results in the frames.

In short, I do agree that technical knowledge is quintessential but when it comes to wildlife photography, but relying more on your instincts and quick response could get you great shots. For subjects which are unpredictable and beyond your control and lighting which could vary drastically in seconds, you don’t have much time to work on the settings to get a perfect shot. You need to have a basic idea, set the camera in advance and make sure that you have already visualized a frame in your mind to enable the click at that perfect moment. Trusting your instincts backed by a good knowledge of the subjects, the location and the equipment along with a little bit of luck can deliver you a good wildlife image.

To end with Ansel Adams’ quote yet again – ““It is my intention to present - through the medium of photography - intuitive observations of the natural world which may have meaning to the spectators.”