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How to get a good wildlife photograph
Aim for a natural representation of wildlife in its habitat
and avoid set-up shots.
Early mornings and evenings are often the best times for
wildlife photography, which is when animals are interestingly
active and the soft light conditions are just right. The dappled
light and shade conditions between forenoon and afternoon
are not ideal for photography.
Good field practice and experience will help one develop
one's innate faculty of fast reflexes to click at the decisive
moment.
Wildlife photography demands patience and perseverance. Neither
the animal nor the situation can be planned in advance.
A study of animals and their behaviour, their mood and movement
is necessary to avoid danger and disappointment.
Wild animals in different places behave differently, so you
may need to modify your method of approaching the subject
in different locations.
The "flight and fight" distances of animals is
the critical distance or proximity that an animal will tolerate.
It varies between species, between individuals of the same
species, and also differs with season and location. When this
distance is not respected, it will either run away or charge
at the photographer.
A wildlife photographer must always strive to enjoy the forest
and the company of its wild inmates. The animals must not
be disturbed in the over-enthusiasm to get 'great' pictures.
Often, a wildlife photographer must be prepared to brave
inhospitable weather conditions on the field.
Wear comfortable clothes, a cap and good shoes in sober camouflage
colours, like khaki or brown. Avoid sudden movements, or any
kind of noise and do not carry shiny objects on your person.
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Using light
Light can greatly transform the character of a picture. Side-lit
or back-lit scenes are very pleasing and make the subject
standout. A rim-lit shot gives it an ethereal quality. Similarly,
angular texture light, spot-light or soft diffused light can
also enhance the picture.
Improperly balanced light and a background with distracting
highlights, shadows or other jarring elements could completely
ruin a perfectly good photograph.
A proper background can make or mar a picture. A slightly
diffused natural background, with balanced brightness values,
tonally complementary to the subject will add immensely to
the quality of the picture.
A broadside pose of an animal shows its shape and eye. An
alert three-quarter facing pose is dynamic, depicting power
and poise while an animal in flight represents grace, speed
and liquid movement.
The life, character and mood of an animal is reflected in
the catch-light of its eyes. An eye-level camera angle, and
a low angle of light, preferably diffused, will highlight
the catch-light to advantage.
Avoid taking pictures at extreme angles or in harsh light.
If unavoidable, and when monochrome is being used, expose
for the shadows and develop for highlights to soften the extreme
contrast. Opt for a two-bath developer formula for retrieving
results.
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Picture composition
The animal should ideally form the main centre-of-interest
and be placed in the picture space occupying one-third to
half the frame, leaving the rest for habitat etc. This ratio
can be changed to suit individual taste, but the picture should
easily convey the size of an animal in relation to its habitat.
Foreground, background, sides, placement and scale of the
subject convey distance and depth. The crucial factor of image
size on the quality of enlargement or reproduction must not
be ignored.
A smaller image size requires greater magnification or enlargement
resulting in loss of definition and increase in grain, and
hence a visually poor quality picture.
An adequate zoom lens aids in accurate framing and filling-up
the frame and, alternatively whenever possible, one should
either move closer to obtain good image size or use a lens
with a long focal length to achieve the same. But, a picture
taken from close quarters is always superior to the one shot
from a distance, inspite of a long tele-lens used from a distance.
When an animal is depicted in a broadside left-to-right position,
there should be sufficient vacant space on the right side.
Accordingly, when an animal is shown right to left, there
should be more space on the left side to suggest the direction
of movement of the animal.
Leave less space in the forefront and bottom of the picture
and relatively more space above the animal to give it a balanced
stability and sense of orderly arrangement of the different
elements in the picture.
Tone-wise, a dark animal should be shown against a light
or well-lit background. Similarly, a light-coloured animal
against a darker background makes for an attractive picture.
The tone of the background indicates the diurnal and nocturnal
life of the portrayed species and it is usually good practice
to avoid showing a diurnal species with a dark background,
though it may sometimes be unavoidable.
Other rules in photography such as the leading line, S curve,
L composition, etc. can be effectively used to make a good
presentation.
When you're photographing two animals in company, courtship
or combat, or even a small group or a large herd, the shallow
depth-of-field of long lenses may pose a technical problem.
The photographer has to be sufficiently close to the animals
and use a short focal length lens and a smaller aperture to
achieve better depth-of-field to render all animals in sharp
focus.
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Sharpness and picture quality
Even minimal shaking of the camera will affect picture definition
and take away from the biting sharpness in an image. A tripod,
unipod, chest pod, shoulder pod or clamp pod may be advisable.
Resting the camera firmly against a rock or a tree, using
a towel as a cushion also works well, in the absence of such
equipment.
To capture the motion of animals on film, use a combination
of fast shutter speed and a wide aperture. Frame the animal
properly in the viewfinder, keeping focus on the animal. Pan
the camera smoothly in the direction in which the animal is
moving, and click just as the moment of peak action occurs,
leaving more space in front of the animal than behind.
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Knowing your subject
It is unwise to approach an animal directly. Move slowly
and in a zig-zag fashion. Approach animals in reverse gear,
or make the elephant you're riding on move backwards, so that
the animal you are approaching does not feel threatened.
As a rule, animals with cubs are protective of their young
and more suspicious of outsiders. Do not place yourself between
a mother and baby or stand in the direct path of an animal
on the move. Avoid being placed in the middle of a herd of
elephants. Don't stare or look directly at an animal when
close. And please don't shout or wave at animals.
Be alert; and watch for alarm signals. Withdraw immediately
if the animal shows annoyance and moves towards you.
There is always a best season when a particular behaviour
of an animal is known to take place. For instance, elephants
are seen in plenty in Bandipur during June, soon after the
first showers. Similarly, summers are the best time to visit
Periyar for photographing elephants frolicking in and around
water pools, while December is ideal to photograph swamp deer
in combat in Kanha. The rutting season also provides good
photographic opportunity, when animals are intensely active,
vocal, pre-occupied, demonstrative and aggressive, but often
unaware or unconcerned with the presence of a photographer.
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Colour vs. Black and white
Colour and monochrome are really two separate disciplines.
Technically, both are equally lasting. It is up to the photographer
to use the right medium for the right subject. For instance,
while vivid colours of the kingfisher may be best depicted
in a colour photograph, monochrome may be a more appealing
choice for an elephant on a summer day.
While different hues and gradations of colour in nature convey
moods quickly and directly, monochrome is an abstract rendition
of the subject in shades of grey and black and white.
Several manipulations in processing and printing that are
possible in monochrome can produce highly effective photographs.
Proficiency in black and white photography is said to lay
a solid foundation for technical competence, visualization
and aesthetics in photography.
Whether black and white or colour, medium-speed fine grain
films of 100 ASA-200ASA give the best results. Of course,
the faster 400 ASA Kodak Tri-X-film (B&W) and Fujichrome
400-D-film (colour transparencies) will come in handy in low
light conditions.
For monochrome work, a slightly generous exposure and slightly
curtailed development yield good results. However, over-generous
exposure will increase grain, reduce contrast and will result
in loss in definition. Half a stop over- exposure is recommended
for best results when negative colour films (for colour prints)
are used.
Colour transparency films require optimum exposure, or may
be a 1/3 stop less or higher rating than the rated ASA of
the film used, for better saturation and sparkle. But too
much underexposure will give muddy slides lacking in shadow
details.
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Using equipment to best advantage
Acquaint yourself thoroughly with your equipment and its
accessories.
A large format (2B size or bigger) negative or transparency
yields sharper enlargements and reproductions. But, the equipment
may be too bulky or slow for average field conditions. Also,
candid pictures of animals in action or flight are almost
impossible with this equipment.
A medium format (6 X 7 cm, 6 X 6 cm, 6 X 4.5 cm) may be a
more manageable, and for this format, prism finders, TTL meter,
motor drives, tele lenses and zoom lenses, are also available.
A modern 35 mm single lens reflex (SLR) camera is light and
handy. It is an eye level camera with an interchangeable system
of lenses and screens, sophisticated TTL metering, a fast,
smooth, silent and quartz controlled shutter, special features
like auto-exposure, TTL flash, aperture priority, shutter
priority, programme, auto focus etc.
Fast telephoto lenses, high quality zoom lenses, motor drives
and remote-controls are also available.
A range zoom lens, say 80/200 mm or 50/300 mm, is adequate
for photographing most of the wildlife in our jungles. Of
course, a quality 2X converter or prime telephoto lens of
300/400 mm will be useful.
Whenever possible, use the smallest possible focal length
lens in a given situation.
Protect the cameras, lenses and film from heat, dust and
moisture. At the end of the trip, and as far as possible,
a daily brushing and cleaning of the cameras, lenses and other
accessories is advisable and essential.
Cameras and lenses should be handled gently, with utmost
care to avoid knocks and bumps as these can seriously affect
the equipment.
Ensure that fresh cells and batteries are fitted to the equipment
and check the whole system for proper functioning before setting
out into the field. Always carry extra cells, batteries and
a sufficient stock of film.
Carrying an extra camera body and a hand exposure meter will
come in handy incase the TTL metering of the camera or the
camera itself lets one down.
The camera settings should be set for the correct ASA rating
to match with the film used, the required aperture and shutter
speed.
The mode of operation of the camera and motor drive is to
be periodically checked for any involuntary shifts while handling
the equipment.
It is important to check that the camera is loaded with the
correct type of film one wants to use.
Be judicious in using a long tele lens, as the fore shortening
effects of long tele lenses can give a 'cut and paste' effect
in photographs.
Standardize your technique by using one type of equipment,
film and an individually worked out combination of exposure
and development. Keep experimenting all the time!
Different colour films have slightly different colour balance,
characteristics and responses. The shifts in colour balance
due to improper, inconsistent processing may be resolved by
custom processing in a reputed lab or home processing.
The technique of 'pushing' film to gain extra film speed
with the use of special developers or increasing development
time would not give satisfactory results. Correct exposure
and the use of a standard fine-grain developer formula with
the time and temperature method of processing is highly recommended
for monochrome.
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Clicking on the field
Do not take pictures while you are on a moving vehicle, for
even a fast shutter speed will not nullify the effect of the
camera shaking. Avoid clicking when the engine of your vehicle
is running. As far as possible, wait for the engine to be
switched off. Ensure that there is no movement by co-passengers
at the time of clicking.
Keep the lens pre-focussed between 100 meters and infinity,
so that it is quicker to refocus when an animal presents itself.
Always focus on the animal's eye or head. Use and trust the
TTL meter of your camera.
Use the fastest shutter speed possible to minimise camera
shake and subject movement, also use the smallest aperture
possible to ensure good depth in field, so that the entire
animal is in focus.
Whenever there are only a few frames left in the camera,
it is better to rewind and load a fresh roll, so that at the
next clicking opportunity, you have an entire roll to shoot
and thereby not miss a chance because of time lost in reloading
the camera at a crucial time.
Always keep exposed film separately and safely. Avoid the
mistake of reloading exposed film once again into the camera
by always rewinding exposed film completely into the cassette
without leaving the tongue of the film out of the cassette.
Most wild animals are less shy of a riding elephant. It can
take one quite close to animals even in impenetrable tracts,
but the chief drawbacks are the steep angle of view one gets
and the element of camera shake due to the movements of the
elephant. Shooting more frames to increase the chances of
getting a few sharp pictures, shooting from a distance to
reduce the angle of view or waiting for the animal to move
to a better location are tactics that may be employed to work
around this.
For taking pictures while riding an elephant, it is better
to use a minimum of 1/25th of a second shutter speed. Follow
the rhythm of of the elephant and click when the animal is
steady, and in a phase of least movement. Unfortunately, the
best action of the subject, and the moment of least movement
of the elephant may not always coincide.
Never get down from a vehicle to approach an animal on foot
in the hope of getting closer to it.
Shoot enough and more at every opportunity. If the situation
permits, try bracketing of exposures (half a stop plus or
minus), although, one rarely gets a long enough moment to
do it. It is really not advisable to save on film, which is
the least expensive item for photography.
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