Your Essential Guide to Wildlife Photography with Nikon Wildlife Ambassador Richard Peters

Transcription

1 Your Essential Guide to Wildlife Photography with Nikon Wildlife Ambassador Richard Peters PUBLISHED - 01 OCT 2017 Award-winning wildlife photographer and Nikon Wildlife Ambassador Richard Peters shares his expert tips, techniques and kit recommendations for making a great start in wildlife imaging and taking your photography to the next level. Gear up Choosing the right equipment is the first thing to consider when starting out with wildlife photography... 1 of 10

2 Camera and lens choices The DX-format D500 and the mm f/5.6e ED VR are a great mid-range combination to get you up and running. The camera offers a high frame rate, excellent ISO performance and the best autofocus available. All that in a nice, lightweight body. While the lens isn't superfast, it gives you really great reach which is essential for wildlife without having to spend thousands, and the Vibration Reduction (VR) feature enables you to shoot at up to 4.5 stops slower without risking camera shake. My choice of FX camera has to be the new D850. I was lucky enough to get one to play with two weeks before it was released, and just before its official launch date I posted a review on my website, which promptly crashed because of all the people trying to read the review! It's got incredibly high resolution, 45.4MP, which means if a subject is close enough you've got a hugely detailed file, while if it's farther away you have a lot of cropping potential, so you can artificially get the subject bigger in the frame. On top of that, because it gives you up to 9fps you've got speed, too, so it's the perfect combination for wildlife. The latest 400mm f/2.8e FL ED VR is the smallest and most flexible of the big four "exotic" primes (the 400mm, 500mm, 600mm and 800mm) because it's light for its size and easy to carry, which makes it great for hiking with a backpack, or for hand luggage if you're flying. You can also use teleconverters with it, to increase its reach I use the 2x and 1.4x and even with one added it's still more manageable than the other two primes. If I had to choose just one camera and one lens, it would be the D850 and the new 400mm without a doubt. Tripod Using a tripod is a definite advantage when you're starting out and getting used to your first big telephoto lens or high-reach zoom, although with practice you may be able to handhold a lightweight telephoto if it's got VR. I don't use a tripod all the time, as I find it slows me down, but when I do it's a Gitzo the carbon-fibre construction makes it light enough to carry but still solid enough to support heavy lenses in the wind. Weight is a definite consideration if you're going to be doing a lot of walking. Useful extras A circular polariser can be useful for boosting the sky or for cutting down reflections, especially if you're using a wide angle of view. Binoculars are definitely worth having, too, especially if you're scouting somewhere new. I've got a pair of Nikon Monarch 7 binos and the times I don't pack them I invariably end up thinking, "Ah, I wish I'd brought them with me!" 2 of 10

3 A vital consideration is your own personal comfort regardless of whether it's cold, rainy or hot, if you don't have the right clothing and start feeling uncomfortable, you very quickly lose concentration and enthusiasm and you just want to go home. Waterproof covers for your camera and lens are well worth investing in, too. Settings and techniques You've got your kit sorted - now it's time to master your camera and choose the appropriate settings... RAW (NEF) v JPG JPGs are great when you're starting out and simply want to concentrate on your shooting skills, or if you don't have time to sit in front of the computer editing images, but as you progress RAW gives you more scope for processing and recovering more shadow and highlight detail, as it captures all of the information hitting the sensor. Shooting modes and ISO If you're currently using a fully auto mode, make the switch to aperture priority. Combine it with auto ISO, which lets you set the slowest possible shutter speed and doesn't let you go 3 of 10

4 lower than the focal length of your lens giving you some creative control by adjusting the lens for depth of field without having to worry about the shutter speed or the ISO. A useful tip with auto ISO is to set the range from the lowest "native" ISO (i.e. the lowest available in the non-extended range), and up to one stop below the maximum native ISO (e.g. so if the maximum is 12,800, set it to 6,400). When you're confident with aperture priority, move onto manual, which gives you full creative control. I'd advise still using auto ISO in manual, however, as this way you'll have control over depth of field and shutter speed, while the camera deals with the ISO freeing you up to get creative. It also works with exposure compensation, so you can still control the light levels. Panning in shutter priority If you want to emphasise movement by panning (tracking the subject) with a slow shutter speed, the quickest and easiest approach is to switch your shooting mode to shutter priority. This enables you to drop the shutter speed down as slow as you need to go, which will usually be around 1/10sec or slightly slower, while the camera deals with the aperture. It doesn't actually matter if the aperture goes to f/22, because when you're panning, everything is blurred except for the subject, so the depth of field is irrelevant. This is a useful technique for a subject that's been stationary then suddenly takes off. As ever, keep the camera in auto ISO mode so you can concentrate on the creative side of the pan getting the shutter speed slow enough to make a feature of the movement. White balance I used to use the auto white balance but it can sometimes be too cool and doesn't always capture the warmth of a scene. Another consideration is that it's constantly readjusting, so if you reframe even by just a few inches to the left or the right the white balance can change completely and alter the colour of your shots from frame to frame, which can be infuriating. So I'd recommend using the manual white balance adjustment set an initial 5260 K, which is the equivalent to a sunny day, then adjust from there. If it's getting darker or overcast, warm it up to prevent the picture from looking a bit blue, or if you're shooting in the very rich, orange light of dawn or dusk, you might need to drop the white balance down for a cooler, more realistic look. 4 of 10

5 Lighting I favour lighting over subject, so if I had the option of photographing a lion sleeping in the shade of a tree in long grass or a squirrel in the best light I've ever seen in my life, I'd go for the squirrel. I favour contrasty or back or side light anything where the light is doing something interesting, giving a bit of dynamic range to play with for moody and atmospheric pictures. I fell into this style; I didn't even realise I was doing it until one day someone said, "I saw one of your pictures online yesterday and your name wasn't on it but I recognised it from the style." And that is a really important point if you try to force a style by purely copying and not experimenting, it's not going to look authentic and you won't grow as a photographer. By all means look at what other people have done and try to emulate it, but use it as a starting point for then following your own instincts and creating your own style. It might take a while, but it will happen. Metering The problem with spot metering is that you need to be sure to place the spot on your main point of interest, so if your focus point isn't in exactly the right place, you can run into problems. Centre-weighted meters from the centre of the frame, which is great for sport, but you don't want your wildlife subject bang in the middle of the frame. So matrix metering is your best bet for wildlife, as it reads the entire scene and you can use exposure compensation from there. 5 of 10

6 Focusing I either use single-point or group focus, which is five points, but the key for getting the most out of your focusing system with wildlife is a setting called focus tracking with lock-on. This lets you adjust the delay in how quickly the focusing system tracks subjects or drops them and acquires new ones. I adjust focus tracking quite frequently, depending on what I'm photographing. If you're trying to capture an animal but there is grass blowing in front of its face, for example, if you put a delay on the focus it won't keep trying to switch from the animal to the grass. It's such an important function; when I advise it for my workshop clients, it's often a light-bulb moment for them. Composition The classic rule of thirds is a great place to start, as it gives your subject room to move into. Selective cropping is another useful tip: for example, if you shoot a bird in flight and accidentally clip a wingtip, crop it to clip the other wing as well to balance out the shot and make the clipping look deliberate. But don't worry too much about clipping it's not always about having the whole subject in the frame. 6 of 10

7 Editing As far as editing is concerned, I only do what is considered acceptable for the rules of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition not because I want to enter every picture I shoot, but because their rules are very stringent, so they're a good yardstick to go by. Basically, anything you could do in a traditional darkroom is acceptable, such as changing contrast by dodging and burning, cropping, cloning out dust spots, and adjusting the white balance; but you shouldn't fundamentally alter the picture by brushing out entire objects or adding things in or turning a dull sky into a vibrant sunset. My Menu One great tip is to use the My Menu function you can add features to it that you use quite often, which means you don't have to go diving into the full menu system to find them. 7 of 10

8 Where to photograph wildlife For beginners, gardens, local parks and zoos are great anywhere where wildlife is used to the human presence, enabling you to get close enough to practise your composition, and anywhere you can get to quickly if the lighting suddenly improves. Your garden is ideal, as there is no travel time to get there! You'll also have more opportunity with your garden to work out particularly good locations, and to put out seed, nuts and water if necessary to attract animals to them. There is a debate about the ethics of doing this, but my perspective is that you need to use a bit of logic as long as animals aren't being harmed or put under stress and you're not habituating them to the human presence (so always stay hidden), I don't see it as a problem. In fact, it can be beneficial, especially in winter when natural food sources are scarce: where gardens can become an important environment, especially in urban areas. Zoos can be good locations, too in fact, they are where I started off, because I just wanted to practise and I knew I'd have plenty of subjects there. There is the argument that you can't shoot "wildlife" in zoos as the animals by definition are captive, but if you haven't got many other opportunities, these can be great venues. Just don't pass off pictures of zoo animals as being wild. In any case, animals in a zoo are usually in pristine condition compared to wild animals they look like they've just stepped out of the salon, so you can almost always tell straightaway if a photographed animal is captive or wild. 8 of 10

9 The next step as you gain confidence and build your skills is to go out into more open spaces, such as nature reserves, where there are plentiful subjects but you have to look for them. With all wildlife, it pays to do your research find out as much as you can about their behaviour and habitats, to improve your chances of finding a subject and being able to photograph it. Great locations for UK wildlife For sea birds, Skomer Island, the Farne Islands and the Shetlands are superb but if you want to stay onshore, Bempton Cliffs RSPB nature reserve in Yorkshire is home to the UK's only onshore gannet colony, as well as being stacked with other species of birds. Red squirrels can be found in Formby, Lancashire and the Cairngorms, which are also a great location for mountain hare. There is a lot to be said for your own garden, too. The more time you spend in any location, the more you're going to see there, which is why I have done such a lot of stuff in my garden, and still do it's amazing what you can achieve so close to home. Richard s top 5 locations for wildlife photography The Masai Mara a truly magical place with stunning light and a plethora of subjects. Every day is different and each encounter as special as the last. My back garden I've taken some of my best pictures there to show travel isn't essential for interesting wildlife photography. 9 of 10

10 Yellowstone National Park I've only been there once but the frozen landscapes in winter are truly captivating and have always stuck with me. I will be back! Skomer Island I go every year and find it to be one of the most relaxing and enjoyable places to spend a few days with the camera. Richmond Park, UK I'm an advocate of local parks because they offer opportunity to practise and experiment. Richmond is very picturesque and offers subjects both small and large. NIKON U.K. 10 of 10