I would consider shooting wildlife to be one of the hardest to master but equally one of the most rewarding types of photography you can try.
Landscape and portrait photography are equally difficult in their own right, however, they can be manipulated more simply to create the image. Taking breathtaking wildlife images, however, is more heavily reliant on capturing what you see/feel in the moment when pressing the shutter… Plus a LOT of patience also.
Here are some amazing animal photography shots taken by professional photographer Sam Wilde with descriptions from the man himself:
Contents
1. Kudu
Kudu are very reserved animals and are easily spooked, fortunately this one hung around just long enough to pose for a picture or two.
2. Rhino
This Rhino really didn’t want to turn around, and whilst a plain image of a Rhinoceros’s backside may be a nice souvenir, by framing him with the trees in the foreground made for a much better image.
3. Dog
This image shows how leading lines in the surrounding landscape can help to improve your wildlife photography too.
4. Giraffe Playing
Despite their elegance, Giraffes can make for some uninteresting photographs. Capturing personality becomes even more important in this situation, and on this occasion these giraffes delivered! They were playing for a good 10 minutes and made for some really cool pictures.
5. Lions
Personality doesn’t just mean playful behaviour however, this lion cub had just spotted a hyena in the distance and for me, this picture perfectly captures the contrast between the mother’s life experiences and cubs lack of experiences.
6. Zebra
With 5 minutes of post-production inside Photoshop, a nothing image can be turned into a beauty!
7. Lioness
We found these lions just after they had had dinner, so they were moving far anytime soon.
8. Zebra Watering Hole
It was madness at the watering hole with a whole variety of animals on show, but amongst the madness, some sort of order was restored with this small group of Zebra standing like statues.
9. Dog 2
Pet portraiture is growing with the accessibility of cameras nowadays. No matter if you are using an iPhone or DSLR, this is a valuable tip to take on board.
10. Pink Legs
Getting low for this image was ever so important, not just for the composition, but to make sure not to scare her off.
11. Squirrel
I learnt to leave my camera at the ready on my windowsill as the squirrel never hung around for long!
