Wildlife Tip: Doing Your Homework
If you are thinking about becoming a wildlife photographer, one of the first things you can do to increase your chances for success is through research. This is where you should spend most of your time before you start on your adventure. If you don’t, you will almost certainly become very frustrated. There is a vast amount of research resources available to the wildlife photographer, and the more you understand the species you are interested in, the greater success you will have.
If you start to build a library of wildlife books, you can use these research materials to study, identify and locate all the species around you, as well if you plan on traveling. For instance, if you are interested in bird photography, field guides can help you identify, locate and understand their behaviors. You can also learn about their mating, migration, and where they can most commonly be found.
The Internet is also a great place to learn about wildlife, which also includes information and images to quickly help the wildlife photographer. If you have a great understanding about the subjects you are interested in, the chances greatly increase of coming back with “The Shot”. All wildlife has behaviors that require the attention of the wildlife photographer. For instance, if you know where they can be found, when they feed, when they rest and when they mate, your success rate will greatly increase.
The time of day is critical, for the best time to photograph wildlife is during the early morning and late evening hours. This is the time when they are most active, from hunting, bathing, moving, flying and searching. Just like us, the heat of the day is when most will rest and hide, and we also know the light is at its harshest, so those who are early risers or late arrivers will have the best chance of success.
To start doing your homework, check out your local bookstore or online for books and information that will get you started in learning about the subjects you are interested in, but also what is around you already. To get you started, here is a list of some books that every wildlife photographer should have in their arsenal:
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The Sibley Field Guide to Birds: A comprehensive guide to birds of North America with illustrations of birds in varying plumages and positions to assist in identification.
Florida's Fabulous Series: If you live or visit Florida, this series of books has just about EVERYTHING that this diverse and beautiful destination has to offer.
The Reef Set: This 3-book set is the complete and extensive guide books to just about anything and everything that can be found in our oceans.
The Life of Mammals: This is the companion book to the very popular BBC Television program from David Attenborough.
National Geographic Guide to Wildlife Watching: Includes best times to visit, the types of wildlife you can locate, and where to go to find them.
The Blue Planet: This is the companion book to the very popular Discovery Channel television program that is simply the best ever produced.
Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide: An outstanding visual guide of some of the worlds most beautiful animals from all over the globe.
AAA's Photographing National Parks: This book covers many of the U.S. National Parks and is beautifully illustrated. Each park has its own overview and details provided regarding photography hot spots.
The Encyclopedia of Animals: 608 pages of wildlife, from the largest to the smallest, this book illustrates wildlife in the world around us like no other.
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