The allure of venturing into a forest in anticipation of coming across a magnificent sighting is something that will stick with every single person who does it for the first time. The various forests of India have forever been the prime hotspot for people from around the world to come to witness some of the world’s greatest natural spectacles.
There are those among us that want to take a step further and chronicle their experiences on a wildlife outing with a camera. Some want to become masters of the shutter, others are content with documenting the wonders of the jungle on a Kabini or Tadoba wildlife safari. But in either case, where to begin can be a bit of a dilemma.
In this post, we’ll give you a short introduction to getting started with wildlife photography and what exactly goes into making a good picture.
Knowing The Subject
It’s all well and good if you want to pick up the camera and go photographing, but wildlife is a different field. To get a good picture involves more than waiting for an animal to come into the viewfinder. The best wildlife photographers throughout the ages have always been lovers of the forest, first. Yet other pioneers in the field were originally conservationists, and some continue to be.
The most fundamental belief among all great wildlife photographers is that your technical prowess will be for nought if you do not inculcate love and understanding for the forest. It’s also important to understand the life of your subject which means that you will have to spend a good deal of time studying wildlife, either theoretically or on multiple wildlife safaris in Kabini around the forests of Nagarhole.
Another fundamental aspect of wildlife photography is ethics. Under no circumstances should wildlife photography revolve around you causing stress to the animal. It is important to remember that you are in the domain of the wild and as such must respect its boundaries. Wildlife photographers have come under fire a lot of times in the past due to unethical practices; either by accident or deliberately. A lot of photographers bait animals, imitate their calls, or even chase them out of hiding. In fact, the situation has worsened to the point that certain high-risk species are given government protection from the general public because such seek-and-chase photography has interfered with their breeding habits. The Great Indian Bustard is a good example of this.
Knowing The Equipment
Of course, you’ll be investing in some equipment when starting out your wildlife photography equipment. What is more important, the camera or the lens? Do you need a full-frame body or a crop sensor?
A point and shoot camera are portable, inexpensive, and extremely easy to use. But the controls it offers are very limited and usually not the best quality. As most of you have guessed, DSLRs are a huge step above for anyone wanting to get into photography. DSLRs of today are as inexpensive as point and shoots of yesteryear. They come with full manual control and versatility. They also have the build to withstand harsh weather, like on a photography tour in Kabini.
Most of these answers to the questions above depend on both your budget and skillset. Ideally, to begin with, you don’t need to invest as much into both venues. The world of technology has gotten easier to access and more affordable so one needn’t break their head on that front. And the best advice for anyone just starting out? Buy the best quality gear that you can afford. No more or no less. Lenses are actually more important than camera bodies in this regard; the reach offered by a telephoto lens is what gives you that perfect shot even from a distance. At the very least, you’ll need a 300mm lens to get shots comfortably while sitting in your canter.
Learning manual control on a camera is the final step towards becoming a great wildlife photographer. The ability to change settings on the fly depending on what is happening before you is what makes a great photographer. Such is the only way you can capture a tiger bolting after a deer, or a bird in flight, or the daintiness of a butterfly in the air.
On your next visit to Red Earth, talk to our staff who are also trained in photography, and on a photography tour in Kabini or a photography tour in Tadoba they’d be more than happy to assist you with the camera and set you on the path to becoming a wildlife photographer!
