Animal and Bird photography. It is bloody hard.

Matt Sayle

Matt Sayle

2017MSA Young Photographer of the Year(Motorsport)
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Matt Sayle
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Went out today trying to do some animal and nature photography and it is so hard. The bloody swines kept running away from me and hiding in places I couldnt find them :(:(

What is the best time to go out?

How do I make myself less of an Oaf and more subtle?

Thanks
Matt

:help:
 
The bloody swines kept running away from me
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Pigs arent normally classed as wildlife Matt :P

Tips : Stay downwind, disguise your shape by staying close to a tree or laying down, encourage the wildlife to you with treats of their favoured foods, plenty of patience :)
 
GarynLea said:
Pigs arent normally classed as wildlife Matt :P

Tips : Stay downwind, disguise your shape by staying close to a tree or laying down, encourage the wildlife to you with treats of their favoured foods, plenty of patience :)
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:p

Right, stay downwind and hug trees. Got it :D:D

Thank you for your advice.

Also how come every time you see a leaf you think it is a bird :lol:
 
Hey Matt you could try getting one of these and blending in with the rest of the forest Linky :)
 
Tell me about it :(

Every time I find a small bird and get a camera pnted in its direction it disappears as if I were about to kill it.
The big birds that I find are capable of of flying at great speeds, they seem to take great pleasure in showing me just how fast they can go, so I rarely get them in the viewfinder let alone get a good shot of them. I think so far I have managed to get one pic of an owl that I really like, all the rest are pretty crap!

Animals are easier, I can get closer to them and the bigger ones dont move as fast as birds so I find they are far more photogenic :lol:
 
susie said:
Tell me about it :(

Every time I find a small bird and get a camera pnted in its direction it disappears as if I were about to kill it.
The big birds that I find are capable of of flying at great speeds, they seem to take great pleasure in showing me just how fast they can go, so I rarely get them in the viewfinder let alone get a good shot of them. I think so far I have managed to get one pic of an owl that I really like, all the rest are pretty crap!

Animals are easier, I can get closer to them and the bigger ones dont move as fast as birds so I find they are far more photogenic :lol:
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:lol:

I am getting up at the crack of dawn tomorrow and going hunting :D:D

Hopefully I will get something :lol:
 
Forbiddenbiker said:
Be an animal .... I'm serious, think it, be it, calm down and fit in with your environment rather than clashing with it....

The biggest things, slow down, be still, be unseen, be at one .... 'grasshopper'…

:thumbs:
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I cant fly from tree to tree :lol::lol:

I may try that but I will proberlly end up on my arse scaring everything away :lol::lol::lol:
 
Hmmm yes Matt, I tried it yesterday.... its harder than taking pictures of your dog/cat/chicken...

Remember as Sun Tzu said... "The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim."
 
PS get one of these:

leshy_oversuit.jpg
 
Forbiddenbiker said:
Be an animal .... I'm serious, think it, be it, calm down and fit in with your environment rather than clashing with it....

The biggest things, slow down, be still, be unseen, be at one .... 'grasshopper'…

:thumbs:
Click to expand...

Location : Somewhere in London. :suspect::suspect::suspect::D
 
Matt Sayle said:
Went out today trying to do some animal and nature photography and it is so hard. The bloody swines kept running away from me and hiding in places I couldnt find them :(:(

What is the best time to go out?

How do I make myself less of an Oaf and more subtle?

Thanks
Matt

:help:
Click to expand...

Sounds to me like you are continutally moving forward.... try to find a place... wear green, keep still for a long time and gradually they will come closer to you.


This reminds me of Dark Star's first forray into the world of bird photography! :D

He said "I crept down the garden but it flew away!!" :lol:
 
Matt Sayle said:
How do I make myself less of an Oaf and more subtle?
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Take the burberry hat off :razz:

Sorry online joking ;) :lol:

The birds round here just fly down near your feet :)

Get a little tent or umbrella and put waterproof cloth on the side and hide under it :thumbs:
 
Hey Matt

Perhaps consider getting yourself one of these:

p975254874-4.jpg


Helps no end!
 
pampers said:
Location : Somewhere in London. :suspect::suspect::suspect::D
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:D

Country boy really, I spent most of my youth working on a big farm in the midlands, and the rest wandering the country side with some Zenit camera equipment...which I thought was brilliant gear at the time, I think my camera before was one of those plastic instamatics so I was suddenly a pro with the slr Zenith. :lol:


Oooh, Black and white film, fresian cows, jumpers for goal posts .... :D
 
Hi Matt,
You'll need patience by the bucket full, a long lens, yet more patience, and just a bit of good luck!!

I agree with the idea of the garden feeders, but make sure you set up a natural looking "staging post" for the birds to queue up........the shots look better if the bird is on a natural branch rather than a feeder. Check out some of CT's shots both for ideas and inspiration. (Might put you off though....he's seriously good)!!
 
photostar_1 said:
Hi Matt,
You'll need patience by the bucket full, a long lens, yet more patience, and just a bit of good luck!!

I agree with the idea of the garden feeders, but make sure you set up a natural looking "staging post" for the birds to queue up........the shots look better if the bird is on a natural branch rather than a feeder. Check out some of CT's shots both for ideas and inspiration. (Might put you off though....he's seriously good)!!
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:lol: Your not wrong!!!!!!!!

I shall try my hardest!
 
It's got 2 built in seats as well Matt - works a treat, and is very light too!
 
Matt, all you need is a bit of pre planning and patience :) Take a look at the wildlife photographer of the year winners/finalists on the NHU website. I don't think it mentions on there that most of the lenses were wide angle but it should be quite obvious from the photos...so long lenses aren't necessary as such.

I think there is a direct correlation between pre-planning/hide building/etc and focal length needed...the more you do the closer you can get! :) Don't worry about needing more than 300mm though, concentrate on getting closer to the animal, and the composition of the image (for example, showing it's habitat) more than resolving fine feather detail etc :)

It is perhaps the hardest genre of photography to do, and definitely the most rewarding once you get the shot!
 
SOme good tips so far. I echo what others have said really, just set yourself up somewhere and wait. Wildlife photography is most definitely a waiting game! I've spent all day in a hide before and got nothing worth keeping, in fact many times in the past I've gone out and come home without even firing the camera off! Sometimes you get lucky and you'll just be in the right place at the right time but in general you need to be prepared to put the time and effort in to it. Time of day is also key, early morning an late afternoon tend to be the best times, especially in summer as everything settles down when's it hot mid-afternoon. Generally, if the sun is up before you leave the house, you've missed the best part of the morning lol

Don't give up though, as purpleclouds said it's very rewarding once you start getting good reuslts...which is why it's my favourite type of photography :)
 
Richard Peters said:
Don't give up though, as purpleclouds said it's very rewarding once you start getting good reuslts...which is why it's my favourite type of photography :)
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It is indeed! I got perhaps my best gull shot today...shame it was dead :p

It was 'sat' by the side of the lake, looking a bit out of place I decided to check it out...crept closer and closer...got about 3ft away and noticed it must have died...weird as it was floating as if it was just sat on the water minding it's own business, wings folded right and all! Head was right and all....but no eyes :eek: Must have just died like that! :suspect:

PS. Excuse the poor English....been at the pub since lunch ;)
 
PS. Excuse the poor English....been at the pub since lunch
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:lol::lol::lol:



Anywho, Matt the most important thing is practice with a little common sense thrown in for good measure, like any type of photography the more you do the better you will become.......you`ll learn when it is best to go out, where birds frequent, what types of food they eat and which birds will allow you to get close and which won`t....all these things come together to help us get good shots. Oh there is also a lot of luck involved in some circumstances.


Good hunting ;)
 
Hi Matt I was the same as you when I started photographing birds and animals in the garden, every time I clicked with the camera they flew off or went in the oppisite direction lol. After a few months, they get used to you (the robin does lol, he's the most photo genic), put out different bird food in your garden. If you want to get different birds in your garden, put out suet bars, fat balls, sunflowers hearts etc. Don't give up, when you get the shot you're after, its very rewarding!!! When I got the first robin photo I was after, it was exciting and rewarding. The more you practise, the better shots you will get. When you're doing something you enjoy, you take better photos :).
 
MarkEvan said:
:lol::lol::lol:



Anywho, Matt the most important thing is practice with a little common sense thrown in for good measure, like any type of photography the more you do the better you will become.......you`ll learn when it is best to go out, where birds frequent, what types of food they eat and which birds will allow you to get close and which won`t....all these things come together to help us get good shots. Oh there is also a lot of luck involved in some circumstances.


Good hunting ;)
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Having sobered up now...I don't think I did too badly...just a bit of a rambling :D

Wildlife photography is (doing it properly) mostly researching your subject...only a tiny amount of the time actually seems to be taking photographs, although good research leads to quicker results...so long as the wildlife is playing ball :D
 
Know your subject, spend time watching what you want to photograph. All creatures have habits and approach distances that differ, try to get to know them.

Anticipate using the above, be in position before they arrive.

Blend in, move gently, above all be patient. Try not to disturb the object of your desire just for an image.

And of course get lucky, because with everything i have said you will still need an element of luck.

Now can someone tell me how to do landscapes :bang: :lol:

regards brian.
 
Hi Matt,

I get as many shots from the car as I do sitting or stalking, most animals, birds etc are used to traffic and will sit longer than if they see a human wandering about. Get yourself a beanbag for the car and have a drive down some country roads.

Other thing to do is instead of really concentrating on looking into trees, bushes etc for birds is just to sit/stand and wait and just let your eyes relax for a few minutes and you will catch glimpses of movement all around you, then you can concentrate your vision on the area you saw movement.

Mike.

Mike.
 
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