We learned some preliminary techniques on wildlife photography in one of the previous articles. In this article, we’ll discuss some advanced techniques that will help you improve your wildlife photography game.
Shoot long bursts for sharp photos
I have seen far too many photographers who seemingly walk in, take a single shot, and then they’re done! Wildlife photography is far too complicated for that kind of approach. You can’t just shoot one or two frames and think that you’ve nailed the shot. Wait until you get home to find out that the frame has turned out blurry.
The best approach is to fire enough frames to increase your chances of getting at least one or two sharp frames. That entails using the buffer to its capacity to ensure that you’ve enough frames. In the previous discussion, we talked about buffer capacity. To maximize buffer capacity, you can use a faster card with fast writing speeds. The second thing that you can do is use short, measured bursts with a second or so of a break between each burst.
Shoot with the slowest shutter speed that you can hand-hold
Slower shutter speed results in image blur, which is why most photographers prefer to use a faster shutter speed. And that means bumping up the ISO number to facilitate a fast shutter speed.
I recommend using the slowest shutter speed that you can hand-hold and then using a lower ISO number to ensure that the image quality is better (and cleaner). Always remember that a lower ISO means lower noise and a cleaner image.
Use a combination of auto and manual focus
Sometimes the cameras autofocusing mechanism can find it difficult to lock focus on the subject. In a situation like that, you can do two things to ensure that the camera gets a much-needed boost to lock accurate focus. The first thing is sliding the focusing distance limiter button to narrow the focus hunting distance to something manageable. This ensures that the lens does not hunt for focus across the entire focusing distance.
The second thing you can do is grab the focusing button and then precisely focus on the subject, allowing the autofocusing mechanism to lock focus. When you reengage autofocusing, it usually locks focus on the intended point. This will, however, only work with lenses that come with a full-time manual focusing override.
Switching between DX mode and FX mode
Though I used Nikon acronyms to explain this, you can use any camera system as long as it has a full frame and a crop mode. The idea is to switch to the shooting mode from full-frame to crop mode to save on memory space. This is a cool trick when you’re running out of memory, and you still have some time to go before the day ends.
Secure your tripod
If you’re shooting with a tripod, make sure the tripod is on secure ground. Always insist that the tripod legs are securely locked and not wobbly. Place your hand on your tripod and push it down. This will ensure that if the legs are unstable, the tripod will push down under the pressure of your hand if it does reset your tripod.
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