posted by Catherine on Jul 8
Is it about getting the great shot – or about the welfare of the animal itself?
There is hot debate at the moment in the world of wildlife photography that some ‘wild’ animals are being farmed in captivity to make for ‘better’ wildlife shots!
It is sadly true that there are cages and cages of foxes, wolves, pumas and lynx all just pacing back and forth waiting for someone to pay to see them ‘running free’ in an enclosure.
The irony of it!
So, are there some wildlife guidelines you can follow to make sure that your are not scaring or stressing the wild animals you are photographing – the most obvious being: Don’t pay an established animal farm to use their wildlife for photography unless you completely approve of their housing and handling!
But if you want to keep it natural out in the field, try a few of these tips:
Treat Them As Wild:
The animals you are trying to get an amazing picture of are wild and are therefore potentially dangerous to humans – especially if they are mating or have young close by.
Therefore the best practice here is to get yourself a very long lens and watch from a distance! Of course you can stalk out the animals in advance to find out where they will be and when to get yourself in position.
Getting To Close:
Just because an animal is letting you get really close – it doesn’t mean that it wants you there.
A very hungry animal may remain near it’s meal while you creep closer and closer because it has tried to catch a meal for so long. It won’t give it up easily – but it will eventually if you hound it for long enough!
Same goes for mothers with young or an injured animal – they don’t really want to have to move so will let you get closerthan normal – but they will still be very stressed about the whole thing.
If an animal is staring at you – then you have disturbed it or got too close – either way, it knows you are there.
Any Closer And I Could Spoil The Meal
The Wider Angle:
Don’t forget that animals and birds don’t just live in the one spot you just saw them in – they need the wider environment to be successful.
So, don’t thunder through the woods or fields to get to your ‘best ‘spot as you may well have disturbed all your animals prey species out of the area for the rest of the day! Or scared a predator right into the face of your target species!
Breaking branches, trampling plants and moving things around ‘for a better shot’ can also affect the very animals you have come to see!
The Results:
Well, there are some great cameras out there than can reduce the distance between you and the wildlife to such a great extent that you needn’t disturb wildlife at all. I know they may cost more than a normal camera but it can be the easiest way of getting a great shot without causing the animal itself any stress.
And by staying away, you can appreciate the wider environment too. I have found that sitting still is a great way to get animals to come closer to you as you become part of their landscape rather than marching through it. They will feed and act as normal within feet of you if you were there first!
Great for some perfect wildlife moments!
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