Best overall		Sony A1		SEE IT	Sony’s flagship has everything a photographer could need.
Best for beginners		Sony Cyber-Shot RX10 IV		SEE IT	A bridge camera ready for a variety of wildlife.
Best durable		Olympus OM-D E-M1X		SEE IT	Robust weather-sealing so you can stay out in the elements.

Photography subjects don’t get much more fascinating—or challenging—than wildlife. Wildlife photography can take you to some truly special places to document incredible animals in their natural habitats. It doesn’t always have to involve a full-on safari, though. There’s likely wildlife in your area right now that could make for incredible photos. Even if you’re not traveling far, however, wildlife photography can be a very challenging process. You have to put yourself in the right place and the right time, ready to capture the action at a moment’s notice. Conditions may not be the most comfortable either. But, when you get that shot at just the right time, there aren’t many things that beat it. The best cameras for wildlife photography will be ready when you and your wild subject are.

In previous camera generations, only high-end options had the features and operating speed needed to capture wildlife. These days, there are an overwhelming number of options out there, depending on your skill level, budget, and goals. And while having the most high-tech camera can be fun, the best cameras for wildlife photography for you, in particular, may be something different altogether. 

• Best overall: Sony A1
• Best for beginners: Sony Cyber-Shot RX10 IV
• Best DSLR: Nikon D500
• Best durable: Olympus OM-D E-M1X
• Best budget: Panasonic LUMIX FZ2500
• Honorable mention: Canon EOS R5
• Honorable mention: Fujifilm X-T4

How we chose the best cameras for wildlife photography

The editors and writers at Pop Photo have decades of photography experience in just about every genre and have reviewed just about every major camera on the market. When selecting the best cameras for wildlife photography, we looked at a handful of key features necessary to document animals successfully. Burst rate, buffer capacity, and autofocus abilities sat at the top of our list as these are crucial for wildlife photography. We also looked at build quality, as wildlife cameras should be able to hold up to the elements. Lastly, we tried to choose options with different sensor sizes suitable for different types of photographers and budgets.

The best cameras for wildlife photography: Reviews & Recommendations

Best overall: Sony A1

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Why it made the cut: With 30fps, an industry-leading autofocus system, and an impressive 50MP sensor, Sony’s A1 is a powerful camera for anything, but especially wildlife photography.

Key features

• Megapixels: 50 megapixels
• Frames per second: Mechanical shutter: 10 fps, Electronic shutter: 30 fps up to 155 frames (Raw)
• Autofocus points: 759 phase-detection, 425 contrast-detection
• Weight: 1.6 pounds (body only)

Pros

• Exceptional autofocus
• 8K and 4K video
• Fast burst mode

Cons

• Expensive
• Rear display could be better

As the best camera for wildlife photography, the Sony A1 is packed full of advanced technology, making it a great all-around powerhouse, but one especially suited for sports and wildlife photography. Sony built this camera around an incredibly fast 50MP stacked CMOS sensor. If you like to use flash, this sensor will be an asset, as it is fast enough to sync with flashes up to 1/400 sec. The autofocus system is also quick and precise and has autofocus points covering 92% of the image area. It can lock onto animals eyes and track them, just like it would a person.

The electronic shutter of the A1 is capable of up to 30fps for up to 155 Raw images. This high buffer capacity means you can fire off loads of shots without your camera getting bogged down. In addition, it has excellent low-light performance with an ISO range of 100 to 32,000 or extended up to 102,400, and autofocus sensitivity down to -6 EV. Finally, the weather-sealing on this camera means it can stand up to some adverse weather, so you don’t have to be as nervous about taking this expensive piece of equipment out and about. This is truly a professional piece of gear. 

Best for beginners: Sony Cyber-Shot RX10 IV

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Why it made the cut: Sony’s RX10 IV is an impressive bridge camera. It is capable of 4K video, 24 fps, and has an equivalent focal length of 24 to 600mm, making it ideal for capturing wildlife.

Key features

• Megapixels: 20.1 megapixels
• Frames per second: 24 fps up to 249 frames (JPG)
• Autofocus points: 315 phase-detection points
• Weight: 2.41 pounds (body with battery and memory)

Pros

• Dust and splash resistant
• Fast autofocus
• Good zoom range
• 4K video

Cons

• A bit pricey
• Zoom speed could be faster

If you don’t have big bucks to spend on a telephoto lens that costs more than your car, a bridge camera can provide a much more accessible solution. The Sony Cyber-Shot RX10 IV is an excellent bridge camera built around a large, 1-inch sensor, which is larger than some of its cheaper competition. The attached lens is 8.8 to 220mm, which offers the equivalent angle of view to a 24-600mm lens on a full-frame camera. That gives you 25x zoom, which will help capture animals in the distance. And it offers 4.5 stops of stabilization, so even when at the longer focal lengths, you can get sharp images. You should still plan to use a tripod or a monopod when possible, though. 

The RX10 IV is capable of 24 fps with autofocus tracking, and the phase-detect autofocus of this camera is fast and accurate, helping ensure you get the shot right. In addition, the built-in lens has a max aperture of f/2.4-f/4, giving you the ability to blur backgrounds and work in low-light situations. And, if capturing tiny wildlife like bugs is your thing, it can focus as close as 1.2 inches when zoomed out and 2.4 feet when zoomed in.

Best DSLR: Nikon D500

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Why it made the cut: Despite its age, the D500 is still one of the best DSLRs for wildlife due to its 200 Raw file buffer capacity and fast autofocus. 

Key features

• Megapixels: 20.9 megapixels
• Frames per second: 10 fps for up to 200 frames (Raw)
• Autofocus points: 153 phase-detection points
• Weight: 1.89 pounds (body with battery and memory)

Pros

• Fast and accurate autofocus
• High buffer capacity
• Rugged build quality

Cons

• Live view autofocus could be improved
• Video tools are a bit limited

Nikon released the D500 in 2016, but it remains an excellent DSLR choice if you’re looking for the best cameras for wildlife photography. The APS-C sensor has 20.9 megapixels for quality images. The camera has an expanded ISO range of up to 1,640,000, making it very capable in low-light situations. 

The D500 can shoot 10 fps for an impressive 200 Raw frames, meaning you can fire away when your subject is in motion. The autofocus system on this camera is fast and accurate, at least when looking through the viewfinder. Unfortunately, when in Live View, the autofocus switches to contrast-detection, which is not as fast as the phase-detection system. Lastly, your telephoto lenses will have even more reach with the 1.5x crop factor, meaning you can save some money and space in your camera bag.

Best rugged: Olympus OM-D E-M1X

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Why it made the cut: Olympus designed the OM-D E-M1X to thrive outdoors and in the elements. The rugged body can shoot up to 60 fps, making it a great choice for those off-the-beaten-path wildlife adventures.

Key features

• Megapixels: 20.4 megapixels
• Frames per second: 60 fps for up to 49 frames (Raw)
• Autofocus points: 121 cross-type points
• Weight: 2.19 pounds (body with battery and memory)

Pros

• Advanced weather-sealing
• Integrated vertical grip
• In-body image stabilization
• 4K video

Cons

• Noise level at higher ISOs could be better
• No tracking at highest burst rate

OM Digital Solutions corp., formerly Olympus, has long focused on outdoor enthusiasts and adventurers. The OM-D E-M1X fits the bill, as it exceeds the IPX1 weatherproofing standard and can function in harsh conditions. These cameras also offer an excellent Dust Reduction System to keep your sensor clear of debris, a plus when changing lenses in less-than-perfect situations. 

The OM-D E-M1X is capable of up to 60 fps for 49 Raw frames or a lower 10 fps for up to 287 Raw frames and unlimited JPGs. Unfortunately, there is no AF tracking when shooting at 60 fps, so one of the lower options may be better if that is important to you. The autofocus system is speedy and responsive, helpful for reacting quickly to moving wildlife. And the five-axis sensor stabilization means that you can get sharp shots with even your largest telephoto lens.

Best budget: Panasonic LUMIX FZ2500

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Why it made the cut: For those on a budget, the LUMIX FZ2500 is a bridge camera that packs in features like a 20.1MP sensor, 4K 30p video, and impressive autofocus, all at a reasonable price.

Key features

• Megapixels: 20.1 megapixels
• Frames per second: 12 fps 
• Autofocus points: 49 contrast-detection points
• Weight: 2.13 pounds (body with battery and memory)

Pros

• Built-in neutral density filter
• 4K video
• Fast autofocus
• Versatile 20x zoom

Cons

• Lens quality could be better

Panasonic designed the LUMIX FZ2500 for video enthusiasts, so those wanting to make videos of their wildlife adventures are in luck. It is capable of 4K video at up to 30fps and uncompressed 10-bit 4:2:2 HDMI output, so you are sure to get quality footage. Featuring a 1-inch sensor, the FZ2500 has a native ISO range of up to 12,800 and an expanded range of 25,600, making it good in low-light situations. The built-in lens is a 24-480mm equivalent, useful for both landscape photos and tight wildlife shots.

Though it doesn’t have as many autofocus points as others on this list, it is a fast, accurate autofocus system for its class. It is almost instant when locking on to a subject in bright conditions. The burst rate is also strong, with 12 fps and a buffer of 35 Raw or 100 JPGs. You can lower the resolution to 8MP to take advantage of a fast 30 fps if that is your focus.

Honorable mention: Canon EOS R5

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Why it made the cut: This list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the impressive Canon EOS R5. With exceptional 8K video, a 45MP sensor, and an innovative autofocus system with 1053 autofocus points, this camera is built for performance.

Key features

• Megapixels: 45 megapixels
• Frames per second: Mechanical shutter: 12 fps for up to 180 frames (Raw) Electronic shutter: 20 fps for up to 83 frames (Raw)
• Autofocus points: 1053 phase-detection points
• Weight: 1.62 pounds (body with battery and memory)

Pros

• Excellent image quality
• Innovative autofocus
• Weather-sealed
• Quality 8K video

Cons

• Overheating issues when shooting more than 4K 30p video

Canon’s EOS R5 is an impressive camera all-around, and those talents translate to wildlife photography. It has a newly developed 45-megapixel CMOS sensor for exceptional image quality and is capable of up to 8K 30p video or 4K 120 fps in 4:2:2 10-bit with Canon Log. However, it is known to have limitations due to overheating at higher-quality video specs, maxing out at about 20 minutes when shooting 8K. If you’re planning to shoot a ton of 8K footage, you should really buy a cinema camera anyway.

The autofocus is what really makes the R5 exciting. Autofocus points cover nearly 100% of the frame, and it is said to be the best autofocus system available. For wildlife photographers, the quality of the Animal AF cannot be overstated. Canon has introduced a Deep Learning algorithm, which enables you to point the camera at an animal, and it will recognize the animal and lock on to the eyes. It is reliable across many species, even though Canon only specifies dogs, cats, and birds, and tracks even with lots of movement.

Honorable mention: Fujifilm X-T4

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Why it made the cut: With a burst mode of up to 20 fps with the electronic shutter, in-body stabilization, and excellent weatherproofing, the X-T4 is certainly one of the best cameras for wildlife photography.

Key features

• Megapixels: 26.1 megapixels
• Frames per second: Mechanical shutter: 15 fps for up to 38 frames (Raw) Electronic shutter: 20 fps for up to 36 frames (Raw)
• Autofocus points: 425 phase-detection points
• Weight: 1.16 pounds (body only)

Pros

• Compact
• Excellent weather-proofing
• Good in-body stabilization
• Autofocus system works well even in low-light

Cons

• Face/eye detection not as strong as competitors

Fujifilm’s X-T4 is the lightest option on this list–just 1.16 pounds for the camera body– making it an excellent choice for those who travel a lot for their wildlife photography. It features a back-illuminated, 26.1MP X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor that allows excellent low-light performance with a native ISO range of 160-12800. In addition, the autofocus system is quick and can provide accurate focus in low-light conditions down to  -6 EV, ideal for shooting at dusk or dawn or even in thick jungles.

One of the more exciting features of this camera is the in-body stabilization. It has 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilization that can reduce camera shake by up to 6.5 stops. This stabilization will be significantly helpful when using the long telephoto lenses necessary for wildlife photography. The APS-C format also means that the telephoto lenses will get you even closer to the action than on a full-frame. 

Things to consider before buying the best cameras for wildlife photography

Wildlife photography can look vastly different depending on the photographer and the subject involved. That variance can make choosing the best cameras for wildlife photography tricky. But, by understanding some of these critical features, you can decide which are essential and worth paying for and which you can skip out on.

Sensor size

There are three main choices for sensor size: Full-frame, APS-C (crop sensor), and Micro Four Thirds. Each of these formats will have different advantages, so it’s a matter of deciding what makes the most sense for you. 

Full-frame sensors are the size of a picture taken on 35mm film and usually offer superior noise handling and high dynamic range. Wildlife photographers often shoot in bright situations, but they also regularly require fast shutter speeds in shaded areas, which means bumping up ISO. The downside to full-frame cameras is that they are usually bigger and heavier than their smaller-sensor counterparts. Wildlife photography frequently involves travel or hiking, and you may not want to lug around a heavy camera if you are going on long expeditions for your wildlife photos.

APS-C sensors, or crop sensor cameras, often offer a similar feature set to their full-frame competition, but do so in smaller bodies. The other benefit to crop sensor cameras is that they have between 1.5-1.6x focal length magnification, meaning your telephoto lens will have even more reach. For example, on a Nikon APS-C camera like the D500, a 100mm lens will give you the angle of view equivalent to what you’d expect out of a 150mm lens. 

Like APS-C cameras, Micro Four Thirds offers a smaller size and weight. They also have even more focal length magnification, coming in at 2x. So that 100mm lens will be 200mm. That crop factor can be a big space–and money–saving benefit.

It’s also worth noting that crop-sensor camera lenses can be smaller than their full-frame alternatives. Compare the Olympus super-telephoto lenses to full-frame models from Canon or Nikon and they’re often less than half the size and weight. 

Autofocus

Autofocus is extremely important in wildlife photography. You may only have a split second to react when an animal makes an appearance, and if your autofocus isn’t fast or accurate enough to respond in that time, chances are you won’t get many usable images. 

You’ll want an autofocus system that is fast and responsive, accurate, and capable of achieving focus in low-light conditions. Good subject tracking is also a plus, as then you can follow an animal across a scene and keep focus locked on it. You want AF points across as much of the sensor as possible, which gives mirrorless cameras an edge over DSLRs. 

Most of the major manufacturers have autofocus modes specifically to track animals. Canon, Nikon, and Sony all have specific animal tracking AF modes that lock onto your wildlife subject and stick with them as they move. Olympus has a bird-specific AF tracking system that achieves a similar effect.

Frames per second and buffer capacity

Besides fast autofocus, fast continuous shooting is crucial for wildlife photos. For example, if you are photographing a bird flying, being able to fire off many frames very quickly will help make sure that you get a shot with the wings in the exact right position. While you still need to know when to start taking photos, it takes some guesswork out of the equation. So look for a camera with high frames per second, something with 8 FPS or higher, to capture those fast-action moments. Many high-end mirrorless models can go to 20 or even 30 fps without issue.

To truly take advantage of your camera’s FPS, you’ll also want to look for something with a good buffer capacity. Buffer capacity refers to how many images your camera can take continuously without stopping. If your camera locks up after taking a few shots, you’ll get stuck watching the moment pass by. Keep in mind that the buffer capacity will differ when shooting RAW versus JPG, and your memory card’s write speed will also play a role. 

Build quality

As mentioned, wildlife photography typically requires travel of some sort. It also means that you are likely to be out photographing in less than ideal conditions. Lying in wet grass, getting caught in rainstorms, or standing on windy beaches, are all common occurrences with wildlife photography. Therefore, having a camera that can stand up to whatever your travels may throw at you is important. Look for a camera that has weatherproofing and a durable build.

Lens options

The last thing to consider isn’t exactly a camera specification, but it is vital to wildlife photography. Telephoto lenses are a necessity when photographing wildlife, as you typically need to remain at a distance. Thus, choosing a camera system with a good selection of compatible telephoto lenses is a must. If you opt for a point-and-shoot or bridge camera, go with something with a large zoom range since you won’t have the option of changing out your lens. 

An additional feature to look for is telephoto lenses with weather-sealing so that they can stand up to the elements just like your camera body can.

FAQs

Final thoughts on the best cameras for wildlife photography

• Best overall: Sony A1
• Best for beginners: Sony Cyber-Shot RX10 IV
• Best DSLR: Nikon D500
• Best durable: Olympus OM-D E-M1X
• Best budget: Panasonic LUMIX FZ2500
• Honorable mention: Canon EOS R5
• Honorable mention: Fujifilm X-T4

While there is no shortage of exceptional cameras available for wildlife photography, Sony’s A1 checks all the boxes and is extremely well-rounded. The massive–and fast– 50MP sensor allows for excellent low-light performance and speed, two things essential to wildlife photographers. The burst rate and buffer capacity help ensure you won’t miss the moment, and the quality of both stills and video is excellent. 

Why trust us

PopPhoto has a long history of delivering the opinions of some of the sharpest and most prolific camera dorks the world has to offer. Since 1937, we’ve been reviewing cameras, providing wisdom from well-known photographers, and generally just nerding out about all that goes into making great pictures. Our current crop of writers and editors have decades of professional photography and camera writing experience among them. Collectively, we’ve probably shot with just about every camera and lens combo you can imagine—as well as some obscure stuff you may not even know about. Remember the Casio Tryx folding camera? PopPhoto does.

We also get that buying a camera is a big decision, which is why we’re dedicated to helping folks choose the right one (or, in our case “ones”) for their needs. Case in point: Handing over top dollar for an expensive rig may leave you unsatisfied if it doesn’t fit your preferred shooting style. Sure, a $6,000 sports-oriented DSLR can capture landscapes, but do you really need to do it at 30 frames-per-second? No, you don’t.

The post The best cameras for wildlife photography in 2023 appeared first on Popular Photography.

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David duChemin is a photographer, author, and educator, known for both his humanitarian work as well as his nature and wildlife photography, both on land and underwater. As with most image makers who travel to create their work, COVID-19 put the brakes on many of his projects, but also gave him time to rethink how he approaches photography—and change camera systems.

For a photographer who travels to other countries several times a year, the pandemic must have been a big shock. How was this period for you?

It was a good time for me to sit back and look at what I have done, look at what I like to do. All of a sudden, a lot of the unnecessary things that filled my days fell away. Things like planning for trips, and all the nonsense that goes on when you’re constantly heading out the door. I had this quiet two years where I could concentrate on looking back at my work, looking at where I was going, tidying some things, and getting clearer about my photographic voice.

Related: How landscape photographer Erin Babnik captures epic photos without leaving a trace

And I asked myself questions like, what if I can’t travel for the next five years, what am I going to be exploring with my camera? What is the thing that I’m going to be doing photographically rather than just opportunistically, taking a picture here and there? So it was quiet, but it was productive.

On the other side of it, I think I’ve always been a very intentional photographer. I’ve always taught the value of intention and photography, but I think over [the past few years], I became even more intentional about what I wanted to do with the time and energy I have moving forward.

‌When I interviewed Michael Kenna, he said that early on in the pandemic, he looked back into his archives and ultimately ended up developing a body of work from the 1980s. For him, it was partly a way of filling the time but also, rediscovering older images.

I think there’s tremendous value in doing multiple edits on your work. And by edits, I mean selecting down to your keepers. When you come back from a trip, you do a reactionary edit that’s based on your feelings, your emotions, that one experience where you were waiting for something to happen and it finally happened. It’s all very much affected by that kind of emotion.

And you’re also looking for certain things. So, for example, I might have been looking, when I came back from Kenya, for a body of work that was in color, and that was warm and active. I was focusing on interactions and relationships. So I was making my edits based on looking for those specific things. But four years from now, when I revisit that work, there may be images [I love] that I outright rejected because they didn’t fit that particular filter at the time—will I come out of it with a completely new body of work? Very possibly, even very likely. So, yes, I did go back into my archives, and I didn’t come up with any new big body of work, but I came up with new images.

I always say to students that there are two ways to make photographs. One is with your camera, and the other is to go back through what you have already. The equivalent would be a writer who’s written some rough drafts and got some ideas in a file somewhere, and goes back and discovers them and suddenly, it’s not the unfinished novel that they thought it was, but it’s a great short story. And suddenly, they’re coming out with a new thing that they never expected. So I think there’s a tremendous value in going back and looking through your archives with fresh eyes. It’s one of the reasons I never delete anything, because I don’t trust my first instincts, and I know that future me will be very grateful that I didn’t just bin everything that didn’t conform to my expectations.

‌Did you learn anything about yourself looking back in the archives?

I don’t know if it’s anything that I could articulate. But, certainly, when I look back through my archives, I see it confirms what I believe about my photographic voice, the things that I am, my preferences, my tastes, the things I’m drawn to, and the things that I want to say things about. I think when you’re more aware that there’s a “refining” that goes on, it allows you to move forward, maybe more confidently, with that particular recognition that, yes, I do have a voice.

‌You have a slogan in your books and articles, “gear is good, but vision is better.” And yet, you went and bought new gear this year? What prompted you?

(Laughs) Looking at the work that I’ve done over the last few years, and looking forward to the work that I want to continue to do, I realized that, while I have become known as a humanitarian photographer, increasingly my work is not with human beings, but is underwater, with bears, with wildlife safaris and that sort of thing. The system I was using was Fujifilm and I loved it. I love the old-school ergonomics. It’s great on the streets of Venice and India. But I don’t see myself doing a lot of that work in the near future.

But I can do wildlife photography here in Canada without getting on an international flight and increasing my carbon footprint. So I looked at what I was photographing, looked at the gear I was using, and its weaknesses. Fujifilm just wasn’t developing the longer, faster lenses that a wildlife photographer needs. So I asked one of my buddies, and he recommended the Sony system. The one thing I don’t like about it is the ergonomics, but you can learn anything, the muscle memory will eventually kick in.

I feel like I jumped forward 10 years technologically. The autofocus is astonishing. For wildlife, the gear gets out of the way faster. And it allowed me to consolidate. I was using Fujifilm on the streets, I was using Nikon underwater, and reluctantly used my Fujifilm gear for wildlife—but I sold everything and now I only shoot the Sony system. So I can use one camera and lens underwater and use the same camera and lens for terrestrial wildlife. And I can put my beloved little 21mm lens onto the Sony body with an adapter and walk around the streets. I have no illusions about the fact that this will not make my work any better. But it will make it easier if you can focus on a moving animal and not lose the tracking. If you’re not fighting with the gear in your hands, you can spend that energy being creative and thinking about composition and storytelling.

‌When it’s easier, you don’t have the friction that might prevent you from doing other things.

That’s right. There’s always friction in the creative process, but I think we need to eliminate that friction where it’s unnecessary, so that we can concentrate on engaging that friction where it is necessary, where it’s questions of, how do I compose this? And what kind of story do I want to tell? Those are the things that will make our photography better. If the gear gets us to that place sooner, if we fight with it less, I think that’s a good thing.

‌So you finally got back on the road and you went to Kenya after two years.

It was amazing to be back, and when my little plane sat down in the Masai Mara, I had tears in my eyes. I was starting to think I was never going to see it again. The whole experience was suffused with this gratitude, and I think because of that, my photographs are more sensitive. They feel to me like a photographer who’s shooting more with his heart than with his head.

‌The photos on your blog from Kenya have a feeling of serenity, especially the two photos of the man holding a spear.

I think that’s actually the perfect word for it. It reflected my state of mind while I was there. The man in the photo was my driver and my guide, and it was actually shot at the edge of the infinity pool at the safari lodge. It’s a beautiful location. There’s one shot there where he’s got his spear in one hand, I think wondering how long this was going to take, and he pulled out his cell phone. It’s the perfect photograph for me because it was unexpected, even though it was partly planned. And I love the juxtaposition. He’s very much a traditionalist, he’s a Samburu warrior, a man anchored in the past, but in one hand he’s got his spear and in the other hand, he’s probably checking his Facebook feed. And then there’s the initial reflection of him, so I called the image between Between two worlds. I don’t normally title my images but I really enjoyed that one.

So what’s next?

I live in an extraordinarily beautiful place, so I will probably spend more time in the next couple of years, just throwing my gear in the back of my vehicle and taking off for three or four days, seeing what I can find, photographing sea otters and killer whales and that sort of thing. The more I do this, the more convinced I am that with most creative pursuits, there needs to be a healthy dose of solitude to really get through the chatter and to calm and focus on what you’re doing. And more so when you bring wildlife into the mix because you have to sit for a long time and you have to be quiet.

For more of duChemin’s work (and wisdom) check out his newsletter and podcast.

The post Wildlife photographer David duChemin on finding your voice appeared first on Popular Photography.

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Bird photography is a fun but expensive hobby, as many enthusiasts will attest. A full-frame camera can easily run into the thousands and the telephoto lens? Well, depending on the range and maximum aperture you desire, it can be the cost of a small car. The Nikon Z 800mm f/6.3, for instance, retails for $6,500, while Sony’s 400mm f/2.8 clocks in at $12,000. Luckily, most of us have quite a capable camera in our back pocket that, along with a couple of accessories, can make wildlife photography more accessible.

PopPhoto spoke with Tyler Greenly about his tips for iPhone bird photography using a spotting scope (also known as a “digiscope”). Greenly has a degree in biology and specializes in ecology and evolutionary biology. After spending time working in research studying endangered birds, he now works in environmental education as a guide at Jackson Hole Eco Tours in Wyoming, where he educates the public about wildlife. In addition to birding, he picked up photography a few years ago and alternates between a camera and his smartphone and spotting scope setup. 

Related: Best spotting scopes

What are some things people should expect when photographing birds? Any beginner’s tips?

Be prepared for the birds to move quite a bit and be kind and patient with yourself. Birds are one of the hardest animals to photograph because they’re often small and they move around, they jump from branch to branch, they’re often flying in the sky, and they’re often far away. It can be really difficult to get those shots when starting out. I would say if you’re a beginner at digiscoping, practice on something that is standing still. If you’re in an area that has domestic animals, you can practice on horses, or practice on your dog. If you like wildflowers, go and practice aiming at wildflowers and work your way up to birds.

Have patience, let yourself learn, and go with the process. Also, discover your own style. A lot of people don’t think of photography as an art form, but it can totally be an art form, and people have different styles. Let yourself go, discover, and have an idea of what you want to capture. But if you don’t capture exactly what you’re looking for, that’s okay, too.

I feel like when I first started photography, I wanted my photos to look like everyone else’s photos. That held me back; I didn’t see the value in what I was capturing. Allowing yourself to learn and to discover the process on your own is really important. The biggest thing about this is just to enjoy filming and capturing birds, and also viewing them out wherever you are. In a park, or in the wilderness, just have fun and enjoy it. 

Related: Best cameras for wildlife photography

What settings do you recommend to maximize image quality on a smartphone?

I definitely shoot all of my videos and photos on the highest setting on the phone. (Editor’s note: You can adjust video quality in your phone’s camera settings—4k capture is often an option.) I was surprised at how clear the photos come out through the scope. Some of them are actually pretty incredible. I don’t think that you could blow them up and sell them, [but] they’re definitely good enough for social media, sharing with friends, and capturing memories for yourself. If you’re wanting to capture photos professionally, then I would recommend definitely getting a camera setup.

I don’t use the flash at all. What I do is I focus the phone, so if you press your phone’s touchscreen and hold it down, then a yellow square appears (the color of the box may vary depending on your phone model). That’s the phone locking its focus, and that will make it a lot easier to focus on an actual bird using your phone. From that point on, you can just use the scope to focus. That will help clear up a lot of the graininess. A lot of phones [have reliable] autofocus, which is great in most cases, but when there’s a bird moving through branches, it’ll autofocus on leaves and sticks and stuff like that, and you want to focus on the bird. So, using that locked focus is probably the best technique.

I take a lot of slow-mo footage. That will give you some really cool slow-motion shots of birds flying through the sky. I would recommend messing around with the settings because these phones are pretty incredible and you can do a lot with them. You can even download specific apps to get filters if you’re trying to go for a stylized shot. You can take a filtered black and white shot, for example, through the phone scope.

Some folks might have binoculars but no spotting scope. Are they interchangeable?

When I first started out I would use my phone, balance it up against my binoculars, and take a photo through them that way. [It] takes a little bit of skill and a little bit of practice, but you can do it. There are certain setups that are more affordable than others. 

The setup that I’m currently using is a Maven scope with my phone scope case, and that is more of an expensive setup. That’s why the binoculars take so much skill, because you’re trying to balance [the phone’s lens] through the binoculars while also holding it still with your other hand. Having binoculars is great for spotting the animal, but as far as capturing a photo or a video of an animal, you’ve got to have a phone scope.

So, what’s the essential equipment you’d recommend for iPhone bird photography?

A tripod is absolutely essential. That is very important; it stabilizes the shot. If the animal is moving and you’re videoing, that allows for fluid movement. [If] you actually attach your phone to a scope, if it’s not attached to a surface it’s very shaky, so it’s really hard to capture a clear image. The more you zoom in, the shakier it’s going to be if you don’t have a tripod.

[Have a] case for your scope; oftentimes scopes will come with a case. Inevitably, when you’re out in the forest your scope’s going to hit branches. It might fall, so then you want a case to protect the scope, to protect the lens from getting scratched, [and] the mirrors inside from breaking. Bring a water bottle, bring binoculars. Binoculars can help you spot animals from a distance, and then you can set up the scope. 

Scopes are great for looking at animals from a distance, but they’re not always super-functional as far as finding animals. Binoculars are better at finding the animal, and then the scope’s better at capturing imagery of that animal.

What’s the best place to find birds to photograph? Are there certain times of day that are better than others for iPhone bird photography? 

Golden hour is the best time, obviously because the lighting is going to be the most beautiful. One thing that is great with birds is their activity level is highest during golden hour, oftentimes during those mornings. Birds are, we have a fancy word in science, called corpuscular. It means that animals are active in the mornings and evenings, versus nocturnal, [which means] active at night. Birds are going to be active early in the morning; they’re going to be singing. If you’re trying to get a shot of a really pretty bird, they’ll be singing at the top of a bush or a tree and won’t be moving around as much.

Those early morning hours can be a really good time to go look for birds, especially for the dawn chorus. You can get those birds singing before they move off and become harder to find. [At] first light, most species are pretty active.

They have increased activity when the sun begins to go down, but they’re not displaying as much. I think the mornings are better because they’re just more visible, a little more active.

[To find birds], I’d go to community parks. A lot of places now have what’s called a natural area, which is like a community-preserved area of a park for wildlife and for recreation. You can always go online and look up your local state parks. [In the] West we have a lot of Forest Service land, so even if there’s not a national park or wilderness nearby you can always go to the National Forest to go looking for wildlife.

Everyone in their wildlife-watching journey starts somewhere. When I started out birdwatching, and still to this day, I go to community parks. Those are great, safe locations for people to start at. It can be intimidating, especially if you’re going on your own to go out into the forest by yourself. It’s better to work up to that. I travel all the time, and I am oftentimes birding in parking lots.

Do you have any tips for capturing birds in motion?

One thing that’s really cool with phones is you can film and take photos at the same time. If a bird is flying and it’s an action shot, I’ll use one hand to follow the bird in motion with the scope, and then my other hand snapping photos while my phone is videoing.

Identifying birds can be difficult for first-timers. What’s a good way to ID different species?

I use the Merlin Bird app, which I just have on my phone. You can download the region that you’re in and then it has photos of birds that occur in the region. It has pretty good information on their range, on their habitat, and has recordings of their songs and calls. The app is really great if you’re in an area that’s new or even if you’re new to birding. That’s a great way to learn. They also have a great way of breaking down what birds look like. When you get better at birding you learn the classification of birds, and that helps figure out what type of bird you’re looking at to later ID it. If you’re an international traveler, Birds of the World is good.

Finally, we know it’s important to respect the wildlife we’re observing. How can we be ethical while still getting an amazing shot? Are things like bird feeders or bird baths okay?

When we’re out on tour, we try to be as ethical as possible, [which means] observing a bird, or whatever animal we’re looking at without actually changing its behavior. We want to be observing its natural behavior. One thing that’s great about the scopes is you can actually view them from a pretty far distance. I have filmed wolves with the scope from two miles away.

I encourage people to attract birds to their yard and to attract nature to their yard. As far as the ethics of that, we want to make sure that we’re feeding the birds high-quality forage [and that] we’re not just giving them bleached seeds, or chemical-ridden seeds. We also want to make sure that we’re not attracting dangerous or controversial wildlife to our yards. If you’re in an area like Wyoming, you have to be really careful with bird feeders because of bears.

You could set up a blind—a barrier where the birds can’t see you but you can see them. It could be super simple, it could be like setting a bird feeder outside of your living room window and watching the bird from your living room window with the scope or the binoculars. 

As far as ethics, it’s always important when you’re taking photos and videos of animals to be really careful with location tagging. I post a lot of photos of animals that I see on tour to my social media. I always tag it, if it’s in Jackson, Wyoming, “Keep Jackson wild,” and then the tag is “Downtown Jackson Hole,” even though that’s clearly not where I saw the animal. That’s just to say, “Yes, I saw it in Jackson Hole, but I’m not going to give you its exact location.” 

We don’t want to disturb [the animals], we don’t want to chase animals off their nests. Even locally, for birds that are endangered, you want to be careful tagging those locations. Because then it can disturb your local wildlife and your local breeding birds.

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We like to say it’s not about the gear, that a photographer with any camera can create good photos. And in most situations that’s true.

Then there’s bird photography.

To get the highest quality photos of feathered subjects you need special equipment: zoom lenses with a lot of reach, plus (ideally) image stabilization to compensate for the exaggerated movement caused by being zoomed so far in. You also need a camera body with a focusing system that can lock onto such dynamic aerial targets.

Those systems are reinforced with AI technologies. Some high-end cameras now even feature Bird AF (autofocus) modes that identify and track birds, some with priority for focusing on avian eyes. Examples include the Nikon Z9, Sony a1, Fujifilm X-H2S, and OM System OM-1 bodies. Other models, like the Sony a9, include Animal AF modes that look for animals and birds of all types.

These use the same detection principles as Face and Eye AF modes, but with the added complexity that birds and animals move faster than your Uncle George. An eagle yanking fish out of a creek for dinner isn’t going to stop and pose, or come closer to the camera if you ask it nicely (then again, George might not either). But with the right equipment and AI assistance, you can capture that moment with tack-sharp focus.

Related: Tips from the pros: 3 keys to taking better bird pictures

How it works

A number of elements go into making Bird AF and Animal AF work well. On top of the core autofocus systems, the camera needs to understand what it’s looking at. The camera manufacturers’ developers feed thousands of photos containing birds and animals (and cars, planes, and other objects on some systems) to the autofocus software, and train it to recognize similar visual patterns.

The software also requires fast hardware to process what the camera sees in real-time. The image sensor absorbs a frame of the incoming light information, passes it off to an image processor that determines if anything in the frame matches the objects it understands, and then directs the lens mechanisms to adjust the focus. All of that happens in milliseconds. Then the sensor sends a new frame’s worth of data and the process is repeated so you get real-time tracking and focus lock for when you decide to press the shutter button.

Bird AF in the wild

The technology is impressive, but how well does it work in the field? I reached out to two photographers I know to get their perspectives. Hudson Henry shoots all sorts of subjects but recently returned from a workshop in Costa Rica where he hauled a Nikon Z9 and an AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR into the jungle to capture birds, monkeys, and other elusive inhabitants. Marie Read is the author of the book Mastering Bird Photography (Rocky Nook).

When I asked Henry about his experience on his trip, he replied by email, “I can tell you [Bird AF] worked just shockingly well, with the Z9 picking up just about every bird’s eye I had reasonably sized in the frame.”

Occasionally, the feature was spoofed by areas that were similar to bird eyes. “There were lizards with big spots on the sides of their faces that fooled it,” he says, “and butterflies that had eye-like markings that wanted to lock as eyes, necessitating single point selection at times. But all-in-all it was just shockingly good on a wide array of birds and wildlife.”

Read’s experience is with a Sony a9, which offers Animal AF, not specifically Bird AF. But she says the shift to the technology has been substantial.

She writes, “It’s hard for me to tease out the effects of the ‘animal eye’ function from the general increase in the proportion of sharp shots that I experienced after I made the switch to the mirrorless Sony a9 from Canon DSLRs three years ago. I get many more in-focus keepers in a burst of images than I ever could have achieved before the switch. Sony’s tracking AF is astonishing!”

She also points out the significance of Bird AF and Animal AF features for anyone looking to get into bird photography, writing, “Scroll through any online nature photography forum and it will be obvious that there’s been a huge increase in great bird shots, including some amazing action images, in recent years. The downside is now, the bar has been raised so high.” The best way to stand out from the crowd? Become much more creative with compositions and lighting.

Getting the shot

Henry and Read both offer their strategies for using AF tracking, including bird and animal detect features, to capture their targets.

To get the shot, Henry takes full advantage of the Nikon Z9’s customizability, setting up the camera to seamlessly switch between a variety of AF modes. He writes, “I use a hybrid AF method for birds and wildlife that I teach on my YouTube channel. ‘Wide’ or ‘Small’ area AF on the shutter release (kind of like group in the DSLR days) for fast erratic subjects like birds in flight, with a conversion to ‘3D-tracking’ (Nikon’s name for subject tracking) on the back button to follow a subject you pick up all over the frame. I program a front function button that converts the shutter AF to single point AF-C for those subjects where the eye detection is missing and you need to direct the point. But I leave the 3D-tracking on the back button. A press of the Function 3 button flips the shutter button AF between’ Wide Area’ and ‘Single Point’ that way.” 

Related: Best cameras for wildlife photography

As with so much of photography, a varied approach is required depending on the circumstances. Read shares, “As a Sony a9 shooter, for me the important things are selecting the optimal AF area size and whether or not to use tracking. Because my subjects are usually moving, in general, I use ‘Tracking: Flexible Spot Medium.’ I usually start out with the AF area positioned in the center of the screen but then I move it around as necessary for composition. For birds in flight where the flight pattern is extremely fast and erratic (think small terns or swallows), ‘Tracking: Zone’ can work well, but [it works] best if against a clean background. One more thing to fine-tune AF is via ‘Tracking Sensitivity.’ Sony offers settings from 1 (Locked On) to 5 (Responsive). I have mine set to 2.”

Sometimes the tracking isn’t necessarily better than good old-fashioned manual spot-focusing. Read writes, “It’s not the best idea to shoot a bird against a busy background, especially if it is small in the frame, but in that case try an even smaller AF area (i.e. Sony’s ‘Tracking: Flexible Spot Small’). Shooting through vegetation, which can give a lovely vignetted effect if done properly, is another place where you’d want to use the smallest AF area. You might need to turn the tracking function off to avoid the camera focusing back and forth.” 

Good bill hunting

Good bird photography still requires more equipment than your average camera body and kit lens. And of course, you need to put yourself in the position to photograph birds in their habitats. But with Bird AF and Animal AF technologies in the latest camera models, you’re far more likely to end up with more sharp keepers than in the past.

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This post on better bird pictures has been updated. It was originally published on June 3, 2015.

At once challenging and wondrous subjects, birds are fast, elusive, biologically diverse, and can be stunningly beautiful. “There are about 10,000 species of birds in the world, and their range of behaviors is very wide,” says William Majoros, a North Carolina–based scientist and avid bird photographer. “Capturing images of them in the wild is difficult but rewarding.”

Majoros, who was a serious bird-watcher before he even thought about photographing the creatures, believes the reward is in the search itself. “I recommend to new bird photographers that they try to enjoy just being in the field with the birds and have fun—don’t get stressed out about missing a great shot,” he says. Of course, this is like telling a fisherman not to worry about catching anything. “If I get a few good photos,” Majoros maintains, “that’s icing on the cake.”

While their approaches vary, each of the three bird shooters we interviewed sees the process as a labor of love. Dutch photographer Roeselien Raimond relies on behavior-based field techniques to capture her subjects, while Finnish lensman Jari Peltomäki experiments with the aesthetics of birds in motion. And Majoros takes a scientific approach, using precise settings and powerful equipment. We asked all three to share their bird-shooting secrets.

Get close with basic gear

Roeselien Raimond based in Gouda, Holland, counts birds among the many types of wildlife subjects she shoots. “I’m interested in the secrets of animal life,” she says. “With birds, the hidden moments—when a bird feels comfortable and not spied on—are my favorites. This can be a photo of a sleeping duckling, or a kingfisher cleaning its plumage, or a bittern pretending to be a reed.”

Raimond prefers close-up shots of birds, in part because of the portable but relatively low-powered lenses she carries. “I use a 300mm f/4L IS Canon EF telephoto, but it is rather short for bird photography,” she says. “If you have the money, a 500mm lens will give you better shots with less effort.” She adds a similar disclaimer about her camera body: “My Canon EOS 5D Mark III is a great camera—but with bursts of 6 frames per second it’s not the fastest. For birds-in-flight photography, you want something with around 10 fps.”

Still, Raimond likes the challenge of getting as close as possible to birds without disturbing them. “Many birds are scared of humans,” she says. “It helps to use camouflage. Birds have their comfort zones, and as a photographer, it’s important to respect the borders. How closely you can approach a bird depends on the species and the individual. In some cases, you can gain the trust of the bird and it will grant you more privileges. Be calm, don’t act like a predator, and always be respectful.”

For finding the birds, typically in nature preserves and coastline settings, Raimond believes advance research is key. “I enhance my success ratio by collecting information about the subject of choice and I go there prepared,” she says. “Sometimes a friend tells me a location; sometimes I find information on the Internet—patterns, daily routines, specific behaviors of species—and that’s where the journey begins.”

Capture flight & motion

For wildlife photographer Jari Peltomäki, who lives in Liminka, Finland, birds are especially beautiful in action. “What I try to achieve most is the motion-blurred images of birds in flight,” he says. “I love it when you can see the movement in bird wings and also in the background, but the head of the bird is still sharp.”

With this in mind, Peltomäki typically applies manual settings to his full-frame camera and 600mm f/4 lens (he also shoots with a 200-400mm f/4 with a 1.4x teleconverter attached). “I set the ISO, shutter speed, and aperture beforehand so I have full control,” he says. “If I want to show the movement then my shutter speed might be between 1/15 and 1/125 sec. With larger birds, it is often 1/60 sec. With such slow shutter speeds, many of the frames will be rubbish—but occasionally you will get great shots with nice movement and a sharp head of the flying bird!”

Conversely, Peltomäki often freezes the action with faster exposures. “If I would like to get sharp flight shots of large birds like eagles, I set the speed to 1/1600 sec and aperture to f/6.3 (depending on the lens). My ISO depends on how much light there is—quite often it is between 800 and 1600. Smaller and fast-moving birds need faster shutter speeds: 1/3200 sec is enough to stop the movement for most birds, but this also depends on lens and shooting distance.”

Peltomäki advises shooting in horizontal light. “Bird photographers should take images early in the morning or in the late afternoon when the sun is lower in the sky,” he says. “In the middle of the day sun is often so high that you will not get the light in the bird’s eye or the full color of the feathers.”

He often uses hunting blinds as camouflage and tries to blend with the environment. “It is a great advantage to know the bird songs and calls that help to locate certain species; by listening to the calls you can also learn what the birds are doing,” he says. “I can be waiting in my eagle [blind] and without looking outside, I know by the raven calls which raptor will appear next to my feeding station. Ravens have different alarm calls for golden eagles, white-tailed eagles, goshawk, or gyrfalcon. It helps to study these things.”

Maximize detail & showcase your bird

As the author of bird-photography books including Secrets of Digital Bird Photography, William Majoros makes a distinction between aesthetic images and educational ones. “In artistic bird photography one generally tries to keep the background uncluttered—if the scene includes lots of distracting background elements such as leaves or branches, I won’t even take the shot, because I know it won’t satisfy my artistic standards,” he says. “For documentary work, however, I don’t always apply those standards—anything that captures interesting behavior is fair game.”

Majoros likewise varies his approach according to the species he’s shooting. “One of my specialties is warbler photography,” he says. “For these tiny, rapidly foraging birds, the best strategy is to use a shorter lens at close range—a 400mm f/5.6 lens lets you stay mobile so you can follow the birds and navigate the crowds at popular birding destinations, where a big lens might be an encumbrance. But for larger birds like herons, egrets, and raptors—which typically don’t let you get close—you’ll want to use a longer lens such as a 600mm or 800mm. This enables the types of shots I like—frame-filling photos of the birds with massive amounts of minute feather detail.”

For peripatetic subjects, Majoros relies on autofocus. “It’s best to get the bird’s eye in focus, and the beak if possible,” he says. 

However, Majoros sets his exposures manually. “The best way to choose camera settings in the field is to ignore the camera’s metering system and shoot as bright as possible without blowing highlights,” he says. “In the field, I take a number of test shots of the scene and check the preview of each shot on the camera’s LCD, with highlight alerts turned on. This maximizes the information content of the image and allows more flexibility later during editing on the computer.”

Majoros often finds his bird subjects in woods, wetlands, and nature preserves. “I’ve found that city parks, where there are people around, can be more productive than wilderness settings because in the city birds are used to seeing people and don’t spook as easily,” he says. But, he adds, many habitats can become overrun with other birders.

Sometimes beauty is in your own backyard. “I use my house as a bird blind. I set up bird feeders close to my window and sit there waiting for birds to perch,” Majoros says. “Obviously, shots of a bird on a feeder aren’t very aesthetic, but you can set up branches near your feeder and shoot the birds there to obtain a more natural-looking scene. And it’s a joy just to be in their company.”

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This post on waterfowl photography has been updated. It was originally published on December 17, 2008.

You don’t need to trek into the wild to create incredible waterfowl photography. City parks and wildlife sanctuaries are ideal for photographing ducks, geese, and swans. Not only are they easily reached, but in these spots, the wildlife is used to having people around.

Another advantage? You don’t need outrageously hardcore gear. While super-long, super-fast lenses and teleconverters can be helpful, more casual shooters can do well with something along the lines of a variable-aperture zoom, like the Tamron 70-300mm F/4.5-6.3, available for most full-frame mirrorless mounts for $500.

Remember, when it comes to creating captivating waterfowl photography, timing and technique count the most. Here are 10 specifics to keep in mind:

1. Get out often

Late fall through early summer is the best time for waterfowl photography. You’ll find fluffy newborn goslings and ducklings in the spring. Later in the summer, the birds molt and look scruffy.

2. Join the flock

Waterfowl are most active from shortly before sunrise until midmorning, and then again from midafternoon until after sunset. I like to arrive an hour before these prime times (yes, that often means showing up in early-morning darkness) to let the birds get accustomed to my presence. And when you move around, do so slowly and quietly. Bring a small foam pad to sit or kneel on; you’ll be less threatening to the birds if you’re low to the ground. A tripod that gets low is also important.

3. Watch the light

That the birds are active when the light is best is a wonderful coincidence. Those soft, warm, low-in-the-sky rays couldn’t be better. When a bird is lit by an early or late sun from the front or side, you’ll get an attractive catchlight in the eye. It’s a detail that separates a great bird photo from an also-ran. And with mallard ducks, buffleheads, and wood ducks, a beam of directional light hitting the right way brings out the full spectrum of iridescence in their head coloring. Watch the mallard drakes carefully. Just by turning his head a fraction of an inch, a male’s head coloring can change from nearly black to a splendid green.

4. Study their moves

Pay close attention to the birds’ movements, and soon you’ll be able to predict what they’re about to do and plan your shot accordingly. Most ducks, geese, and swans bob their heads up and down, call out, and turn toward the wind before liftoff. Dabbling ducks, such as mallards, take off almost vertically. Diving birds such as coots require a running start, as do swans and geese.

5. Mind the wind

Related: The year’s best bird photography highlights the humor, beauty, and fragility of avian life

Calm days are best for waterfowl portraits. (When the wind blows, the birds are more nervous and keep their distance.) Mornings with an east wind and afternoons with a west wind are most productive for flight photography because birds often take off into the wind and land against it. This means you’ll have the light behind you, shining on your subjects, as they come toward you.

6. Backlight right

Swans look dramatic when backlit, especially when splashing in the water against dark backgrounds. Sunrise and sunset are good times to silhouette birds against dramatic colors. Look for ripples, patterns, and reflections in the water to add further impact to your image.

Act quickly

You’ve got to be fast when doing waterfowl photography. Capturing the action often requires speeds of 1/500 sec or faster to freeze their motion. Don’t be afraid to boost your ISO to keep a fast shutter speed. I often shoot at ISO 400 or even 800. But don’t overlook using slow shutter speeds for creative images. For instance, if you’re panning birds in flight, try something in the 1/15 to 1/125 sec range. The idea is to render the bird sharply while blurring the background.

Expose accurately

Preset your exposure as soon as you arrive at your location. Either spot meter a mid-tone or use auto-exposure mode with evaluative metering. Darker- or lighter-toned birds may require some exposure compensation. I’ll often work up to 1-stop in 1/3-stop increments to either side of the meter reading. And digital shooters have the advantage of not only instant image replay but also the histogram. Study it! I like the histogram to stack up as far to the right as possible without clipping the highlights.

Nail your focus

When photographing waterfowl in flight, consider using your camera’s AF subject tracking mode, if it has it. Some cameras even offer bird-specific subject tracking. If your camera doesn’t have subject tracking (or it’s unreliable), stick with good old fashion continuous autofocus using the AF area of your choice—a single AF point or small cluster of points should work well.

Be sure to lock focus onto your feathered friend as early as possible, regardless of which AF mode you use, and continue to hold focus on the bird as it moves in the frame. I try to keep the AF point area on the bird’s head or neck while shooting. To help with faster focus, set the focus limiter on your lens (if you have one)—that is, tell the camera to search for subjects only beyond a certain distance. This will keep your lens from wasting time hunting for subjects in the foreground.

Make space

When doing waterfowl photography, it’s important to avoid centering your subject(s) in the viewfinder. That makes for a static image. Instead, give them room to move in the frame. Leave some open space ahead of the bird—this will imply that it is going somewhere.

Shaun Cunningham is a retired optician turned pro nature photographer based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

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This summer, it’s nearly certain that people will be heading to the great outdoors. As we look for ways to escape the heat and pandemic woes in crowded cities, many of us will turn to national parks and other public lands for respite. And, plenty will bring their cameras (or, at least, smartphones) along.

That begs the question: With a large number of folks eager to enjoy nature and document their trips, how can you be a respectful photographer while still getting that shot you’ve been dreaming of? We chatted with a public affairs officer at the U.S. Forest Service, who gave handy advice on how to enjoy your summer trip while keeping the environment and fellow travelers in mind. 

Related: How landscape photographer Erin Babnik captures epic photos without leaving a trace

How to be a good photographer and visitor: Use common sense

Common courtesy

Let’s be honest. Nothing ruins a good view more than a rude fellow visitor. Forest Service Public Affairs Officer Scott Owen recalls the time he visited Canyonlands. As he admired the landscape, another tourist approached and asked him to step aside.

“This gentleman comes up and goes, ‘Excuse me, sir….you’re in my way for my selfie.’ I wasn’t taking a picture. I was just standing there. That really rubbed me the wrong way,” Owen remembers. “I wasn’t real close. I wasn’t blocking the whole thing. I was just standing in one place, but the sunlight wasn’t good enough for his Instagram post.”

When it comes to sharing public lands, Owen highlights that common sense is the best guideline. With any beautiful location, it’s reasonable to expect that you’re not the only one who’s curious. Have respect for others who are coming to enjoy the space. Chiefly, don’t be a view hog, wait your turn, and don’t obstruct trails. If you drop your gear bag in the middle of a path, don’t be mad if someone steps on it.  

“We want to make sure that we’re being good stewards and that we’re not just out there to take that splendor away from somebody. I understand that there’s a need to get a picture, but just try to be a little bit flexible. Try to have awareness of others,” Owen says. Aside from common sense, be sure to also make note of written and posted guidelines. Clean up after yourself and make sure you have the necessary permits, if applicable. 

Treat wildlife with respect

Remember, wild animals are exactly that, and the place you are visiting is their habitat. It’s easy to forget this in parks and spaces where wildlife may be more habituated to humans, but at the end of the day, it’s still better to be safe than sorry. 

“Always be aware of wildlife out there, especially if you’re out on a trail without many people around,” Owen advises. “Even if the wildlife seems like they’re ‘tame,’ they’re still wild. Have a plan in case you come into contact with those animals. Know what you’re supposed to do and have the appropriate equipment there to make sure that you stay safe.”

Use the buddy system

Venturing into the great outdoors poses inherent risks. If you’re planning an excursion, use the buddy system and don’t go alone. Take someone with you and devise a check-in plan with someone back home. That way, in the event that an emergency does befall you, people know to check in and call for help.

What is commercial photography and do you need a permit? 

“Permit required” might be two of a photographer’s most dreaded words. However, their necessity isn’t arbitrary. Permits allow agencies to regulate often-times popular locations and ensure that the land is protected. 

“We want to make sure that we’re doing mitigation there so that other members of the public can see something that’s similar to it,” Owen explains. “It’s there to protect members of the public because we’re all public. We all own the land.”

So, what does that mean for the average citizen? According to Owen, if you’re just coming for personal enjoyment, click away (but keep in mind the common sense discussed above). 

Photographers engaging in commercial activity will usually need a permit. Though “commercial” is defined as any form of compensation (whether that means money or bartered services, ads you run on your YouTube channel, affiliate links included in the content when you share it, etc.), it’s best to call the field office that manages the land you’ll be visiting to clarify if a permit is necessary. Due to this ruling in which a federal judge ruled the National Park Service’s permitting system unconstitutional, policy across land management agencies in the U.S. is now in a gray area. 

However, not all public land is managed by the National Parks Service; others include the Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Land Management. Determining who manages the land you’ll be visiting dictates whose policy you’ll need to comply with. Remember, doing your due diligence is always worth it.

The post How to be a respectful photographer when visiting national parks appeared first on Popular Photography.

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Miami Pro Paul Marcellini is no stranger to Pop Photo. Readers may remember his high-impact black-and-white wildlife photos. What you may not know is that Marcellini (www.paulmarcellini.com) is a contributor to an international nature portrait project called “Meet Your Neighbours.”

Using the talent of accomplished nature photographers from all over the world, the project (meetyourneighbours.net) presents commonplace—and usually backyard—wildlife and botany in rather uncommon portraits reminiscent of Richard Avedon. Marcellini’s project covers much of southern Florida, and has contributed amazing images of numerous plants, insects, snakes, alligators, turtles, and even undersea creatures­—all cleanly posed against bright white backgrounds.

For the Portuguese man-of-war shown here, Marcellini started by building a customized aquatic tank to hold and photograph such creatures. Made from panes of acrylic, three of its sides are white translucent panels through which he can pop shoe-mount flash units, essentially turning the tank into a water-filled softbox. He shoots the subject through the clear front pane.

If building your own fish tank seems daunting, buy an aquarium from any pet shop—a 5-gallon version should do—and line three of its sides with a white translucent material.

When the shooting starts, you will need an additional transparent acrylic or glass pane, freestanding within the tank. This will help you nudge your subject closer to the front. The reason: To give you as little water as possible between the front panel and the subject, assuring a sharply rendered specimen. As long as it is clear and scratch-free, this moveable pane will disappear when your flash units fire.

Another must? Clear water. “In the field, this can be tough to find,” says Marcellini. “I usually use a white T-shirt, doubled over, as a particulate filter when pouring seawater into the tank.”

In the field is exactly where this photograph was taken. Marcellini shot on Key Biscayne, an island just southeast of Miami. He netted the man-of-war on the beach where it had recently washed up. Then he carefully avoided its stinging tentacles, photographed it, and immediately returned it safely to the Atlantic Ocean.

No men-of-war near you? No problem. Marcellini uses the technique described here for all types of aquatic and semi-aquatic creatures such as small fish, frogs, and salamanders.

Follow Marcellini’s steps to turn your tank into a fish-friendly studio:

Step 1
Gather your gear. In addition to the tank, you will need a macro lens that puts ample distance between you and your subject. If too close, your rig will throw a shadow across the subject.

Step 2
Set up the tank. On location, fill the tank with local water, filtering it through a white T-shirt folded in two. Catch your subject and carefully introduce it into the tank. Let it accustom itself to its new surroundings while you continue setting up.

Step 3
Place your lights. You will need at least two accessory flash units on light stands: one placed immediately behind the tank and the other in front. Fire them wirelessly, if possible.

Step 4
Work out the exposure. Set your shutter to its maximum flash sync speed, use a low ISO, a small aperture for depth of field, and start with the flash units at full power. Find the rear flash exposure by lowering its power until it just barely blows out the translucent white background. Do the same for the front light: Lower its power until it lights the subject, without blowing out color or subject detail.

Final Step
Shoot the photo. Keep your camera parallel to the front glass to prevent distorted proportions. When you’ve finished, return your subject safely to the wild.

The post You Can Do It: Turn Your Aquarium into a Fish Photo Studio appeared first on Popular Photography.

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If after reading our tips for better bird photography you ran straight to the woods with your camera, then this new software could be a great addition to your app arsenal. Merlin Bird Photo ID can identify bird species from a single image.

The site was created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Visipedia research project, and as of now can recognize 400 of the most common birds in the United States and Canada.

After you have taken a photo, you simply draw a box around the bird in the image, click on its bill, eye, and tail, and tell the program where you took the photo.

Merlin uses the eBird.org database containing more than 70 million bird sightings to identify specific species. The program will then present you with the top three matches to your image, including photographs and sounds from the birds.

“It gets the bird right in the top three results about 90 percent of the time, and it’s designed to keep improving the more people use it,” Jessie Barry, the Merlin Project Leader at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, said in a statement, “That’s truly amazing, considering that the computer vision community started working on the challenge of bird identification only a few years ago.”

The website is currently free to use, and a mobile app is apparently in the works. If image identification is your thing, check out these other programs that identify images from leaves to calories and everything in between.

The post This Clever Software Can Automatically Identify The Birds In Your Photos appeared first on Popular Photography.

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The Snail Kite is a bird of prey that can be found across Florida, through the Caribbean, and down into South America. And while it’s not in danger globally, in the Florida Everglades, there are just 400 breeding pairs left—which is why it’s officially designated a protected species. Now a Florida wildlife photographer is facing prosecution for disturbing nests of the birds multiple times in order to get photographs of them in flight.

As reported by WESH, Kissimmee wildlife photographer Jim Neiger of Flight School Photography has entered a guilty plea on charges of violating the Endangered Species Act. Under the act, you’re meant to stay 500 feet away from the nests of protected birds, including the Snail Kite. However Neiger was spotted multiple times by University of South Florida researchers wedging his pontoon boat into the reefs where the Kites nested, causing them to fly off.

Even though Neiger was seen doing this eight times from 2010 to 2011, he has had the charge reduced to a single count of violating the Endangered Species Act in return for a guilty plea. He could face up to one year in prison and up to $100,000 in fines. However, it sounds like prosecuters are instead looking at a probation period (which sounds far more reasonable), in addition to fines.

You can see one of Neiger’s images of a flying Snail Kite in the image embedded below, from his Flickr feed.

Lead image: By Dario Sanches from SÃO PAULO, BRASIL (GAVIÃO-CARAMUJEIRO (Rostrhamus sociabilis)) CC-BY-SA-2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

[via the Phoblographer]

The post Photog Could Face Jailtime, $100,000 Fine For Disturbing Protected Bird Nests appeared first on Popular Photography.

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