You have to work every sighting that you get! That’s how you are going to get memorable, striking wildlife images.
All too often, I see people on safari aim their camera at a subject, take a few shots, and move one. Afterwards they always complain that the resulting images are not what they hoped for.
The remedy, and I’ll say it again, is that you have to work each sighting !
Never stop looking for different angles, facial expressions, light. Wildlife can, and normally will, be quite unpredictable and therein lies both the challenge and possibilities.
Unpredictable means you have to always be ready or you will miss the shot. On the flip side, it can also mean that you have the opportunity to get different images of the same subject. Nice!
Two days ago, on one of our photo safaris, we found a leopard next to the road. Initially, he was quite comfortable in the long grass and we weren’t expecting too much. But then he started moving around and we started working the sighting!
The start of our sighting… A standard leopard image with the spotted cat moving through the grass. We could have stopped here, but after getting the shot, there was a lot more photography to come!
Crossing the road, the young male made for a great backlit image.
An over-the-shoulder look makes for a great animal portrait!
Even as the leopard walked away, we did not stop shooting!
Whatever your subject, always wait a while. Check things out, watch the light change and the animal move around. Try different lenses, try different aperture, try anything— as long as you work the sighting! There are images everywhere, as long as you are willing to spend the time and work the sighting!
As I write this, I am sitting in the car on my way to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park for a bit of a working holiday. Don’t you just love technology? Lots of photography and some good time with friends.
As always, keep sharing your images on the Bush Warriors Photo of the Day contest and remember…
You have to work it!
Until next time!
Gerry van der Walt
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