Wildlife photography

person with camera

Ross Hoddinott/2020VISION

Wildlife photography

Top tips

You don't need a fancy camera to take some great wildlife shots, sometimes a photo on a phone can be twice as good. Here are our best top-tips on taking awesome photos!

Urban fox

Fox by Jamie Hall

Using a different angle

A really easy way to do this is to take your photos at a different angle. Try getting closer to the ground and get some grass or pebbles in the bottom of the photo. It will make the photo look more interesting because most people aren’t used to seeing a nice view/a building/their friends from the floor!

landscape

Scottish landscape by  Niall Benvie/2020VISION

Trying out colours

Another way to make your photos look interesting is to take them using different colour modes or to add colour filters when you're editing them. Black and white photos can create startling contrasts... very cool stuff.

picnic

Jon Hawkins - Surrey Hills Photography

Change the focus

If you're taking a photo on your phone you can use your finger to hold down on the area in the image that you want to focus on. This means that the background will blur out. This is useful when you're photographing little things like insects!

Mallard with ducklings

Mallard with ducklings by Gillian Day

Always put the welfare of the animal first
  • Don’t get too close - Animals are likely to get stressed and panic if you get too close to their home. They may even feel forced to leave their location and any abandoned young may die.
  • Careful where you tread - Stick to paths or tracks. This will mean you are less likely to damage habitats or disturb vulnerable wildlife.
  • Protected species - Make sure you know the protected status of a species you are photographing. Photographing some species during the breeding season is illegal.
  • Don't use tape lures - Playing calls to birds, particularly on a nest, can disrupt their natural behaviour and put chicks at risk.

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