Wildlife Photography

[mdees88]

What type of camera do you use @mdees88? I think I read it somewhere in one of these pages but I forget.

I use a Canon 80D

 

[Kusanar]

Mr Toad that lives in / near my garden

 

[Alyssa-Bee]

300mm will give you some decent reach. Good deal.

Yes, it will be nice to have something that can zoom in! I was busy right after my last post on here, so I haven't tried it yet. And now it's dark. The overall price was around $600.

Do you mind if I start asking tons of questions?

 

[mdees88]

What type of camera do you use @mdees88? I think I read it somewhere in one of these pages but I forget.

I forgot to mention, it really is 90% know how and 10% gear to get good photos IMO. I know I said it before but I can take better pics now with a basic kit camera than I could with a $15,000 camera/lens combo 4 years ago.

Once you get the fundamentals down you'll get to a point where the the lens you're using will be limiting factor on taking better pics. Then you have to decide whether you're happy with the results you're getting now or if you want to invest in some higher quality glass.

But I think starting out with a kit camera/kit lens is a very good idea because you can still take very good pics with them and you can see how much you'll like photography as a hobby before spending even more money on it.

Yes, it will be nice to have something that can zoom in! I was busy right after my last post on here, so I haven't tried it yet. And now it's dark. The overall price was around $600.

Do you mind if I start asking tons of questions?

Not at all. I'd be happy to help if I can...

 

[Alyssa-Bee]

Not at all. I'd be happy to help if I can...

1. Is the screen supposed to turn black if you don't do anything with it (like 2 seconds of not doing anything).

2. What shudder speed would you recommend for a crane that's standing not very still?

3. Actually... what settings for everything do you recommend?

4. Because it was dark outside, I took a picture of the floor to do some experimenting with. When I went to try editing the lighting, it said something like: 'Your current settings will not allow this to be edited' Why?

That is all I have for now. Answer what you can or want!

I'm so happy I finally got a camra, and can't wait until I've figured everything out!

 

[Fuchsia]

I’m trying to get better at photography so all these tips and tricks are very helpful!!

 

[Alyssa-Bee]

I’m trying to get better at photography so all these tips and tricks are very helpful!!

mdees88 has a very long, and awesome post on page 9! I'm not sure if you've read it yet, but I think it is very informative!

 

[mdees88]

1. Is the screen supposed to turn black if you don't do anything with it (like 2 seconds of not doing anything).

2. What shudder speed would you recommend for a crane that's standing not very still?

3. Actually... what settings for everything do you recommend?

4. Because it was dark outside, I took a picture of the floor to do some experimenting with. When I went to try editing the lighting, it said something like: 'Your current settings will not allow this to be edited' Why?

That is all I have for now. Answer what you can or want!

I'm so happy I finally got a camra, and can't wait until I've figured everything out!

1) Yeah that sounds normal but most likely you can make it stay on or stay off in the settings.

2) I almost always shoot with the fastest shutter speed I can. But when it is getting dark, or shady, or overcast you cannot use as high of a shutter speed as when you're in the bright sun.

For completely motionless subjects I use 1/400 (but I would rather use higher if it's bright enough). For birds that are not flying I like 1/800 (or higher). If they're flying or moving fast I want 1/2000 or higher. These are general guidelines and minimum shutter speed depends on the focal length of your lens, whether you lens has image stabilization or not, and whether you want motion blur in the pic.

3) For wildlife I would recommend shooting in shutter priority (should be mode "S" on Nikon and "Tv" mode on Canon). This means you control the shutter speed and camera controls the aperture and the ISO automatically.

Then all you have to pay attention to is not setting the shutter speed too low during fast action shots or too high when it is not very bright outside. You'll know the shutter speed is too high when the ISO starts increasing to 3200, 6400, or higher. Ideally you want the ISO to be as low as possible (around ISO 800 or less).

Best thing you can do is watch a couple youtube videos about shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. It sounds difficult but it's actually pretty easy to understand and once you do understand you'll know why and when to change the shutter speed based on how much light you have to work with.

4) Not sure about that one.....

 

[Alyssa-Bee]

1) Yeah that sounds normal but most likely you can make it stay on or stay off in the settings.

2) I almost always shoot with the fastest shutter speed I can. But when it is getting dark, or shady, or overcast you cannot use as high of a shutter speed as when you're in the bright sun.

For completely motionless subjects I use 1/400 (but I would rather use higher if it's bright enough). For birds that are not flying I like 1/800 (or higher). If they're flying or moving fast I want 1/2000 or higher. These are general guidelines and minimum shutter speed depends on the focal length of your lens, whether you lens has image stabilization or not, and whether you want motion blur in the pic.

3) For wildlife I would recommend shooting in shutter priority (should be mode "S" on Nikon and "Tv" mode on Canon). This means you control the shutter speed and camera controls the aperture and the ISO automatically.

Then all you have to pay attention to is not setting the shutter speed too low during fast action shots or too high when it is not very bright outside. You'll know the shutter speed is too high when the ISO starts increasing to 3200, 6400, or higher. Ideally you want the ISO to be as low as possible (around ISO 800 or less).

Best thing you can do is watch a couple youtube videos about shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. It sounds difficult but it's actually pretty easy to understand and once you do understand you'll know why and when to change the shutter speed based on how much light you have to work with.

4) Not sure about that one.....

Thank you! You're awesome!

 

[Alyssa-Bee]

I experimented with the shutter speed, and took a picture in the very lowest posible in my dark room! It turned out so sharp that I can zoom in on a little hair!