Page 87 - World of Animals - Issue #39

How to shoot it
086-087_Behind the Lens Bears.indd
George Turner tells us his top tricks
for getting this type of wildlife shot
Focus on the eyes
As a rule of thumb, having an animal’s eyes in focus
is a must. We make the connection with the subject
through this, allowing the viewer to travel to the
‘moment’ that you’ve captured.
With wild animals this can be tough but it’s all
about practice. Try easier subjects - e.g .pets - to
get used to moving subjects so you’ll be battle-
hardened when in the field!
Know the subject
Wildlife is notoriously diffi cult to photograph,
simply because it is so unpredictable! You can
remedy this problem somewhat by studying your
subject: when are they most active? Where are
they most active? How do they react to people?
Any unique behaviours?
By being able to answer the above, you can try
and get one step ahead of your subject. Even that
can sometimes not be enough, so persevere!
Get low, low, low
Just as focusing on the eyes is vital, getting low
is too. It’s a fantastic method to communicate an
animal’s behaviour. For example, a fox staring down
the lens (at eye level) gives the sense of a predator
looking at its prey.
With larger animals this is easy, just kneel down.
However, if it requires getting mucky in the mud,
© George Turner
you’ve got to be prepared to sacrifice that jumper
of yours!
87
87 12/10/2016 17:53