6 Wildlife Photography Mistakes EVERYONE Makes! (OK, almost everyone!)
Note: Under the first mistake, I mention shutter speed, F/stop, and ISO. Many views pointed out that I missed exposure compensation - that's a good one to check as well!
Are you blowing it?
Over the years, I've witnessed (and committed) my fair share of wildlife photography mistakes and there are six of them that I see over and over. These wildlife photography mistakes often seem minor at the time, but they can have a devastating impact on the quality of your wildlife shots.
In this video, I'll talk about the most common six mistakes wildlife photographer's make - and what you need to do to avoid them. Check it out and take your wildlife images to the next level :)
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Which mistake are you the most guilty of committing? Come on, fess up :) (Also, please remember to share this video with your friends)
Watching too much beautiful eye catching theory online,seeing others doing it-while not practicing enough ourselves. Especially when we have somebody as talented,passionate and concise like yourself,Mr Perry. Fantastic job,as always.
My biggest mistake is my subjects out-patience me. I'll stand with a heron fishing with no luck for 15 minutes, start to walk away and then someone yells, he's got one! When I turn around and go back, he's already gulped it down. I need to take a chair. lol
@@adamturner9061 LOL, happens to all of us. My poor wife sent an entire evening waiting for an osprey to fly - I think she stood there for nearly 2 hours. It was getting late so we started back to the car. Didn't get 50 feet and he took off!
Not practicing enough and feeling comfortable in learning from my mistakes - lots of 🙂
Definitely, the #1!!! 😂
Good tips Steve, thanks. I will add a caveat when it comes to shooting in National Parks. When the Park (Yellowstone, Glacier, Grand Teton, ...perhaps others) says keep a 100 yard minimum distance from bears and wolves, please do so. Would be great to get closer, but the 100 yard minimum rule was created to not only protect you but to also protect the animals.
It's always nice to watch your material 👍🏻
Another great video. Thank you for taking the time, Steve. You’re the best.
Always great stuff. I’m guilty as charged and still working on upping my photography awareness. I’m also constantly checking my exposure compensation. White birds, dark birds against different backgrounds. Thanks as always for the great tips!
Thanks a lot for the video Steve. Haven't finished watching but couldn't resist writing this. The second mistake correction felt so useful and applicable to many other types of photography as well especially the connection with viewers part. Finished watching and I think this video is a must watch for every photographer. Lots to learn here...
Great video, Steve. Thanks for all the helpful tips.
Yep these are things we should all be conscious about while out shooting or before we even go out shooting! Thanks so much for another great video!!
Great video, thank you! It was a strong reminder to pay more attention on these important aspects. I definitely committed all these mistakes last year.
Great session Steve, this Is always inspiring listening to your suggestions 🙏😁
great photos in this video! i'm sure i committed all of those mistakes today, and will do so again tomorrow. thank you for helping me to be more conscious of them!
This is another excellent video, Steve. Thank you for all of your great work. I have learned a lot from you.
Really Great stuff! Thank you Steve.
Thanks Steve. For many years I say the same thing to myself - "Think background before foreground". Another mistake I make is chimping my shots too much in the field. Particularly a problem at high frame rates or when using pre-burst. Cheers.
Outstanding advice as always Steve- thanks
Good one Steve, always a pleasure to be reminded of what we should be doing! 👏👍😀
Really enjoyed this. Helpful.
Guilty of all of them! Of the 6 items you mentioned the one I have been focusing on the past year is getting eye level to the subjects and also watching the backgrounds. I know you had a note about getting low to the ground that it may not be possible. In some of the place in South FL I shoot at there are boardwalks so it is a challenge. Thanks again for the very informative video!
Hello Steve, great tip as always. Thank you.
It is a very informative and great video for every photographer, Thanks Steve for sharing your experience and helping those keen to learn more.
Nice hat! Also, another great video Steve. As always, very informative and on point. Thanks
Great video Steve. I learn so much from your wisdom. Thank you.
Thanks for the great tips again Steve , Awesome. 👍
Great tips Steve. Thank You
Great tips Steve, Thanks
Excellent video. Another setting to watch (if you play around with it) is exposure compensation! I've set my exposure at -0.9 before, changed situations and then taken an underexposed shot
super tips Steve and thank you
Another great video Steve.
Yep. Done all those, thanks for the video, well done
really good point about the noise and cropping. Haven"t thought of that really, thank you.
Thanks Steve. You're right. I've made them all and more than once. Thanks for reminding me. As always great video. Be well.
Another great video. Thank you!
Best of the best …. Learned so much from you…. And the results are amazing… when me and friends photograph together we always end up with different looking final results. Thank you!
I am guilty of ALL of the things you mentioned - yet I knew about all of them! I need to really make some changes! This is an excellent video, it's made me stop and think about my photography - and also, I totally love your big cat images - absolutely stunning.
Thanks so much!
Steve: Thanks for these tips - I'm guilty as charged on several of these mistakes. Also enjoyed your JoWP webinar yesterday (except for the slow reveal of slide text) - very nice job of compressing the greatest hits from your BIF ebook!
Thanks so much!
All those shots you showed in the video are superb Stevo.
Great info and tips.
Thanks for tips Steve
Photography teaches patience. Great video Steve!
Excellent !! Thank You :)
Great video Steve and a timely reminder on some key elements of wildlife photography and I have been guilty of falling foul of all of these at times especially the composition , I shoot the 50mp Sony A1 which does have immense cropping power but have become a little lazy as a result .
Great tips ! Thanks a lot !
Great suggestions Steve
Thank you for another great video! We are all aware of these mistakes yet (at least in my case) we continue to make one or more of them because we get distracted with something else. I’m going to put them on a little card and keep it with me every time I go out and shoot!
Wonderful tips Steve. I've made all these. Sometimes continue to, lol. Cheers bro.
Thanks for sharing another wonderful video like always 👍🤗
Thanks for watching and for the kind words :)
brilliant information really helped me as a novice 😃
This is so right on.
I should address you, "Professor Perry"…and as much as I have made all these errors and probably still do, perhaps my biggest advance over the years (particularly with respect to my wildlife photography) is that I am increasingly conscious of all of them. A good friend who shares my enthusiasm for your work has a great phrase for those shots that simply aren’t “wall-hangers” or fall short on any of the criteria you describe in the video here: photographic evidence. It has become our go-to description of those non-keepers or problematic shots. Through your work, videos and, especially, books, we continue to learn…and create better photos. Thank you.
Thanks so much!
Great photos Steve and good advice particularly about checking your backgrounds - nice benches behind you though 😂😂.
Great content, as usual. Thanks Steve However decent a photographer I am is, in no small part, due to what I've learned from your videos and books.
Thanks so much! That's very kind of you to say :)
Hi Steve, again wonderful advice that helps creating wonderful images. Mistake number 4 talks about quality of light, and there is also another great reason to hit the time periods you indicate, wildlife is more active at these time ! The more action, the more chances of keepers if one comitts to your recommendations ;-)
Great point!
A couple years ago, I was hanging out with my photo group. It was the middle of the day, 100+ degrees (very unusual around here), but here we were being intrepid wildlife photographers. All the critters we were chasing were smarter than us. They had already had their breakfast and now were just hanging out in the shade somewhere. But nothing was going to stop us from getting that award-winning shot! In reality, we were just a bunch of idiots sweating our arses off for no reason.
@@festerbestertester1658 One saying I like is that there's a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore like an idiot :) Been there, done that (both fishing and photographically LOL!!)
Being able to shoot at the eye level of subjects or to provide a better background is greatly facilitated by being able to shoot hand held. The very accomplished English wedding photographer, Jeff Ascough, who shoots primarily candids for clients mentioned that he first looks for a background and then for something to happen in the area. Including the selection of the background in the process of choosing where to be to photograph a subject helps a great deal.
So proud to tell you that you already have me from previous videos reliably checking out my bkgd every single time! I may have to live with a less desirable one but, at least, you have me checking it. I'm pretty much perfect there! Now about those other 5... 🤔🤣 Thanks for posting this helpful video!
Backgrounds are key for sure - it was one of the things that when I really started paying attention to them, that made a huge difference in the quality of my shots. :)
I make all of these mistakes, thank you Steve :)
I have committed all of these crimes either through inexperience or, at times through necessity. The difference between now and ten years ago is that today when i make one of these 'mistakes' it is almost always out of necessity - ie rare bird in a tangle of branches or not separated from the background or with blinkies in the background. Of course, it is more a 'safety shot' than an award winner but...... However, I find your videos to be of great value because they tend to help reinforce and clarify my thinking when out with my camera.
I did all of of them already. Not easy to avoid. But thanks for a remainder.
Hallo Steve, thank for your great advices ❗ Gratings from Hamburg area, Germany...
Another top video Steve .I’d probably say the setting that catches me out most often is exposure compensation. I was recently shooting a Shrike which was sitting on exposed perches against the sky. To bring out the detail I had to up the exposure comp by +1. After about 30 minutes the bird flew downward and towards me landing in a close bush. I froze and thought. this is it the killer shots. Of course, when I reviewed the images, they were all blown out :-(.
Others have said the same or similar. I added a note to the description are to include EV comp :) It's an easy one to overlook and I've done it myself.
I have never committed any of those at a time! usually it's all of them at the same time. BUT...the one I commit least often is the "standard tripod height" shooting.
Great video Steve, i like the “out in the field” style video. Is that the A7R 5 I’m seeing on the 200-600? How do you like it?
Good catch - it's close, it's an A74. Just started using it, and I've been impressed. It's not an a1, but for the money, it's fantastic.
Thanks!
Thanks so much!
You have pointed out all the mistakes I usually make but in my defence I simply need a longer lens but even used ones need some serious wife pampering to persuade its for the best. 😜 Thank you Steve for another great video.
I should do a video about how to butter up the wife for new gear!
I hear Rose’s voice in my head all the time when I am shooting - Watch Your Background!! - I love it. I wish you guys were doing workshops this year - maybe you could get one together in FL or somewhere in the US this fall?? Just saying……………….
LOL, I hear her voice in my head as well, although her criticisms aren't limited to my background selection :) Also, we might be doing some Africa workshops next year - I'm sure you'd enjoy them.
I always forget to set up my legs the right way... Yeah, i'm good for 1,2,3,4. Thanks Steve..
The being to far away is what I see and read about the most. People will complain about a camera with 20 or 24 megapixels and say it’s not enough for wildlife because they can’t crop, they need 50 or 60 so they can crop down to 20. Their problem is being to far away or not having a big enough lens.
Absolutely. I see it all the time as well. So many issues can be solved just by being within range of the target.
Agree, biggest issue - even with long lenses. Having 500mm or even 800mm leads many people to photograph from even further away. Then go and crop to death... Perhaps someone should come up with a 'recommended distance' chart. Something like 300mm small bird 2.5m, medium bird 5m, 600mm small bird 5m, medium bird 10m or so. (Guessing distances here, not a birder)
Another great video, good reminder of easy mistakes to make. As far as missing a shot because you don't have your eye to the viewfinder, I find that there are tines when I don't mind missing a photographic opportunity because I just want to enjoy watching the animal, behavior etc. We recently watched a lioness hunt and both my husband and I got a series of pretty cool photos but watching the action through the camera, which was amazing, is not the same as if I had just watched it. Don't get me wrong, glad I got the pics as it was a rare sightseeing. But I would rather sit and watch a lion and perhaps miss a photo of a yawn than keep my eye glued to the camera the whole time. Of course, if you know lion behavior, you can see a yawn coming and still get the camera up for the mouth open wide shot. But you do have to be paying attention and be prepared. It's a balance but I wouldn't always call it a mistake to miss a shot if you'rejust enjoying the moment, though I agree that not paying attention can be a mistake that can be the cause of missing a great shot. You have commented that you gotta love your subject, for you and for me that's wildlife. I also love photography and it's very satisfying to capture an amazing shot. But if I missed the shot but enjoyed the moment in the field, I want to be satisfied with that too. Angle and background are two mistakes that used to make all the time although as I birder, I wasn't thinking as a photographer but more in terms of just getting a decent capture of the subject. I am shifting more into photographer mode these days and always try to get the right angle and background. Of course shooting in game parks means you can't always get as low as one would like (I live in Tanzania) but we do our best.
#5 and not checking exposure comp - would love for the latter to be there in the EVF all the time like SS/ISO etc. Please Nikon, as well as a flashing histogram when I've blown the highlights, my other main stuff up!
all of them! But #5 is especially tough! Local Wetland here the "Birds" are always 50+ yards away. I will continue to get the best pics I can I just need to avoid wasting time trying to turn them into something not possible! ;)
Really amazing video! I make many of these mistakes! I will try not to make those mistakes,।
Another great video Steve. The only thing I’d add is when you talked about shooting in Florida. If you want to shoot in mid day sun… go to the beach. You’ll get some great shore bird shots due to the reflective nature of the sand.
That's true - sand can help. although it doesn't improve the direction of the light, only the shadows.
Hundred percent correct especially getting down low, it makes all the difference, the only real problem is getting up again 😂 it’s sometimes a real effort at 70+ yrs 🙄
Boy, guilty as charged! 😞 Every photographer should see this video. Really sums it up!
Not paying attention to the background used to be my biggest mistake. Now I'm always thinking about it😊
Nice vid Steve - Not finding your subject when the light is at its best - well I spent 21 days in the Mara and we found 7 leopards, 2 black rhinos and and and …. Most of these were not in the best light. We get up at 4am and leave camp at least 1 hour before sun rise but the Mara is large and one simply cannot find certain subjects. When you do find them you take the shot, but on a hot day almost every shot taken between 09:30 and 17:00 is ruined by heat haze and overly harsh light.
Man, that's the truth. Anyplace I've shot in Africa has been like that - once the sun starts kicking in, it's game over unless you're close and the animal is in the shade. (and even then it can be a struggle).
To be honest, I have a been a bit on the lazy side to calibrate any of my lenses. I only have a day off and just shoot, shoot, shoot. Just ordered the 600mm FL VR and will definitely calibrate it along with the other lenses with my D5 and other 3 camera bodies.
My biggest mistake at the moment, especially with birds, is to zoom in too tight so that I fill then frame, then have some action happen, and end up with half the bird out of the frame.
That happens to me more than I'd like to admit!
I guess I have made all of them! It is a good recap. Here is my summary of these mistakes and what happens to me... Mistake #1: Not distracted by others but definitely forgot to change the drive mode from 2 sec delay to normal shooting... Mistake #2: When I am in a hurry or plain lazy! Mistake #3: Got much better at it now... Mistake #4: Got much better at it too... Mistake #5: That used to happen when I was focal length limited and frustrated that I did not have a longer lens. Now I just don't shoot and expect to crop. I let it go... Mistake #6: Got much better at this one too... One thing I'd like to point out is you probably need to look at the text of mistake #4. It reads "Note Getting Out During The Best Light". You probably wanted it to read "Not Getting Out..."
Typos are my nemesis....
Guilty, still to this day. But, if I could choose my preferred position ( had the option) most of the time, half the problems you mention would be gone. Great vid.
I've done all of these! I've taught myself not to do most of them anymore though. Still a sinner for some of them sometimes...
Sure I've created more than 6, but those are definitely the top ones.
Guilty m'lud! Mostly I forget to reset EV comp after a series of shots. Then waste time fixing it while that million dollar shot gets away. Thanks for the vid.
Thanks, Steve. Which of your books discuss how to get close to the birds? Is there a video that addresses that?
None of them have any kind of slam-dunk advice for getting close every time simply because there isn't any. Generally, you need to seek out birds that are more accustomed to people or shoot from a blind.
I forget to check my settings all the time! I wish Sony had that LCD display on the top like Fuji does for a quick glance.
It would be handy.
Guilty as charged on all counts. Thanks for another informative video.
Same here - this video is as much a confession as a lesson :)
#1 is definitely me, mainly because my kids are usually with me. Every time they call me for something, I lose focus for half a second and that’s where the magic always happens. #2&3 I’ve gotten better at this, which has upped my photos since I started and I really notice the difference. #4 sucks when you shoot mid day in the middle of summer when photographing a snowy egret. Guilty of that last year, which was corrected this year. #5&6 guilty, but started thinking about this much more recently. In conclusion, yeah I’ve made these mistakes.
Same here - I find the more I shoot the more I tend to not make the mistake, but man, first time out after a couple months is pretty bad LOL!
I felt good that I consider most of those automatically after 25 years, though I will always feel bad when the hawk flies out of a nearby tree because I didn't notice it in time. You might add check VR settings. I still have some F mount lenses that cannot be used on a tripod with the VR on (70-200mm f/2.8 and 500mm PF) so I am constantly ruining landscapes from forgetting to turn the VR off and ruining wildlife shots from forgetting to turn it back on. I am told most of the Z mount lenses allow you to just keep the VR on all of the time?
Newer lenses tolerate VR much better than old ones. I don't worry about it too much with my Z series lenses. Check out the video I posted a few weeks back about stabilization / VR - lots of info in there :)
Yep I've done all of those more than once
Same :)
Not constantly observing my settings. I find I lean to much on the histogram without double checking settings. For composition, I have a 5 1/2" monitor mounted on top of a mamba cage plus the left side rosewood pistol grip supplied by SmallHD. Try it. You don't need the $2000 Atamos monitor that video makers use for what we do. I have the SmallHD one that sells for $329. It needs to be very bright for outdoor use, 2000 (something), nits maybe. I wouldn't be without it. Whatever your shooting that moves fast or for when maxing still composition in camera. I used it once on motocross motorcycle riders flying off jumps and and showing off "shapes" where they twist their handlebars to impress the judges. I was hard pressed to get anywhere close through the viewfinder, too fast. Piece of cake with a 70-200 lens and the monitor.
I know I try to get BIF shots when the light is too low and I set my shutter speed low so my ISO isn't too high, now I know my odds are not good no matter how good I can pan the subject but I knowingly do this hoping to get a few interesting shots when I have no business getting any at all and I like the occasional blurry flock of bird(s) shot. I figure I'm not shooting film it doesn't cost me anything to try and I sometimes pull one out of the hat per se. 30 minutes later I have enough light not to worry about this but I would rather try and experiment vs just standing around.
Nothing wrong with that and I'm certainly not advocating against experimenting and trying new things. :) In fact, I find that is the perfect situation to drop to really slow shutter speeds and do some slow shutter speed panning shots :)
Hey Steve, I am a young wildlife photographer and I was wondering if you could give me any tips about selling me work and editing it. Thank you
Excellent vid Steve I have 3 problems actually, #1 Need longer Glass, #2 a medical condition that I have trouble getting down low now days, am thinking monitor extension with remote ? and #3 Need more cash flow for the longer glass:) wife nearly had a heart attack when I told her I'm ordering a Nikon Nikon 600 f4s :) ........... Gary ..............AU
Hi Steve, I was going to switch from my d7200 to a z6ii but i noticed you said the d850 was better. What should i do? Which nikon is the best in that price point for wildlife? Thanks
It's tough - I still prefer the D850 over the Z7ii for wildlife. It's close IMO, and depending on what you do the Z7ii might be better. If most of your work is static /slow stuff, the Z7ii is fine. However, if you shoot a lot of action, the D850 would be my choice.
@@backcountrygallery Thanks so much
#2…i only check my settings after the thing that I’ve been waiting for happens and I’m hoping that my shutter speed was fast enough! Ok…maybe I’m guilty of a few more
The mistake of shooting too far away I have made only this last week. I am away with family and have nothing longer than 70-200 to use, but am seeing some exotic birds never seen before, but am mostly not getting close. I am therefore having to make the best and use Topaz photo AI to reduce noice and increase definition later. Will have to bring 200-600 or 100-400 with teleconverter on future family holidays. The difference getting low is huge. On safari earlier this year I shot low as much as I could and the quality improvement over previous safaris was huge. Funny I had everyone in group shooting low by end of trip once they saw what I was getting!
Clear, concise, and accurate. Always great stuff, Steve. I've made all these mistakes, but have to say, in the last year, not nearly as many times. I follow all of these tips/tricks "almost" all the time. One addition to "best time to shoot". This might have been labelled best conditions to shoot: which included sunny cloud cover. Three quick points here (and I know you know this). 1. A shaded area during even peak hours provides a nice daytime option if you miss sunrise/sunset (i.e. look for shaded areas with activity). 2. Shoot in conditions that convey the mood you want to use to tell the story (i.e. a rain storm, etc). 3. "Without a doubt, wait it out": I was recently shooting the spring migrants on the Texas Coast. I saw 15 photographers gathered around the base of a tree with ample food source for the migrant birds all running around, shooting up, from the base of the tree. I waited till all of them left "No light left" and set up my camera/tripod. Every single species they were hunting came down to eye level right in front of me, and munched on sweet berries. Orchard Orioles, Baltimore Orioles, Summer tanagers, Scarlet tanagers, Tennessee warblers, and Rose-chested Grosbeaks - and more. What the group didn't realize, was that their presence kept the birds away from eye level. Persistence and patience pays. ( you covered the shade part after I wrote this comment).
How do you get close enough to wildlife? I have a 600 lens, and even that's not enough. Most birds and other wildlife aren't going to let me get close enough to fill the frame. As for choosing backgrounds, I mostly take what I can get. It's not like I'm going to be able to maneuver around to the other side of the lake to get the angle I want.
The trick is to go where the animals are more accustomed to people - or start shooting from a blind. It's especially tough to approach an animal that is cautious and wary and even if you do, once you're close enough they often have a feeling that something is up and look frightened.
Oh number one to six is my nemesis…. Thanks saved this one to watch over and over until it sinks in
"Getting to eye level" was my major issue, which I solved with... a beach towel! I didn't want to lay down on the ground next to the local duck pond because it was coated with goose sh*t, but flopping down a towel first, it no longer bothers me.
Great idea :)
I have an insulated blanket that I sewed myself. One side is a camo pattern so I can sneak around in the woods. The other side is blaze orange so when I inevitably get lost, someone can find me.
Another mistake I see is not getting to know your gear. For example, I see people spend $1000s on their setup and have been shooting for years who know nothing about exposure compensation. Or this other shooter I know, again, with years of experience, who couldn't tell you the difference between focus and exposure.