Is Your Wildlife Photography Filled With...
Happy Accidents or Careful Planning?
Don't Put All Your Eggs In One Basket When Shooting Wildlife
I hear this all the time: "You're so lucky with the wildlife you get to photograph - I never see anything. I got a {eagle, bluebird, oriole, tanager, elk, bear, etc} back in 1995 and that's the closest I've ever come to getting anything like that." With some careful planning, you'll have more success with photographing the beautiful birds and wildlife which are plentiful in the world, instead of always depending on a happy accident to happen!
My best advice I can give...Don't put all your eggs in one basket when shooting wildlife.
In this video, I show you how I worked with one of my "happy accident" photos. I've also included some video notes below, along with links to the textures used in this video. --Jai Johnson
My best advice I can give...Don't put all your eggs in one basket when shooting wildlife.
In this video, I show you how I worked with one of my "happy accident" photos. I've also included some video notes below, along with links to the textures used in this video. --Jai Johnson
Notes:
Shooting at other locations:
Pick several, in case something happens at one of those locations.
What can happen?
1) The place you're going to can close down, or close a portion down.
2) The weather in that location may be bad, but in another location may be good.
3) Something can happen to block access, such as a weather event, road construction, events involving large groups of humans, which always run the wildlife out of the area temporarily.
4) The environment around the location can change (such as a new commercial shopping center being built, new house construction, a school being put there, etc) which can make things less pleasant...and then,
5) The wildlife can leave that location, sometimes temporarily and sometimes for good.
6) Or in the worst case, something can happen to the wildlife you're watching in that location
The same things can happen when shooting at your OWN location, your own property. But here's a few reasons to set up different areas on your own property. I have 3 areas on my little 1/3 acre plot of land around my house.
1) The light will change throughout the day in each of those locations. If you have a few separate spots set up, you can work the light instead of letting it control you.
2) The noise level around you -- which scares birds and wildlife away at my place a lot - can change in each of those locations.
3) Different types of wildlife will prefer different locations.
If you're not on top of things with your locations, you can become the victim of "happy accidents". Now, happy accidents worked for Bob Ross, and they do happen for bird and wildlife photographers. But they are rare. When you get them, they are shining moments! But they don't happen near enough. For example, this bird I'm working on in this video...I was in the car riding around for 24 hours total {12 hours each day for 2 days!} this week before I saw that bird. That's a lot of time, a lot of gas, just a lot of investment for this one little bird!
In order to get more consistent results so you don't have to depend on those happy accidents with your wildlife photography, here's my little tidbit of advice:
1) Choose different other locations you can visit, in case something happens at one, you'll have other choices.
2) Create different locations at your own place if you draw in wildlife there.
Pick several, in case something happens at one of those locations.
What can happen?
1) The place you're going to can close down, or close a portion down.
2) The weather in that location may be bad, but in another location may be good.
3) Something can happen to block access, such as a weather event, road construction, events involving large groups of humans, which always run the wildlife out of the area temporarily.
4) The environment around the location can change (such as a new commercial shopping center being built, new house construction, a school being put there, etc) which can make things less pleasant...and then,
5) The wildlife can leave that location, sometimes temporarily and sometimes for good.
6) Or in the worst case, something can happen to the wildlife you're watching in that location
The same things can happen when shooting at your OWN location, your own property. But here's a few reasons to set up different areas on your own property. I have 3 areas on my little 1/3 acre plot of land around my house.
1) The light will change throughout the day in each of those locations. If you have a few separate spots set up, you can work the light instead of letting it control you.
2) The noise level around you -- which scares birds and wildlife away at my place a lot - can change in each of those locations.
3) Different types of wildlife will prefer different locations.
If you're not on top of things with your locations, you can become the victim of "happy accidents". Now, happy accidents worked for Bob Ross, and they do happen for bird and wildlife photographers. But they are rare. When you get them, they are shining moments! But they don't happen near enough. For example, this bird I'm working on in this video...I was in the car riding around for 24 hours total {12 hours each day for 2 days!} this week before I saw that bird. That's a lot of time, a lot of gas, just a lot of investment for this one little bird!
In order to get more consistent results so you don't have to depend on those happy accidents with your wildlife photography, here's my little tidbit of advice:
1) Choose different other locations you can visit, in case something happens at one, you'll have other choices.
2) Create different locations at your own place if you draw in wildlife there.
The Final Art Created In The Video:
