Wildlife Photography_ From Snapshots to Great Shots - Laurie Excell [36]
Figure 6.9 An American Kestral perches on a metal bar to better see his prey.
Tundra Buggy
When visiting Churchill, Manitoba, to photograph polar bears, you travel around in a Tundra Buggy. Its giant wheels safely maneuver the trails out to Hudson Bay where the bears congregate each fall waiting for the bay to freeze up so they can continue their journey out to sea. Although there are places where you can photograph polar bears one-on-one, I prefer the safety of the Tundra Buggy. Not only can you photograph the bears with no fear for your safety, but they come right up to you, giving you point-blank, close-up photo opportunities.
Close-up opportunities that would be impossible without the buggy include head shots (Figure 6.10) to paw details (Figure 6.11). A short zoom lens mounted on a second body lies on the seat next to me ready for close encounters such as these.
Figure 6.10 A curious polar bear checks out a photographer while a buggy full of tourists looks on.
Figure 6.11 Look for the detail shots when your subject is up close, like the furry paws of a polar bear.
Approach By Boat
The only way to approach some subjects is by boat. Harbor seals (Figure 6.12), sea otters, and Black-legged Kittiwake, to name a few, all live either in the water or on offshore rocks. To photograph them, you must go to them by boat. Some wildlife allows you to approach it, and other wildlife flee when you get too close. The key is to approach to within photographable distance while not disturbing your subject. It’s a win-win situation when you come home with great shots without negatively impacting the wildlife by your presence. This increases the chance of future photographers having the same experience one day. A kayak (Figure 6.13) is even less threatening than a motor boat. With its low profile, it gives you eye-level (Figure 6.14) access to your subjects.
Figure 6.12 A Harbor seal allows a close approach by boat to make frame-filling portraits.
Figure 6.13 Approaching wildlife slowly and silently in a kayak is less threatening than in a motorized boat.
Figure 6.14 A fishing bear pauses to check us out before diving back under the water in search of fish carcasses.
Getting Closer Physically—Slowly and Carefully
Truly, the greatest thrill is that of the hunt—to be in the wilds with your feet firmly planted on the earth seeking out your subjects using knowledge and wit. But as stated earlier, you must approach them in such a way that they know you are there yet continue on doing what they do with little concern. With knowledge of your subject and visiting locations where there is an abundance of wildlife that is habituated to humans, you, too, can approach some wildlife and get in the close-up zone (Figure 6.15).
Figure 6.15 A curious squirrel pauses to check me out while I click the shutter to capture its cute pose.
I always get set up well before I approach wildlife so I am ready to capture a spontaneous moment as it unfolds. Once I’ve found a subject, I get the insurance shots: I photograph it for the first time from a photographable distance and include the environment in the first few frames. When the background is as beautiful as that in Alaska (Figure 6.16), the insurance shots are great shots in their own right.
Figure 6.16 The insurance shots are the first series of clicks I make when approaching wildlife.
After giving the subject some time to get used to my presence and when it seems to be comfortable, I begin to move in closer. I call my approach red light, green light, moving when the subject is looking away and stopping when it looks in my direction. I continue in this manner until I am within the range I need to get frame-filling images of my subject (Figure 6.17).
Figure 6.17 A slow, steady approach brought me within frame-filling distance of a Bighorn ram.
When approaching many wildlife subjects, a zigzag approach is