Wildlife Photography_ From Snapshots to Great Shots - Laurie Excell [46]
You’ve learned a lot of information in the previous eight chapters. So, by now you should have a pretty good idea of what you need in equipment and skills to make great wildlife images. In this chapter, I’ll share some of the realities of wildlife photography as I describe the trials and tribulations, and the highs and lows of photographing mammals—more specifically, capturing shots of coastal brown bears in Alaska. I’ll take you through my thought process in gear selection, packing, and dealing with today’s travel restrictions. I’ll cover the nuts and bolts of actual location shooting, as well as the logistics of travel, both getting to the location and getting to my subjects once I’m on location. I’ll discuss weather, light, tides, and the other factors that influence the success of a shoot; the long periods of inaction followed by intense periods of heavy shooting; the thrill of success, the agony of defeat, and the lessons learned. So, get ready for an exciting week of capturing great shots of Alaskan coastal brown bears.
Poring Over the Picture
The foul weather that kept us in the lodge for two days also brought up the level of the lake enough to feed the river, rewarding us with a rare opportunity to photograph the bears at this intimate setting.
What, Where, When, and How
Planning any adventure begins with deciding what you want to photograph, what equipment and clothing you’ll need to bring to accomplish your goals, where the best locations are for finding your subject, and when the best seasons are to photograph your subject (Chapter 5, “Location, Location, Location”). Preparation also includes the logistics of actually getting you and all your gear on location.
I begin planning an adventure well over a year in advance to ensure that I can book the location I want and get flights for a reasonable amount of money. Plus, long-range planning gives me plenty of time to determine what gear I need to add and the time to acquire it. Let’s take a look at the what, where, when, and how of a wildlife photography adventure.
What Subject
I first determine what it is I want to photograph. As mentioned earlier, in this case I’ll share with you an adventure to photograph my favorite subject, the Alaskan coastal brown bear (Figure 9.1). My love affair with the bears began over a decade ago when I made my first visit to Alaska with Moose Peterson (who became my mentor and friend, and the driving force behind my wildlife photography career in the early days). All it took was spending a week with the magnificent creatures and I was hooked. One of the requirements for attending Moose’s bear safari was that each participant research and write a paper on the coastal brown bear and send it to him before the safari began. That first bit of information enticed me to want to learn more about my new favorite subject. I bought books, studied others’ images on the Internet, watched videos and wildlife shows, and tried to soak up as much information as I could about the bears so I would be prepared for my first encounter with them (Chapter 4, “Get to Know Your Subject”).
Figure 9.1 A brown bear stands up for a better look, signaling the possibility of another bear in the vicinity.
What Equipment
Knowing what my subject is gives me the information I need to think about what equipment (Chapter 1, “Equipment Essentials”) I’ll need for the upcoming adventure. I always want to try to travel as light as possible without compromising my options. Here’s what’s in my bags for this adventure:
• Nikon AF-S 500mm f4 VR instead of my normal 600mm because it provides good magnification and is relatively lightweight. Also, it will give me a slightly different perspective on a familiar subject.
• Nikon AF-S 70–300mm 4.5-5.6 VR (in lieu of my normal 70–200mm 2.8 VR) ultralightweight and tack sharp is great for handheld shots. I compromised with the slower aperture to reduce weight.
• Nikon AF-S 24–70mm 2.8.
• Nikon AF-S 14–24mm 2.8 for environmental portraits and landscapes.