When you’re shooting in a zoo, for instance, you can take photographs to make it look as if you are in the wild. So, how do you go about that:
Removing signs of humans
In most (but not all) cases, you will want to avoid showing any man-made environment. Lose any signs. If there’s something in the background that says Bristol Zoo or Paignton Zoo then it obviously links it to the zoo and takes the picture away from a natural context. In most cases, as long as there is nothing that looks false in that picture, and it looks like nature created the scene, you will be like a pig in clover.
Does the background and lighting make sense?
Choose a background that doesn’t contradict the animal’s natural habitat. You might also need to wait for the light to be right. An African animal with cloudy skies behind it might not work. Otherwise, even though the colour balance of the light in Africa may be slightly different, you can get away with it, especially now with all the special filters you can use.
There’s no typical ‘go to’ lens that you would use to take a zoo shot that looks like nature photography. I’ve taken close shots using a wide-angled lens, I’ve used medium length lenses and I’ve done stuff with really long lenses.
It’s your viewpoint and your background that makes it a natural-looking shot.
Using artificial means to achieve a natural shot
Sometimes, getting the perfect simulated ‘nature photography’ shot is a matter of being patient, or just being in the right place at the right time. At other times, you may need to improvise. For example, when the Sumatran tiger Tenang first came to Paignton Zoo, he was so scared he wouldn’t come across. I got some great shots of him ‘stalking’ me, but in reality I was behind a barrier, and he was coming for his food box, because he was being fed through a drawer. So, there was bait there.
For more detailed advice on taking nature photography, sign up for my mailing list, and watch this space for information on my upcoming ‘So You Want To Be a Photographer!’ book series.
Have a burning photography question you would like Al to write about in his next blog post? Email info@miraclepr.com with your request.
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