Top tips for wildlife photographers

Our Wonderfully Wild Competitions ask for your best photos of bumblebees and wildlife in general. But how do you take a winning photo? Read on for our top tips.

• miss the eyes and you’ve missed the shot – getting the eyes in focus is key to capturing a photo of an animal

• use a telephoto lens – allowing you to get close whilst staying a safe distance. This is essential when trying to capture a good shot of a bumble bee. In general you should keep at least 100 yards away when photographing wildlife

• use a flash to fill in the shadows – it may sound odd but using a flash outside on a bright sunny day can help – it fills in shadows and provides detail where harsh shadows would otherwise be heavy and dark. However be aware that some animals will be scared by a flash

• you will see more if you are quiet – stop and remain still for a short while until the wildlife considers you safe and then take your shot

• anticipate behaviour – watch your target for a few minutes and then pick your moment to capture your shot – don’t wait too long though or your target may disappear!

• try to photograph small animals from a low camera position to accentuate their size

• remember that although a sleeping animal may look very sweet in real life, in a photograph a sleeping animal can look like a dead animal!

And finally...
• shoot, shoot, shoot – digital photography costs nothing and the more shots you take the more likely you are to end up with a good one!

Ready to take your winning shot? Head down to your nearest canal or river and then enter our Wonderfully Wild photo competition!

The winning photo of the 2008 competition