A
Beginner's Guide to Wildlife and Nature Photography
Not
Being Seen - How to Get Close to Wildlife
I’d first
like to make a disclaimer by saying that there are some animals which
you should not approach. Obviously, it is not brilliant to creep up on
a bear or pack of wolves without years of experience and training. Not
so obvious, is that getting close to some harmless animals is ILLEGAL.
I’m not one to pay studious attention to laws, but these are
for
the animals’ good. For example, the common loon is a rare
bird
which resembles a duck. In most areas it is illegal to get within a
certain distance of loons or their nest. This is because a startled
loon may leave its young unprotected, accidentally kick eggs into the
water, or actually abandon its eggs or young. If an animal which you
are approaching shows signs of distress, please back up and give it
some room to relax.
Keeping that in
mind, how do we get close enough for a good shot? Your overall mindset
is perhaps the easiest and most important thing you can do, and will
probably suffice for almost all of your work. Don’t be
stressed
or pressured to “get the shot!”. This will make you
anxious, and your actions, whether conscious or not, may scare away the
critter your trying to get close to. Just be relaxed, and take it slow.
Another thing this does, is remove a sort of predatory instinct. By
relaxing, you are much less likely to be seen as a predator, and thus
will be tolerated longer. Be careful to not have the mindset of a
wanton hunter, crashing over the ground with a weapon (analogous to
your camera). Approach the animal as though you are a natural part of
its environment, simply coexisting. You are NOT an alien coming from a
foreign land with your camera in hand intent on
‘capturing’
your target - rather just be another life form minding your own
business. Don’t pay special attention to your subject by
focusing
on it for long periods of time or by approaching it in a direct line. I
think you understand what I’m trying to say: Be a part of
your
surroundings, not a visitor.
That alone will
get you pretty far, and will be especially useful for those animals
which are either not naturally afraid of humans, or that are partially
desensitized to us. For more skittish creatures, it may be necessary to
actually not be seen at all.
The most obvious
way to go about this is with camouflage. If you don’t feel
like
dawning a twenty-five pound USMC sniper Ghillie suit, just try a couple
simple things: don’t wear bright colors. Don’t wear
solid
colors (stripes or plaid will break up your outline much better). Make
sure to not have anything which may catch the sun (be careful to not
expose the camera’s lens until taking the picture).
Camouflage
does not make you invisible! Its purpose is to break up your outline,
making you harder to be recognized as a being.
To become
invisible watch where you are. Try to not stand out in the open or
completely in light. Move as much as possible in the shadows.
Don’t allow your silhouette to be framed against the sky. (If
possible follow the wise, though sometimes impractical lesson of the
ever hilarious Monty Python - don’t stand up!)
You’ll also
need to pay very close attention to how you move. The most important
thing to remember about this is, SLOW. Move as slowly as you can stand,
and then go slower. As you walk, roll your foot from the back of the
heel, along the outside to your toe. Keep your knees bent. Place feet
before putting any weight on them, then transfer your weight very
slowly. This keeps your movement slow, and keeps your balance. Balance
is hugely important because you must stop the instant the animal looks
your way, and because you may need to change the positioning of your
foot mid-step (never a stride) if a leaf or twig happens to be
particularly crunchy. Alternatively, you can crawl, which will keep you
low and perhaps give you a good vantage point from which to take your
shot.
I’d like to
point out, that sometimes the best way to get close to an animal is for
the animal to get close to you. By being perfectly still in a concealed
area near a water source or game trail, animals will end up walking
right by you. This, of course, requires tremendous patience, but can
certainly be well worth the wait.
All apologies for
the staccato style of writing in this article, but it most succinctly
gets across what needs to be done to get close to your subject, in
order to compose a great shot. I tried to not get too involved,
assuming that very few of you will actually go out stalking your
subjects. If you’re one of those few who found this
interesting,
and would like to know more about getting close to animals and
tracking, please visit http://wildwoodsurvival.com/ for tons more
information. If you get the feeling of some sort of mysticism from the
articles on seeing and not being seen, it’s for a good
reason. A
huge part of finding and getting near animals is your mental attitude,
and how in tune you are with the environment. Only thought and practice
will make you competent at these skills, but just remembering them
should be enough for most of your work (to begin with, anyway).