Three qualities it takes to be wildlife photographer
For wildlife photographers, there is something incredible about the feeling you get when you realize that you have got the perfect shot. You slowly lower the camera from your eye, click the “view” button, look at the small screen, and let out a sharp breath. “Wow! It’s perfect!” you think to yourself. That’s a rush that no one can beat!
Photography is a special kind of art, one where you get to take real life situations and beings, and find the angles and light that bring out their beauty. Wildlife photography in particular is its own kind of special. For starters, wildlife aren’t exactly cooperative models much of the time. You will also often find your subjects in remote and hard to reach places. And they might not even ever show up! With all that being said, this specific kind of photography is not for everyone. However, for those who enjoy it, there’s nothing better than capturing a beautiful image of an animal in nature. Once you have those photos you can use them for yourself, print and sell them, or turn them into stock photos for a site such as Depositphotos! So, what does it take to be a wildlife photographer?
Now, many blogs about “how to be wildlife photographer” will talk a lot about the gear you need to get started and the techniques you should learn, but it is so much more than that. It is true of course that you need a decent camera set up, a large lens to make sure you are a safe and respectful distance from wildlife, and can benefit from using a tripod, but if you ask me, there are a few things that are much more important than that. Here are three key qualities you need to be a successful wildlife photographer!
Patience
If patience is not one of your virtues, then put simply, wildlife photography is not for you. Wild animals are exactly that, wild. This means that they can be unpredictable, hard to find, may take a while to appear, and might not even show up at all. The incredible wildlife photos you have seen may have been taken after sitting and waiting for hours, and maybe even days!
However, since many of us who love taking photos of animals, also just love hanging out in nature, sometimes it doesn’t always feel like “waiting.” It is all about your mindset really. Regardless, you are going to need some patience in order to get those once-in-a-lifetime pics.
Resilience/A sense of humor
Sometimes after waiting for hours, days, or even longer, your animal will show up. In that moment, your shutter will go off like crazy as you get as many pictures as you can. Sometimes, once the moment has passed, you will find that not a single photo turned out. Unfortunately, this is probably going to happen to you more than once, so you will need to be good at shrugging it off, maybe even laughing about it, and trying again next time!
Besides this, the most incredible wildlife shots will often require going to remote and less-than-comfortable places. Walking through/waiting in terrible weather. So you must have a bit of an adventurer’s spirit to succeed here.
The ability to let it go
If your photo doesn’t turn out how you hoped, you may not be able to “try and try again” when it comes to wild animals. Therefore, you will have to let it go. Maybe your trip is over, the season is changing, or you have learned the animal you were looking for is no longer in the area. Whatever the reason, sometimes it just doesn’t work out.
If you can’t learn to move on, you will not enjoy wildlife photography, because more often than not, things do not go as planned. Being distraught over not getting the shot you wanted will only ruin your experience. Sure, you can be disappointed for a moment, but learning to let things go will help you have more fun along the way.
This is also important when we talk about ethics of wildlife photography. No good shot is worth disturbing or stressing out an animal. So, if there is no way for you to get the shot you wanted without doing so, you will have to settle for something else.
In Conclusion
Becoming a wildlife photographer is about a lot more than the gear you have, it is also about your patience, resilience, and ability to accept that things won’t always go as planned. Wildlife is unpredictable, conditions may not work out right, and many other things could go wrong while you are trying to get that perfect shot of a certain animal, so it is important to have some of these qualities in order to enjoy the process. Last, most wildlife photographers know that It also isn’t just about getting the perfect image, but the experiences you have while out in nature, sharing beautiful spaces with wildlife.
