Many budding photographers are inspired by the great images found in National Geographic magazines and other great photo journals. We dream of shooting a lion kill or grizzly standing at full height. In order to get to that level you have to start somewhere.

If you were fortunate enough to have been to a zoo, game park or reserve then you’ve probably had some reasonable success. This is because the animals are used to people, they can’t go too far and their enclosures are designed to help people view them. Here’re a few tips to help.

1. Lenses

You’re going to have to either buy a long lens, a new zoom compact or get closer to the animals. If you were at a zoo, the animals are quite close so it’s not a major problem. You can use your feet to get closer. A good lens for wildlife would be between 200 and 400mm. I use a 300mm which together with the digital crop factor turns it into an almost 500mm. A 600mm would be great if you are prepared to mortgage your home. Only worry about big lenses or compacts with bigger zooms if you are serious about wildlife and are prepared to spend money.

2. Get in close or zoom in close

Unless you are a serious wildlife photographer you won’t be shooting a lot in the big game reserves of Africa. Zoos have a lot of distractions, so it’s important to get in tight and exclude objects that shouldn’t be there. Change your angle or viewpoint to exclude elements that will distract or degrade your final image.

3. Be prepared to wait

Be patient even if you are only at a wildlife park or zoo. The shot that looks like it’s in the wild may take a wait of a few hours for the animal to get into the right position for the shot. The one thing the serious wildlife photographer needs is patience. This is even more so when you are out in the wild in a hide waiting for your perfect shot.

4. Planning

Just because there are many large subjects walking around, it doesn’t mean that you don’t need to plan your shots. Likewise, if they’re in a small enclosure, it doesn’t mean that the shot will be easy. Getting up early is important as most animals’ body clocks are synchronised to the light. This means they are more active in the morning. As an amateur you need to learn as much as you can, so if you’re serious, read up on wildlife photography. Find books, magazines and images on the internet and see what shots the experts are shooting. See how their shots are composed and try to duplicate them.

5. Shadowing

Find someone who is more experienced than you are and tag along with them when they shoot wildlife. A mentor will teach you more than books or courses. It’s the little tips and tricks they’ll show you that will help you grow. Remember that these men and women have walked long roads to get to there levels of competence. Don’t forget why God gave you two ears and one mouth. Listen twice as much as you speak and you will learn fast.

Remember that if you’re going to take this seriously, it will take time and money to get the shots you’ve seen in the books and magazines. Perseverance is the key. Read photography books where the photographer describes how they got the shot. All of us have to start somewhere and unless you are shooting wildlife regularly you won’t get to the level of the great photographers.

You might also like:

• Photographing Wildlife – The Eyes Have It

• Wildlife Photography – Five Practical Tips For Beginners

• Tips on Photographing Wildlife