Nature Photography How To

Many of the wildlife tutorials we post involve the best gear, techniques, and camera settings to use for capturing great images of our feathered friends. After all, everyone loves birds, and there are willing subjects all year long no matter where you live.

Today’s lesson is a bit different and less comprehensive; as it explains what an accomplished pro says is “the number one tip” for getting the job done. Best yet, this straightforward technique is super-simple and it’s intended to help you capture stunning bird photos in a lake, pond or stream near your home. No exotic locations required.

Simon d’Entremont is a professional wildlife photographer based in Eastern Canada, and in this eight-minute episode he demonstrates “the critical tip of getting eye-level with your subjects.” It’s a simple concept that requires a shift in your approach to composition, but as you’ll see by examining Simon’s images, it makes a world of difference.

In essence, this “essential” style of shooting is much the same as we use for getting down low when photographing pets and little kids. It works by conveying a feeling of strength and prominence to all sorts of small-statured subjects.

As Simon says (no pun intended), “Most wildlife photographers would agree that this is the most important tip for taking nice wildlife photos.” Be sure to watch until the end, where he provides a bonus tip for shooting images like the one at the top of this page.

Simon discusses the concept of “perspective” and why this particular technique can pay big dividends. Many times you’ll achieve more captivating results than if you shoot down from above, when all that’s captured is the top of a bird.

Hopefully you’ll find time over this hectic holiday season to give these helpful tips a try. Our guess is that you’ll make a bunch of professional looking shots. There’s much more to learn about nature and wildlife photography on d’Entremont’s YouTube channel, so take a look and pick up some great advice.

And for another tutorial along the lines of this one, check out our earlier post explaining the best landscape photography tip you don’t know.