How To Prepare For The Image Of A Lifetime:
A Step By Step Approach

When it comes to photographing wildlife, being prepared when a shot presents itself is something any photographer beginner or professional can do to ensure greater success in the field. Some misconceptions I hear regarding my photography is I must be incredibly patient or have waited a ridiculous amount of time to capture many of my images. While I consider myself a patient person in many aspects of my life, this does not hold true when it comes to photography.

Most of my photography takes place during morning walks while on a work break and therefore I must keep moving. As a result, I rarely stay in one location very long unless I observe a rare species, one I have yet to photograph or see the potential for an exceptional shot. Even in these cases, I don’t hold still long. In order to have success with this run-and-gun approach being prepared is crucial.

Regardless of whether I am planning on heading out with my camera during a morning walk or spending an entire day at one of my favourite birding locations, following a series of steps ensures I am prepared for any shot when the situation arises. If you find yourself missing opportunities when in the field, adhere to this simple checklist for improved success. 

FULLY CHARGE YOUR CAMERA’S BATTERY

A fully charged battery ensures your camera has enough power to capture images throughout the day. I like to charge my battery the night before heading out. By employing this practice I have never had a battery die resulting in missed opportunities even while shooting thousands of images in extremely cold weather. In fact, I have such confidence in this I have never invested in a spare battery saving me money in the process.   

CLEAR ALL IMAGES FROM YOUR MEMORY CARD

Transferring images from my camera to laptop is something I typically do upon returning home from a day’s shoot. However, as part of my preparation, I double check the card in my camera has been cleared. Packing a second memory card is also a good idea as this will allow more images to be captured and provides insurance in the unfortunate event of a card error. Memory cards have come down significantly in price in recent years so there is little excuse not to own at least one spare. 

CLEAN YOUR CAMERA AND LENSES

Taking the time to clean the camera’s sensor and any lenses you plan on shooting with will leave you confident no dust spots show up on your images. While these spots can sometimes be later removed with various photo editing software, fewer edits made preserves the integrity of a photo. Cleaning your gear takes very little time and should be done before every shoot. Wiping down the exterior of the camera to remove any fingerprints or dust especially from the LCD screen will make reviewing your histogram much easier after capturing an image. A clean viewfinder provides an immaculate view of your subject and camera settings.

One item that often gets overlooked when it comes to cleaning gear is the lens caps. Think of how many times you have dropped your lens caps only to briefly blow on it or wipe it on your pants expecting it to be clean. When the cap is replaced back on the lens dirt and debris is easily transferred leaving potentially image compromising blemishes on the front element. I like to use a separate cleaning cloth for my lens caps as they are often my dirtiest piece of equipment, and I do not want to risk scratching my camera body or lenses with sand and gravel transferred from my lens cap.

TURN YOUR CAMERA ON AND LEAVE IT ON

Upon arriving at your destination and removing the camera from its bag, turn the power switch to the on position and leave it there. If you are concerned about draining the battery, no need to worry as most cameras have an auto power off feature. To save power the camera will automatically power off after about a minute of not operating. To turn the camera back on, simply press the shutter halfway.

If you are not already taking advantage of this feature it can be enabled from within the camera’s menu. Taking the time to turn the camera on via the power button or forgetting entirely before every shot is a missed image waiting to happen. 

 REMOVE YOUR LENS CAP AND LEAVE IT OFF

Many photographers leave their lens caps on while hiking around out of fear of scratching their front element. If this is you, try to avoid this practice as you are setting yourself up to miss potential shots. If you have to stop and remove your lens cap when a shot presents itself, most of the time the shot will be gone before you get the cap off.

If you are concerned about protecting your front element and your lens is equipped with a hood, put it on and leave it on even on cloudy days as this will shield the lens from tree limbs and other potential scratching hazards. Clear protective lens filters available in a variety of sizes to fit your specific lens can be purchased and are cheap insurance. These filters simply thread onto the front element of a lens protecting it from scratches. 

REVIEW YOUR CAMERA SETTINGS AND TAKE A FEW SHOTS TO CHECK YOUR EXPOSURE

Always check your camera settings to make sure they are optimized for the light conditions and your subject. Remember when photographing birds and wildlife you need a fast shutter speed. Adjust your ISO and aperture accordingly and ensure your camera is set to high speed continuous to take advantage of your maximum frames per second.

Once you have your basic settings dialed in, take a few test shots and check your histogram to ensure proper exposure and adjust if necessary. This works even if there is no subject present as in most cases the exposure won’t change even with a bird or some other form of wildlife in the frame. Remember to take a few shots of the sky as well so you will know the proper exposure and can quickly adjust for a potential bird in flight.  

 PLAN YOUR ROUTE

When photographing anything outdoors you always want to keep the sun at your back whenever possible. This will ensure your subject is properly lit. When it comes to photographing wildlife a little forethought can help achieve this. When heading out for a morning hike I always try to walk from east to west. Conversely, if heading out in the afternoon or evening, I plan my walk so that I am heading from west to east. In most situations, this helps ensure my subject is well lit and avoids backlit images and silhouettes.  

BE QUIET

Wildlife can startle very easily resulting in missed shots. I like to wear quiet clothing avoiding nylon and other loud materials alerting my presence to potential subjects. Moving slowly and quietly helps me get close enough to capture detailed images. Watch where you step as the sound of a breaking stick or leaves rustling on the ground can easily spook wary wildlife.

When sneaking up on wildlife avoid eye contact and don’t approach in a straight line. Using a zig-zag pattern is far more effective and less likely to cause the subject to flee. Be respectful and don’t approach too closely especially when it comes to nesting birds or wildlife with young. Remember the old saying “If my behaviour changes their behaviour than I’m too close.”   

FOCUS ON YOUR SUBJECT’S EYE

This is pretty straightforward. When the eye is sharp the image is sharp. 

SHOOT AT LEAST THREE FRAMES CONSECUTIVELY

Once focus is achieved on the subject’s eye and you are ready to start shooting, hold the shutter down and fire off at least three frames in a row. It has been my experience that by doing this the second image in a sequence of three is always the sharpest. When the subject is at a distance I find that most photographers achieve focus but then end up aiming low while pressing the shutter. Focus is once again acquired for the second shot and then lost high while overcompensating on the third shot, thus at least frames will yield better results than shooting individual images.

CHECK YOUR HISTOGRAM   

After shooting a series of frames, be sure to check your histogram to ensure proper exposure. Adjust as necessary and continue shooting. Light conditions are always changing, which is why I like to continually take test shots of the various scenes as I move along on my hike. This gives me a good base exposure that can quickly be tweaked if necessary once a subject is located.

Next to missed focus, improper exposure is the biggest reason images end up in the recycle bin. Sure you can try adjusting the exposure in Photoshop or other editing software, but you will quickly see the image quality deteriorate once you start moving those exposure sliders. For optimal final images always try to get the exposure correct in camera. 

You never know when the shot of a lifetime will present itself, so it’s best to be prepared if and when one does. After understanding camera settings and how to apply them to each situation, being prepared is the biggest thing any photographer can do to capture more consistent images. As you can see there are several steps involved to being prepared, but by taking a little extra time, often before heading out into the field, you will set yourself up for improved success and who knows maybe even the image of a lifetime. 

Good birding,
Paul