How to find wildlife. My tried and true methods for finding wildlife to photograph
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ต.ค. 2023
- How do you find wildlife? This is a question that I've asked more times than I could count. Over the years I've searched for so many different species and I've realized something; the methods used for finding wildlife are pretty much the same no matter the species. In this week's video, I'll share with you my favorite methods that I use to find wildlife to photograph.
I'd love to hear from you. How do you find wildlife? What methods do you use in the field when looking for animals to photograph? Let me know in the comments below.
In past videos, I've talked about my favorite method to find wildlife. If you'd like to see some more in-depth videos about this method, you can do so here:
• Finding & Photographin...
• How to find Wildlife t...
As always, I appreciate your constant support, feedback and recommendations. I hope you all have a wonderful week, we'll see you next time!
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OMG that dog is just adorable!! And that backdrop is amazing, I thought it was a green screen until I saw those leaves move. Incredible
You know, I'm not much of a dog person, but a part of me really wanted to keep that fella as we bonded really quickly 😊 haha, I've heard the green screen comment before, but it's only real nature for me!
I met you once in Yellowstone. Good to see you’re still doing this!
Yellowstone is a beautiful place! Honestly, I think I'll always "still be doing this"! 😁
Finding the wildlife is the most important part of wildlife photography. Photographers spend a lot of time on techniques and gear, but if you can’t find your subjects…. Well done!
Thanks so much for the input. This definitely is one of the biggest parts of the trade, if you can't find wildlife, it won't matter how good you are with the camera or what gear you have. You simply won't have anything to photograph 🤷♂️
Jimmy asked, "I'd love to hear from you. How do you find wildlife?" Hey, Jimmy! I enjoyed this video. All of the fieldcraft that you discuss and show us here is cool, and interesting. It is also very old school. I have used all of the methods that you talk about here, except for using trail cams. But honestly, the most productive method I use to find photographable wildlife is to use social media and networking with other wildlife photographers and naturalists. When talking about trail cameras, you explained that you can only be in one place at one time, and that trail cameras give you the ability to "multiply yourself". Using the internet accomplishes this exponentially! This morning, in less than an hour, sitting in a comfy chair sipping coffee and snacking on chocolate covered hazlenuts, I have gotten detailed, specific information on the whereabouts of a 220" Mule Deer buck in the Rocky Mountain foothills, a Timber Rattlesnake gestation den in the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania, a herd of habituated Whitetail Deer in Ohio, and a place to find Shovel-nosed snakes in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona. I will put all of this information to use within the next 8 months. I simply spend more time photographing subjects, and less time searching for subjects, when I use the internet and networking to find wildlife. Times have changed!
Thank you so much for the feedback, that is definitely a method that I need to utilize more. I tend to do things solo, and most of the wildlife that I photograph are animals that I found myself and are unknown to other people and photographers. This allows me to have very intimate experiences with some awesome wildlife. That being said, I think I photograph a lot less wildlife than even the part-time photographer that utilizes social media and connects more with other photographers like you mentioned. In your experience using this method to find wildlife, are there many other photographers present when you photograph these beautiful animals?
Probably the single best video of wildlife photography tips I’ve seen out of hundreds. Thanks!
Thanks so much, that's very kind of you to say! I just tried to tell it how it is based on the way that I do my photography.
Great video, full of useful informations. Basically I used almost the same methods, but I need to improve footprints recognition, as well as birds voice, so I still have to learn a lot!! 😅 Thanks for this video. See you Jimmy.
Thanks so much, Giuseppe! It definitely is a great way to do things and there is always so much for all of us to learn. I'm constantly learning new things almost every time I escape out into nature.
Another really informative video Jimmy, some great tips. I have found that when I am looking for birds that are very camouflaged such as Owls and some Hawks I don't look for the bird. I find it is easier to spot them if you just look for shapes that don't look like they belong where you see them. Also one of the most important things in finding wildlife is to be patient, you need to put the time in to find what you are looking for. Thanks for todays tips and have a great week.
Well said Keith. It's amazing how fast the trained eye can pick out a shape, shadow, or color that doesn't belong, even when you're not looking for it. Like you said, patience is key in wildlife photography. That's a trait that is always worth developing in any endeavor, but twice as important in wildlife photography 😁
All good advice Jimmy. When one gets old, like myself, you kinda know from the area you are in, the probability of finding wildlife. Though surprises do happen a lot, its part of the experience.
My local area is blessed with a lot of vegetation. I started taking my labrador along about 12 years ago. They have a very fine nose, and once you get to know them I have found them to be quite beneficial. They will very rapidly go into an alert mode when something is close by. Twice I have been alerted to sleeping bears I would have walked into in the tall grass. One being a sleeping grizzly and the other a momma black with two small cubs. Also they do not scare wildlife, at least in my experience. A short story here from last week. I hope you don't mind. I was out in my small boat on a small lake fishing. Ahead of me there was a tree that had fallen into the lake many years ago. while I was getting close to the tree a Blue heron flew in and landed by it. I took that as a sign it was a good place to fish. I silently moved closer to the tree. I looked up and saw a Bald eagle coming across the lake. and heading in the direction of the tree. As it it got closer, it scared off the heron and landed in a tree above the fallen tree. Now that made things more interesting yet. I continued to close in on the fallen tree and went to the far side of it to get a better view of the eagle. At this point I was about twenty feet from the tree and pretty close to the eagle. I had a small camera and a 200 mm lens along. I photographed that eagle for the better part of ten minutes. It never once looked at me. I found that very odd. To end the story, I looked down from the eagle to view my camera screen. In the process of looking up again, I caught a glimpse of something right in front of me. There, not twenty feet away, sprawled out on the fallen tree was an otter. I was so focused on the eagle I never saw what was right in front of me. As I pointed my camera towards it, it was gone in a flash. A few seconds later, about 30 yards away, two heads popped out of the water and slowly headed South. I turned my boat around and headed North. The eagle, it was still sitting there. Have another great week Jimmy.
There are definitely benefits to having dogs with you, especially if they're properly trained as it sounds like yours is. I've seen too many hikers in my area that just let dogs off leash and run unsupervised and it ends up scaring all the wildlife away. That's an amazing story you shared, as you shared in your story, wildlife can often be the best way to find other wildlife. It sounds like you live in an amazing place, full of amazing animals and a variety of species. Thanks so much for sharing, I always love hearing stories like that!
Thanks for this video, I live near a forest and there’s actually a beaver bond in it so me and my dad left out trail cams there and we actually found a mink, coyote, turkey vultures, beavers and even a black bear. All of those animals were cool but I’ve never seen a Mink before so I want to try and find it and photograph it.
Wow, those are a lot of cool animals, sounds like you've got a wildlife goldmine on your hands. It's areas like that that I tend to spend the most time in and capitalize on the most. Best of luck to you with the Mink, they sure are fun!
Great advices, which camouflage cloth are you using?
Thank you so much! The pattern I like to use most in my area is called desert shadow.
Obviously without giving away your spots, are you spending time on or within proximity of marked hiking trails. My understanding is it’s flooded with people in the Teton and Yellowstone area but you seem to be the only person within hours, in your videos. Just good editing? 😂
Thanks, great question. At this point in my photography, I don't do very much at all in national parks. As much as I love the Tetons and Yellowstone, I rarely visit the parks anymore. Most of my work is off the beaten path, but I do have a handful of spots that are a tad closer to civilization.