WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY

Wildlife photography is a genre of photography concerned with documenting various forms of wildlife in
their natural habitat.
As well as requiring photography skills, wildlife photographers may need field craft skills. For example, some
animals are difficult to approach and thus a knowledge of the animal's behavior is needed in order to be able
to predict its actions. Photographing some species may require stalking skills or the use of a hide/blind for
concealment.
While wildlife photographs can be taken using basic equipment, successful photography of some types of
wildlife requires specialist equipment, such as macro lenses for insects, long focal length lenses for birds
and underwater cameras for marine life. However, a great wildlife photograph can also be the result of being
in the right place at the right time[1] and often involves a good understanding of animal behavior in order to
anticipate interesting situations to capture in photography.

History[edit]
In the early days of photography, it was difficult to get a photograph of wildlife due to slow lenses and the low
[2] [3]
sensitivity of photographic media. Earlier photos of animals were usually pets, stuffed , and zoo
[4][5]
animals. These included photos of lion cubs taken at the Bristol zoo in 1854 and in 1864, photos of the
last Quagga by Frank Hayes.[6] Wildlife photography gained more traction when faster photography
[7]
emulsions and quicker shutters came in the 1880s. Developments like these lead to photos such as the
ones taken by German Ottomar Anschutz in 1884, the first shots of wild birds in action.[7] In July 1906,
[8]
National Geographic published its first wildlife photos. The photos were taken by George Shiras III, a U.S.
Representative from Pennsylvania. Some of his photos were taken with the first wire-tripped camera traps.

Definition[edit]
The world's three largest photography organisations, the Photographic Society of America, the Fédération
Internationale de l'Art Photographique and the Royal Photographic Society have adopted a common
definition for nature and wildlife photography to govern photography competitions, their respective
presidents writing in a joint statement, "The development of a common definition for nature and wildlife
photography will be an important step in helping photographers, many of whom enter competitions
internationally, know what the rules are. It will also provide organisers with a very clear definition when they
need to deal with the problem of ineligible images."[11]

Gear[edit]
Gear for wildlife photography is very specialized and uses different lenses and equipment than most other
disciplines. Most wildlife lenses have a very long focal length between 150mm and 600mm, allowing the
photographer to get a tighter image filling the frame with their chosen subject. However, whilst the majority of
wildlife is shot with a telephoto lens, when a wide-angle lens is used it can provide striking shots of animals
within their environment.[12]
Some other specialized gear includes camera traps, hides, and flash extenders.

Examples

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A 500 mm telephoto lens, rigged with flash and monopod: a setup used for taking wildlife photographs
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Monkey's affection
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Griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus), France

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Deer, Thrunelly Forest, Wayanad, Kerala

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Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) before a rain storm, Kenya

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Kerala bison, Bison Valley, Parambikulam, Kerala

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Coyote (Canis latrans), Yosemite National Park

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Eurasian brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos), Denmark

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Monkey at Wayanad, Kerala