Nature Photography How To

Whether you’re photographing birds in the backyard, planning an outing to a local zoo, or shooting big cats on safari, achieving correct exposures is absolutely essential. This task is often challenging, as subjects move in and out of ever-changing light.

You’ll pick up a variety of helpful tips for increasing your percentage of “keepers” in the 15-minute tutorial below. Darrell Oakden is a British “amateur” photographer who shoots like a pro, as you’ll see from his impressive imagery.

Oakden is also an adept instructor, and in this episode he demonstrates how he consistently achieves accurate exposures, with practical advice on camera settings, exposure compensation, and when you can trust a camera’s Auto ISO option. He also discusses various shooting conditions, and how may they determine the best exposure mode to use.

While it’s always possible to tweak improperly exposed photos during the editing process, we wholeheartedly agree with Oakden’s assessment that, “getting it right in the camera saves so much hassle, and is far more beneficial for optimum image quality.”

Oakden provides a thorough discussion of various exposure modes, from aperture priority and shutter priority to shooting in manual, as well as the situations under which you’ll achieve better photos by choosing one option over the others. As you’ll see, there are other important considerations for increasing your odds of success.

You’ll also get a quick refresher of the Exposure Triangle, as Oakden explains how the three key parameters interact. Mindful that skill levels vary from one photographer to another, Oakden suggests certain techniques for beginners, and other methods for advanced shooters.

Regardless of where you stand on the experience continuum, you’ll pick up important techniques for taking your wildlife photos to the next level.

You can find more helpful wildlife photography tips and tricks on Oakden’s YouTube channel, so head over there after watching this video.

And if you’re just getting started in bird photography, don’t miss the tutorial we posted from another expert, with a complete beginner’s guide that will set you on the right path.