Wildlife Photography How To

Andy Biggs shot this striking image of a giraffe under an acacia tree on the Serengeti Plains in Tanzania, Africa, in 2007.

Ulf Amundsen captured this epic image of a herd of elephants in Etosha National Park in Namibia, Africa. “It was a straightforward shoot during midday in dry and dusty conditions,” Amundsen explains.

Does size really matter? To be clear, we're referring camera sensors here so don't let your mind go elsewhere. Or as photographer Anthony Gugliotta poses the question more specifically, "do your really need a full-frame camera or is a crop-sensor model enough."

All photographers want to coax every ounce of image quality and sharpness from whatever gear they own, and that’s particularly true when it comes to valuable glass.

At my workshops and lectures I am often asked by photographers how I am able to get sharp images at slow shutter speeds out of the affordable 70-300mm zoom I use for backpacking while they are unable to get sharp images with their 70-200 f/2.8 pro lenses. It is true that when it comes to lenses, the price tag does match the quality in terms of durability and sharpness at wide apertures. But by the time my carry-along backpacking lens is stopped down to f/8, it is nearly impossible to tell the difference between photos taken with it and images taken with the most expensive pro lenses. Honestly, the lack of sharpness in photos has less to do with the tele lens you are using than it might seem and more to do with long lens technique.

If there’s a more challenging photographic discipline than wildlife photography, I don’t know what it is. It requires heavy and expensive long focal length lenses, a sturdy tripod, and the physical prowess to schlep all this gear through physically demanding environments. If you’re thinking “that’s not you, Joe,” you are correctamundo so I asked a few friends for advice on telephoto lenses and this is what they told me.

If you need something to brighten your day – and who doesn't these days? – get a load of the hilarious winners of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020. We gave you a glimpse at 15 of the finalists last month and now contest judges have chosen the funniest of them all.