Photography has been around for more than a century and our topics will never cease. There is portrait, landscape, wedding, and wildlife photography just to name a few. One of the most rewarding styles of photography centers on wildlife. It may take you several hours before finding the perfect picture and capturing it, but the reward is more than worth the wait.
Wildlife photography is perhaps the most difficult in the profession. You have to have the time, inclination, and of course the camera. Most wildlife shots are captured using a telephoto lens because the animal will not walk near you. Every once in a while you will be able to capture the fox, elk, bear or other animal as it comes through the woods in your path, however most of the time they are yards away and elusive.
Wildlife photography doesn't wait for you to happen a long and snap a photo. You need to immerse yourself in the site you choose your camera at the ready, and set for the light of the day. Most automatic cameras work great on the preset for those who are just learning to take wildlife photographs. Photography has always been about the moment and the best photographers can catch the moment with a speed and agility of the animal they are capturing.
Start with small subjects when you begin your foray into wildlife photography. Practice on your pet. Let them roam naturally and see if you can capture the wild and crazy moments on film without the photograph ending up blurry. All great photographers have studied and practiced. They also use more than one shot. Making sure your camera has a quick shutter speed will help you take more than one shot as your move with the animal. When you have the subject in your site you need to follow it while focusing and then quickly snap as many pictures as you can before they move out of site. This technique is known as panning. Rather than the subject coming to you, you follow the subject.
When you have mastered your pets you can begin to explore the outdoor world of wildlife photography. Some of your subjects will be standing still and this is another practice technique. Be aware of the lighting and placement while trying not to disturb the animal. It is most easy to get a squirrel when they are intent on eating or foraging for food. If you stay silent and walk carefully you can often get pretty close.
If you are choosing a larger subject such as a deer or bear you will want to stay far enough away to get the shot, and not draw attention to yourself. Bears are dangerous creatures, but they can be photographed if you use common sense and don't tread upon their territory. Wildlife photography and thus the photographers have a code of ethics when attaining the perfect shots. You will want to follow these ethics for your safety and the animals.
Wildlife photography is a waiting game for the perfect picture to sprint across your viewfinder. It takes patience and a lot of practice, but the reward of having a family member or friend go, " where did you get that photograph? I have got to have one," will sweeten the deal.
For over a century, Algonquin Provincial Park, located approximately two and a half hours north of Toronto, has been a favourite destination for wildlife and nature enthusiasts, as well as artists and photographers. It is a protected wilderness sanctuary of majestic forests, lakes, rivers and wetlands. The Park provides a safe haven for an astounding variety of plant and animal life. 53 species of mammals, 272 species of birds, 31 species of reptiles and amphibians, 54 species of fish, and approximately 7000 species of insects are all found within Algonquin's borders.
With popular resorts bordering Algonquin Park, it becomes a great opportunity for resort owners to draw additional tourists by offering Park visitors a comfortable and convenient home base from which to explore the Park, as well as a number of packages and services designed to enhance any Algonquin Park visit. These resorts are catering to wildlife photography enthusiasts by adding a number of wilderness and wildlife photographic excursions for their Algonquin Park resort guests.
Home to more than 2,000 black bears, 35 wolf packs and 3,000 moose, Algonquin Provincial Park's terrain is vast and widely varied, covering over 7,725 square kilometres. With its magnificent scenery and abundant animal life, it is no wonder that photographers, animal lovers and bird watchers are drawn to the area. In order to help guests get the most out their visit to the Park, Algonquin inns have begun offering specific Algonquin photography tours for their resort guests. Along with the popular Algonquin Park bird watching package, Algonquin fishing charter service, and Algonquin wilderness tours, these resorts have also added an Algonquin Park Photo Tour, a Moose Photo Tour and a Loon Photo Tour. These tours will enable guests to get all the animal shots that they are after, with minimal effort and a much higher degree of success.
Over the years, the numbers of hobbyists that are coming up to the park to pursue their passion are increasing. Bird Watching packages have always been popular. Algonquin Park offers world class birding and more people are enjoying the hobby. Additionally, many tourists to the area are interested in wildlife photography. Algonquin Park is huge and takes many visits to learn where to find a particular species at any given time of the year. Since most Algonquin Park visits aren't long enough for the amateur nature photographer to become familiar with the habits and habitats of Park wildlife, by offering specialized photography tours for resort guests allows them to get the most out of their visit and get the wildlife shots that they are seeking.
Depending on the time of year, tour participants can observe these magnificent birds nesting, with chicks, or in the fall preparing for their flight south. Spring in Algonquin Park can be one of the best seasons for wildlife viewing as animals are out and about searching for food, after ending their winter hibernation. When the weather gets too hot in the summer, some of the animals move further into the forest and are not quite as easy to spot. May and June are the big months for moose watching in Algonquin Park. In May, Algonquin inns also offer a Spring Moose Photography Package on land and, in June and early July, Cows & Calves Moose Photography Packages by boat are available. Moose rutting season is in October and a Bull Moose in Rut Package is available. This exciting full day photography package takes place on both land and water and is certain to be memorable.
Artists and nature photographers will continue to be drawn to Algonquin Provincial Park in ever increasing numbers. Algonquin Park accommodation properties understand that it makes sense from a business standpoint to provide the services that cater to the guests' interests and enrich the visit that many take to the Park.
Both Jasmine Stone & Gary Schultz are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.