How to shoot the perfect picture - Wildlife photographers reveal their techniques

in photography ever more sophisticated techniques have been developed down through the years from the wall frescoes in lascaux to the images captured by our current day digital sensors the methods of portraying the living world around us have enormously evolved but our fascination with the authenticity and the beauty of nature has remained unabated for today more than ever technology opens up for us the fascinating world of wildlife grandiose and at the same time subtle and delicate [Music] but getting near to rare and timid species is a real challenge at every stage when approaching them when lying in weight when using specific technologies photographers must adapt to the habits and way of life of each different species their photos tell the story of an encounter with a wild animal a hidden secret story of which the photographic image only reflects the visible part [Music] [Music] in italy the grando paradiso park is one of the natural reserves where wildlife is the best protected this is where the swiss photographer eric dragesco comes to take photos of chamois and alpine ibexes the ibexes can be approached on foot because they're not particularly afraid of man in the full heat of day in the intense sunlight of mid july eric thinks that the ibexes will tend to migrate to higher attitudes in search of cooler air he was right an adult male ibex is having a rest in the shade by following the mountain crest eric will be able to get near to him he doesn't go directly up to the ibex but stays in the open so as not to surprise the animal he wants to let him get used to his presence and takes on a relaxed nonchalant attitude eric stops 15 meters away from the ibex and waits to observe his reaction [Music] oh [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] the ibex doesn't seem tense without aggressiveness he's nevertheless assumed a dominant stance eric doesn't want to try his patience and humbly withdraws he has succeeded in capturing on film the majestic nature of the animal and doesn't want to disturb him any longer the ibex returns to his siesta and the photographer to his valley the great majority of mammals cannot however be approached so closely at dawn while they're feeding is when fabrice caes wants to photograph roe deer their fine sense of smell can detect a man over 100 meters away so a photographer has to approach them upwind and use the morning has to be able to locate it before he himself is spotted he has a powerful 600 millimeter telephoto lens that allows him to stay at a respectable distance in order not to frighten the deer a tripod is a must with this kind of lens even if the animal is a bit far away fabrice takes advantage of the rural decor and the soft summer light to take a few shots the deer has seen something suspect and perks up its ears to better capture any eventual sounds it moves further along the crest to test the wind the animal being too mistrustful fabrice decides to give up an anxious animal is not an interesting subject so it's just as well to leave it in peace a few days later now that the fields have been mowed fabrice returns this time chance is on his side he meets up with a very rare predator a european wild cat the big cat has its back to him so fabrice can approach discreetly beside the hedge that borders the field but two row deer have just come out of the forest they would flee immediately upon seeing the photographer which in turn would alert the wildcat it's always when you aren't looking for a wild animal that one appears the photographer has no choice but to be patient [Music] [Music] the deer having gone away fabrice can now glide noiselessly further alongside the hedge as the wildcat is looking elsewhere he can advance cautiously while staying in the shadows [Music] now the wildcat has decided to cross the field in full daylight this is an opportunity not to be missed [Music] but it is coming nearer and nearer to the photographer and ends up by hearing the sound of the camera fabrice then stops shooting even though he's no longer taking photos he stays stoned still so as not to frighten the animal away the approach method thus enables photographers to get near to wild animals although success is never certain with european wildlife which is particularly wary a few kilometers away the photographer vansom munier is waiting for his evening rendezvous with some beavers rather than trying to approach his subjects and take the risk of frightening them away he prefers to go straight to the spots where he knows they come regularly for that he has to be on site before the big rodents leave their burrows along the riverside has seen that european beavers are especially partial to the leaves of the willow tree the nord branches that he has found mean that several individuals come here to feed this is well worth looking into unlike their american cousins european beavers are mainly active at night so hopes to see them coming out of their burrows at sunset and benefit from the soft tones of the setting sun he is hiding behind some reeds not far from the willow tree favored by the beavers his camera is shrouded in a sound muffling cover to ensure a maximum of discretion now there's nothing to do but wait for the appetite of the water dwellers to bring them out [Music] [Music] [Laughter] the beaver is feeding on the leaves of the willow tree and on the bark not knowing that it is being watched it takes its time to dine in a quiet spot nearby before coming back for another helping sun has almost completely gone down below the horizon fortunately the sensors on modern digital cameras are very sensitive and enable photographers to dispense with a flash by saw not having budge the beaver feels in complete security and continues its feast the dark greenish brown mass of the photographer is just part of the scenery the beaver won't leave until it has eaten its fill [Music] but for other animals especially predators one has to be even more discreet we're in the jura mountains very early in the morning florence cardinal has spotted a red fox sparrow a few weeks before the female had given birth to two cubs to avoid being seen the photographer has to hide near the burrow while the animals are still sleeping he decides to build a lookout post covered with camouflage nets and nestled beside a tree which is well assimilated into the surrounding vegetation he now has to wait patiently and silently for the young fox cubs to wake up the hours pass but not everyone is sleeping spiders ants mosquitoes and slugs are having a good time tickling our motionless photographer fortunately this time florence patience and discretion are going to be rewarded [Music] unaware of the human presence the little cubs begin to stretch their limbs their relaxed behavior is just what is needed for natural and therefore interesting photos [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] from his position the photographer cannot however vary the angles of his shots even though he's in a front lodge florence has to hope that the foxes won't remain hidden for long behind a tree or in dark corners in any case sharing a few hours of his life with these wild animals is truly a privilege the time spent waiting for them is quickly forgotten as soon as these sprightly denizens of the forest make their appearance no question about it hideouts require a good deal of patience in addition success depends much more on detail preparation than on simple chance so after several hours of observation flora has decided to build another hideout at the top of a cliff on this slippery sloping terrain the photographer has spotted a dead tree that regularly serves as a perch for a peregrine falcon towards the end of the day florence installed a camouflage tent here three weeks ago but hasn't used it so far to let the bird of prey get accustomed to it as the peregrine falcon has extremely sharp vision it would certainly have noticed this new structure this evening flora is impatient to test his setup he hopes that the tent will have been accepted by the bird of prey his heart beating is all he is the falcon has just landed the bird seems anxious perhaps it has heard the click of the camera or is it instinct that tells it that there is something special going on this evening in any case it quickly impedes floron won't come back for several more days time for the falcon to get better used to the presence of the hideout tent the choice of location for a hideout is thus capital key factors are the powers of detection of the animal and the aesthetic characteristics of the scenery behind the subject as well as the direction of the sunlight to take these parameters into account while benefiting from the advantages of the approach technique two photographers had the idea of developing a mobile hideout for use on water it consists of a floating pallet covered by a camouflage tent on which the camera is placed the photographer hides inside the tent and walks on the river bottom as long as the water isn't over his head he can then get close enough to the birds to be able to photograph them from different angles and to vary the framing of his photos here the whiskered turns are not afraid of this strange object so unlike the characteristic silhouette of humans by moving forward ever so slowly the photographer wins the confidence of the birds while maintaining a stable base for the camera he can take shots of the bird's intimacy that would be impossible from the shoreline [Music] so [Music] mastery of the techniques for approaching animals and for using hideouts is thus essential for a wildlife photographer but photographers are also constantly striving to obtain ever more spectacular images notably by exploiting new developments in photo technology in his workshop marc jardel has used his electronics expertise to develop a particularly sophisticated remote control unit he wants to be able to photograph griffin vultures perched high up on a rocky outcrop which they use as an observation post to be able to have the deep valley below his background for his photos mark needs to place his camera right on the cliff face and so has to be able to control it from a distance [Applause] he also wants to be able to adjust the framing of his pictures depending on where the vultures perch in order to do that he has installed the camera on an electrically powered articulated support that can be pivoted both horizontally and vertically he has also added a system of his own invention for rotating the zoom ring from a distance the remote control unit manages these devices the greatest difficulty is to safely install this expensive equipment in its exposed location high above the void below [Music] [Music] having tested one last time the proper functioning of the system mark withdraws indeed vultures never perch in the vicinity of man and will go elsewhere if they saw him there for too long the length of the remote control cable enables him to hide in a cleft in the rock face 20 meters away from there mark can see without being seen he can survey the outcrop thanks to a tiny video placed behind the lens of his camera that transmits images to the screen of the remote control unit after a few minutes the vultures settle down on the rocky outcrop calm and unperturbed [Music] mark adjusts the framing and presses the shutter button at last he has the photo he was looking for [Music] [Music] the system is now fine-tuned this remote control mechanism can be used for numerous other subjects [Music] there is another area where technical aspects are predominant macro photography the art of taking close ups take good photos of insect life jill martin installs his material in the middle of the field in full flower the installation takes time but he's sure to find plenty of subjects right on the spot it's september which is the mating season for the european praying mantis this spectacular insect is endowed with a placid temperament and is not afraid of humans calmly entwined around a twig this female mantis has no other concern than to wait for a passing male to become interested in her she's us a perfect model for our photographer jill puts the praying mantis on a stand that can be adjusted to a millimeter this is necessary because the more an image is magnified the more the framing and the focus have to be precise a circular flash will illuminate the subject uniformly in case of need between the camera casing and the lens shield has inserted an extension tube that lowers the minimum focal distance he can in this way bring the lens close enough to the mantis to be able to obtain good close-ups of its head [Music] busy with his adjustments she'll even forgets that the mantis is meanwhile still busy trying to entice a male [Music] [Music] so [Music] [Music] in no way bothered by the photographer the praying mantis is just behaving naturally and following her instincts or other her appetite witness to the scene sheila is fascinated by the contrast between the beauty of the insect and the cruelty of its behavior he improves the lighting with optical fibers to highlight the very specific areas of the subject of course this outdoor studio is only effective with insects that cannot fly or which only fly rarely for the others jill has to use portable equipment and cannot use a tripod when a dragonfly settles on a flower you can't tell how long it'll stay there so you have to get into position rapidly as the dragonfly is much warier than the praying mantis jill has to take many precautions to be able to get his camera near enough he also has to be careful not to cast a shadow on the dragonfly or it'll fly away butterflies are even more difficult to photograph when they flip from flower to flower gathering nectar but the variety of their colours is a real feast for the eyes jill has to take advantage of an instant of him ability to take his photo as the wings of these insects move so rapidly that they will be blurred on a photo an extremely short exposure time of about one ten thousandth of a second is needed to freeze the movement of a butterfly's wings nevertheless some photographers such as gizlan simar want to take up an even more difficult challenge to successfully photograph butterflies in full flight but how on earth can one focus on such a small subject moving so fast to find the solution schizoid has built upon the work of stephen dalton an english photographer who developed the basic methods of ultra rapid photography during the 1970s he puts his camera inside a box which has an aperture in front of the lens on the side of the box a set of optical lasers detect a butterfly at the instant it enters the opening and instantaneously activate the shutter exposure time being extremely short a flash is required to complement the natural lighting the greatest difficulty is to persuade the butterflies to enter the box the photographer naturally takes the greatest care to ensure that no damage is done to their beautiful wings [Music] thanks to this sophisticated system jizla has been able to take many really innovative photos he has successfully married high tech and poetry above and beyond the ingenuity of his imaging system his finest achievement has been to create an impression of entirely natural lighting using flashes uses a similar technique on a larger scale to photograph the flight of bats the difficulty is exacerbated by the fact that the little mammals only fly at night and avoid all lights as they're very fragile and they're an endangered species tongi cannot take the risk of disturbing a full colony wildlife photography should never be carried out at the expense of the animals being photographed thus he's looking for a cave that only harbours a few individuals [Music] [Music] he spots a relatively narrow opening in the cave that serves as an exit point for the bats outside the natural decor is quite pretty he places an infrared light barrier invisible to the naked eye in front of this natural opening and installs a transmitter and a receiver face to face a bat passing between the two devices will trigger the camera shutter tongi adjusts the framing and the focus on a reference point along the infrared beam he simulates the passage of a bat with his hand to verify that the shutter mechanism works properly and that the subject will be sharp and correctly exposed this being done he now has to wait for nightfall when the flying mammal set out to hunt donkey doesn't have to hide only to stay still the bats will detect his presence with their sonar but will take him to be a part of the scenery at nightfall the photographer finds himself plunged into an atmosphere of mystery in the dark he can no longer see anything although he knows that the bats are flying all around him only the flashes indicate that one of them has passed in front of the camera he waits until all of the bats have left the cave before gathering up his equipment this type of photographic setup is complex and difficult to install it requires years of practice to be able to master the various technical parameters the images obtained are rare though which makes them all the more valuable as we've seen it's not easy to take photographs in the dark nevertheless this is just what some photographers want to do for example paul starroster who takes most of his photos in his studio where he can perfectly control the lighting on his subjects like a fashion photographer he prepares the set before the appearance of the model paul has made a reputation for himself with impressive portraits of reptiles and amphibians photographing in the studio with a black background enables his animal subjects to look their best without any extraneous elements such as set decorations dirt or shadows to distract attention from the subject paul often works with farm bred exotic animals but he's also interested in the local fauna that flourishes in the pond he's created by his house over time a whole ecosystem has developed there providing him with numerous and varied subjects whether they be plants insects or amphibians he begins in general with several photos on site to study the attitudes and the behavior of his animal subjects he's always happy to discover a new species in his garden this morning paul has received an order from a publishing company he needs to take the portrait of a green frog to illustrate a children's album to catch one without causing it harm paul jiggles a piece of silk in front of it having the natural impulse to catch anything that moves the frog jumps at the bait his little teeth get caught in the tissue and the frog stays attached but without harm paul takes it into the photo studio where the material is already in place [Music] over time paul has learned how to manipulate animals in the least stressful manner possible and to talk to them the darkness in the studio discourages the frog from jumping elsewhere so it has no other choice but to wait for the end of the photo session [Music] [Music] paul's voice is soft and reassuring and always respectful he hurries to take a maximum of shots from varying angles while regularly humidifying the skin of the amphibian he wants to highlight the green strip on the frog's back as that is an important characteristic of this species in a natural setting it would have been difficult to capture this anatomical detail because of the inevitable presence of mud or grass or reflected light all the more so because the frog would have wanted to escape which is not the case here where it sees that there is nowhere to fleet [Music] [Music] once he's sure he has the photos that will suit his client notably the close-up shots paul can go back to the pond and let the frog go free bringing an animal subject into the studio thus ensures optimal conditions for photography for those animals whose transport is authorized of course in brittany the photographer christian koenig goes to look for his subjects at the seashore at low tide he is observed that wildlife photographers are just about all interested in the same kind of species even though the vast majority of wildlife is never in the limelight that's why he concentrates on marine invertebrates creatures who are rarely photographed on the beach they don't appear very attractive but christian knows a little secret once his selection has been made he returns to his biology workstation at roskoff which has a number of aquariums where he can keep his samples this is where he has set up a macro photography studio he takes photos here of microscopic invertebrates such as coral for example for this he needs an extremely precise optical device which would be impossible to manipulate in the sea by using extension tubes christian can obtain a very high enlargement ratio creatures of surprising beauty then appear in his viewer quite astonishing fauna that his techniques and know-how have enabled him to capture on picture for the greatest merit of a photographer is to be able to unearth beauty in unexpected places is it not [Music] [Music] come the evening christian releases his captives back into the sea he is borrowed a bit of their lifetime but considers that it's all for a good cause to make these unfamiliar animals better known to the general public however for some subjects one has to get even more involved every april the photographer michelle plunges into the icy waters of a mountain lake he knows that he will be able to take pictures of the astonishing behavior of amphibians at this time of year this is the spawning season of the common toad when the males are taken with the frenzy and congregate madly around the females to feck and date their eggs as soon as they're laid michelle has placed his camera inside a watertight case he's using a wide-angle lens because of the magnifying effect of water he doesn't use a flash as he wants an ambience of natural lighting he moves very slowly through the water so as not to create currents which will stir up the sediment on the bottom and make the water cloudy the amphibians are too busy looking for females to be bothered by him on the contrary they cling on to anything they can find michelle is having such a good time with them that he sometimes forgets to photograph [Music] [Music] [Music] my [Music] so [Music] with his pictures michelle provides us with a new way of looking at toads instead of the traditional image of a repulsive looking animal he shows us a mischievous little creature amusing and engaging a creature who can make him stay for hours on end in the ice cold five degrees celsius water fortunately wildlife photography is not always so difficult in germany in the wild reserve of the bavarian forest national park visitors can see european predators which are becoming rare in the wild very big enclosures give the impression that the animals are living in their natural habitat here one can see the eurasian links as well as a pack of eurasian grey wolves this wildlife park enables beginners to practice photographing animals without having to disturb wild fauna way up in the mountains naturally the most impressive subjects are the brown bears [Music] my god [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] some photographers come here for days on end in the hope of observing their interesting behavior but not all of them have the honesty to admit that their images have been taken in a wildlife park in fact one does not have to be an adventurer to be able to take photos of wild animals nature begins right at our doorstep paris is an unexpected place to practice wildlife photography nevertheless it is right here by notre dame cathedral that jean-jacques bourgeois has spotted a pair of common kestrels these birds of prey sometimes nest on the cathedral towers a very photogenic setting providing that they're not perched too high up unfortunately today the kestrels are absent always carries his camera with him whenever he goes for a walk so he's been able to take pictures in the city of a kingfisher of a red fox of all sorts of tits and chickadees of a eurasian jay and even of a grey heron it's a fact that there are over 150 species of birds in paris jean jack's secret is that he's understood that some of these birds have become so used to man's presence that it is easier to approach them in the heart of the city than in the countryside continues his search for kestrels at another local monument the chateau de vansen in a neighboring suburb this time he gets lucky a female is brooding the male recognizable by his gray head is in charge of getting food for her regularly while the female takes the preferred prey outside of the nest to feed on the male takes his turn on the eggs to keep them warm until the female has finished her meal a few weeks later five little falcons have been born [Music] jean-jacques comes by every day to observe them fed on little sparrows and field mice by the two adult birds they grow rapidly to satisfy their ravenous appetite the parents are constantly in search of new prey [Music] [Music] by mid-june the little kestrels have grown a lot they're beginning to feel crowded in their little cubbyhole and are showing signs of wanting to leave the nest they're beating their wings for practice before a first attempt to take flight for jean-jacques who has been following their progress for several weeks this is a moving moment not to be missed [Music] it did it by instinct the young falcon has taken advantage of a gust of wind to launch itself into the jean-jacques void captured this magical moment the young bird of prey has settled down below a new world has opened up for it [Applause] the worried squawking of the rest of the brood makes the familiar nest seem far away now [Music] this has been its first flight lesson it's easier to go down than to go up [Music] returning to the nest is a long process but jean-jacques well knows that as soon as it gets back there the young kestrel will launch out anew and this time he'll be followed by the others tempted in turn by the fabulous experience of the first flight in the forests around paris people set down food for the birds but red squirrels are quick to come and snatch the foodstuffs they then go down to ground level to hide their booty takes advantage of their concentration on their task to approach them discreetly [Music] the lively behavior of this little imp is a favorite subject for photographers unfortunately it's attractive red fur is at risk of becoming more and more rare as an intrusive invader of north american origin the grey squirrel is progressively chasing them from their territory the invasion of the grey squirrel to the detriment of the red is already a real problem in england and in the north of italy this invasion threatens to spread soon to switzerland and to france with his photos shanshak hopes to make the general public aware of this threat to the very existence of the red squirrel then autumn has come softly and gently the trees take on golden and then reddish hues and cranes come down from the north the time has come for wildlife photographers to show their work each autumn the international festival of animal photography in monterey in france is the showcase for many of the best wildlife photographers from all over europe this photo festival enables lovers of nature to meet each other to contribute to a better understanding of the european wildlife and to participate in signing sessions prizes that are awarded to the best photos are particularly sought after this year vancouver munier has won the main prize of the contest for this photo of a kamchatka bear [Applause] but now at the end of the three-day festival the importance of public recognition and honours has faded for the call of the wild is irresistible and our photographers have already returned there where they feel most alive and attuned to the wide wild world [Music] there are still so many encounters to be made [Music] you

Channel: wocomoWILDLIFE

Views: 310,585

Keywords: Wild animals, TERRANOA, PLAY_EN, photography, animals, nature, animal documentary, close-up, close-up photography

Id: 0KTRKfSziwE

Length: 50min 48sec (3048 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 01 2019