Nature photography is a genre which has always interested me. I would often birds, but a trip to India 15 years ago pushed me out of my comfort zone. Upon viewing them in their natural habitat, I found myself wanting to capture monkeys and apes more and more.

Getting Started with Wildlife Photography

When engaging in this kind of photography, the first thing you need is to be in the right place at the right time. My husband’s wish to see orangutans in the wild resulted in a trip staying in a cabin in the rainforest, and daily boat journeys with an experienced and knowledgeable guide. This put me at a great advantage of being able to capture exciting and natural moments. As well as the right location, good suitable equipment is needed. In my case, that was my DSLR with my Sigma 18mm to 300mm lens, and a backup of a lighter weight Bridge Camera. This enabled me to capture most of the subjects we saw.

 

 

 

What Makes a Good Wildlife Photo?

When it comes to photographing orangutans, or any wild animal, there are various approaches in order to encapsulate them in their natural habitat. You can opt for close ups, or capture them during a moment of action; tree climbing, interacting with other animals, or even family groups. Watching male and female animals peeling, preparing fruit for the babies and sharing food was touching and amazing to watch. However, the rarest and most exciting sighting of all is the “Alpha male”, as there is only one in a massive area of the rainforest. Our guide informed us that throughout his 15 years of touring, there had been only one sighting of “King Carlos”. You can imagine our amazement and thrill when the second orangutan we saw on our tour was the huge, impressive and amazing animal.

 

 

How to Prepare for Wildlife Photography

When planning on photographing orangutans, or any other wild animal, it’s vital to ensure you are prepared for every situation if you want to get the best photos possible. Think creatively; things like shower caps can be used to cover the camera and something to cover yourself with in case it rains. You will want good footwear for long walks through jungles or boardwalks to photography spots, as well as a jacket with plenty of pockets and a wide camera strap to comfortably carry your camera. However, the most essential thing and the one thing you cannot plan for is luck, as you never know what you might see when out in the wild.

 

Printing for Wildlife Photography

Once I have gone through the many images I have taken, I choose the ones I want to print. For me, the print is the final act in the performance. Choosing the right paper for the image enhances the picture and shows off your work to its best ability.

I have four or five favourite papers, although I sometimes use different papers from the Fotospeed range. My choice depends on the subject and on what I want to portray.  

The monochrome shot of the mother and baby is best suited to my favourite paper for impact, sharpness and showing off detail – the Fotospeed Platinum Baryta paper. To show off the hair texture in the image of “King Carlos”, I would use Fotospeed Platinum Etching. The Family group, which for me, has a strong emotional content is best suited to Fotospeed Natural Smooth Textured Bright White. For action shots, such as the orangutan with her baby in the trees, I would use Fotospeed Smooth Pearl.  It’s an inexpensive paper which renders colours well and has a pleasant sheen suited to many subjects including flora and fauna. 

Photographing wild animals is one of the greatest gifts or privileges anyone can be given. I have been amazingly lucky and have taken thousands of pictures of different species of apes and monkeys from many different countries. I have even put together a Fotospeed Sponsored Lecture to show the joy I get from seeing and photographing these amazing animals and my love of this wonderful world we live in.

 

 

Margaret Salisbury is a photographer and Fotospeed ambassador. You find out more about Margaret and view more of her work here.

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