Wildlife Photography Tips - 5 Mistakes I used to Make (And sometimes still do..)
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- Опубліковано 6 жов 2024
- Wildlife Photography Tips. I've picked out 5 mistakes that I often used to make in wildlife photography. They range from the simplest of things to more technical details. Do you make any of these mistakes? Let me know in the comments box below.
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Well done Paul. I always take spares a card for wildlife photography and go out to the birds in the lake. 👍💪
I keep my memory cards and batteries close to me while shooting wildlife. Agree on settings however, it should be checked from time to time.
@3:57 wow that is an amazing photo!
Thank you!
Yep - done most (ok all) of those. My particular blind spot is batteries 😕
Helpful as always. One question I have is are you not supposed to leave your memory card in the camera card slot then? I always removd mine after a shoot, download the images to my pc or hard drive & then format the card & put it back in the camera card slot thr same day/night. That way, it's in there ready for whenever my next outing may be. My more common mistake is flat batteries, done that a few times! 🙄
Thanks again for your vlogs Paul 🙏
i do the same as you Nick, I think most people do. For me though - I'm constantly downloading, making videos etc. so I need to double check when I go out that there's one in there.
Yep. Been there with all of these. I went out yesterday to a spot I have been photographing for a while now and didn’t realise till I opened the bag on the 200-400 zoom, that I left the d500 on my desk! I usually leave it on the lens, as I use a different camera with my other lenses and the lens back easily holds the lens with the camera body attached. Doh.
Thank you Paul....one mistake I commit at times is to forget activating the lock on my 5DMark4....in a recent trip photographing a tiger in low light, I was wondering why the photos are blanked out dark....that's when I realised that my preset shutter speed had changed and was at 1/8000.......however salvaged the situation and returned with some good shots.......
Hey Paul. We all do them. Hopefully this video helps remind viewers check everything before heading out. Greg
Cheers mate. it's always worth the extra effort to avoid the pain!
Very well done! I ALWAYS forget my SD card and that feeling is terrible.
I've done most of them in the past, I have now got in the habit of putting a formatted card into the camera when I take the one I have been using out.
Sensible indeed.
Hey Paul, good points. I too made some of those mistakes, except the memory card one. I always put the card back into the camera as soon as i'm done downloading the files to the computer.
Settings! I find myself distracted by a landscape image and then return to shooting birds - at ISO 100 and 1/30th second.
Hi Paul, I use a dual back button focus set up which allows me to jump straight from single focus/single shot with single focus spot for static subjects (using the AEL button) to continuous focus/burst mode with wide tracking focus mode using a second custom button. Works a treat!
That's cool. I like those options. Maybe I should look at that in more detail.
@@PaulMiguelPhotography I use Sony, but this method might be worth a look for you
Hi Paul.
I have a Canon 70D and it has Wi-Fi capabilities so I never take my SD card out. Links to my laptop when I enable the Wi-Fi function
I appreciate your honesty. We all will definitely make a lot of mistakes , esp. under time pressure. I am not a professional photographer, but I cannot imagine not having a memory card. 3 tips:
1. Do not remove it from camera, never.
2. If your camera does not enable cable/remote access, you should think about an upgrade, if you are forgetful :-)
3. I cannot imagine not having spare cards in camera bag. Any card might fail, be full, etc.
Good points. I prefer to download via card reader so I need to make sure I put a card in the camera. I think I might have a spare card in my bag. Problem is, I don't always have the bag with me for wildlife shoots.
Totally agree (about the patience). I always carry one or more SD cards
For forgetting the card, I leave the door open on the camera and don't put in back in his bag, also have spare SD card in backpack, happend too many times before that
Always keep a card wallet in your camera bag. I always have at least three cards with me at all times.
Yep, forget a memory card fairly regularly! Some great tips Paul - I tend to use custom settings on the dial to save autofocus and camera settings for different scenarios - works a treat and means you don’t have to dial in settings all the time.
Custom settings is good idea.
I found what works for me with the memory card is to put a piece of very bright gaffes tape ( doesn’t leave any residue on the camera) on the gate of the memory card any time I remove them. It’s easy to spot right away and reminds me to put in the card. Thanks for the video. Keep up the great work.
Love that!
Worst thing is to assume. Like you think you remember what your settings were the last time you you used the camera so you don’t check. Then you find out and remember you had bracketing or exposure compensation set and have just blown a bunch of images. Always check settings even if you don’t think you need to.
You saved me at least one instance when memory card not taken to the location. After watching you video , I checked and found both memory cards are out of camera . Mostly would have turned to the location tomorrow with out memory card , had I not seen this video. Many thanks :)
Brilliant! Well, I hope the shoot went well.
It went well Paul . Thank you.
Now believe it or not , almost had made the 'Forgot Battery' error. Well not exactly forgetting at home ,but did walked a kilometer or so , before noticing the engaged battery has about 10% left 😀 and the spare is in the car 😅
Watching this at 1.30 am. Ditto for me about the memory cards. Even twice in last 1 month.
Great video as always Paul. Don't know about canon, but I have three buttons set to separate af modes on my D500! Af-on single point, PV group, joystick centre press 3D tracking. Works a treat!
Sounds excellent. yes you can do similar on Canon.
Nice video!
Are you thinking about switching to mirrorless? It's a major benefit over DSLR for wildlife, not sure if I asked this already.
For sure. It's in the plan, along with other things for this year.
I’ve never forgotten to put a memory card in the camera! When I’ve copied the images from the memory card into the computer, the card immediately goes back into the the camera, before I even start viewing the images. So the only time there’s no card in the camera is for the few seconds it takes to load the images into the computer. I don’t know why anybody wouldn’t do this.
In general, if I forget something once, I might not do anything. But if I forget something twice, I try to make sure it can’t possibly happen again. Either change some procedure or make sure to have a backup. Keeping an extra card in your wallet, or in something else you always have on you could be another idea. Since cards occasionally fail (although it’s never happened to me) it’s always a good idea to have a backup.
I like your thinking. Very sensible. And prepared!
Hey Paul, I was wondering if you already haven’t done this could you please make a video explaining the different zone focus points, how they are used and give examples?
I have mentioned it a few times, but it's possible I could do more on this. Thanks.
The one I've never done is forget to put a memory card in the camera. But that's because I never take the card out. I use the camera body like a card reader. I attach the body to my computer and download that way. I have forgotten to re format the card after download though.
That fixes that problem. I always download via a card reader.
Hi Paul,
Good to hear even the pros still mess up 😊
For me it’s batteries, forgetting to charge up the one I last used in the camera, thankfully I always carry a spare nowadays 😎
Look through these comments. Everyone saying they forget to charge their batteries, lol!
I went out on Saturday to my local nature reserve, got out my car, put my boots on, got my camera strap on and camera. I turned my camera on and went to take a photo (I always take a photo before leaving the car park to check everything is working) and for the no SIM card display to pop up. So annoyed!! Now I keep a spare SIM card in my camera bag. Thanks for the tips 👍🏻
it's not a nice feeling. Glad you have a spare now.
Hello Paul.
Thing that i forget about is to check out the settings on my camera before i go out to take photos. Just like you said in this video. Many times i've had shutter speed that was too slow or something for the situation. So i just take photos all existed and somewhere on the middle i notice that and then the rest of the time on that day even if i have all things right it kind of bugs me so i may not get as good photos even if everything else would be great for it.
My 2 SD cards never come out of my camera as I use a usb cable to transfer my pics (and it also charges the battery once I switch the camera off) so will probably never make that mistake - but I do forget to set settings before I start taking pics! I am just learning about waiting for something different to happen, so I think that is a great tip. I belong to several FB wildlife groups and agree that many pics just look the same - it is great to capture special or different, more interesting behaviour.
Great video as always :-) Most things we do are habits, I always put an other card in my camera when I remove one. And as long as we learn from our mistakes they are not bad things imo.
I have left out my memory card, but I keep a spare in the strap of my camera along with a spare battery. I can shoot most all day on a full battery, but if I forget to change it then I have a spare. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Excellent.!
yep...forgotten memory cards many times, even missed shots of Deer and foxes because of this. Got the animal in the frame and no memory card flashed up, most annoying
Painful!!
I do indeed keep a memory card in my bag as a spare so if I ever make that mistake I've one to hand. I also disable the focus points I don't need and use tha back screen for my settings , but I do have on the psam dial two programmable modes C1 C2 that I use for birds in flight and stationary birds.
Good informative video as always Paul. Tfs. Atb joe
That's certainly useful using those custom function modes. I have that to a degree on my camera. Think I might look at using it more for the AF area options.
@@PaulMiguelPhotography yes C1 for stationary birds is spot focus C2 is dynamic 9 for flight birds with +1.3ev is really useful to do a quick change knowing the setting are already dialed in.
Hi Paul, Great tips, thanks.
Am I doing something wrong? I have been leaving my memory cards in their slots all the time! After being out I just hook up the camera to my PC via cable. Download/upload images to my PC, then once happy format my memory card in camera ready to go again. Therefore never forgetting it!
No, many people do the same Mal. That's safest. I just don't because I like to leave my camera gear where it is.. and I have 2 floors to climb every time I go in the office..
Thank God, you didn't start another mirrorless promotion like many others! I'm am old school student and still use 7D mainly due to its reliability and durability. Nourish strong liking for 1DIV, trying to get one. Use quality lenses EF 300mm f/2.8 plus converters and EF 400mm f/5.6L.
I've been shooting wildlife for 13 years. Perhaps that's why make fewer mistakes these days. But yes, still lapses happen. May be that makes me a human!
It is all quality gear. And very robust! I will no doubt get a mirrorless camera soon. It is necessary for some of my work. But I love the 1DX!
When i had my 40D took the camera out to a location and went to take a shot and realised i had forgot to put the battery back in the camera after charging it.
nice one Paul, i think if all us wildlife photographers told the truth you would of made this video on behalf of all of us haha! nice video.
Great tips. My forgotten memory card/battery solution is to never close the battery/memory card doors unless there’s a card/battery in the camera. That way, when I load up my bag, if either door is still open its a visual reminder that I need to put a card or battery in the camera. I’ve never forgotten a card since…even though I still keep a card in my wallet.
I really like that one!
Hey man, I'm still making a lot of mistakes. Great videos. I'm always learning.
I always replace the memory card after I have downloaded what is on the card to my laptop.
Definitely forgot a card or two and on one occasion the battery!!
Yep forget memory few times but as Nikon user normally have a spare in the camera two slots but slower carded speed But best one is forgetting the battery And then worst thing I do is practice new settings on the camera and forget to reset them before going out shooting and don't look at the camera settings and fire away then when I check photos and wonder why they're not good
Keep checking your settings before you start shooting. Yes.. batteries - seems a common one that!
yep Ive made the mistake of not bringing my card or even forgeting my batteries.
I always keep 'spare' cards in my camera bag.
I always make sure I have a couple of spare memory cards in the zippered pocket of my blackrapid strap. Also couple of spare batteries in my jacket pockets.
Excellent.
Resetting iso! I keep doïng that all the time! Hate it….
Set "Release shutter without card" in your menu setting to "disable" and you will find out that you haven't got a memory card in your camera soon enough, it won't let you take a picture. This way you won't take hundreds of shots that will never be saved...
When you get your R1, you'll forget all about selecting focus points. One back button for eye-AF and one for spot.
It sounds good!
Nice tips as usual Paul 👍and some great photos to👏 my downfall would be battery's not fully charged 🙈🤔
That's coming up as a common one.
@@PaulMiguelPhotography Many thanks for taking the time to reply 😇Really appreciated 👌
My worst mistake is forgetting to reset any exposure compensation settings I've put in. I'm okay initially as I set up and check before using camera, it's in the heat of the moment out in the field, an absolute facepalm moment every time.🙄
Yep, that's a common one, it can definitely sabotage photos! Thanks for commenting.
Forgetting to charge the battery, or forgetting the battery in the charger.
On a couple of occasions I forgot to make sure the battery was charged fully and I hadn't brought a spare with me.
yep, done that too!
I’ve left home with the batteries still on the charger too.
Don't think I've done that one. But have forgotten to make sure they're charged.
Gone out and took a spare battery, problem was it needed charging. The battery in the camera had enough power for 3 shots then shut down. Good job there wasn’t something special to photo.
👍
I forget to turn off the 2 second timer. My heart sinks as I watch the bird/animal disappear before the shutter releases.
Re memory card, I never take the memory card out of the camera and just transfer the images from the camera to computer over USB.
I do that sometimes too.
Charging up battery the night before then going out next morning finding out you got no battery in the camera🤣
😂😂😂 do the same mistake! I will remember your video next time I do them....
Always carry a spare battery (as well as a spare memory card).
All of them... XD This was more relatable than I'd wish...
As for my regular mistakes... I have two bags (a smaller day pack and my large one), it happened to me on multiple occasions to forget something like a teleconverter or my cleaning kit in the other bag... whoops
I have two bags also. If it's something small/cheap you could have one in each bag but otherwise not doable. I try to stick to one bag now!
I have two bags also. If it's something small/cheap you could have one in each bag but otherwise not doable. I try to stick to one bag now!
@@PaulMiguelPhotography I probably should, too XD
One day I turned up at this car park, walked across a field and saw a family of deer. The light was ideal.
Got the camera out and 5 seconds later it switched off. Thought it had more life left than that but no problem I'll put the spare in.
Spare was for my other panasonic camera. Too big.
Luckily it was only 15 mins away from home. 30 mins later I got back and luckily they were still there.
Got 5 batteries now but I'm waiting for the day I go further afield and realise my sd card is still in my pc 😭
Horrible feeling. How lucky were you that the deer were still there!! Thanks for sharing that story.
I must be getting old ... my wife and I went out birding today, sandwiches - check, chocolate - check, cookies - check, coffee flasks - check, 2 binoculars - check, 2 scopes - check, 2 tripods - check. Arrived at the site ... camera ... on the table in the kitchen. To be fair, I did make sure the camera had clean cards and a fully charged battery last night lol
Oh no! I have actually turned up to a workhop with clients. And forgot my camera....
My dream a camera please help me
I forgot to put a card in my camera for the first time last week, luckily I always take spares in my rucksack. I have my custom settings set up for different scenarios, but I have missed a few shots when going to my location with my camera in the bag, and suddenly see a bird, then by the time I've faffed about taking my camera out of the bag it's gone. However for me the biggest issue is taking photos when a bird is too far away, then I get home and wonder why I earth I took them.
Yes, if there's a chance of something, have the camera out and ready.
I’ve forgotten to check my battery and missed shots because of it.
Many of us have done this too!
Should have a spare memory card in your camera bag.
yes. Actually I think I do? I even forget..
yes. Actually I think I do? I even forget..
hahahahahahahahaha