Quote from: dirkr on November 29, 2015, 18:36

But go out and shoot some wildlife, you'll see that it's not so easy...

That comment attracted my attention, Dirkr, because I shoot wildlife and I agree with what you wrote. It also made me want to see your work, which I just did on DT.

Very nice wildlife images!! Your portfolio is much like mine, except the critters we shoot live on opposite sides of the globe and have very different names and looks. Some day, I hope to have the chance to shoot wildlife Down Under. 

Quote from: Mantis on December 06, 2015, 17:18

Quote from: marthamarks on December 06, 2015, 17:08

Quote from: dirkr on November 29, 2015, 18:36

But go out and shoot some wildlife, you'll see that it's not so easy...

That comment attracted my attention, Dirkr, because I shoot wildlife and I agree with what you wrote. It also made me want to see your work, which I just did on DT.

Very nice wildlife images!! Your portfolio is much like mine, except the critters we shoot live on opposite sides of the globe and have very different names and looks. Some day, I hope to have the chance to shoot wildlife Down Under. 

I agree. Wildlife is not like shooting landscapes.  My wildlife work is underwater. My rules are

1. Animals never hold still
2. You MUST know their common behaviors
3. You must know their light reflectivity or absorption features
4. You must know their habitat
5. You must know their defense mechanisms
6. You MUST know how to approach them without scaring them
7. You must know how seasons affect behaviors
8 You must accept defeat (I have worked on animals for an hour or more until my air ran out and not got the shot)
9. You can almost never go back to the same site and find the same animal, nearly impossible unless you are shooting sessile creatures such as anemones and sea fans. Here's a shot where I have sessile animals (the sea fans) and free-swimming fish in one shot. This took several dives to get the orange fish composed in the shot. A little hand full of frozen peas helps:)

 

I have never done any real diving, only snorkeling. I can imagine that adds a completely new layer of difficulty to the photography itself.
Nice image!