A Couple Wildlife Photography Tips

1. Buy the best lenses that you can afford. You will often come across "once in a lifetime" photo opportunities." Every one of those instances will be different, but every situation will be just as exciting and just as important to you as the last one. If you have a lens aperature that starts at 2.8 as opposed to starting at 5.6 and you have 400-600 mm, you are much more likely to get a good shot of that grizzly bear and cubs that you may only get one chance at. Regardless of your photography abilities, a grizzly bear and cubs in low light and foraging for food, may only be three small fuzzy blobs on a grainy picture. With a fast lens and a good reach, your chances of capturing a great image is much much better!
2. Try to get eye contact in your pictures if you can. People look at the eyes of a picture. A picture of a leopard in the bush is interesting. A picture of a leopard making direct eye contact with the camera is captivating! This picture was taken in the evening. Ten minutes later it was too dark for good shots. I believe I shot this with a 600mm lens. At that distance, the animal appears on the same level and brings the cat in to give an the illusion that the photographer is much closer than he really is. It also keeps you at a safe range from animals that might have you for lunch, while keeping far enough away from animals that may be uncomfortable with human presence. It is kind of hard to get a good shot when your subject is either eating you or running away from you. That brings me to my next point. Keep your focus on an animal running away. Animals are very curious and will often run a safe distance, then stop briefly for one glance back. That last glance is often on the edge of the tree line. They stop, briefly, look back and then quickly disappear into the bush. That last glance often makes great pictures.