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Wildlife and bird photography made easy
Rating: 4.8 out of 5(37 ratings)
161 students

Wildlife and bird photography made easy

Your hands-on guide to composing, shooting and editing wildlife and bird photographs - no matter what your skill level.
Created byNic van Oudtshoorn ARPS
Last updated 10/2024
English
English

What you'll learn

  • Explore what makes a good wildlife and bird photograph.
  • How to select and use the right equipment for wildlife and bird photography.
  • Apply a range of techniques, including composition, exposure and depth of field, to capture great wildlife and bird photos in an ethical manner..
  • Basic editing techniques, including cropping, color adjustment and sharpening, to create photos with impact.

Course content

1 section • 40 lectures • 3h 27m total length

  • Introduction4:51

    Explores the content of the course to let you know what you can achieve after completing it.

  • What makes a good wildlife and bird photograph?5:51

    We look at the five pillars that  combine to make a good picture.

  • Test yourself
  • Creating great compositions - Part 14:07

    There are many tools to help us create great compositions. We start with the Rule of Thirds.

  • Test yourself
  • Creating great compositions =- Part 26:46

    We explore more aids to help us create great compositions.

  • Composition - Part 2
  • Creating great compositions -- Part 37:28
  • Test yourself
  • What camera for wildlife and bird photography?3:08
  • Test your knowledge
  • Sensor size -- what's best for wildlife and bird photography7:16
  • Check your progress
  • Other useful camera features2:38
  • Test yourself
  • Telephoto lenses5:25

    Learn how telephoto lenses extend reach for wildlife and birds by exploring focal length, magnification, and depth of field, and compare prime versus zoom lenses with apertures and teleconverters.

  • Test yourself
  • Teleconverters3:42

    Teleconverters extend your lens reach for wildlife and bird photography by 1.4x or 2x, but reduce light, lower aperture, can hinder autofocus, and affect sharpness and background blur.

  • Teleconverter quiz
  • Wide-angle lenses and stabilizers2:47
  • Check your knowledge
  • Electronic flash4:36
  • Test your knowledge
  • Tripod and oher camera supports6:37
  • Test yourself
  • Gimbals and fluid heads3:58
  • Test yourself
  • Exposure metering4:08
  • Test your knowledge
  • The Exposure triangle4:48
  • Test yourself
  • Exploiting depth of field4:35

    Discover how depth of field in wildlife and bird photography is shaped by subject distance, lens focal length, and aperture, with ranges like f2.8–f5.6 for blur and f8–f16.

  • Test your knowledge
  • Shutter speed and ISO3:10
  • Check your knowledge
  • Getting the best image quality2:18

    Choose raw for the best image quality, optionally with raw+JPEG for quick checks, then edit raw in Photoshop or Lightroom to preserve sensor data and the 12-14 bit tonal range.

  • Test yourself
  • Mode dial options3:03

    Explore the mode dial options, from auto and program to aperture and shutter priority, manual, scene, and custom modes. Use custom C modes to tailor settings for wildlife shooting.

  • Test yourself
  • Best mode settings for wildlife and birds6:15
  • Test yourself
  • Fine tuning exposure8:23
  • Test your knowledge
  • Making the most from the histogram5:12

    Explore how a histogram reveals exposure, contrast, and dynamic range, identify underexposed and overexposed areas, and use highlights or whites sliders and blinkies to achieve well-exposed wildlife and bird photos.

  • Test your knowledge
  • Autofocus Part 14:10
  • Test yourself
  • Autofocus Part 24:26

    Learn how to use back button focus to separate focusing from taking the shot, and select effective autofocus points for reliable wildlife and bird photography.

  • Test your knowledge
  • Front and side lighting7:22
  • Test yourself
  • Back lighting6:26
  • Test your knowledge
  • Top lighting3:18

    Navigate top lighting challenges in wildlife and bird photography around noon, and learn fill flash, polarizing and graduated neutral density filters, shooting in raw, and editing with Adobe Camera Raw.

  • Test yourself
  • High Dynamic Range (HDR) lighting6:36
  • Test yourself
  • Using flash - Part 15:38
  • Test your knowledge
  • Using flash - Part 23:59
  • Test yourself
  • Getting the shot6:28
  • Test yourself
  • Wildlife and bird portraits6:05

    Capture close-up wildlife portraits that reveal beauty, personality, and emotion through candid moments. Experiment with angles, lighting, backgrounds, and focal lengths to convey the subject's character.

  • Test yourself
  • Bagging a bird (or two)6:57

    Explore practical bird photography techniques, from local knowledge and hides to fast shutter speeds, manual exposure with auto iso, tracking with autofocus, and compelling composition.

  • Test your knowledge
  • Bird breeding seasons6:06
  • Shooting whales and dolphins6:36

    Capture whales and dolphins in coastal habitats using long lenses (300mm+), fast shutter speeds, and boat or shore setups, while observing safety and regulations.

  • Test yourself
  • Do's and dont's - ethics of wildlife and bird photography3:12
  • Test your knowledge
  • Editing - turn a photo into a stunner7:11

    Learn essential wildlife photo editing using Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop, adjusting exposure, white balance, color, and sharpness, cropping for composition, and removing distractions before saving as tiff.

  • Fixing problem shots6:39

    Learn how to fix problem wildlife shots by cropping, reducing noise, and sharpening with Adobe Camera Raw, Photoshop, Topaz Photo AI, and Gigapixel AI.

  • HDR editing techniques5:01

Requirements

  • A digital single lens reflex (DSLR) or mirrorless camera is preferred, but you can also use a fixed-lens camera with a lens that can zoom. A basic knowledge of your camera's functions is an advantage but not essential as we cover every aspect of wildlife and bird photography.

Description

Featuring around 500 "how to" as well as “How NOT to” photographs and video clips, the course guides you, step-by-step, through every aspect of wildlife and bird photography. It's packed with tips and tricks that will prove invaluable to any photographer, no matter what your skill level.

Wildlife and bird photography demands the right equipment, as well as an intimate knowledge of how to use your camera, lenses and other attachments, often under difficult conditions. We guide you how to select the most suitable and cost effective equipment, including tripods and other camera supports. If all this sounds expensive, don't worry. We help you save money by adapting and modifying equipment you already own.

Good composition is also vitally important for creating memorable photos. We look in detail at the many techniques available for composing wildlife and bird photos, from the Rule of Thirds to frames and lines. We also look in detail at how to utilize depth of field to make your subjects stand out. Then we examine how you can crop and fine-tune your images using sophisticated computer software, including creating High Dynamic Range (HDR) photos. 

Complete this course and you'll know just what to do to produce animal and bird photos you'll be proud to hang on the wall.

Nic van Oudtshoorn is a multi-award winning photographer, including Abstract  Professional Photographer of the Year in the prestigious international 2024 reFocus World Photo Annual competition, competing against photographers from more than 60 countries.

Who this course is for:

  • At the end of this course, you will be able to compose and photograph interesting wildlife and bird photos, then process them on your computer for maximum quality and impact.

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