Photography tours are becoming more and more popular, with everything from wildlife tours to travel photography tours. Yet, there is little denying that wildlife tours are one of the most popular. If you want to get out there and enjoy wildlife photography for the first time, we have some great tips to help you get started.

When first making your way with wildlife photography, preparation is everything. It is a good idea to take some time to think about what you want to achieve before you go on wildlife photography tours. For example, you could pick a theme or a topic, and then think about the different ways of capturing it. Of course, getting to grips with your camera is an obvious one, but you wouldn’t believe how many people rip it out of the packaging and dive straight in. You will also need to be prepared for the weather, and make sure you bring some binoculars or spotting scopes with you. 

One of the most important things when it comes to wildlife and sunrise photography adventures is to be patient. Wildlife can be a fickle subject, so you should expect to be out and about for quite some time before capturing some great shots. If you take notes of these points, and get yourself prepared, you will feel much better and more confident when it comes down to it. Now, let’s take a look at some basic tips and techniques to help you get started, such as the rule of thirds and framing. 

One of the easiest and most basic ways to better your wildlife photography is to consider the composition of your photos, i.e. where the various elements of your photograph are within the vitality and frame, and how your eyes move between the elements. You have probably heard about the ‘rule of thirds’ before, and this is a good place to start on beginners’ photography tours. You should imagine that there are lines running horizontally and vertically across the frame, dividing the photograph into nine equal sections. In fact, you may not even need to imagine this, as you may be able to put a visible grid display on your camera to assist. 

To make the image aesthetically pleasing to the human eye, you should position your point or points of interest on the lines. The points whereby the lines meet are perfect for positioning your subject. They are the ‘sweet spots’. By following the rule of thirds, you should notice some immediate improvements to your photography. You also need to think about the lead-in lines. These are any lines that draw your eyes from the edge of your photographs to various points of interest you want the viewer to look at. It does not matter where the lines start.

Hopefully, you now have a few basic tips to help you get started with wildlife photography tours. You will learn much, much more during your tour, yet if you feel like you don’t really know where to start, use the tips above to help you. Preparing and using the rule of thirds can be a great assistance. 

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