Photography is without a doubt a technically challenging thing to take on. With dozens of buttons and settings in the menu, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the technical stuff and not get familiar with the fundamentals.
If I had to simplify everything into two main components you should master first, it would be exposure and autofocus. Once you’re able to execute these two things well every time, they become second nature and you can focus (no pun intended) on the more creative aspects of photography like composition and lighting.
Exposure
I use manual exposure mode (not manual focus) 100% of the time for wildlife photography. I set the shutter speed fast enough to freeze the action (1/400, 1/800, or 1/1600), and the widest aperture possible (to get the most light). For ISO, I typically set the ISO myself and check the histogram for a good exposure.
If you don’t want to worry about setting ISO, you can set it to auto ISO and the largest metering area (evaluative, matrix). This works well on cloudy days and before sunrise or after sunset, but you have to be careful about overexposing on bright sunny days where you have a high contrast.
A perfect candidate for Auto ISO: All “middle gray” tones on an overcast day.
Autofocus
If you have a high end camera ($2,000+), you should have a decent autofocus tracking system. This would allow you to track a moving subject using all the focus points available. For moving subjects, you’ll also want to use the continuous focusing mode (AI Servo, AF-C).
For still subjects, close subjects, or cameras with only a few focus points, you’ll be better off using only a single focus point. When possible you want this focus point to be over the face and specifically the eye of the animal.
When you have a very close subject, a single point works best because of the shallow depth of field. If you used tracking with all focus points in the photo above, the camera could easily choose to focus on the ears or nose, leaving the eyes slightly out of focus. A faster shutter speed of 1/1600th also helps with close subjects as even slight movements cover more pixels.
If the subject is moving, even just a little, you want to use the continuous focus mode (AI Servo, AF-C). This allows the camera to constantly adjust focus to follow the movement of your subject. More expensive cameras do a better job of this tracking than cheaper ones, especially for fast moving subjects.
If the subject is sitting still and your camera is stationary, you want to use the single focus mode (One-Shot, AF-S). This mode gives you the confirming beep that your point is indeed in focus.
The owl is a tricky subject to focus on because it can go from sitting still to flying at any second. If you just want still photos while it’s sitting, you don’t need continuous focus. If you want photos in flight though, you need a camera that can quickly adjust focus when the subject goes from sitting still to moving quickly. Continuous focus CAN work on still subjects if you’re anticipating it to start moving.
Once you’re comfortable getting a good exposure and getting your subject in focus, you can start thinking about composition. Then you have to focus on finding wildlife with better backgrounds, better light, and better action. That becomes the never ending saga that is wildlife photography!
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