The Best Animal Photographers 2020 – Incredible Animal Photos

5 Tips for Taking Animal Photos Like a Pro

Taking animal photos is a big challenge because you can’t interpret their next move. You must have quick skills to adjust your camera and take shots instantly to capture some beautiful photos. Most importantly, it would help if you have a lot of patience because most animals don’t sit or rest in one place for long. If you expect an animal or bird to come to a specific location, make sure you keep the camera ready and batteries charged. Also, don’t forget to keep the camera on burst mode to take multiple shots with one click. Here are a few more tips to make you a pro at animal photography:

1. Focus on eyes and expressions

It doesn’t matter whether you are taking photos of your pet dog lying on her bed or a parakeet on a faraway branch. You should always focus on their eyes. Eyes can reveal a thousand expressions, and you can use that to your advantage. Whether it’s a mischievous look or one with satisfaction written all over the face, concentrating on the eyes can tell a story, something that animal photographers speak about all the time.

2. Reduce clutter from your frame

Suppose you want to capture your cat’s look when she stares through the window. This can be from her bed consisting of tons of toys, but that doesn’t mean you need to make the photo look cluttered. Remove the toys to make the photo about her instead of the toys. You can, however, put a ball of wool to make the image look meaningful. It can mean that the cat is tired of playing with the yarn ball and reflecting on how she could use her time better (you can caption the photo accordingly to make it look funny).

3. Always follow the light

It is challenging to shoot animals in artificial light unless you are already a professional wildlife photographer. If you are starting to take animal photos, then don’t forget to make the most light you already have. Taking pictures in broad daylight makes the images look sharper. You won’t need to edit the photos too much. Most importantly, you can take multiple shots and select the ones you think are the best. You also don’t need to adjust your camera settings too much in well-lit areas. Keep the aperture at its lowest to make the background hazy, increase the shutter speed so that you can adjust to the animal’s movement, and lower the ISO to avoid noise in the photos.

4. Be ready for animals to pose

Yes, animals pose. They take a hint from the camera around your neck. At least dogs and chimpanzees can sense that you want to take their photos. And they readily oblige. However, you need to be ready with your camera because they won’t tell you when they want to pose. As already mentioned, charge the batteries and set the camera so that you can capture some cute shots quickly.

5. Keep the animals happy

Just like you pay models to pose in front of your camera, similarly, you need to keep the animals happy with treats so that they provide enough opportunities to take beautiful photos. For cats, you can choose from tuna snacks, paper bags, catnips, or feather toys. On the other hand, dogs like chewy toys and treats. The trick here is to fool the animals into thinking that you are part of their activities. You must keep the bait and camera ready simultaneously. Once the animal falls for the trick, you need to start capturing their photos. These not only provide tons of candid shots but also pictures of animals in action.

6. Go and try it out

Taking animal photos is a lot of fun, provided you know the proper tricks. The above tips will help you grow from an amateur to a pro-level animal photographer. But make sure you keep practicing to hone your skills and gain experience.

We are proud to show you the absolute best images that have been captured by the amazing artists from our LLF Facebook community. Lean back, and take a look at the best Animal Photographers 2020!

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Alex Briere – www.alexbriere.com

 

Amanda Danee’ – www.awarephotography.zenfolio.com

 

Andrea Snyder Martin – www.andreammartinphotography.com

 

Benjamin Dunford – www.facebook.com/whoisbendunford

 

Brittany Martinez – www.facebook.com/brittanymartinezx

 

Calie Moore – www.calieannephotography.com

 

Calley Gibson – www.facebook.com/calley.gibson

 

Chelle Fernandes Fox – www.wearefoxphotography.com

 

Christina Mason – www.instagram.com/ChristinaMStudio

 

Christi Stone – www.facebook.com/ChristiStonePhotography

 

Dana Minciuna – www.landofwhitedeer.com

 

Denis Girard – www.denisgirardphotographie.com

 

Fardo Dopstra – www.fardodopstra.com

 

Gabriella Rojas Rey – www.facebook.com/littlelovesphotos

 

Jaime Burrow – www.jaimeburrowphotography.com

 

Jared Kreiss – www.shotbyjkreiss.com

 

Jessica Lagrange – www.walkingbetweenmountains.com

 

Jessy Schuckers – www.instagram.com/j.mathphoto

 

Joanna Surman – www.instagram.com/rudykadr

 

Kait Bradford – www.threefeatherphoto.com

 

Kate Whyte – www.instagram.com/katewhytephoto

 

Katelyn Tornroth Viveiros – www.RosyMadePhotography.com

 

Katie Jewell Beech – www.katiejewellco.com

 

Kerry Rainbird – www.facebook.com/kerryrainbird1

 

Kristyn Taulane – www.instagram.com/kristyntaulanephoto

 

Ksenia Belanger – www.kseniabelangerphotography.com

 

Laurie Jean Wicker – www.lauriejeanphotography.com

 

Laurie Larson – www.laurieashleyphotography.com

 

Marissa Yuhas – www.mnyphotography.com

 

Melissa Greenwood – www.melissaaldertonphotography.com

 

Michelle Wannemacher – www.instagram.com/michelle.lynn.photography

 

Missie Lafrenz – www.instagram.com/missielafrenzphoto

 

Monika Knapik – www.instagram.com/fotografiamonikamalek

 

Nancy Chin – www.facebook.com/nancy.r.chin

 

Natasha Huisman –  www.instagram.com/tashabphotography_

 

Olivia Locascio McCracken – www.oandbphotoco.com

 

Remy Door – www.remysdoorart.com

 

Sarah Clink Rogers – www.facebook.com/Sully-and-Willis-Photography

 

Suzanne Fryer – www.suzannefryerphotography.com

 

Suzi Mitchell – www.littlewhitephotography.co.uk

 

Troya Fayock Yoder – www.facebook.com/troya.yoder