Lately, I've been trying to find good local spots for #WildlifePhotography. I figure that once a have a set of places I like, I can visit them repeatedly to capture various species throughout the year. I've found a lot of small wildlife reserves near me, but many don't seem like great locations for capturing wildlife with pleasing compositions.
Do you have places near you that you return to repeatedly? How did you find them?
@ahdchild
At the moment I am working in my backyard ... the challenge there is to set everything up such that the light works and I'm not pointing a camera at a neighbor's backyard.
[I'm a wildlife photography newbie] and currently reading _Photography Birds: Field Techniques and the Art of the Image_ by Gerrit Vyn. I didn't realize the extent that bird photography depends on blinds. He uses a blind most of the time! which makes getting close much, much easier.
@ahdchild Ah ok.
I go to farms here locally -- sort of a hard thing to suggest, b/c you have to know someone, and then (I, at least) get permission to go even at my family's farm, b/c of hunting and other events. Have to watch out for: hunters (there w/ permission, or not -- so I wear blaze orange since bow season is in at the moment), sprays and re-entry intervals, and farm animals in the area. Some animals I can go in the field with, some not, and some, it depends if they have calves.
But, there's lots of wildlife in those little-to-big areas that aren't farmed within the farm -- woods, wetlands, the borders of fields.
This photo is from a neighbor's farm -- my father suggested the idea. It turns out he just wanted photos of Longhorns : )
@amytabb I'll keep this in mind. I don't know anyone who can give me access to a farm now, but this seems like the kind of knowledge that may come in handy at some point.
@amytabb Yeah, I have the same issues in my backyard. Don't want to freak out the neighbors 😅
I think with a 150-600mm lens, its possible to get close enough to a good amount of birds. Of course a blind would make it easier, but blinds seem inappropriate in my small local parks and reserves that do get visitors besides me. Hopefully at some point I will find a location where I'd feel comfortable using a blind