Lamb Photography

Getting some fresh air and taking some pictures sounds an idyllic combination and now's is the perfect time to combine the two, especially when there's lambs to add even more interest to your spring-themed shots. 

If a public footpath goes past or through a field full of sheep and lambs you can shoot (from the path) without asking permission but make sure you do stay on the path and don't trespass on someone's land. As you can be limited on where you can take your images from a 70-300mm zoom will be perfect to allow tight framing even when the lambs are some way from the camera. They can be shy creatures, too so the longer reach will mean you won't spook them. 

When lambs are a decent size they are full of energy so you may get classic lamb gamboling shots. You may also get a few 'Ahh' pictures but it can be difficult at times as they are timid creatures.

Sheep generally are very wary of people so if you turn up in your car and get out with the camera, don't be surprised if they all scamper away. It pays to wrap up warm so you can stay there a while until they have the confidence to come back closer.

If you do get close enough for frame-filling shots, try using slow shutter speeds for some deliberate blur as the animals race around. The biggest challenge is getting just one or two animals in the frame rather than several which makes for a cluttered composition. That said, if you do get a number of animals look for patterns and go for eye contact too.

Bright sun gives contrast problems so midday is probably best avoided, and if the sun is out the extremes of the day are best. Low sunlight can look lovely especially if the light is warm and coming from behind the subject. In some ways the best light can be when it is quite dull when you get nicely saturated grass and plenty of detail in the animals' coats. Makes exposure easier to get right too.

If you can, crop right into focus on the lamb, which should be exposed well and sharp. Blurring the background with a wide aperture to give narrow depth-of-field will keep attention focused on the lamb. Grass works well as a background when shooting from standing height but try to vary the camera viewpoint. Getting low gives a good viewpoint but you need to keep an eye on the background – fence posts, feeding troughs and other animals can all get in the way.
 

You've read the technique now share your related photos for the chance to win prizes: Photo Month Forum Competition