Tamron Blog: Wildlife & Animal Photography With Tamron Lenses

Pet and wildlife photography is something that pretty much anyone of any capability can have a go at and as Tamron lens users, you have plenty of choice when it comes to lenses that are ideal for pet and wildlife photography. One such lens is the 16-300mm which Rick's already used to capture captivating pet portraits and a few shots of butterflies at nature reserves. The 16-300mm offers a good zoom range and great optical quality, enabling you to use a wider aperture to draw focus to your subject by throwing the background nicely out of focus. It's also pleasingly sharp. 

Photographing Pets

Portraits - You can go about photographing your pets as you would a person by getting them to sit and look straight at you if possible, or to the side for a profile shot. 

Continuous shooting mode - DSLR users should switch to continuous shooting mode to increase the chances of capturing your pet while running. Try getting friends or family to throw a toy across your path, and pan along as your dog chases it to get a great action shot.

Full zoom or a wider angle - Sometimes, pet shots will work great when they're zoomed in on the animal, but it's also nice to be able to see a bit more in the background of the picture. The 16-300mm is ideal for this as it has a large zoom range, allowing you to experiment with focal lengths without having to change lenses all of the time. 

Photographing Wildlife

Hide out - To capture shy wildlife, you'll need to do some research on the animal you want to photograph and find out where it is likely to appear. A hide will be something to consider if you'll be out in the field for a long time. If you're visiting a nature reserve, you may find hides are already located there for you to use. 

Zoom - A long zoom will allow you to capture a frame-filling shot without getting so close to your subject that you scare them off. 

Fast shutter speed - Tamron's fast and accurate focussing system will make sure you get the shot you want. This is especially important when using faster shutter speeds, something which might be necessary when capturing images of wildlife which move fast. 

Captive wildlife - There's always the option of going to a reserve or rescue centre where you're guaranteed a shot, even if it's behind a fence if wildlife is too elusive out in the wild. Take a look at our article on photographing animals behind bars and fences for more information. There are also opportunities to see bird displays at galas and other events, so keep your eye out for opportunities.