P#7 Q2B: Do You Have Any Tips That Will Improve My Wildlife Photography on Location?

Do your research before traveling to photograph wildlife

Roy Toft: Tips -- do your research. Anytime you go to a location that's not in your backyard, it's easy to waste so much time and money. Both of those are related to doing your research.

If you don't do any research and just kind of land in Alaska and really don't have a plan, you're going to burn up a lot of time and money figuring out where to go.

The number one thing to do before you go anywhere on a photographic safari or a journey, especially if you're doing it on your own, is you're going to need to do the research.

Figure out where these animals are, where the best place to photograph them is, the best time, how do you get there, what are the restrictions, etc.

If you end up in Alaska, and you think: "Oh, Roy Toft said Denali was a great place to photograph these animals," and you just show up at the gate at Denali and you don't know what to expect, you'll have a problem.

For example, you need to know that they're going to put you on a school bus and drive you through Denali. You can't just go on in there in your car. They don't allow the general public to drive through in their vehicles.

Photographing from a bus creates an entire series of problems. For example, you need to deal with the issue: "How do I stabilize my lens to photograph from a bus?"

You need to just do the research. I could probably go on and on with this question, but just do the research. Realize where you're going.

Are there some local guides that could put you in front of these animals? It's probably the best thing to do: get someone that lives in that area to show you around.

It might cost a little more than just doing it on your own, but I think if you're really after the photos and the experience, you're going to be a lot happier if you go out with someone who knows what they're doing in that location.

Summary

Do your research before you travel to Denali and Yellowstone (or anywhere) to photograph wildlife. Learn how to find the animals you want to photograph and what you can expect when you find them.

Think about how the special conditions will affect your use of your equipment. Consider hiring a local guide to assist you.