11 (QUICK!) Pro Secrets To Supercharge Your Wildlife Photography! 

Your tips are ALWAYS amazing. I can't tell you how much I've learned from you through your videos and books! This video was so completely saturated with great tips that I watched it several times. Thanks for all you do!

Whether your content is vertical or horizontal I always enjoy your channel.

Really useful. Much easier to bookmark on YT and not everyone has the time or desire to fiddle with multiple social accounts and most of us HATE RU-vid shorts. Power tip suggestion - If you are concerned about "the algorithm", you could create a secondary YT channel and post/archive all these tips there for fast reference without cluttering up the main channel feed.

Great job Steve! I love these short clips! They're very "to the point" & I think relating them separately like this sometimes makes it easier to retain the info.

Great tips Steve that definitely work! Panning is great fun and it can give some truly unique images . I've shot a huge amount of motorsport in the past years and it's great practice for panning, a skill that I've used for all sorts of subjects, cycle racing, equestrian events even mammals running, deer, hares etc! Can't quite pan a snail yet but I'll keep trying, Lol. Cheers and all the best!

I've seen these on Instagram but am glad you put them here too so we can come back to look at these tips again. Thank you!!!

A wonderful collection of tips! Thanks for garnering them all in one video!

Thanks a lot, Steve, great video, wealth of knowledge and experience!

A ton of great tips here, Steve. Saved this to my favs so I can revisit. Thanks!

Another great video with awesome tips

Very good video Steve, as always loved it

Wonderful as always Steve!

I don’t do IG and can’t be bothered with shorts…. Guess it’s an ADHD thing, but I appreciate the compilation and would love to see more! Thanks!

1st this time... The video is great, just like all Steve's videos. Thanks a lot !

Thank you Steve. Great video filled with awesome tips.

Awesome. Kind of a highlight reel of tips.

Steve, this is one of the best videos out there summarizing the key points. I’ll be forwarding this to other photographers. Some great tips! I do that ISO ratcheting all the time along with another tip I learned from Luke Comb’s tour photographer David Bergman which is to to wide then tight. Helps get different perspectives and ‘environmental’ shots. As for looking for details, I absolutely zoom in on the eye looking for sharpness. I use Capture One and it has a new feature to help pick out the eyes. I do like your suggestion of starting at the bottom then up to look for the sharpest. happy shooting!

Great tips Steve, well done!

Very useful, Steve. I haven't seen some of these tips.

Great video as usual. I have recently changed from Nikon FF to Olympus Micro 4/3rds mainly due to weight, but I have really appreciated the 2x focal length and despite some views that the noise factor is greater I've found that with the right technique and lens the need to cop is reduced. I have the M. Zuiko 150-400 f4.5 which is FF equivalent of 300-800 and with the 1.2 in built TC I've been very happy with the results using the OM-1 Mk and Mk ii bodies.

i am always enjoying your videos. Thanks a lot.

Thanks, Steve! Your content is all super helpful. And your books have also been awesome. I'm a long-time photographer, but I have a pretty basic question that's nagged at me since I have started focusing more on wildlife photography with longer-range telephoto lenses (400mm+): When, if at all, is it beneficial to image sharpness to shut off VR/IBIS in relation to a certain shutter speed (handheld and/or on a tripod)? Also, same question in the scenario of using a tripod that might not hold the camera 100% completely still. For example, I typically use a lightweight travel tripod with a ball head and I will leave the head slightly slack to allow some range of movement while I hold and maneuver the camera and lens to track a subject. Is there a threshold or set of circumstances where I should have VR/IBIS on vs. off to maximize image sharpness? I.e., is there a situation where having VR/IBIS on could actually hurt sharpness and turning it off would actually improve the results? Should VR/IBIS always be set to 'off' while on a tripod and using adequate shutter speeds? I recently looked through some photos and I couldn't help but feel VR/IBIS wasn't doing any favors. FWIW I am a Nikon shooter -- primarily with the Z8. Am always striving to get those keepers, so appreciate any guidance!

Thanks for sharing your instagram tips! I do not use it to reduce "exposure" so really appreciate these videos!

Thanks Steve. Really great tips.

A concentrated bit of advice! Thanks for sharing your lifelong experience.

Lots of great takeaways here. Thank you, Steve. Glad to know I'm already doing a couple of things well, and can add a few more techniques to get better. Sad to know that my "ideal focal length" is out of my affordability range. Lol! I'll have to stick to 400mm and my TC1.4 for now.

Super, as usual. Thanks so much!

Great tips delivered with enthusiasm!

I liked "Tack Sharp, No Tripod". Sometimes it is quite frustrating to sift through the photos I've taken on a day and occasionally find a good one, and then see all the super sharp images from pros like you. It is easy to forget that for every sharp image even you pros probably have to throw away dozens of bad ones.

Thank you Steve, you are my go to teacher on bird photography and techniques ….joe from Australia

Great practical tips. Thank you.

Nice set of tips, Steve! FWIW, I shoot a 600 f/4e with 1.4 almost always - so shooting 840mm for nearly everything. I do shoot birds, so usually don't need a wider frame than that... And, BIF shots, I use a minimum of 1/1600, but prefer 1/2000 or faster. I also use full manual, not auto ISO, as with mirrorless I can see what I'm shooting, so modify as needed...

Great tips!

thanks for compiling these for RU-vid

Wow these tips are turbo charged

notice for focal length, you should technical apply the crop factor, cause if you use 500mm but you crop to an equivalent of 700mm, you might need another lense like the 600mm

Great info! Thanks

Great tips, my goto shutter speed for BIF is 1/2000 and try to slow down for blurry wings.

Thanks Steve. I vote for this format as I don't use Instagram.

Thanks Steve!

Many thanks Steve. Great tips. Is 600mm related to bird photography? I find that I use the 400mm and even 70-200 for mammals in Africa where you get pretty close to the animals

I don't use Instagram, so this is wonderful. Thanks... I particularly loved the info on panning. Is there any way to practice panning in a "structured" setting, other than just keep trying?

Thanks, Steve!

Very helpful and informative “speed dating” format!

Wow, 1/3,200 is faster than I would have expected as default bird in flight shutter speed but it totally makes sense with especially if you did a bit of iso ratcheting too. I am constantly surprised at how high shutter speed needs to be to freeze action. I think my brain is stuck in the film days - where 1/1000s would seem freeze anything. Good to see tips on instagram and you tube

I’ve noticed that the longer bursts on mirror cameras cause sensor shaking. For professional bodies it’s not a big problem but for cheaper it is. I use canon 850d, it has no sensor stabilization and I try to don’t use long bursts because of this.

Great video with so many tips all in one place. I try to stick between 1/2500 & 1/4000s for wildlife where possible (can be tricky on crappy dull days in England of which there are a lot though). Any tips on how to improve my panning skills?

Your videos are always full of good advice

Keep those tips coming, Steve! I have a D7500 with the Tamron 18-400mm zoom and I like shooting birds, bugs, landscapes and flowers. For birds, I'm usually at 1/2000, f9, and let the ISO range. The lens is pretty sharp, buyt it's not a prime Nikon. I plan to step up to the 180-600 Z soon to see if it makes a difference with my new Z7 II. I do have your excellent book on focusing Nikons. Is there a newer edition that covers the 7 II? If not, what continuous focus setting would you suggest to work with moving sea birds? TY.

Exactly what America needs in education

I tend to use 1/1250 for BIF but it really seems too low. So I am going to bump it up to your recommendation and give it a try. My concern was that a faster shutter speed darkens the image (at 1 /2500 I see the first sign of darkening ) and then I have to compensate the light in other ways. I learn so much from your videos and can’t wait to put all the tips and techniques into practice next month when I head to Tanzania and Kenya!

In the shutter speed for birds what is your iso. auto?

Thanks a lot Steve ! I shoot at 600mm most of the time :)

I tend to shot at 1/2500 with a 150-600 Sigma/Canon rig. I do have a question regarding ISO. I’ve was told to set ISO in AUTO mode for the most part, but I’m starting to rethink this. Any suggestions?

Question: Is there such a thing as too fast of shutter speed? I was shooting Burrowing Owls with my 600mm with f4, 1/6400 sec ISO-400 and they were all pretty soft?

The Nikon Z9 and Z8 seem to struggle more if focused behind the subject. So you might have to manually focus closer to make the camera find the bird. I experience this most with birds in flight. If I miss the intial focus I sometimes can't get on the bird unless I quickly back the focus up manually.

Thanks Steve, I'm not on Instagram, and probably never will be. I need another social network about as much as I need a root canal.

Hey Steve - which Tripod and Gimbal you use for your 800mm/600mm lens?

Steve, great video. I have a question on focus limiter, why isn't there a way to limit the focus on the high end? No one shoots wildlife at infinity so why is it not an option to change it to a shorter distance? Or is there a say?

Nice info

Thanks

With your favorite focal length of 600 mm , how does APSC factor in? ie: my 200-500 5.6 on the D500?

Thanks!

SAL70-400SSM G 2 lens that was my budget. I wish I had have 600 mm.

1/3200 seems like such a high shutter speed to me, even on an F/4 lens unless its high noon isn't your ISO up somewhere near a billion when doing that? ;) I typically start around 1/1000 and typically find myself frustrated with ISO noise so end up slowing dow the shutter.

Hi Steve can you please give me your honest opinion, I am wanting to start doing wildlife here in Australia, and I would like to purchase a second hand Nikon 200-400mm f4 Vii and I would like to pair it with my Nikon D500 would this be a good combination. Thanks in advance and I love your videos thank you😀👍

Is 3200 shutter speed with or without VR ? If without VR how much can it be reduced. with VR on .?

Steve, just got a D850 and the Nikkor 200-500mm. I've reviewed your videos but can't seem to "turn on" eye detection. I see this in this video and would like to have the use of it. Can you point me in the right direction? Thanks, Andy

I use 600 mm almost all the time. Photograph birds. I have two 600mm lenses f4tc and f6.3. My favorite lens is nikon f 6.3, so light and sharp. Shutter speed 3200 is perfect. Unfortunately in jungle is very dark. I changed my ISO from 200 to 6400. Steve is the ISO above 6400 still usable? I am scared. Can make a reel about it please.

Steve u seem to have become a senior citizen in a very short span of time 😅

Forgot to mention to get some $8k zoom lens minimum.

1/1250 is my safe zone for fast birds

Tattooed onto my left arm.. :-)

Disappointed to find this was in portrait. Love your work but ill pass this video.

too fast for me, seems really rushed

Steve, I am on Instagram but I am not a fan of Instagram reels, and the vertical format of these videos here just doesn't do it for me. Steve, I love your content and have benefitted greatly from your photography wisdom. I just don't like this format. Just needed to be honest.

Good content let down by pandering to Metas crappy platforms.

Thank you👍