One of the great reasons for moving to Northwest Arkansas is the undeniable feeling of being closer to nature. You don’t even have to hale from St. Louis, Memphis or Dallas to appreciate the Walden Pond atmosphere that gives
this area much of its character. Moving here from just about anywhere is enough to give newcomers a sense of the past; simpler and more to the point.
And you don’t have to move into a remote shack in the middle of the woods to experience this feeling. A house in a town like Eureka Springs or Berryville is sufficiently out in the boonies enough to satisfy most jaded city dwellers. Even in town you probably won’t have to give up many of your ideas about enjoying the scenery and the
wildlife.
As for the wildlife, you may see about as much in town as in a deep forest. That may be because deep forest dwellers expect that about half of the humans they encounter may try to shoot them. The result is that city dwelling critters are often more approachable. So much so, that a nice comfortable lawn chair in your backyard may be a better platform for getting a good look at a whitetail deer than a lofty tree-stand.
As for equipment, a decent 35 mm camera, digital or film, combined with generally the longest telephoto in your camera bag is plenty to get started with. Of course, later on you can spend thousands on high dollar equipment, but don’t expect that you will recoup the investment quickly by selling photographs. There’s a lot of high-powered competition out there, professional and amateur. And there are millions of pictures for sale in stock photo collections.
In short, take up wildlife photography because you love the animals, not because you want to make a lot of money at it.
This short article is not meant to recommend urban wildlife viewing over that which is available in the wilds, but forget about walking around quietly and sneaking up on your subject in the woods. For the most part it doesn’t work unless you have advanced skills in stalking wildlife. Remember these animals stay alive by being more alert than most humans.
Aside from offering just about as many wildlife sightings as can be had from the treetops, a lawn chair is also a lot safer. Both for the photographer and some fairly expensive camera equipment — a fall from a couple of feet beats the heck out of a fall from forty feet. Another significant advantage of your lawn chair is that a beverage cooler, a picnic basket and even a good book can easily be placed within arm’s reach of the occupant. This can be important because as any photographer of wild animals can tell you — the practice involves a lot more waiting than actual picture taking.
The main things to bear in mind about wildlife photography are to be quiet, avoid moving too much and above all, Don’t Give Up. Many shooters spend a good deal of time looking for the animal of their choice before seeing one. Remember also that a good photograph of wild game can be much more difficult to get than a doable shot with a hunting rifle. Be aware of this and the fact that a fleeting glimpse of a wild animal certainly does not mean that a good picture will be the result.
Sooner or later perseverance will pay off. When you finally do get a good view, and hopefully a photograph of the critter, make a note of the time, wind direction, wind speed, the general weather conditions and the direction of travel of your animal at the time of the sighting. This information can be very important in future attempts to
spot the animal again.
Remember, your first successful “camera hunt” for a wild animal will almost certainly be enough to keep you coming back.
Great advice.