15 Wildlife Photo Mistakes 😱

[@TonyAndChelsea]

📕Look at our book. LOOK AT IT! On Amazon: help.tc/BuySDP 📸Starter wildlife gear on Amazon: Canon 7D help.tc/2qltLO1 with the 400mm f/5.6 help.tc/2pxhlEL 📸Expert gear on Amazon: Nikon D500 help.tc/2qltYAN with the 200-500 f/5.6 amzn.to/2pjCsdv We're on *Patreon* now and release some vids early there: Patreon.com/northrup

[@sunbro6998]

I got it a month ago!!

[@PriscillaHolthuis]

Till when is your book lover sale? #almostpayday :)!

[@jeremiahwat1]

Solar Eclipse! Please do a video on the upcoming solar eclipse. How do we prepare for it? What lens do we need? Where is the best spot in America for it?

[@veresannamaria4584]

I'm a beginner in wildlife photography and so happy to find your channel it is very helpful

[@NorbertTukora]

"Mistakes, I got a few." Then she looks at Tony... XD

[@JamesHuntPhoto]

Norbert Tukora haha, totally caught that!

[@nikrotas]

I love Tony's pokerface at that moment, he may aswell be poker world champ

[@visualvoyages563]

I peed my pants on that one! I'm sure it was in the script but it's still so funny!

[@roderickwho1983]

Dead useful! Do I win a prize if I have all 15 mistakes in the same photo ? Thanks

[@acousticsong-guitarco964]

Just the honours

[@chelseanorthrup8787]

hah!

[@juanchooski6882]

HAHA

[@dronespace]

Roderick who lol

[@glennurquhart2989]

HA HA that's a good one...

[@shanrantang2209]

Tony sounds like a serious professor while Chelsea's voice is more like a naughty student. Maybe it is just me, but so funny.

[@pplanetEarth]

I guess it is intentional. Otherwise it would be boring. Chelsea sort of plays the emotion of each mistake and she does it really well, then Tony provides pro advice. I like their videos very informative.

[@globetrotternews]

Unprofessional and annoying. We watch to learn about photography not silliness and goofiness and immaturity.

[@gordonclifton2694]

+ It's complementary and makes for an interesting approach that maintains attention.

[@EarthbendR]

Funny is one way of putting it...

[@xwhite2020]

@@globetrotternews Dude they've got 1.2 million subscribers for a damn photography site. Pretty sure you are the odd one out here.

[@Channel-vo9mu]

So very useful! Thanks! One thing to add when shooting in among branches and twigs is to try to orient your shot to avoid those objects 'poking' out of the animal's head or side.

[@guitarstalkandtech9085]

I'm starting to learn more about Wildlife photography and I'm learning to study animal behaviors to get that close up clear shot instead of just taking any picture. Always better to go for quality than quanity.

[@kirbyc1370]

I have so much fun photographing deer. If you spend enough time with them they are very entertaining and goofy. Each have different personalities. And they won't fly away.

[@bazalbaz]

I'm sure you guys have more wildlife tip videos, but it's super awesome how I'm seeing you guys over the past couple weeks roll some related content out. I want to focus of capturing compelling pictures of animals.

[@BillFerris]

Great video! You touched on all the biggies in a way that educates and encourages. Too many photographers are focused solely on the gear (using a crop camera or a longer super zoom) when the top three things we can do to take better bird and wildlife photos are to shoot when the light is great (often very early in the morning), find a location where the subjects will eventually come close, and have the patience to wait for all three factors - light, behavior and background - to come together, before pushing the shutter release. I've only been shooting birds and wildlife a few years and still have so much more to learn, so much room to grow. Two of the biggest lessons I've learned just in the last year are how to read terrain to identify likely places where raptors will soar while hunting and when during the year certain species will exhibit mating behaviors. Better knowledge of the species translates to better pictures.

[@tobybrown7586]

Thank you for making this video. It's helped me a lot and has made my pictures a lot better.

[@mykolassakalauskas3374]

Golden hour, ⛅ behind you. Wow such great tip. What supposed to do those who live in places like Ireland? A few years ago my wife looked on the sky and said - look the sky is actually blue! It wasn't so bad last year but if you are looking for clear sky might and up never geting any pictures at all.

[@MrCplgumby]

Chelsea's commentary and delivery was awesome!

[@simon_patterson]

Gee missed focus is sooo frustrating! Great tips Tony & Chelsea.

[@TorjiMan]

I agree that you usually end up getting good bird shots when you are patiently waiting, and you get lucky and they come to you if you wait long enough

[@bogroman13]

Noted down all the possible mistakes. I usually make the underexposed one, oversharpening and blurry image. The TV / monitor behind you looks so good on my display that I prefer looking at the picture through your display than the picture when it goes fullscreen on mine.

[@drewherbi]

“Mistakes, I’ve got a few” *briefly glares in Tonys direction*🤣🤣 and the intro “Here’s a picture”. I love chelsea and her cheesy humor and how Tonys kinda dry humor is a great contrast to it. Best photography couple ever. Edit: Ohh, and they have good info but who pays attention to that?🤷‍♂️

[@TimberGeek]

I've been working on decluttering the background of my small bird photos today... With a backhoe!

[@randomstuff53078]

Great info thank you. I just started doing wildlife photography so these tips were helpful! I'm also in Connecticut - I wasn't aware you were as well :) Keep up the helpful videos.

[@MikeJamesMedia]

Good tips. The blue in the eye of Chelsea's owl photo was gorgeous!) Thank you.

[@billlemmon6225]

Talk about ominous, there I was trekking thru Shackleford Banks, trying to photograph the wild ponies, when the notification for “15 Wildlife Photo Mistakes” pops up. I stand there hoping that this is not going to be a guide to what I’m about to do.

[@ryanthomas9306]

lol so the funniest thing about the intro is Tony's facial expression

[@jeffreywillis9313]

Great video with great advice. I have made most of these mistakes but now I hope to make even less. Thank you.

[@seantomlinson3320]

Nice video and I like all the examples you provide too. But what's up with the color change between wide and close shots? Wide looks much cooler.

[@pma177]

Thanks to you both; great tips and pointers. One ask - next time, can you move the light that reflects at the top edge of the screen when in full frame showing both of you with the screen between you? It is a little distracting.

[@AmitLeibov]

Yep he is right. Please move the light to a different angle. Informative video though, thank you.

[@fabioseva1]

Thank you! Let's go out for some practice

[@MrMadhupully]

Excellent suggestions, very useful... thanks a lot.

[@kenbranch6446]

Great vid guys. Really liked the constructive criticism, and appreciate the sponsor mention. Going to check it out now. Keep up the good work!!!! Learning a lot here.

[@DynamixWarePro]

Great video! As someone who has started wildlife photography, this is quite helpful. I agree totally about the crop as when you crop into the image, not only does the image not appear as sharp, but that also can show any flaws the lens has easier, like lack of sharpness, bad bokeh etc...any noise may be more visible too. There is always one mistake in wildlife photography I always hate. Its seeing a grass/ plant stem or branch that is out of focus in the foreground of the image, so even though its out of focus, it can still be noticeable, especially when it is in front of part of the animal in the image, and its especially more noticeable with smooth out of focus backgrounds in the image. Another I find may be using mirror lenses for far off wildlife. Its fine if you can't yet afford a good long telephoto lens, but the narrower apertures they usually have doesn't help with background blur, getting enough light to the camera sensor which will increase noise with having to use higher ISOs and the doughnut shaped bokeh mirror lenses have, just looks awful. Also I have noticed mirror lenses tend not to be that sharp.

[@Elbows-Deep]

I don't understand, how big are these cities people live in with no wild life in. i find that if you get in a car and drive about, there are parks all over cities. just outside cities you find towns and between towns can be a lot of space where wild life live. i suppose my point is if you want wild life you will find it and if you cant then its not too far away if you can be bothered to look for it. thank you tony and chelsea another awesome vid.

[@MegaFlyinggoose]

Your not boring Chelsea, infact your very good at what you do, Come on Tony chill out we know your a perfectionist.

[@abhiph2982]

I love and enjoy this type of videos specially

[@Spawn666949]

Just noticed you guys had some photos with a6000 + Canon 500 f4. Cool!

[@ecor150]

The last tip is the best tip. Now I won't forget, even though I don't really shoot animals. I like the bird in yellow setting picture.

[@elias38]

I think it's a great shot at 8:56. Tony, you mentioned that it's always good to get the exposure right in camera. Is it only because one won't have to spend extra time in post processing? I prefer to shoot in RAW and spend more time editing than working on my camera settings. Will fixing exposure in RAW affect overall image quality vs when doing it in camera?

[@PapaRoachie]

Why does it seem like they were in an argument before filming? So much tension Dx

[@sunbro6998]

Love the short nuggets you guys share. Thank you.

[@ericlowenbach5151]

I taught myself a trick with this rhyme: "If the light is sweet, get out of your seat. If the light is shit, at home you should sit."

[@Jeff-jg7jh]

Horrible poem, leave it alone.

[@kart182]

You had to come up with a rhyme for that?

[@DennisMoncla]

Big mistake I made on one of my first bird picture trip a few weeks ago where I was a couple of hours away from from my home was I didn't bring anything to eat or drink with me! I've also gone in a hurry without checking my gear and left both the CF and the SD card in the computer and got there with no memory card. Thank goodness I had a very small back up card so I did get some pics while I was there.

[@GabrielFFontes]

What the hell? I only watch these for the squarespace talk... What the heck happened there? I had to watch a bunch of photography talk and no squarespace!

[@bolt339]

Always helpful, always entertaining, thanks guys.

[@gregoryrogalsky6937]

Watching this video.. It really struck me how blown out highlights on digital are brutal with wildlife.

[@stevenlui8105]

Useful info! A bit off topic and would like to know if you have any plan on testing the Sigma 500mm f/4 Sports. Cheers!

[@PianoSW]

Hi Tony and Chelsea! Thank you for your great videos! On the Auto Focus subject... Which Focus Area too you favor... Center or Spot? Thank you too much!

[@LindaMaier360]

I Always enjoy your videos. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@abdozagloul]

Very helpful, thanks.

[@EK14MeV]

The trick of feeder exploitation is to get the birds in trees near a feeder. Most will go to the feeder, fly out to a tree while other birds cycle in, then return to the feeder, and so on. Eagles are tough. The ones near me are perch snobs, almost always 80 feet up or more.

[@waltermairo6258]

Guys i have lent a lot from you. Wish to see you in Tanzania for wildlife photography

[@paulwood3024]

Love the first one and you don't even need to hide. I will setup on the side of the road (on tripod) and had a sparrow land on my lens. Had a curious hummer land on the barbed wire fence, about six inches in front of the lens, and finally flew off when I reached for my cell phone. Numerous times have had deer come close. You can hide behind a tripod, just don't move. :-)

[@lindawaldo9144]

Where is the high pass filter explained in the PS book? I didn't find anything through index or contents.

[@DmitryVarennikov]

Hey guys, when you were talking about the shutter speed and showed an image with 1/200 sec. The lens is 500mm so I imagine you didn't handhold the camera?!

[@metalgrinch]

I know i suck when I long to take pictures to the quality of what they say is moodless, boring and noisy 😣😔😔😔

[@Ranblv]

Not just you. the owl picture is not one I would delete. but they are Pros.

[@metalgrinch]

Ran Bar-Levi I wouldn't delete any. I think these are all good. At least at my level who can't afford $10,000 worth of cameras, lenses and lighting equipment.

[@Ranblv]

You can shoot wildlife even with CANON sx60-hs in under 500$ if you are patient enough.

[@scry1888]

SergeTheBlerge that's when editing comes in

[@shadabshaikh4543]

Sony A9 for wildlife... is it good for the job?

[@BigKevinNoBull]

Thanks for the tips and tricks.

[@DanOhPhotography]

Do you turn ON or OFF Image stabilization when on tripod? I have GH5 with 100-400 Leica

[@fusiongingerragegaming]

Hey guys. Just found your channel. loving it so far. really interested in getting your books. I mainly shoot at zoos. tour different zoos and so on. a lot of your points really help me. thanks.

[@TonyAndChelsea]

Thanks! Enjoy it!

[@creekwalker660]

11:10 - I don't like the tail cropped out. Should have kept it in frame.

[@ZXTech]

How do you photo wildlife when theres no wildlife to be found near you? Good video though, will use the info to take pics is I ever find myself in Africa.

[@johnkoh8497]

ZX Tech. Which country do u live in? You dont need to be in africa to photograph wildlife... Try parks/nature reserves/reservoirs that kind of thing. U could even consider photographing animals that live in the city.. Like peregrine falcons etc

[@hailragesh]

Did you guys fight before you shot this video..!! Just felt!!!! :D

[@bl8pro]

What's the name of the song at the start of the video? I'm really diggin' the tune. Btw superb content as always!

[@viewfinder-ianjhicks4039]

Thanks so much you guys...... So much appreciated..... ATB Ian

[@tobybrown7586]

What is a good not super expensive Nikon telephoto

[@TonyAndChelsea]

+TBY 17 sdp.io/n200500

[@rockroller1829]

TBY 17 sigma 150-600 contemporary is a great lens . also the sigma 100-400 is sharp . i use them on my D5300 and my D7200

[@photosonaroll5116]

I’m getting worried because at 10:58 I can’t see any noise. That freak me out think I have a lot of noise in my photos and I don’t notice it.

[@aidaberber2590]

Amazing! I just came back from shooting ducks in the park. At least I can understand now what went wrong. A lot of things. LOL. I hope to get back soon and correct some of the mistakes. Thanks for your practical advice.

[@johnstephenson1533]

On the problem of not being in focus on moving animals turn off AF use manual, and zone focus like we did before AF came along.

[@hussainalqadhi1198]

Great video, and as usual: top tips Thanks !

[@iiirwtiii]

Anyone else see the "2" @9:17 ?

[@riskymolasses4319]

I saw it. It’s really misplaced

[@nikrotas]

Hi Tony and Chelsea, thanks for the video! I noticed that you've used the SAL 500mm with the Sony a6000, what was your experience with that? I don't have a 10k budget for a lens, but I do like the Sony mirrorless ecosystem (besides lack of longer affordable lenses) so I was trying to look for a potential setup (looking at adapting the Canon 400 5.6 or sigma 150-600). My only other idea is to get the Canon 400 and a secondhand 7DII. I heard that Sony is also coming out with a 400mm prime, but knowing Sony, it will be a lens for cream of the crop pros, which fails to fall into the "affordable" category for me. It would be wonderful if you made a video or otherwise shared your experiences with the Sony mirrorless system when it comes to shooting sports or wildlife. I think there is a decent market for this information. Thanks, - Nik

[@Krakatomia_]

Chelsea is very good for drama, the flat light Osprey almost make me cry 😂😂😂

[@nickguzman1734]

7:45 is hilarious 😂 she's all ITS STILL NOT A GOOD PHOTO and Tony is just silent lmfao

[@BrunoRBSilva-fh9rw]

Why the reupload ? Love the videos !

[@aztecagames]

Love you guys! Great channel!

[@codycouture1]

"Why he gotta fly like dat" LOL

[@michaelmaddox-france4146]

I know this is four days old now, but in the segment where you talk about underexposing your subjects, wouldn't spot metering be a quick(er) method of telling yourself in the viewfinder whether you're underexposed?

[@TonyAndChelsea]

Spot metering is rough for wildlife because the spot might land on a dark spot on the underside of a bird, for example, and then wildly overexpose the whole shot... or it might hit a white belly and underexpose the whole shot. And if the subject is moving, you might find spot metering changing exposure between every shot.

[@philipcunio4089]

Tony, have you ever tried Piccure+ for focus compensation?

[@scry1888]

Chelsea sounds like bonnie in family guy 😂

[@MartinAraka]

OMG you're right!

[@scry1888]

@@MartinAraka haha! Glad im not the only one

[@Tjnewell88]

Snow is bad weather??!? That's Cray cray. Bad weather is the best weather in photography! Ya'll should do a portrait mistake video in this same format :)

[@DNexus]

thx ! thx, i need those tips recently, i did make some mistake :d

[@the.green.alchemist]

Something is wrong with Chelsea 😂😂. I just wanna let u guys know when I first started learning I didnt care for your videos. But over time and after growing you guys are the go tos when it comes to consistent excellent teaching. Thank you for all your videos and hard work!

[@Davbro703]

Tony, you keep saying get closer but you have to take in to account the well being of the target, especially birds. I always say there are two types of wildlife photographers, first is get the shot at all costs photographer first and then wildlife lover. Secondly there is the wildlife lover then photographer and he takes welfare into account.

[@vebjrnandresen6988]

I will claim that the reason that the best wildlife photographers are able to get close is because they do not disturb the animals. The inexperienced will see an animal and approach until it gets spooked. The more seasoned will understand their behaviour and be able to get close by behaving in a non threatening manner or hiding and having the patience to wait until they come close to you.

[@duncanwallace7760]

I agree with you to a point, but most of the times (except at nests, where great stress can be caused), birds can easily move away from you if they're not comfortable, with little or no distress. They are way more distressed by hawks or dogs etc. The other times I'd be more concerned about keeping my distance is when seabirds are sitting together on a rock, drying their feathers, or even something like flamingos feeding. But again, while its best for the birds (and the photographers) if they don't fly off, its probably not stressing the animals too much because they can easily move away.

[@TheMrBennito]

if you know the animal, it helps. I got frustrated with kingfishers, they are so inapproachable in the moors. yet when I merge into his habitat by sitting into low tide waters at the beach, I have a much better chance of being close to them. pls take into consideration that I prefer to sit in seawater, and not in muddy treacherous moor water...

[@lm2017]

Well stated David. Regardless of whether or not the bird can move is not the problem, most photographers who take pictures of birds, take pictures of just birds of prey, specifically owls. Owls can get disturbed easily and moving away is not good for anyone to make them do. This can mess up their sleep schedule and greatly stress out the bird. Photographers should study beforehand on the subjects they will photograph, and take extra care, no matter what species.

[@keeblerhunts]

Hi BirdNerd, this is not meant with any sarcasm and purely a question - do you have scientific data which shows sleep patterns and stress for owls from photographers getting closer? Snowy owls have been hanging out in our area for the last few years and I've spent more time watching them (and taking photos). They seem to not be bothered by us. They simply fly between their particular spots - not nonstop either. I've seen them spend an hour in 1 spot then move and sit at another for a long time. I'm new so my question is sincere. Trying to learn. Would like to see some data or links to learn. Thanks.

[@richib1330]

Good and informative video, but i think when chelsea is talking the sound has a strange reverb in the highs. As a sound engineer it hurts a little bit to watch (it really pops out at 12:50).

[@christiancampbell8252]

I love photographing raptors against the grey overcast light😭😭😭 lol getting bullied out here

[@danielkophoto]

Northrup's back at it again with the emojis

[@TonyAndChelsea]

I've gone emoji mad ~ Chelsea

[@carlosmencia9585]

Love your books.

[@joshsonsiadek8262]

I've been photographing Barred Owls around my home. The biggest problem is getting a halfway decent exposure because the owls are most active at dawn and dusk, so lighting seems to be the biggest challenge. I get acceptable composition, and the owls are staring directly into the lens. I will shoot auto ISO and aperture priority, and the camera is picking an ISO of like 8000. The pictures look like a Seurat painting with 2 billion dots due to the grain. My lens only goes to F5.6. Would it be better to lower shutter speed, or adjust exposure compensation in super low light situations? If I go later in the morning the owls are usually gone , and they don't usually come out until about 30 minutes before darkness.

[@annika8827]

Josh Sonsiadek if I were you, I would raise your exposure compensation and put your ISO to maybe 400-800. Crank your aperture to 5.6 (like you have). Luckily in post processing (if you shoot raw) you can recover darker photos much much better than lighter photos. Good luck with your photos!

[@Bamaden1]

I appreciate this info. I promise I will do better from now on :-) I should provide my pics and you will appreciate your so called bad pictures a lot better

[@MarkTengPhoto]

Oh a new sponsor this time!

[@onlypencil]

Chelsea's eyebrow gives the Rock's eyebrow a run for it's money 😊

[@chelseanorthrup8787]

I can't control it at this point

[@dwood2001]

Don't really agree about the sharpening. Sharpening is a standard part of a lot of professional workflows. The artifacts you were highlighting are only really visible when zoomed in a long way. The sharpening effect on the other hand survives a smaller zoom. Over-sharpening enables the sharpening to actually be visible the way most people actually view photos: on a computer monitor, TV screen, or reasonably sized print. So it depends how your photo will be used. I certainly wouldn't oversharpen and then throw away the RAW, or only have one version of the image. But nobody is going to see the effects you're talking about in most applications of the photo. Now, what you didn't say is that *selective sharpening* is often better. Sharpen just the eyes or edges, or whatever part of the photo you're trying to make pop. But I'd still say it's often better to sharpen the whole photo than not to do it at all.

[@nibrashamdan9921]

Thanks Both...

[@aeouuuuuuuuuuuuuuu]

I love making me steaks

[@viewfinder-ianjhicks4039]

That is funny.... lol

[@FFHavoK]

first! great timing cuz I'm going wildlife shooting today

[@TonyAndChelsea]

Good luck!

[@sambphillips959]

MR Photography lucky you ☺ I love wildlife photography

[@sjs2657g]

The best photographers can get the money shot. Many good photographers come away with the spare change shots. Most of the photos that I see on Facebook, the people are BROKE.

[@anandhua.b4589]

Lemme guess the broke

[@captbuscemi]

Great episode, I'd love to get a great lens to start out in wildlife photography. Just a heads-up, tall of your sdp/io links are coming up with "Attack page" alert! Might want to check that out...?

[@masiguru9982]

Anyone else bugged by the light reflection in the monitor?

[@xwhite2020]

You should close your blinds. AAAHHHAAAA

[@swapniljborah]

Chelsea seems to be drunk, lol 😂

[@esenel92]

is it me or does the bird at 17:55 look like its been photoshopped in? the smooth background, and the head of the bird looking like the resolution doesn't match the background. Or has someone been blurring the background? edit: 18:33, ahh looks like Chelsea might have tried to blur the background indeed, this one has a similar effect ;)

[@chelseanorthrup8787]

I don't know if the first picture had the background blurred, but te owl one does. I actually didn't do a great job with the owl photo but I didn't notice until this video was done. I edited that quite a long time ago and would have redone it.

[@esenel92]

Its no big deal, on the one with the owl it makes it more clear what it is you changed, so it could even be considered helpful that it wasnt perfect. I had written the comment looking at the first one (I was watching the video with my beamer projecting at about 100 inch) so it really jumped out that the bird itself had clearly visible pixels while the background was perfectly smooth, so I wrote the comment, and then you went on to the owl and I was like "ohhh so that's what happened" ;) On my normal screen I probably wouldn't even have noticed it on the first picture :)

[@Krakatomia_]

Not having enough zoom available it's the one problem i think everyone have sometimes, crop like crazy everytime 😂

[@lastdaystravellastdaystrav2233]

LOL the funny comments, priceless. And yes you can learn so much from mistakes, but as a beginner i am justified, 🤣that is til today.🤣

[@UnratedAwesomeness]

I find most of my shots out of focus on my t5i. It happens with all lenses, I think it's back focusing. Is there any work around you're familiar with?

[@jademoralesfernandez9715]

16:24 yeah I like popping eyes! hahaha