We spoke to Helen Jackson-Garside, a wildlife photographer from Gloucestershire, to share her top tips. Helen volunteers her time to photograph nature for GWT, and she has been recognised nationally for her work including as a finalist in the British Wildlife Photography Awards 2024.
In April, Helen is delivering photography workshops in partnership with us - sign up below.
Read these seven tips to get inspired and head out on your own wildlife photography adventure:
- Respect nature
First and foremost, it’s important to photograph with care so that you document and don’t disturb our amazing native wildlife. Always stick to the marked paths and leave the wild space how you found it. If you have a furry photography assistant, remember to keep dogs on leads in nature reserves.
Helen suggests spending time sitting or standing quietly in the same place, as “it allows you to absorb the feeling of the location and allows the wildlife to understand that you're not a threat. You'll be surprised how often the wildlife will come to check you out.”
- Get to know it
Animals, particularly birds or insects, can move so quickly they’re difficult to capture on camera. To get around this, spend time watching the animal and learning their routes or patterns of behaviour.
“Pre-focus on a place you think they'll pass through or land on and improve your chance of success. This takes a lot of patience though!”
“Returning to the same location time and again will help you to learn more about it and the wildlife that lives there.”
- Time of day
Consider what time of day you want to go out and take photographs. “For insects such as dragonflies and butterflies going out early morning when they are cold and more sluggish.”
Butterflies tend to open their wings more in the mornings to warm up in the sunshine, if you want to get a picture of their bright splashes of colour.
Experiment going out to photograph at different times of day, and in different weather. Sunshine brings out bees and opens up wildflowers, but cloudy weather provides more stable lighting.
- Open mind
“I always go out with an open mind, it allows me to make the most of the light, wildlife and conditions on the day,” Helen tells us.
You might have a favourite tree or spot of a nature reserve you really want to photograph. However, keep your eyes peeled for other details you weren’t expecting to see - you might just get lucky and spot a goshawk flying overhead or find a new way of looking at a familiar landscape.
Keep this in mind, even if you don’t see much wildlife as part of your daily routine. Our urban wildlife competition category invites you to document nature where we would least expect it.
