Wildlife Photography How To

All photos by Chris Ameruoso unless otherwise indicated

By the end of 1998, Chris Ameruoso found himself at a major crossroad. As someone who had spent most of his youth performing in a family rock band, he had moved to Los Angeles about 10 years previously "with a dream of music." Then suddenly he switched gears, and found his calling shooting portraits of...

During a visit to the Nature and Raptor Center of Pueblo, a bird sanctuary in Pueblo, Colorado, Shutterbug reader Michelle Goodall captured this magnificent bald eagle image: “How could anyone resist taking a photo of something so beautiful?” 

Ron Magill is a trained zoologist and the communications director of the Miami-Dade Zoological Park and Gardens—Zoo Miami for short—and if you think that gives him an advantage when it comes to taking outstanding wildlife images, you’re right. But don’t turn the page. What’s needed to get a share of the wildlife “Wow!” factor is technique, access, and information that’s available to all. You will also need dedication and persistence. Above all, be sure to pack your patience along with your camera and lenses.

British filmmaker John Downer has been capturing amazing footage of wildlife for years, but now he and his team at John Downer Productions have upped their game with the use of realistic robotic animals fitted with built-in spy cameras. As you can see from the video below it's all pretty amazing.

Alexandre Voyer, a freediving photographer, specializes in documenting ocean creatures with the help of his Canon DSLR and some serious lung power. “All the photos are made on a single breath of air—I don’t use oxygen tanks—with natural light,” Voyer says.

Jim Graham captured this adorable image of a sleeping sled dog in front of a majestic backdrop during a trip this past summer to Greenland. The image was shot in Ilulissat, which is in western Greenland, approximately 220 miles north of the Arctic Circle.