Photographing Wildlife For Canvas Prints

With the warm weather, sunshine and, of course, the occasional shower, it's the perfect time to capture some wonderful wildlife photos which will look brilliant printed onto canvas. So if you want to adorn your walls with something a little wild, here are our top 5 wildlife photography tips.

Location - you need to think about what you'd like to photograph and where you might find it, instead of heading out blind which will only waste precious time. It's worth checking out local websites for nature trails or reserves and getting the lowdown on what you're likely to find at these locations.

Planned events - if you really want to get up close and personal while also benefiting from some specialist help, you could consider attending a planned wildlife event, such as a pond dipping session, nature walk or even a falconry display!

Forewarned is forearmed - don't just sit behind the lens; take some binoculars with you too, so you can hunt out potential subjects and plan your route or direction accordingly. It's a great way to check out habitats without getting close enough to disturb animals, birds or beasties until you're ready to shoot.

Photography kit - you won't want anything too heavy if you're planning a lot of walking, but a good camera with a macro function or a specialist lens is obviously essential! Also consider spare batteries/battery pack, a small tripod and a portable light tent/box so you can put mini-beasts in for great, detailed shots. A remote trigger can also pay dividends if you want to set your camera up in a prime spot and hide while you take your photos.

General kit - depending on the forecast (and how much you trust it) you should pack sun cream, a sun hat and glasses, waterproofs, and an extra layer of clothing. Antihistamine, water, food and plasters are also a must. You can also consider a small net for catching small bugs, pond life and butterflies and a couple of plastic boxes with air holes for transporting your subjects to a more favourable background - but always release them back to where you got them from unharmed.

Where possible, try to get down to the same level as your subject and look for 'lead in lines' to make them the natural focus, especially against busier backgrounds. Patience is a must when shooting wildlife too - it can take hours to get that perfect shot, so be prepared for a long wait and lots of photos on your memory card to sift through when you get home! An extra pair of hands can also be a good idea when photographing wildlife. Great for holding into a slippery frog or similar until you're ready to shoot!

It's also worth bearing in mind that you can tidy up your photos in post-production, which is especially good news if you're something of an amateur photographer. Once you've got your colour balance and editing just right, you can crop your shot to your required size before sending it off for printing onto canvas - then within just a couple of days, you'll have your finished masterpiece ready to hang!