Low-Light Wildlife Photography Tips for Beginners

This photo is really two images blended. Yes, both images were taken at night (I know the foreground looks like it’s daytime, but it’s not!) because I used one flash exposure for the foreground, and one long exposure for the distance.

First, I composed the shot I wanted and made sure my tripod was in a steady location. Then, I took the photo of my subject with a flash, using my typical settings. Timing it right wasn’t easy, but I could actually see a bit due to the slight ambient light at the time, so it wasn’t a literal shot in the dark.

Then, while keeping the camera in the same place, I changed my settings and re-focused my lens to capture the distant city. This was a more typical nighttime exposure of several seconds.

Finally, I combined the two images together in post-processing software. It wasn’t hard because the two photos already had the same composition – just a very basic masking job.

Purists may not be a fan of image blending techniques like this – this is art at the end of the day, and you choose your own rules. But as I see it, there are some nighttime images that are literally impossible to create any other way. That’s why blending techniques don’t bother me in the same way that something like sky replacement does

6. Practice!


Moments with wildlife are often time-limited. You may only have a few seconds to pick your settings and take the photo (if that). It can be a lot of pressure.

So, try practicing low-light photography without the added difficulty of wildlife present. Start with a waterfall in a dark forest or astrophotography, for example. Then add in some flash on the foreground to practice the flash power, diffusers, and so on.

At the very least, it’s a good exercise. But it may even yield some pleasing shots on its own!

Conclusion


Don’t let the sun or your gear dictate when you can or can’t do wildlife photography. There will always be a lens or camera that would perform better in low light than what you currently have. It’s better to embrace the techniques in this article so that you get good quality no matter the situation.

I hope these tips have been useful, and inspired you to extend your day as a wildlife photographer. There are challenges and opportunities alike in low-light photography. It’s more difficult than most wildlife photography, but it can also yield some amazing images.