Six Tips for Taking Wildlife Photography from a Helicopter
Wildlife photography can be particularly challenging, but try doing it thousands of feet in the air during one of our helicopter tours in Montana, and it may seem impossible. Aerial wildlife photography can be difficult, but we can guarantee that the rewards are well worth the effort.
The Rocky Mountains have a vast array of animals to photograph, including elk, mountain lions, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, moose, deer and, if we’re lucky, maybe even a bear. But capturing the perfect photo requires skill and a few expert tips. Here are six tips to help you capture the perfect aerial wildlife photo:
- Help us help you plan your flight: Know what you’re most interested in photographing, and let us know ahead of time. We can help put together a flight plan that will give you the best possible opportunities to capture your intended subject.
- Get to know your subject: This may be the most important tip for wildlife photography. The more you know about your subject’s behavior, the easier it will be to get the perfect shot. Do your research and find out what seasons, time of day and areas you are most likely to see your subject in action. For example, if you’re interested in trying to get a shot of a bear, winter is not the best time to do that. But winter may be the perfect time to get a photo of a mountain lion.
- Know your equipment: If you’re fairly new to the photography game, be sure you get to know your equipment before we go up in the air. Play around with the different features and settings so you can work quickly when the opportunity to get the perfect shot arises. Even if you’re more experienced, but this is your first time doing aerial photography, you may want to do some research on your equipment to see which settings work best.
- Shoot often: When the opportunity arises, you’ll want to work quickly and take as many photos as possible. Shoot often from different angles and different zoom settings. You can always edit photos later, but you won’t get the opportunity to take the same shot again.
- Check your windows: Although we try to prep the windows prior to flight, it’s always a good idea to double check them once we’re in the air. A smear or thumbprint on the window that was missed can ruin an otherwise perfect photo.
- Have fun: Wildlife is unpredictable and you may not get all the photos you hoped for, but remember that this can still be a fun and exhilarating experience. Even if you don’t get the wildlife shot you wanted, there are still many other photographic opportunities to enjoy!
Whether this is your first time attempting aerial wildlife photography or your 100th, you can trust us to give you the best possible photo opportunities during one of our helicopter tours in Montana. To schedule your tour, give Rocky Mountain Rotors a call today!
Categorised in: Helicopter Tours