Recent Animal Articles

Not All Heroes Wear Capes: A Series Worth Viewing

Brandon Cawood, from Dalton GA, has taken appreciating first responders to the next level. What began as a personal project to photograph local EMS personnel, soon blew up and went viral. Cawood captures priceless moments in the daily lives of firefighters, police and other public safety personnel. He has a movie poster style and pulls it off in a flawless manner.

People Killed a Rare Baby Dolphin for Selfies

My faith in humanity just took a nosedive. We've seen plenty of people injuring themselves pursuing the prospect of social media accolades, but now, the pursuit of likes has taken on an exploitative nature and has killed an innocent creature in the process.

Photographer Has Standoff With Polar Bear While on Shoot

It's every nature photographer's worst nightmare. You're snapping away at a majestic creature, capturing all its beauty and magnificence, when suddenly you find yourself face-to-face with danger. This is what happened to photographer Maxim Deminov, and his reaction was gutsy to say the least.

This Pelican Took One Of The Most Beautiful Bird's-eye View Videos Of All Time

Here at Fstoppers we featured many animal-related GoPro videos in the past [here are a few as a reminder: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5], and all are unique and interesting. Some are visually stunning. But this video taken by a pelican takes home the award for the most beautiful video ever taken by an animal.

National Geographic Admits Polar Bear Video's Link to Climate Change Got 'Out of Hand'

Last year, in what became one of the most widely circulated pieces of footage in recent history, National Geographic posted the now-infamous video of a starving polar bear, with the accompanying caption “[This is] what climate change is like.” The company has now addressed their wording, saying the situation “went too far.”

A Trip to the Woods: Wildlife and Bird Photography With the Sony a9 Mirrorless Camera

Since the new Sony a9 announcement and subsequent release, it’s been earmarked as an honest competitor to the sports and wildlife scene. As time went on we saw a lot of talk about it being framed in the context of sports photography, so I eagerly wanted to take it out and see what it had to offer to the wildlife and bird photographers who were often getting left out of these discussions. Here’s a collection of my thoughts after heading out into the woods with the Sony a9.

The 13-Year-Old Award-Winning Wildlife Photographer

Since age seven, Josiah Launstein has been developing his photographic skill and style. Perhaps good parenting resulted in this child prodigy's success — it certainly helps to have a father who is a photographer — or maybe it was luck that led him to find what he's passionate about at an early age. Either way, this young Alberta native proves the saying, "age is just a number," to be true.

Is This Picture Too Good to be True?

Since he posted this image on his facebook profile, Shawn Heinrich's image has drawn a lot of attention. Many have stated the the shot is just a little too perfect to have happened all at once. Upon first glance, what do you think?

This Photographer Built His Own Pond for Bird Photography

One of the hardest parts of wildlife and bird photography is simply finding and waiting for your subjects. This wildlife photographer made a way for them to come to him, however, by designing and digging his own pond for bird photography, and this neat series of videos show the ideas that went into the design, the construction process, and the impressive results that came from the project.

Canon EOS R5 Review for Wildlife Photography

A 45-megapixel sensor, 8K video recording, 8-stop in-body image stabilization, Dual Pixel AF, and 12 frames per second shooting; What do these things have in common? They are all present on the seemingly wildlife-prepared Canon EOS R5. Here’s a hands-on look at how well it pulls it off.

golden retriever sitting on log

Many photographers who are beginning to dabble in pet photography ask about the best lens to use when photographing pets. While there is no right or wrong answer, as a dog photographer who primarily specializes in outdoor sessions, I use a telephoto lens for the majority of photos I take. If I were limited to just a single focal length to use for photographing dogs, I’d go with 200mm, and there are several reasons for this decision.

Wild Mountain Lion Photographed in Wyoming Town

In early January 2020, a mountain lion showed up in the town of Jackson, Wyoming and caused quite a stir. This rare sighting brought together many people hoping to catch a glimpse of the beautiful wild predator.

This One Setting Changed the Way I Shoot Wildlife

So, what are the best settings for wildlife photography? Most people would argue that aperture priority would be the best way to tackle shooting fast action like wildlife and sports. It gives you the best balance between automatic camera settings (like picking the correct shutter speed) and manual control (like the ability to compensate for exposure).

Lady Godiva Inspires Boudoir Photography [NSFW]

Horses have been the subject of many powerful images throughout time. They lend a magnificent presence to any photographers portfolio. Boudoir photography has been inspired by the story Lady Godiva and her nude ride on her horse for the people of Coventry.

Photographing a Rattlesnake: How I Did It and Why I Won't Do It Again

Whenever I talk to another photographer the topic of “personal work” always comes up. Usually in the casual form of, “hey, have you shot any personal work lately?” This standard artistic rendition of the workplace, “how’s the weather” is usually brushed off and more enjoyable conversations quickly replace it. However, for me, it is probably better that my “personal work” remains limited, for doing it usually leeds to bodily harm (or in this case recurring nightmares).

Drone Explodes in Alligator's Mouth After It Snatches It Out of the Sky

In the latest installment of social media "influencers" ruining everything, an alligator was likely severely harmed after a TikTok influencer harassed it with a drone to the point that the animal literally jumped out of the water to snatch the device, causing the drone's battery to explode in its mouth.

Eagle Battles Fox in Midair During 'Dramatic Act of Thievery'

Nature Photographer Kevin Ebi was tracking a young fox with his camera Saturday while it trotted with a rabbit in its mouth in northwestern Washington when he heard the screech of a bald eagle behind him. Knowing what was about to happen, Ebi focused in and readied himself to capture what has quickly become the most widely shared photograph of his career.

How to Capture Birds in Flight

Capturing birds mid-flight can be incredibly tricky and requires a lot of know-how. One of the biggest hurdles was the camera itself, but fortunately, we now have more tools at our disposal than ever before.
Helpful Dog Photography Tips in Just 90 Seconds

Dog photography can be incredibly rewarding when you do it right, but it can also be quite frustrating when the little puppers are bouncing all around and paying attention in every direction except yours. This helpful video will give you some quick tips to improve your pictures of dogs and to increase your chances of getting the shot.

Behind the Scenes of Amazing Pet Portraits

If you own a pet, you've definitely taken a picture of him or her more than once. Belgian photographer Vincent Lagrange does just that for all sorts of animals as a big part of his career.

Why I Bought the Sony a7R IV for Wildlife Photography

Before today’s launch of the Sony a7R IV in the U.S., I had the opportunity to use the new 61-megapixel camera on a few occasions. Ultimately, these hands-on experiences led me to purchasing it for animal photography and in this article I list a few reasons behind the decision.

Three Reasons to Go Ultra Wide When Photographing Dogs Outdoors

One of the most important compositional decisions to make when photographing pets is choosing a focal length. Due to perspective and lens distortion, ultra wide angles (generally considered to be less than 24mm on a full frame camera) can yield unflattering results when photographing humans. However, when photographing pets, shooting with an ultra-wide angle lens can do wonders in making your photos stand out.

Six Photographers Reveal Yellowstone National Park Like Never Before

When National Geographic calls and asks you to take on a project that involves capturing one of the most photographed places on the planet, how do you come away with something new or unique? Six photographers took on this challenge and shared their stories and images in this short video.

Photographer Narrowly Escapes Crocodile Attack

Would you ever turn your back on a river full of roaming crocodiles while your cohorts chucked food into the water? I wouldn't either, but this photographer at the “Crocodile Bridge” over the Tarcoles River in Costa Rica, got a close look at one of the river beasts while perched in the grass.

Robert Capa said, “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” This might be an exception to that rule.

What do you think about him pushing the boundary?

Marine Biologist Captures 'Sea Angels' Deep in the Ocean

A marine biologist and underwater photographer from Russia is showcasing some of the most colorful – literally – creatures he has discovered in the depths of the sea. He has now also spoken of the extreme conditions and freezing cold nights that one must suffer through in order to capture such beings.

5 Helpful Tips for Better Wildlife Photos

Wildlife photography is a challenging but rewarding genre that requires a lot of solid technique and specialized knowledge in order to create compelling images. If you are new to the genre and looking to improve, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will give you five helpful tips sure to put you on the right track to better wildlife shots.

The Sigma 60-600mm vs the Sony 200-600mm: Best Wildlife Zoom Lens Shootout

Lens makers these days are coming up with some incredible options that were unheard of just a few short years ago. That continues here, with the Sigma 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3 lens put up against the Sony 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 in a battle for the title of best wildlife lens. You could also make a case for it being an action sports lens shootout too. So, how do they perform, and which comes out on top?

Incredible Bird Photographer Shares Her Secret Tips

Bird photography is one of the most beloved subgenres of the craft and one of the most difficult. In this video, a professional bird photographer goes through her best tips on how you can capture some beautiful images of our feathery friends.
How a National Park Changed the Way I Shoot: Lessons From Yellowstone (Part 1)

It's been several years since I first had the chance to visit Yellowstone National Park, but I can honestly say that it was an incredible experience throughout and I can't wait to go back. The trip to the national park was honestly a game-changing experience for me and how I approach my own landscape photography. I learned so much on that trip, not necessarily about my gear, but about what to shoot and how to capture it in a way that would help me really remember what it was like to see things in person.

Photo of Burning Baby Elephant Wins Wildlife Photo Contest

"Hell Is Here" is the title of Biplab Hazra's photograph of a burning elephant calf that got him this year's Wildlife Photographer Of The Year Award from Sanctuaryasia.com, which describes itself as India's leading nature and wildlife conservation portal.

Photographers, Don’t Delete Your Bad Photos, You Might Be Surprised To Learn Why!

Do you often return from a photography session or trip to upload your photos and immediately delete the bad photos from the set? While getting rid of the obvious blurry image can save you disk space, I find that deleting can sometimes do more harm than good. Had I culled my images right away I never would have created this photograph.

The Best Wildlife Photography TV Show Is Free on YouTube

Alright, you can hate me for this since I've been keeping it to myself for a while now. But "Wild Photo Adventures," the PBS television series that follows wildlife photographer Doug Gardner, has been made available for free on YouTube.

10 Reasons Why Wildlife Photographers Are Crazy

Sometimes photography can be difficult, but what keeps us going is our passion for creating images that satisfy something inside us. However, if your passion happens to be wildlife photography, then you have a whole other level of difficulty coming your way. Come to think of it, there are so many valid reasons to abandon this passion and yet, this group of photographers persevere and do it anyway. Here are 10 reasons why wildlife photographers are crazy and why we can’t help but respect their pursuit of happiness.