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by Bruce Sanford

Within the last couple of years, I've gone mostly to digital for my wildlife shots.  The new digital SLRs that have come out are now as fast as film camera, and the various settings make wildlife photography a real joy.  Wildlife shooting with film can be very expensive, especially since most of the images end up in the garbage can.  But no longer.  What I don't like, I delete.  Simple.

My wildlife shots are exclusively that—wild creatures in their natural environment. Most of these pictures were taken within national parks or wildlife refuges where the animals are more approachable than in hunted areas. Whether it’s a robin or a ram, a great wildlife picture represents what I call “the three P’s”: planning, patience and persistence. I often use a blind, setting it up the night before and entering it before light the next morning.  I once spent ten hours in a blind getting antelope shots. No chair, no back rest, just me sitting on my legs on hard ground looking out through my lens and following the animals’ movement. Another time I got stuck in mud flats. I had a floating blind that stopped floating when the tide went out, and my legs remained firmly pinned in the mud. While I waited for the tide to return it started snowing. Obviously I did make my way back to shore, cold but not too troubled for I did get one good shot of a plover.

This page is dedicated to the feathered creatures.  The last couple of years I have spent considerable time going after birds, and my future trips will also be focused on them. In my opinion, the best bird photographer in the world in Arthur (Artie) Morris.  For anyone who wishes to learn more about bird photography, he's the one.  His web is www.birdsasart.com.  In the meantime, I'm continuing to practice my own skills.