Hunter Becomes the Hunted - Photographing Wildlife In Your Backyard
Before anyone asks...
No flash was used.
Wildlife photography has a habit of surprising you. Sometimes it means travelling to remote forests or spending hours hidden in a camouflage hide. Sometimes it happens on your own front lawn.
On this particular winter evening, we'd been watching a couple of starlings feeding beneath the garden spotlight. They seemed to be taking advantage of the insects drawn in by the light, happily working over the snow-covered lawn. Then everything changed.
Without warning, a Southern Boobook Owl appeared from the darkness.
One moment the starlings were feeding. The next, one had become dinner. Nature has a way of reminding us that every hunter is also being watched by something else.
My first reaction wasn't to reach for the camera. The owl had earned its meal, and the last thing I wanted to do was interrupt that moment simply to make a photograph. After watching quietly for a few minutes, it became obvious that my presence wasn't causing any concern, so I slipped inside, collected the camera, and returned just as carefully.
For opportunities like this, distance matters.
I chose my Canon EOS M5 because its 1.6脳 crop sensor effectively turned my 400mm lens into the equivalent field of view of 640mm. That extra reach meant I could stay well back while still filling the frame.
With fading light and only the garden spotlight illuminating the scene, I rested the camera on a beanbag and worked with the conditions I had rather than wishing for different ones. Over the next twenty minutes, I managed around a dozen photographs as the owl paused over its catch.
Looking back, the image itself is only part of what I remember. What stays with me is the sequence of events.
We'd been completely focused on one predator, never realising another had been watching from the darkness all along.
It's a reminder that nature is always unfolding around us, often in places we know so well that we stop expecting to be surprised.
馃摲 Photography Notes
Photography Settings
- Camera: Canon EOS M5
- Lens: 400mm (640mm equivalent field of view)
- Aperture: f/5.6
- Shutter Speed: 1/13 sec
- ISO: 3200
- Support: Beanbag
- Lighting: Ambient garden spotlight only. No flash.
Tips & Techniques
Respect the wildlife first
If your presence changes an animal's behaviour, it's time to step back. The welfare of the subject should always come before the photograph.
Don't underestimate familiar places
Some of the best wildlife encounters happen close to home. Spending time observing your own backyard can be just as rewarding as travelling to remote locations.
Work with the light you have
Not every wildlife photograph requires perfect golden light. Learning to adapt to available light often leads to more authentic images.
Stability can replace shutter speed
Supporting the camera on a beanbag or other stable surface allows slower shutter speeds when conditions demand it.
Patience beats speed
Waiting quietly for the animal to settle naturally often produces far stronger photographs than rushing to capture the first opportunity.
Wildlife photography isn't just about long lenses or fast cameras. It's about observation. It's about recognising when to lift the camera and, just as importantly, when not to.
Sometimes the most successful wildlife photographers aren't the quickest to react. They're the ones who are patient enough to let nature unfold on its own terms. The photograph becomes a privilege rather than the objective.
Workshops & Photography Lessons
Whether you're photographing birds in your own backyard or wildlife in Tasmania's national parks, I offer one-on-one wildlife photography lessons and small-group workshops designed to help you become a more thoughtful photographer.
You'll learn practical techniques for working with natural light, improving composition, understanding animal behaviour, and photographing wildlife ethically, always putting the welfare of the animal ahead of the image.
The best wildlife photographs begin with respect.
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