Photographing Big Cats

Habitats, species, and their behavior

I have always been fascinated by the big cats. Their personalities amaze me. They are powerful, confident, and true survivors. They are killers yet very gentle with their young. Photographing the big cats is very time consuming and frustrating at times, but it can be very rewarding once you get your shots. Photographing any wildlife requires knowledge of animal behaviors. You can have good knowledge about photography and equipment, but if you don't know your subject, you will fail. I have learned a lot from animals by studying their behaviors which not only helps me photograph them, but I also have a better understanding of the natural world.

Lions, tigers, leopards, and cheetahs are the big cats and each have different behaviors with one thing in common: they are the top predators. Each specie uses a different approach to hunt, but all have infinite patience. You can learn how to approach them by studying their behavior and how they approach their pray. Each uses its own unique way of approaching its prey with patience. Photographing wildlife is similar to hunting, except we use a camera. We can use some of the techniques used by these top predators to approach different types of wildlife. The approach depends on the subject. It may need total camouflage or being totally visible.


Left Image:
Minolta Maxxum 9, 300mm f-2.8 APO, 2X teleconverter, Fuji Provia 100, Bogen tripod and ball head.
Multi-segment metering, 1/250 sec at f-5.6. Aperture priority and autofocus.

Lions use patience and team work to hunt. Male lions rarely join the hunt. Hunting is the job for the lionesses. As a pride one or two lionesses may directly approach their pray to create panic and force their pray to run towards other members of the pride hiding in the opposite direction. When lions are not hunting, you can approach them in the open. This is done in a 4-wheel drive. You can take an African safari in groups or hire a guide and go on your own. Since lions prefer open spaces, it is easier to photograph them as long as you stay at a safe distance. The frustration begins after you find the lions. Lions are more active at night and sleep during the day. You will easily find yourself sitting in the vehicle for hours without seeing any action. Occasionally one may wake-up for a yawn or a good scratch so you may get a chance to fire several shots if you haven't fallen asleep by then. The best time to photograph lions in the wild is early in the morning and late in the afternoon when it is cooler. You should be there before dawn to have a chance of a few good shots. This is where knowledge of lion behavior comes in handy. Keep an eye on the active animals and be ready with your camera. Lions are very social animals and they bound with other members of the pride by rubbing their heads or bodies against each other. A lioness for instance, walking towards another with her head slightly down is asking for attention. This can be a good moment for some good shots. Follow the lioness as she approaches others and begins to rub her head or bodies and possibly rolling around. Another behavior to look for is head movement and small occasional roars. One may ask another to approach her by making small roars. Male lions usually do this by calling other male lions. Male lions have one job and that is protecting their territory and the pride. They don't help in raising their young and rarely participate in hunting. There are usually two or three male lions in a pride and they are either brothers or cousins. Male lions are very close and together they form a united front against other lions or predators. They occasionally bound by rubbing their heads and lying close together. You can photograph them when they are awake which is rare as they sleep up to 20 hours a day. Action shots are also rare since male lions in a pride rarely hunt and only fight each other over other females. Lionesses being the hunters in the pride, are more active. If they decide to hunt during the day, you have a good chance of taking action shots. A knowledgeable guide can position the vehicle without interfering with the hunt.


Left Image:
Minolta Maxxum 9, 300mm f-2.8 APO lens, Fuji Provia 100, Bogen tripod and ball head. Multi-segment metering, Exposure not recorded. Aperture priority and autofocus.

Cheetahs also prefer open spaces. Female cheetahs are solitary animals while male cheetahs live alone or with their siblings. Cheetahs can be found on higher grounds. This allows them to keep an eye out for lions and hyenas that would kill cheetah cubs. Cheetahs are day hunters and more active than lions. You can follow them around at a distance as they look for pray. Your guide can help you find cheetahs and their hunting grounds. Young adult cheetahs who have been just separated from their mother are very active and explorers. Three or four young adults stay and hunt together. They are very curious and playful which gets them into trouble often. Once they are more mature, they separate and look for a mate. Male cheetahs do not raise their young. It is a full time job for the mother. Like most predators, cheetahs rest most of the time, but they do this in between searching for food. They are more active hunters since they loose most of their prays to lions, hyenas, or leopards. They also miss more than they catch. A cheetah chasing a pray requires fast reflexes. Cheetahs reach speeds of up to 75 miles per hour in less than 5 seconds. You rarely have a chance to figure out which pray the cheetah is after. This is guess work by looking at the cheetah and see what it is looking at. Cheetahs lock on their target by staring and a slow approach. They rely on speed rather than camouflage. A knowledgeable guide can position the vehicle somewhere close to where you expect to see the action. You need to pan the camera and use a long lens with fast motor drive in order to take good shots. At top speeds, it is difficult to keep up with the cheetah. If the mother can make a successful kill, she will immediately call her cubs if she feels it is safe. Young adult male cheetahs hunt together and are more successful. You can take great shots of them while they look for prey. Their movements are timed and they seem to read each other's mind when hunting. When cheetahs are not hunting, you can spend time to photograph them much easier. Mothers watch over their young that are very playful. Young males living together can provide great opportunities as they explore their territories.


Right Image:
Canon EOS D30, Tokina ATX 300mm f-2.8 Pro, 1.4X teleconverter, Bogen tripod and ball head. multisegment metering, 1/160 sec at f-5.6, Aperture priority and manual focus.

Leopards are more difficult to photograph than lions and cheetahs. They are solitary and secretive animals. Finding a leopard can be a difficult task. They rely on camouflage to hunt and to hide. Leopards prefer living on trees or dens if they have very small cubs. Leopards are masters of disguise. They are night hunters and sleep during the day. You can photograph them easier while they are resting. Leopards prefer higher branches where they can look around for other predators or prey. This is your best chance for photographing them. Once they come down, they quickly disappear and are hard to follow. With some luck, you may come across a leopard while hunting. They hide behind trees, big rocks, and vegetation and become almost invisible. They don't make any noise and seem to know exactly where to set their paws without stepping on any dried leaves to prevent making a noise. Female leopards are very gentle mothers. They give birth to two or three cubs. The dream shots are those of the mother and her cubs. This is a rare occasion for some interesting photographs. Since leopards are solitary animals and do not tolerate other leopards, it is difficult to take more than portraits of them in their natural surroundings. A female and her cubs is a perfect opportunity for you to photograph them and capture their normal behavior.


Left Image:
Minolta Maxxum 9xi, 300mm f-2.8 APO, 2X teleconverter, Fuji Provia 100 pushed one stop, Bogen Monopod. Spot metering, 1/60 sec at f-5.6. Aperture priority and autofocus

Tigers are among the most difficult animals to photograph in the wild. There are 15 different species of tigers and they live in different parts of Asia. They are the biggest of all cats and weigh from 300 to 800 pounds depending on the specie. They leave in jungles of Asia and parts of Siberia. India is the most popular place for photographing tigers. Elephants are used to search for tigers. Since it is difficult to follow a tiger around, many photographers place remotely controlled cameras near tiger dens or streams where tigers go to drink and hope for some lucky shots. Tigers have no natural enemies (except man) and they are fearless. However, they have great respect for elephants. They allow reasonable approach by elephants so guided tours can take you in search of these magnificent beasts. You need luck more than anything else. It is difficult enough to find a tiger, let alone getting a good shot. Low light, bad angle, and a moving animal makes it difficult to photograph. A flash is an absolute necessity as you'll be shooting in dim light. Tigers are also solitary animals but they come in contact with other tigers at times. Female tigers and her cubs as always provide best opportunity. The male occasionally pays a visit, but he is rarely welcomed. He could kill the cubs in order to mate with the female again. Tigers prefer caves to raise their young and this is the best place to photograph them. They mostly hunt at night and even day hunting is difficult to photograph. Following a tiger in a jungle for miles is not the easiest task. Tigers are private animals and try to avoid contact and conflicts. They are powerful yet smart enough to know some fights are not worth the risks. They try to avoid contacts with other tigers especially males, except during mating seasons. Previous liters may occasionally come back to their mothers for a short visit which can provide great photo opportunities. Among all the big cats, tigers require more time to photograph.

To come back with a few good images can take weeks or even months in a safari. Ask any wildlife photographer or film maker and they tell you that the big cats are very difficult animals to photograph. It takes weeks and months to come back with a few good images. In the case of tigers it takes more planning and days of waiting before you even spot one. I'm not trying to discourage anyone for taking a trip to these exotic locations. As a matter of fact, I recommend it to everyone, but don't expect to come back in a short period of time with rolls of top notch images. A handful of good images satisfy a hard working photographer and the experience of being among these wild cats and seeing them in their natural habitat is more rewarding.

Zoos, Game Parks, and Wild Cat Sanctuaries


Right Image: Canon EOS D30, Tokina 300mm f-4 ATX PRO, 1/60 sec at f-5.6, Bogen Monopod.
multisegment metering, Aperture priority and autofocus.


You don't have to travel far to photograph the big cats. Zoos, game parks, and wild cat sanctuaries are great places to find all kinds of cat species including rare and exotic ones like white tigers and snow leopards. Modern zoos are no longer depressing animal prisons. Many are built with the comfort of the animals in mind with natural surroundings similar to the animal's natural habitats. Some cities have game parks where you can drive in to view and photograph animals as you would in a safari in Africa. Wild cat sanctuaries are places similar to zoos but dedicated to wild cats. Each specie is placed in surrounding very similar to its own natural habitat. Photographing the big cats in captivity is very similar to photographing them in the wild. Knowledge of their behavior, patience, and luck play the big factors. There are dozens of photo safaris and work shops that take you on location for several weeks with knowledgeable guides. Photo safaris are much better than regular tours. Everybody in the group has one goal and that is photography.

Equipment
Any 35mm camera which has at least aperture priority, manual mode, exposure compensation, 1-1/1000 sec shutter speed, and auto film wind capability will do the job. All digital SLR cameras include the features I just mentioned. Other features that come in handy are: spot metering, autofocus, 3 to 5 frames per second film advance, depth-of-field preview, and AE-lock. 35mm and digital SLRs are much easier to use than medium format cameras. Lighter camera bodies and faster telephotos makes shooting much simpler, although I must admit the newer 645 autofocus cameras and their digital counterparts are very close behind.

Lens choice is simple. Take the fastest long lens you own. 300mm f-2.8 lenses are very popular among wildlife photographers. 400mm f-2.8 is a good compromise between 300mm and other two big guns: the 500mm f-4 and 600mm f-4. The longer 500mm and 600mm lenses have the advantage of shooting from a distance and getting frame filling shots. A set of teleconverters including 1.4X and 2X will provide closer shots with any fast, fixed telephoto lens with good quality. 300mm f-4 lenses are an alternative to the more expensive faster models. It can still be use with teleconverters with reasonably fast f-stop and sharpness. The newer tele zooms including 80-400mm and 100-400mm f-5.6 or Sigma's 50-500mm f-6.3 are another alternative. Canon's Image Stabilizer Lenses show their usefulness in a safari especially on the back of a moving elephant! Use ISO 100 films when shooting under normal conditions, but carry ISO 200 or 400 for low light situations. Any of these films can be easily pushed one stop when you need extra speed. As I mentioned earlier, a powerful flash is needed in for low light photography. Have one attached but use it off the camera for nicer and more natural effect. A tripod is the most important accessory. Use it at all times except where it is impossible to carry or set up one. A monopod or a shoulder stock should be used for support in places where tripods can't be used.