Get started with wildlife photography with your Nikon Quickstart cheat sheet

Nikon Team •Nikon Quickstart•28 aug. 2025•4 perces olvasmány

Nikon magazine's Nikon Quickstart cheat sheets

Download your free cheat sheet and use these tips to take better images of animals and birds

Nikon Quickstart is a series of Nikon magazine cheat sheets for beginners, in which we’re demystifying some of the techniques and tricks that will instantly improve your photography and video. Wildlife photography requires patience but will be rewarded with images you can treasure forever. And you don’t have to go to the ends of the earth to start. It’s all about capturing images of animals in their natural habitat, revealing their behaviour and showing them in the environment where they belong. Read on for six top tips on how to begin with wildlife photography and some suggestions on the best lenses – download your free Nikon Quickstart cheat sheet as a handy reminder.

Download your free cheat sheet and use these tips to take better images of animals and birds

Nikon Team

What’s in our kitbag?

NIKKOR Z 400mm f/4.5 VR SPortable super-telephoto

NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VRLightweight super-telephoto

NIKKOR Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VRCapture distant action

Use a long lens

As wildlife is scared away easily, use a long lens (telephoto or super telephoto) to photograph or film from distance. Use the longest focal length you have available.

Let your camera work for you

Set autofocus to continuous (AF-C) and use animal subject detection, if your Nikon has it. To assist your shot, set the camera mode to either Auto or Aperture Priority mode.

Start with local wildlife

No need to go on safari or a polar expedition! There’s wildlife everywhere, even in the city. Try local parks, lakes and woods for a variety of animals and birds.

Keep still and quiet

Remain still and out of sight if possible. Set up a tripod, move away from the camera and control it with the Nikon SnapBridge app. Always set your camera to silent.

Have patience

Wildlife photography is about waiting for the animals to appear and for the right moment. Make sure you have the right clothes and supplies for spending a few hours outside.

Research your location

Plan ahead by finding out what animals or birds might be in your chosen location. What time are they most likely to appear? Do they have daily routines?