Photographic Tip Number 10 - Anticipation

To help realise your ambitions of capturing the very best picture, it is sometimes worth studying your subject, especially if an animal. They will all have habits and peculiarities that once known can be used to your advantage. This can be as simple as knowing that a swan will stretch its wings once its finished grooming itself and a dragonfly will often come back to the same perch.

A swan in Richmond.

A dragonfly on Barnes Common.

A swan on the Long Water at Hampton Court.

You may have to wait awhile but it can sometimes be worth it. It can also be hard on the knees, if you need to bend down for some time, so worth having something to kneel on.

If you are lucky enough to know where a Kestrel’s nest is, waiting for the parents to come with the next meal can be a great time to catch that all action shot.

A Great Crested Grebe with a hearty meal.

If you are watching Grebe’s or other diving birds, they can dive for quite a long time and appear some way from where you first saw them. But if you are patient, you might catch them with a meal.

So, as with many things, it pays to do some research.

I hope this has been helpful and please get in touch with your experiences, as I love to hear how you are getting on with your photography.