I don't know how you would go about becoming a NG photographer, but I do remember gazing with longing at the page 2 wildlife photo in the Canon ad, with the giant 800mm Canon lens. I was 12 or 13, and all I wanted in the world was one of those lenses. I did eventually buy a Canon Canada demonstrator, back in 2001. Cost me $4,500 for the FD version. I hear the EF version now sells for $14,000+.
Seriously, if you have a passion for photography, and wildlife photography is a passion, don't let the obstacles get in your way. Learn how to take pictures, yes, but learn everything you can about animals as well. Learn how to tell an animal's mood and predict it's likely next move, when it's going to do something interesting, from a two-second glance through some bushes. You can learn as much from a day at the zoo as you will from visiting a gallery or a fine art museum. So do both. And get an education, of course, but study in a field like biology or primatology where you can spend a good deal of your day learning about, or in close contact with, animals. You will need to know first-hand about conservation issues, the politics behind them, the science behind such fields as park management and captive breeding programs. You will need passion and talent, yes, but also a solid grounding.<div></div>
How to work for National Geographic or a similar establishement?
in Business of Photography
Posted
I don't know how you would go about becoming a NG photographer, but I do remember gazing with longing at the page 2 wildlife photo in the Canon ad, with the giant 800mm Canon lens. I was 12 or 13, and all I wanted in the world was one of those lenses. I did eventually buy a Canon Canada demonstrator, back in 2001. Cost me $4,500 for the FD version. I hear the EF version now sells for $14,000+.
Seriously, if you have a passion for photography, and wildlife photography is a passion, don't let the obstacles get in your way. Learn how to take pictures, yes, but learn everything you can about animals as well. Learn how to tell an animal's mood and predict it's likely next move, when it's going to do something interesting, from a two-second glance through some bushes. You can learn as much from a day at the zoo as you will from visiting a gallery or a fine art museum. So do both. And get an education, of course, but study in a field like biology or primatology where you can spend a good deal of your day learning about, or in close contact with, animals. You will need to know first-hand about conservation issues, the politics behind them, the science behind such fields as park management and captive breeding programs. You will need passion and talent, yes, but also a solid grounding.<div>
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